Dez Bryant, Jeff Ireland P.R. Fiasco

By Ronn Burner • on April 30, 2010

I’ve been trying to let this play out until we have truth to what actually occurred in that now notorious pre-draft interview that has forever linked in infamy Oklahoma State wide receiver, Dez Bryant, and Miami Dolphins GM, Jeff Ireland, before I pass judgment. The beat-a-dead-horse topic of the week unless of course you haven’t gotten enough of the “Jimmy Clausen falls out of the 1st round” phenomenon that has swept the sports world.

It seems like profootballtalk.com has been reporting a different version of the story faster than a Chad Henne fastball gets from Ted Ginn’s hands to the ground. I know Ginn is gone now, I’m sorry, I can’t help myself. I just have to learn to let it go. Maybe I should just watch more Ginn game film then. See what I did there? Sorry. It’s really become an annoying habit. Like Ginn dropping passes. Anyhoo…

There has been an uproar from the media and fans that want Ireland’s head on a stake for asking Bryant in some form or another if his mother was a prostitute. Those inside the league and NFL circles actually see it differently with several NFL GM’s and/or Executives stating on record that worse questions have been asked and it is indeed the right of the employer to ask these very difficult questions in order to see if you react rather than respond before they pay a 21 year old $20 to $50 million. Simply pawning it off as old custom where change has yet to be mandated. Fighting is still common practice in the NHL today remarkably so what gives.

In a release, the Dolphins claim the interrogation went down like this: (1) Ireland asked Bryant what his father does; (2) Bryant openly admitted he’s a pimp; (3) Ireland then asked what his mother does; (4) Bryant said that his mother works for his father; (5) Ireland then asked if his mother is a prostitute.

Bryant’s people are claiming that is “bulls@*#” and sticking to the original claim that Ireland directly and spontaneously blurted out the question “Is your mother a prostitute?”

That has been the ongoing debate back and forth since the story broke last week. My initial impulsive reaction was that of disgust that the organization I love so much has been marred in the public eye recently for lacking class recently for their less than tactful decisions – allegedly – to shun franchise icons Jason Taylor by holding him hostage and by dissing Zach Thomas by not allowing him to hold an exit press conference before he went to the Dallas Cowboys. Adding even further insult to injury the Dolphins issued rookie LB A.J. Edds Thomas’s esteemed #54. An obvious intentional slap in the face when you consider that rookies are never issued jersey numbers of players of Thomas’ magnitude, a certain Ring of Honor inductee. Throw in the Ireland fiasco and all of the sudden you have the Dolphins Front Office simmering in huge pot of “No Class Stew”.

All of those things may be acceptable, they all may not warrant punishment since technically nothing was done wrong as it pertains to the letter of the law but the court of public opinion can be equally if not more devestating. Wasn’t it a history of allegations or less than admirable decisions based on hearsay or just putting yourself in a bad light enough to get Ben Roethlisberger suspended by the league and nearly exiled in Pittsburgh?

Lost in the translation here really are the two most important things as far as I’m concerned.

1.) If true, it is profoundly sad that Dez Bryant’s father is a pimp and his mother was a prostitute. Think about that. How deep must the scars run with the lifetime of facing such an awful reality? Again, if true, I have a whole new respect for the person Dez Bryant is because frankly, if your biggest problems in a life raised under these conditions are not being very punctual and telling an occasional fib then he should be commended. Give the man a hug an a Humanitarian Award.

2.) My problem isn’t with the league deciding whether the question is right or wrong? If you want to ask the question, fine. My problem is the class and tact of the person willing to make the decision to ask that question. Should someone ask that question? That is not for me to decide but I will pass judgement on the character of someone that is willing to ask it. My opinion of Jeff Ireland as a man has changed. Would Tony Dungy have asked that question or better yet, would Don Shula or Rick Spielman or Wayne Huizenga? Hardly.

As a Dolphins fan I am currently ashamed of the way our organization is being represented. Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and Tony Sporano (it may be unfair to link him in this actually) are great talent evaluaters and football minds but they are also employees and I don’t think it’s too much to ask for them to represent the franchise with class, dignity and respect.

And Dez Bryant has character issues.

