The Dolphins Have Desperate Needs!
By Gene Hauze
There has been much talk about whether to take the best available player in the NFL draft or a player that fulfills need. But, what people don’t talk about is what does a team do if they are in desperate need? The Dolphins have desperate needs this year. Specifically, the Dolphins have desperate need in the middle of their offense.
Let’s take a look at the middle of the Dolphins offense last year. I believe this middle is the reason why the Dolphins had a miserable performance on offense in 2010. At center, the Dolphins had Joe Berger. At left guard, the Dolphins had Richie Incognito. At right guard, the Dolphins had, amongst others, John Jerry. At quarterback, the Dolphins had Chad DUH Henne. And, at running backs, the Dolphins had the duo of Ronnie Brown and Rickie Williams.
In comparison, the Dolphins offensive edges look a lot better – much, much better. At tackles, the Dolphins have All Pro Jake Long and a solid veteran Vernon Carey. At WRs, the Dolphins have Brandon Marshall, Devon Bess, and Brian Hartline. And, at TE, the Dolphins have Anthony Fasano.
If I am Brian Daboll, the new Offensive Coordinator, I look at this middle and scream at Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland … “COME ON MAN … PAALEASE!” I would go on to emphatically say the following about the middle of the Dolphins offense:
You’re giving me a Center who cannot move any NT in the AFC East? You’re giving me a LG who pulls like my grandmother? You’re giving me a RG who cannot even get to the second level to make a block? You’re giving me one running back who is already well past his prime and another one who is running on damaged wheels – and, oh by the way, they are both free agents? And then, you’re giving me a QB with more question marks than a three year old on a 12 hour road trip to Disney World? Okay, maybe I can work with the QB – he has a gun for an arm and did come from the same University as that other guy I coached in New England who is going to be in the Hall of Fame. But, the other positions, you have got to give me something better to work with. I’m telling you we are desperate here guys!
You guys are talking about drafting me a speedy WR. How am I going to get the ball downfield to that speedy WR when my QB is dodging a defense who is blitzing relentlessly or who is flat on his back? PAALEASE! Forget about drafting a speedy WR in the first or second or third round. I need offensive linemen.
You guys are talking about drafting me a top notch RB – maybe that Ingram guy from Alabama. How is he or anyone else going to get chunk yardage when my guards cannot get to the second level and my center cannot handle any NT one-on-one? PAALEASE! Forget about drafting a RB in the first round. I need offensive linemen.
You guys are talking about drafting me a top notch QB. Well, Newton and Gabbert will be long gone by the 15th pick. And, Mallett and Locker aren’t going to do squat if they are running for their life or flat on their backs – and, that Mallett guy cannot even run faster than Jake Long. PAALEASE! Forget about drafting a QB in the first round. I need offensive linemen.
And, don’t tell me you’ll find me some offensive lineman “nuggets” on the waiver wires. You guys do not have a very good track record doing that. Yeh, I’m talking about Jake Grove, Justin Smiley, and that Pat McQuistin guy. PAALEASE! Forget about OL nuggets – I need fresh not reprocessed meat. I need offensive linemen.
Now, if you guys plan on taking that loud mouth LB Channing Crowder and that practice lazy Philip Merling and ship them off to Belichick for Logan Mankins, well that’s different. Then, you can do what ever you want with the 15th pick. But, I think there is a greater chance that Miami will have a blizzard in March, than Belichick will do business with you guys on All Pro Mankins. But, regardless you guys should make the call and give it a whirl. I get a tingling in my jock strap even thinking about having All Pros Long and Mankins on the left side of my offensive line.
Look, here is what you guys should do with the 15th pick – that is, if you guys would let me have some say in who to draft. Take that Castonzo kid out of Boston College. Yeh, I know he is a tackle. But Tony, I think you could teach either Castonzo or Carey to play guard – you’re a great offensive line coach (and, silently thinking that maybe you, Tony, could finally earn you’re paycheck and fix what you screwed up last year). Or, take that Pouncey kid out of Florida. His brother played real well for Pittsburgh. And, he can play either guard or center. That’s what you should do. Take an offensive lineman with the 15th pick.
But, by the way, I think you guys should keep up the smokescreen you’re creating by visiting every college QB in the draft. Maybe, some team will think you’re actually going to take one of them or that Ingram guy at RB and decide to beg you guys to trade down from the 15th pick – I hear that Seattle would really like to give their fans Locker since he played at the University of Washington … or … I hear that Chicago really likes that Carimi kid from University of Wisconsin and heavens know they need someone at tackle to protect their QB. Then, you guys could do what I really think. That is, use the lower first round pick to take Pouncey if he is still available or take that Wisniewski kid out of Penn State to play at center. Plus, use the second round pick to take that Moffitt kid out of Wisconsin or that huge Cannon kid out of TCU to play guard. Now, that’s a lot of fresh meat for me to build on. And then, if you guys get Mankins on top of that, then I will really have a … in my jock strap.
Please, Tony and Jeff, if you guys could just use some top draft picks to give me some offensive linemen to work with, you can use the remainder of the draft to pick QBs, RBs, WRs, KRs, or even some picks for Dick Nolan and his defense. I just beg of you to give me some offensive linemen. Think about it, do you know the real reason why New England is doing so well? Look at their offensive line. I did when I was working there. It is big and strong and talented and hardly ever gets injured. Heck, even that Woodhead kid can run behind those guys. That’s what I want here in Miami.
If I am Brian Daboll, that’s what I would say to Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland. And, if they would not listen, I’d call an audible and throw a flee flicker to Stephen Ross. It would be that important to my future in the NFL.
So, what do you think? Should the Dolphins first select meat or speed or guns?