So What If Dolphins Didn’t Get Flynn?

First, I will admit that when it came to the prospect of Matt Flynn or Peyton Manning I wanted Flynn.  The thought of a 90 million QB with three years left in his career and a bum shoulder with nerve damage didn’t sit well with me.  I was all for getting him if it helped put fans back in the seats but overall, I would have rather had Flynn.

Flynn has upside but the only person on the Miami Dolphins staff that knows that for sure if Joe Philbin and he isn’t talking.  “Rumors” continue that Jeff Ireland simply low-balled Flynn and figured that at worst Flynn would accept the lower salary to join Philbin.  There is a problem with that.  The contract that Flynn signed with Seattle was not that large.  Annually and average of 6 million.  Despite the detractors, that is good money for a starting QB and if Joe Philbin absolutely wanted Flynn, believed in Flynn, and was willing to stake his career on Flynn…the Dolphins would have paid that.

So the Dolphins didn’t land Matt Flynn.  So what.

Truth be told, there were plenty of fans on “twitter”, this site, forums across the web, that all screamed NO to getting Matt Flynn.  So today they are screaming that Ireland sucks, the Dolphins are a mess, and that there is no game plan at all down there.  This from the same people that didn’t want him to begin with.  Consider this though.  The Dolphins never really seemed to embrace Flynn from the start.

The Dolphins pursued Manning and flopped but when that situation played out to a not so polite “no-thank you”, the Dolphins didn’t jump on the phone, or a plane, and do whatever it took to get Flynn to Miami.  They let him go to Seattle and then brought him to the Dolphins.  Everyone simply assumed that this was a win-win situation for both the Dolphins and Flynn.  If the Dolphins had tepid interest in the QB, something that was rumored before the start of free agency, they still would have brought him down to Miami because of his relationship with Philbin.  They would have looked at the QB to see if there was anything there that was better than Matt Moore.

If we agreed at one point that when it came to Matt Flynn, we should defer to Philbin, shouldn’t that be the case here as well?

So here we are a day later and suddenly it’s “they have to sign Alex Smith”.  The question is why?  He has had one good year in his NFL career and that was last season.  I’m not against Smith but not at a major contract.  Apparently Smith wants to wait out the Manning decision because he wants to stay in California…so the Dolphins will have some time to think it over…apparently.

This brings up the question of the draft and one Ryan Tannehill.  The Dolphins supposedly are high on this kid but the reality is that they were also supposedly high on Matt Flynn.  The truth is this, if the Dolphins truly want Tannhill and let’s not forget OC Mike Sherman was his coach at Texas A&M, then the Dolphins should never have given Matt Flynn big time money and frankly 6 million a year is a little high for a guy you don’t see being your teams future.  Is it a risk?  Hell yes it’s a risk but it’s their team and while perception says they are idiots, if their plan is to go into the draft and getting RT, then that is where we should be judging them.

It’s very possible that Ireland is playing a serious poker game here.  Only one team now stands between them and Tannehill if that is who they want.  The Cleveland Browns.  I still can not fathom the Browns taking Tannhill at number 4 overall when they have so many other needs and a second first round pick at number 22.  Where I think they draft Brandon Weeden.

With Flynn going to Seattle, it should be noted that the Browns were supposed to be interested in Flynn but after speaking briefly with him backed-out, the Seahawks are no longer in play for trading up with Cleveland to land him.  In fact, no one really is in position to trade up now ahead of Miami.  It’s far too costly and no other team “needs” a QB enough to give up other needs to draft one.  Except Cleveland.

So here we are, a poker game going on between the Dolphins and the Browns and a fan base that is ready to throw Jeff Ireland and Stephen Ross off the tallest mountain they can find.  We listen to guys like Ryan Clark of Pittsburgh say how grateful he was not to come to Miami and imply that the team is a joke and Ireland is a complete ass.  Maybe that is true and I suspect there would be a lot of players who wouldn’t like Ireland if he plays hardball with their contracts.   Let’s remember his two biggest mentors were Bill Parcells and Carl Peterson.  Not exactly two individuals who threw money around freely.

I suppose you have to ask yourself, did you really want Matt Flynn and if not, then why are you so upset with the fact they didn’t draft him?  If you said you wanted to stick with Moore and draft Tannehill, then why are you so upset that the road being taken appears to be just that?  Don’t buy the media hyperbole.  The Dolphins are an easy target right now but again, it’s all perception.