Dolphins Draft Outlook

By Ronn Burner • on April 27, 2010

The 2010 NFL draft has come and gone and the “grades” are in! I say this with more than a hint of sarcasm since at this point we really know nothing. If we did, would Dan Marino have been the 6th quarterback taken in 1983 and the 27th player selected overall? If you’re thinking about the answer to that please stop reading. You’re not a football fan, in fact, you’re not even allowed to talk about sports. Ever.

How silly does the Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning debate sound now? I’m not going to lie; I was firmly in the Leaf corner at that time and likely the reason I’m sitting in a freezing cold office with no windows writing this instead of a War Room bragging about the notion that I outsmarted the room and found my starting free safety, a Georgia Team Captain in the 5th round while every other team passed on him… 5 times! I hope your right Bill Parcells. Keep in mind so-called NFL draft gurus Mel Kiper and Todd McShay each gave Miami a C for their draft last year, which included Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, Brian Hartline and Chris Clemons. On that scale, I would kill for a C again this year!

There are countless examples of this, yet in our insatiable hunger for immediate justification we feel compelled to grade the process that takes at least 3 to 4 years to truly gauge simply to nurture our self worth. It makes about as much sense as buying a lottery ticket and running out of the Quickie Mart screaming, “I’m rich! I’m rich!” before you even scratch it off.

I refuse to grade the selections because aside from the lunacy of it all the truth is Parcells, Jeff Ireland and Tony Sporano know a hell of a lot more than I do and I’m not going to pretend to know more than I do. Of course I have an opinion and I’m not afraid to voice it so I will. I would just take it with a grain of salt from a fan trying to figure this whole thing out the best we can from a distance.

“For the next three days we are going to draft prototypical players that play football well in their pads on the football field,” the sign in the Dolphins draft room read.

Based on their collegiate careers, that is precisely what they did. They drafted hard-nosed, hard working, high character, high motor, high IQ and quality leaders with McCoy being the only selection that was not a team captain in college.

Without further adieu, your 2010 Miami Dolphins draft picks.

Jared Odrick, 1, 28, DT, Penn St.

Scouting Report: Pass rush: Has good height, strength, agility and length to be a consistent penetrator. Bowled over many college linemen with his bull rush and seems to be in motion with the snap of the ball. Has some shiftiness and is able to penetrate with a swim or an inside-out move when blocked one-on-one. Uses his hands to discard linemen. Disrupts passing lanes with his long arms and big hands, keeping his eyes in the backfield. Can accelerate to the quarterback after initial contact but does not have elite quickness or change-of-direction ability to come back and make the sack or chase down plays in the backfield.

Run defense: Usually holds his ground inside or pushes back against double-teams. Disengages from blocks to get back into the play and has made stops four or five yards downfield. Not quick enough laterally, but uses his strength to move down the line while engaged on stretch plays. Must be more aware of protecting his knees from cut blocks.

Explosion: Good quickness and pop off the snap. Able to knock his man back a step or two into the pocket. Improved his get-off as a senior playing the three-technique and is able to consistently penetrate from that spot.

Strength: Brute strength makes him a tough assignment in pass protection for college linemen. Stacks his man and rips off in either direction to fill a hole. Pushes the pocket as a pass rusher, even when double-teamed. Plays tall but controls the line on almost every snap when straight-up or doubled.

Tackling: Solid wrap tackler inside because of his strength and length at the point. Lacks the change-of-direction ability to regularly rein in elusive ballcarriers or make plays from behind. His height also prevents him from consistently breaking down in space.

Intangibles: Work ethic and consistency of effort have been questioned in the past, but he appeared to turn a corner in 2009. Cited for disorderly conduct and fined for a February 2009 early morning fight in downtown State College.

Koa Misi, 2, 40, OLB, Utah

Scouting Report: Read & React: Very good football instincts — sniffs out screens, misdirection and cut blocks. Reads routes and knows where the hot read is in coverage.

Run defense: Explosive coming off the edge if untouched, flexible enough to chase down backs. Lacks the bulk to play end on early downs at the next level, but is strong enough as a linebacker on the edge to be an effective run stopper. Smart on containment and takes away the cutback lane. Punches linemen coming out to block, can disengage to make a play. Gets through trash to find the ball. Excellent chase and hustle down the line or downfield.

Pass defense: Very fluid in his drops, turns hips and gets deep quickly. Will struggle getting off lineman blocks, but seems to find creases to get to the ball in traffic. Good ball awareness whether blitzing or dropped into zone coverage. Gets his hands up when unable to reach the quarterback. Beats cut blocks with his hands and agile enough to recover. Strong enough to handle tight ends on the edge but needs to improve his hand usage on the line. Hustles back to get to open receivers in zones.

Tackling: Excellent tackler, strong upper body and brings his hips to explode into ballcarriers. Breaks down in space and has the agility to rein in elusive players. Tracks down quicker players from behind in space with pure hustle. Will be a force on special teams, playing inside on coverage units.

Pass Rush/Blitz: Played mostly defensive end for the Utes, quick off the edge and plays through the whistle. When standing up, he has nice closing speed to the QB and some shiftiness to defeat running backs inside or turn the corner on lineman outside. Also uses his hands to keep lineman off balance and get around their outside shoulder. Will need counter moves and learn how to blow up blocks in the backfield.

Intangibles: Team captain. High character player praised by his coaches for work ethic. Suffered back injury in preseason practice, worked hard to miss only the first game of 2009 season.

John Jerry, 3, 73, OG, Ole Miss

Scouting Report: A king-sized lineman who plays RT on the Ole Miss offense, Jerry simply lacks the athleticism to consistently reach the corner vs. speed off the edge. He showcases good lateral mobility and redirection skills for his size but lacks the quickness to hold up on the outside in the NFL. He has the makings of a physical inline guard at the next level where he can use his power and strength to maul defenders in the run game. Jerry possesses long, strong arms and powerful hands. Once he locks on in the run game, he does a great job pumping his legs and driving defenders off the ball. He can certainly anchor at the point of attack in the pass game, and once he gets his hands on an opponent, the battle is over. He is a Leonard Davis-type guard at the next level.

A.J. Edds, 4, 119, LB, Iowa

Scouting Report: A big, thickly built linebacker, Edds displays good power inside the box and has the ability stack and shed on contact. Does a nice job extending his arms, keeping his base low and using his hands to disengage at the point of attack. Reads and reacts quickly to plays at the line of scrimmage and has the initial burst to make his way into the backfield and close on the football. Isn’t a real sudden athlete on contact but fights for every inch and does a great job playing with inside leverage and finding the football. Displaying really impressive instincts and always seems to be flowing toward the action. Exhibits surprising fluidity for his size in space and does a nice job cleanly flipping his hips and getting out of his breaks.

But he isn’t an overly explosive athlete and struggles quickly getting back up to speed when asked to turn and run down the field. Frequently asked to play in space in Iowa’s nickel packages, he possesses good body control and balance in zone coverage. Showcases the ability to bump off the line and takes a liking to really beating on the tight end off the snap. Looks like a guy who could win a spot at as strong-side linebacker in the NFL. Edds is never going to be a star, but he has the ability to beat tight ends in the run game and be a productive starter for an NFL defense.

Nolan Carroll, 5, 145, CB, Maryland

Scouting Report: An intriguing size/speed corner, Carroll is still raw and looks like a much better athlete than a defensive back at this stage. He lacks ideal footwork off the line and has a tendency to open up his hips prematurely and sidesaddle his way downfield. He struggles keeping his feet under him and can be slow to get out of his breaks. He displays good range when asked to track the ball in zone coverage. But he isn’t instinctive and doesn’t put himself in position to make many plays. Carroll missed most of the 2009 season with a broken leg and although he possesses impressive size/speed numbers, he looks like nothing more than a practice squad candidate in year one.

Reshad Jones, 5, 163, S, Georgia

Scouting Report: Jones is a tall, good-looking strong safety who displays a sudden first step out of his stance when asked to attack downhill and generates good power on contact as a tackler. He’s a physical hitter with a strong upper body. He will go for the knockout punch too often instead of wrapping up but overall is a sound tackler when asked to close in pursuit. He’s also a good last-line defender who breaks down well and can wrap up in space. Jones is an above-average straight-line athlete for his size who gets up to full speed quickly and does a good job taking proper angles toward the ball. But he’s still a bit slow when asked to diagnose plays and lacks the second gear to make up for a false step. He showcases a natural initial bend in his stance but allows his pad level to get too high when asked to turn and run. Jones plays too leggy when trying to get back out of his breaks and struggles to stay compact with his footwork and generate a burst when trying to quickly change directions. He possesses good ball skills downfield, and once he sees the play he does a nice job tackling the ball, high-pointing the throw and coming down with the play. But too often he loses sight of the ball when trying to transition out of his breaks and lacks ideal overall ball awareness when trying to get his head around. Jones possesses an intriguing frame and above-average straight-line speed once he gets going but isn’t instinctive and fails to quickly redirect and change directions because of his elongated footwork.

Chris McCoy, 7, 212, DE, Middle Tennessee

Scouting Report: McCoy is an undersized defensive end prospect who lacks ideal girth in his lower half and struggles to hold up vs. the run game when the play comes toward him. He has a tendency to get too high on contact and is easily washed downfield. He works hard to disengage from blocks but struggles to gain inside leverage and consistently allows opposing linemen to get in on his frame. McCoy is slow to find the ball and isn’t the most instinctive defender. He’s asked to drop off into coverage at the line of scrimmage at times and looks a bit stiff off the ball.

Austin Spitler, 7, 252, LB, Ohio State

Scouting Report: An instinctive middle linebacker who possesses a good feel in coverage and knows how to find the ball, Spitler does well adjusting to the throw and possesses the ball skills to reel in the interception. But he isn’t natural when asked to redirect and lacks the kind of footwork and overall fluidity to cleanly get out of his breaks. He has a tendency to get grabby when asked to play on an island and is much more comfortable in zone coverage where he can read and react. He isn’t overly physical when asked to attack the line of scrimmage and struggles to keep his legs clean in pursuit. He displays slightly above-average range for the position but is easily knocked off balance and slowed in pursuit.

Miami also signed undrafted free agent WR’s Roberto Wallace 6’4”, 223 (San Diego State) and Marlon Moore 6’, 190 (Fresno State), DT’s Vince Oghobaase 6’5”, 302 (Duke) and Travis Ivey 6’4”, 341 (Maryland), CB’s Ross Weaver (Michigan State) and A.J. Wallace (Penn State), S Jon Amaya (Nevada) and OL Andy Levine 6’5”, 300 (FIU).

It’s easy to be thrilled and say we will have 4 immediate starters out of this draft but that’s not going to happen. Things never work out like that so I’m not going to expect that to here either. Jared Odrick will start. It’s John Jerry’s job to lose so it’s likely we have two starters right there but the truth is the best guards in mini camp and in the preseason will get the nod and it’s far from a guarantee that Jerry wins that job.

The O-line is a tremendously complicated position that requires cohesion like a dance partner. He’s NFL pedigree and talented, I hope he starts but there will be at least 3 or 4 guys with more NFL experience such as Richie Incognito that will have something to say about that. For sake of argument though, let’s say he wins the job. That’s two drafted starters — one on each side of the ball — a relatively smooth transition.

Now Koa Misi and Reshad Jones are also in position to come into camp and crack the starting the lineup and very well may do so but do we really want three rookie starters on defense? I don’t, even though it’s only one guy at each level and easier to implement than multiple players on one unit. Still, I would guess in an attempt at avoiding mental breakdowns that Misi and Jones will be weeded into the lineup rather than handed a spot. Of course, if they play their way onto the field and Sporano has no choice but to start them then so be it.

It’s a huge step from the college to the pro game both physically and mentally and to think that all four of these guys are going to come in and make an immediate impact from day one is wishful thinking to put it mildly. Law of averages.

Even if they did start would that speak more of them as talented rookies or the lack of talent currently on the roster at their positions?

Dolphins Gift Wrap Jason Taylor for “Them”

By Ronn Burner • on April 21, 2010

It’s a business, I get that. Bill Parcells obviously has a plan in mind that does not include the greatest defensive player in the history of the franchise. Fine. It happens and Tuna gets paid an exorbitant amount of money to make these decisions and he has a pretty darn good track record of being correct in these personnel matters. Fine. I happen to think JT still has football left in him and would be a tremendous asset to our young defense but I’m not there and they obviously know a hell of a lot more than I do. Fine. Whether I like it or not I can accept that but I refuse to believe there is any way we are going to fill our DE unit with 4 or 5 guys better than JT. No way. Regardless, the Dolphins moving on without Taylor was collective decision that the organization obviously felt was for the betterment of the team now and into the future. Fine.

The fact that our very own 2007 Defensive Player of the Year will not be wearing the orange and aqua that he’ll be enshrined in Canton with this season but rather the very shade of green that he and all Dolfans alike can’t even stomach. My issue is not the move, it’s the way it was handled.

The number 99 is a lock to not only be forever etched onto our Ring of Honor but he’s also a Hall of Famer and with that he’s earned at the very least the common courtesy to be publicly let go respectfully and with dignity. For whatever reason that was not the case. As the story goes Dolphins brass wouldn’t even return his phone calls. That is classless and quite frankly an embarrassment to the organization. Taylor himself would have understood the teams decision to simply go in a direction that did not include his services had they returned his phone calls and said so. He has absolutely earned that much. Hell, he shouldn’t even had to have make those phone calls in the first place. Jeff Ireland, Tony Sporano or Parcells himself should have had the decency to contact Taylor once they knew the direction they intended to move in giving him ample time to discuss with his family the possibility of being uprooted to any city that boasts an NFL franchise.

I’m disappointed in the lack of respect public displayed by the organization for an all-time Dolphins great.

How much do you want to bet that Chad Henne and Jake Long wish he was still a teammate on September 26th and December 12th when they face “Gang Green” and number 99 destroys our offense? Talk about motivation, especially with Rex Ryan at the helm. I loathe “them” but I think Rex brings great things to any team including moxie, swagger, attitude, aggressiveness, fire and confidence. It’s easy to hate him but that’s only because he’s not on our team. Taylor will love playing for that guy and there is no doubt in my mind Ryan will put him in position to be extremely successful all season let alone the two game against Miami.

Thank you JT for the memories. I assure you the fans respect you and will always hold you in the highest regards. Here’s to you having the best season of your career on an 0-16 team.

Dolphins Draft Dilemma

By Ronn Burner • on April 16, 2010

Following their 2009 campaign the Dolphins off season needs seemed as insatiable as Ben Roethlisexoffender’s sex drive. Too soon? Send emails to getalife@nobodyreadsthis.com. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Just saying.

Miami needed to fill five major holes in an otherwise solid team to put themselves in a realistic position to contend for a Championship. In no particular order we needed a big-bodied, play making true #1 receiver, a bulldozing nose tackle to anchor our 3-4, a ball hawking free safety, a tackling machine at outside line backer and an elite pass rushing defensive end.

Dolphins brass i.e. Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and Tony Sporano were able to acquire two Pro Bowl players by signing Karlos Dansby via Free Agency to fill the outside linebacking void created with the departure of the mouth of the south, Joey Porter and obviously the blockbuster deal that brought us Brandon Marshall instantaneously transforming an anemic receiving corps into a lethal one. That about seals those two holes tighter than a frog’s rear end.

Two paramount deals to fix two monumental weaknesses on your roster is certainly something to be ecstatic about but in the immortal words of our very own Big Tuna “We’ve got a ways to go so put away the anointing oil, okay?” He said that a few years ago referring to a young Tony Romo finding early success in Dallas but don’t think for one second that Parcells isn’t thinking the very same thing as I write this. The fact remains that we still need to figure out how to find a starting NT, S and DE between the combination of our current roster, not a great option, and Thursday’s draft.

We currently sit at #12, which virtually ensures cementing the third of our five holes depending on the direction the crafty Parcells will manuever but our next pick isn’t until #73 (3rd Rd.) and not even David Copperfield could plug our three holes with only two picks in the top 100. In a perfect world (I know) the Dolphins trade out of the 12th pick and into the back of the 1st round while adding a 2nd round pick to replace the one (#43) they lost to Denver in the Marshall deal. With everyone looking to trade down it’s unlikely Miami will find a dance partner but you can bet your bottom dollar that Parcells is trying to do just that and the Philadelphia Eagles might just be our Huckleberry.

If that deal were to happen then Miami would move from #12 to #24 and compromise to #55 in the 2nd round given us three picks in the top 73 of a very deep draft. That’s enough to make sure you at least know where the anointing oil is stored. That’s a “what if” scenario though and not worth anything more than a fantasy tale you tell your buddies over beers.

Back to the real world, which isn’t all bad when you consider the immense talent that will be sitting there for the taking at #12. There’s no doubt in my mind that NT Dan Williams (Tennessee), DE Derrick Morgan (Georgia Tech) or S Earl Thomas (Texas) will be a Miami Dolphins starter the second they stand up and make the walk to shake Roger Goodell’s hand. The question is which one will it be? (I’ve linked them all to their scouting reports.)

My brain tells me Williams is our guy, with Jason Ferguson suspended for 8 games and the uber importance of a play thrashing 3-4 nose tackle it would seem foolish to pass on Williams. Playing devil’s advocate here and I could say that there are a number of worthy prospects that you should be able to get in the 2nd, 3rd or even 4th rounds to at least split time with Paul Solai until Ferguson returns.

My gut tells me Parcells wants to mold Morgan into shades of the great L.T. Devils advocate says there is only one L.T. and both nose tackle and safety are bigger needs and there will be a quality pass rushing end still available at #55, maybe even a stud like Ricky Sapp (Clemson).

My heart wants Thomas, a ball hawking safety with tremendous cover skills and all around tools for one, and for two, did you see Gibril Wilson and every team we played last season repeatedly gouge us with big plays? The devil’s advocate would say that a nose tackle and a pass rusher are bigger needs… or would he? The heart wants what the heart wants.

Imagine the coundrum, albeit a great one, if Jason Paul-Pierre (South Florida) or Dez Bryant (Oklahoma State) are still available there.

Ted Ginn Shipped to San Francisco

By Ronn Burner • on April 16, 2010

In news that should surprise no one including Ted Ginn himself, Miami has shipped their official 2007 draft bust as far away as they could get him. The San Francisco 49ers just gave Miami a 5th round pick in this years draft for the former 9th overall pick. Dolfans should be elated they duped the 49ers into giving up so much. Really a Klondike Bar would have sufficed, especially when you consider former Buckeye teammate Santonio Holmes cost the Jets exactly the same price for easily twice the player.

I’ve been on record on several occasions over the years expressing my displeasure of Ginn’s efforts (not abilities) in Miami beginning with this gem so there’s really no need to pile on here. I wish him the best of luck on his new beginning in San Francisco, however, I would suggest that Niner fan be cautiously optimistic. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck… it’s probably a duck.

Although his legacy in Miami will forever be a punch line of Ryan Leaf proportions Teddy did tease us with a few glimpses of what Dolphin Nation all believed would be the norm rather than the exception.

My farewell bid to Ginn and final jab at his expense, which pains me greatly by the way, is to simply press play here, turn it up to 11 and watch these clips on mute as sort of a career highlight montage send off beginning with this masterpiece in 2008, this record setting day against our arch nemesis in green up north and another beautiful sight against that same team on a different day tasting so much sweeter as it embarrassed their best player.

Best of luck Ted Ginn.

UPDATE: Shame on me. Just when I finally said something nice about Ginn he goes out and does something like this and completely validates the reason Phin-attics loathe the padded cheerleader in the first place. Good riddance.

Dolphins Land Brandon Marshall in Blockbuster Deal

By Ronn Burner • on April 15, 2010

Before I went to bed last night I was pulling my hair out contemplating between WR Arrelious Benn (Illinois), DE Eversen Griffen (USC) and DE/LB Ricky Sapp (Clemson) with Miami’s 2nd Rd. selection (#43 overall) in the iSportsweb.com Mock Draft. I went to bed completely satisfied with my selection including scientific rationale and a laundry list of justifiable reasoning that would support the relevance and genius of my selection to be used as a verbal “Ha Ha! I told you so” defense against the inevitable backlash from Dolfans with differing opinions. Damn it, why can’t the hot tub time machine be real? Imagine if it were though, we wouldn’t be in love with Chad Henne because Drew Brees would be our quarterback, the Saints still wouldn’t have marched on Bourbon Street and we would have nothing but love for Ted Ginn Jr. because he would be someone else’s problem.

I awoke to a barrage of ambiguous text messages like “Wow! MARSHALL!” “Marshall! Can you believe it?” “How do you feel about the train wreck?” I was clueless but my first reaction was “Oh my God, Marshall University just suffered another tragedy reminiscent of the tragic 1970 plane crash!” Simultaneously I turned on ESPN and there in red was the “Breaking News” bold type crawling across the bottom line reading that the Denver Broncos traded Brandon Marshall to the Miami Dolphins for their 2nd round pick in next weeks draft and what is believed to be their 2nd round pick in next years draft. Marshall (the player) agreed to a four-year, $47.5 million contract extension, which includes $24 million in guaranteed money. Assuming he passes his physical the deal makes him the highest-paid receiver in NFL history… allegedly.

A nano-second after reading the news I was overwhelmed with a bevy of emotions that hit me so fast and so hard I can’t be sure in which order they came but if memory serves me I believe it went something like “YES! We are legitimate contenders!”… “Thank God the Marshall Football team is okay!”… “Oh CRAP! I just drafted Arrelious Benn and this completely destroys my mock draft!” Good thing I passed on WR Dez Bryant (OSU) at #12 or we would have just had to completely disregard the importance and validity of this mock altogether as if it doesn’t even matter.

Now that the smoke has settled as much as it’s going to in my brainpan and I sit back and really let it resonate that we just acquired Brandon Marshall I realize the reason I’m so taken aback. We are back! No more excuses, no more rebuilding, no more “one year away” conversations, no more “too old” or “too young” remarks, no more “only if we had a quarterback”, no more “what if’s”. This deal shows the Dolphins are committed to winning now and in the future. It shows that Bill Parcells will take risks, that improving the offense is priority and it also shows that the organization truly believes that they are thisclose to being a legitimate Championship contender.

Make no mistake about it, Marshall was expensive. By no means did Miami steal him from Denver. The Broncos were compensated very well with two 2nd round picks not to mention the financial and psychological burden that left the moment he boarded the plane. The Broncos got exactly what they wanted, if not more, and it’s a huge step in moving the direction they want to go. Conversely, it was well worth the price to the Dolphins by instantly adding one of the biggest offensive threats at his position in the entire league and plugging the most glaring hole on the team in one move. Miami literally went from an uninspiring stagnant offense to lethal from anywhere on the field over night. The addition of Marshall has a ripple effect that will pay positive consequences for every other player and unit offensively, which eases the pressure on the defensive side of the ball as well as directly affecting coaching decisions, play calls and even special teams as it pertains the field position game.

He will demand double teams the majority of the time opening running lanes, making reads for Chad Henne much less challenging, stressing the defense and putting backs and Davone Bess and Brian Hartline in favorable underneath matchups. The sky is the limit offensively from this day forward in Miami provided Marshall shows up on the field to play football and not on South Beach to play “the field.”

Dolphins Making Little Splash in Free Agency

By Ronn Burner • on March 9, 2010

Heading into Free Agency it appeared the Dolphins would be rather aggressive in plugging the most glaring chinks in their armor. So glaring, in fact, one would have to be super human to look at our WR, ILB, NT and S positions without a welding mask. All signs pointed to the Dolphins making major moves beginning with need and ending with Uncapped Year. Squished in the middle being Free Agents that fit the bill. (Anquan Boldin) Check. Ownership that is willing to spend. ($53.5 million the past 2 years) Check. Large contracts to dump. (Gibril Wilson and Joey Porter) Check. Players to re-sign. (Chad Pennington) Check.

So what happened? Teams proved they were not going to blow the bank account when there would be viable options at a much friendlier price in the Draft for one. Aside from the Dolphins following, or maybe leading, that trend I think the domino effect came into play here with Key Free Agent NT’s being locked down with Franchise Tags resulting in far to steep a price to pay to pry them from their squad. New England’s Vince Wilfork (since has been signed), Pittsburgh’s Casey Hampton, San Francisco’s Aubrayo Franklin and Green Bay’s Ryan Pickett would have all been highly regarded by the Dolphins and any other team running the 3-4 had they hit the open market. However, their respective teams realized the importance of these kind of run stuffers in today’s NFL and how rare they are so unless someone is willing to part with 2 first round picks then they aren’t budging. Since Jason Ferguson’s 8-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs the Dolphins already glaring need at the position just got brighter than Dez Bryant’s future. See what I did there?

Although I tend to be leary of plugging only one of four gaping holes via Free Agency I still have to force myself to sit back and relax and “Trust in Tuna”, which is becoming increasingly more difficult following the Joey Porter releasing gaffe and not even entertaining the notion of bringing in Boldin for a 3rd and 4th round pick. We have to assume that Miami’s Free Agent activity, or lack thereof is by design. A calculated maneuver based on two things. 1.) An awful track record consisting of Ernest Wilford ($6 million), Reggie Torbor ($4 million), Justin Smiley ($9 million), Charlie Anderson ($2.5 million), Randy Starks ($7 million), Josh McCown ($2.5 million), Jake Grove ($14.5 million) and Gibril Wilson ($8 million) over the past 2 years with only Stark proving worthy and colossal busts in Wilford and Wilson. And 2.) By signing Karlos Dansby to a five-year deal worth $43 million with $22 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL, which leads you to believe they obviously had him targeted from the get go and have a plan intact to acquire through the draft the run stuffing NT, play making WR and ball hawking Safety doesn’t it? That sounds like an awfully ambitious wish list for one draft and by “awfully ambitious” I mean “No way in hell”.

Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland tried to plug one of the three remaining holes by signing S Ryan Clark away from Pittsburgh but midway through his visit to Miami he called his Mommy agent and said he wanted to go home so before he landed back in Pittsburgh he had already been offered a 4 year worth $17 million, which was less than the Dolphins were willing to give him. I guess I should commend him for not talking the money and running to Miami instead opting to keep his wife and three kids in their home and lives in Pitttsburgh and I would had he spurned the Patriots but he didn’t, he spurned us. Another domino that fell leaving the Dolphins scrambling for scraps. Heading into the draft needing a WR and NT to step in immediately and start sounds a whole lot more likely than adding a starting Safety to that list as well.

I didn’t think there was a Pizza Roll’s chance on Kevin Smith’s plate that the Dolphins would select Dez Bryant at #12 overall in the Draft but after signing Dansby there is not near the urgency to acquire linebackers Rolando McClain (Alabama) or Sergio Kindle (Texas) since Dansby is essentially that same player with experience and with NT’s Dan Williams (Tennesse) and Terrence Cody (Alabama) probably not worth the #12 pick it’s looking more and more like that Dolphins and Bill Parcells will, in fact, fill their biggest need offensively and select Dez Bryant if he’s still sitting their at #12. There in lies the problem though because I will be beyond shocked if he is still available when Miami selects. I will be so shocked that I refuse to even include him as an option when I write my Draft outlook later in the week. I’m even going tell you that I think there is a very good chance that he goes #3 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I could really care less where he goes but that Pizza Roll has a better chance of still being on Kevin Smith’s plate come April 22nd than Dez Bryant does of being on the Dolphins plate at #12.

I’ll get more into it with my Draft article later in the week but the signing of Dansby, albeit a good signing, muddles the picture further for me actually. Sitting at #12 we could have had our choice of any number of quality linebackers that were worthy of the 12th pick but now there isn’t that dire need for that type of player, at least at that position. Our positions of need doesn’t match up with our selection in the Draft barring a trade, which is a strong possibility. With Bryant gone there isn’t another receiver that deserves to go #12. After Safety Eric Berry (Tennessee) there isn’t a Safety worth that pick either. So by the process of elimination isn’t it rather obvious that Dan Williams has to be our pick even though he may be a reach that high? We can always get that Safety and Wide Receiver later right? Yup, I’m terrified that we are going to have the exact same nightmare next season of not having a play making wide receiver or an NFL calibre Safety. These were two off season “priorities” after last season’s pathetic play at these positions and to not address them before next year would be an unfathomable failure by Dolphins brass. No way they are that stupid, right?