Would you do this?

Just imagine if our genius GM had actually drafted Jimmy Graham and not John Jerry.

 

I'd rather sign 2 above average o lineman then a big ticket free agenc

 

No. What happened to Dustin can happen again. Have to put your eggs in more than one basket.


Jeff has put us in a good position check book wise for next year.

 

Playing that game only leads to the inevitable "Drew Brees... Not once, but twice!" I'd rather not depress myself, atm.






As for Jimmy Graham, the Free Agent...

#1. NO isn't letting him go without a fight.
#2. Plenty of other teams would be in the running. New England would be smart to pony up a deal and part with two #1's. Brady has precious time left. Graham AND Gronk? Good god, almighty.
#3. Miami has massive holes to fill, outside TE. Even if we could get him, the price would be steep beyond just dollars and cents. Then again, given our draft history, getting rid of picks might be for the best...

The moral of the story? Not happening.

 

Another thing to consider about Graham is that he's very likely going to be tagged as a WR, not a TE. That's how he's used and that's what he and his representation are (rightfully) fighting for. Last year the difference was about $4.5 million.

I think the locker room resentment factor is very real and undeniable. Clay has one year left on his deal but the Dolphins can renegotiate after this one (Year 3). Clay is hovering around Top 5 in every statistical category, which puts him in the Top 10 considering injuries and such. You take care of that guy and send the right message.

Personally, I'd LOVE to add Graham but not at the expense of retaining some of our other key free agents and improving the running game. We've got Brent Grimes, Randy Starks, Paul Soliai, Chris Clemons and Nolan Carroll most prominently. Both offensive tackles and John Jerry are also unrestricted. Incognito's deal was up and he won't be back. You lost another tackle in Jon Martin (even considering him as a depth guy).

They've got real decisions at corner because while you drafted two guys high, you have no idea if they can actually play.

 

The more I think about it the more I think Patterson will not be cut. Yes he's been hurt this year but he has a very attractive contract for a starting CB and when healthy he is a heck of a CB.

Grimes is getting the tag but I wouldn't shy away from working out a deal and tag Starks again...or vice versa. Makes better financial sense to avoid the accelerated tag on Starks. I don't think big Paul will get as much FA interest as some think.

Clemons and Carroll may get contracts that will look alarming on paper. It's possible that a decision has to be made between Carroll and Patterson with the hope one of the rooks steps up.

Clay will likely be extended this off season and Odrick may too as well. I see McKinnie back on a 1-2 year deal as he has value for us and less so for other teams.

In FA I see a moderate RB contract to someone like MJD but don't be surprised to see them re-sign Thomas. I think the coaching staff likes him more than the fanbase. I just don't see the big ticket o-lineman that this team will go after.

 

Yes..absolutely I drooled over Clay's run into the endzone...

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Not at the expense of watching your franchise QB getting killed, AGAIN.

 

No you didn't. http://www.universaldraft.com/2010/04/28/cks-2010-draft-reviews-miami-dolphins-wrap-up/

 

yes...in a second

 

I don't think Graham leaves New Orleans. I also have high hopes for Dion Sims next season. Could be one of those guys that dramatically improves going into next season. Egnew is still a question mark but all in all I think we are actually looking pretty good at tight end. I just don't see the Saints letting Jimmy Graham go. They will pay him whatever he wants, no way Brees lets him go either.

I think the goal should be to really focus on the offensive line. With a running game and more time to throw the ball Ryan Tannehill will be borderline elite in my opinion.

 

If Keller can still run, we could have a cheaper, less effective version of this and still be able to address other team concerns, like 4 new linemen.

 

Keller might be a good signing as it might be an incentive-laden, near veteran minimum contract. As well, I don't think this team has given up on Egnew. Some have speculated that he's limited with a neck injury.

 

Or prevent that other team in our division from signing him themselves...which would be scary.

 

Give me a break man. Is every team that passed on him stupid? Does every team minus New Orleans need a new GM?

Even as someone who watched his entire (short) college career, I could never have envisioned this level of greatness. You could always see the skill but there was no guarantee at all he would reach this level.

 

A legit feature back would solve many of our problems, imo. Ball control, balance on 1st and 2nd down, keep Miller fresh with a smaller workload (he's not a workhorse, imo), playaction throws down the seam (which are lacking) and even more deep balls.

For the guys we have now running the ball, gotta hope DT stays hot. Maybe keep the read-option in a bit longer if our traditional run game doesn't improve.

 

No. All of those teams didn't have a need at TE like we did.

 

And that was pretty obviously a Parcells' thing. Parcells called the Saints after the pick to congratulate them, but stated he didn't believe in taking TEs that early.

 

only if we get a competent o-coordinator.

 

No other team needed a TE? There is no way that is true. Obviously you can excuse a few. However if teams knew what he would become, he would have been a top ten pick. He wasn't for a reason.

 

Would have been interesting to see whom they would have tagged provided Grimes was still here....

 

Oh, we should be making this move in a heartbeat. It' a no-brainer.

We may be in a position to draft for the interior (OL/DL), and 'Cane take a shot at another offensive weapon.

If he is there in free-agency, I think U gotta take the shot if you Cane afford it. Will it be Starks, Soliai, or ...Jones?

 

Actually yes I did. I just found the spreadsheet and checked. I did a simuldraft during that draft in which I excluded the trades and pretended I were picking off my board based on where the Dolphins originally picked. I drafted Brandon Graham, Jimmy Graham, Kam Chancellor, Cam Thomas, Dekoda Watson, C.J. Wilson and John Estes. My UDFAs were Van Eskridge, Patrick Stoudamire, John Malecki, Thomas Austin, Jeff Byers, Jeff Fitzgerald, Alex Parsons, Tyler Sheehan, Jeff Cumberland and Blair White.

EDIT: If you want to sub in Dennis Pitta for Jimmy Graham you're not going to get a strenuous argument from me. My heart was certainly with Dennis Pitta because I'd personally gotten a close up look at him at Shrine practices and he was less popular I think, so he felt more like "my" guy...but the fact of the matter was when I did my final rankings I had to put Jimmy above him and so when I executed the simuldraft that year I couldn't skip Jimmy and take Dennis just for sentimental reasons.

Another example would be A.J. Edds versus Dekoda Watson. Sentimentally I had more attachment to Edds, and so I talked about him a lot and talked about him very lovingly. But my rankings had Watson above him so in my simuldraft I took Watson. Same was really true of Jared Odrick versus Tyson Alualu. Sentimentally I had an attachment to Alualu, talked about him a lot, etc...but I had Odrick ranked above him.

The list of examples goes on, another one being OT Charles Brown versus OT Rodger Saffold. Ultimately I had Brown ahead of Saffold in the final rankings but Saffold was the guy I was much more likely to talk about narratively and sentimentally.

 

Uh, OK. But right after the draft you wrote that Universal Draft piece, which you linked to on this site, and said you would have taken Dennis Pitta at that spot. But you were still still happy with John Jerry, who you liked a lot. No mention of Graham even though he was available. And I believe that No. 73 pick was one of the Dolphins original picks. But I'll take your word for it on your secret spreadsheet.

 

Except I didn't. I said that if the pick is Dennis Pitta, I'm changing my shorts. That doesn't mean Pitta was the highest ranked player available on my board, nor even the highest ranked at that position. I had a lot of sentimental love for Pitta because I had personally watched him at Shrine practices and I had been talking about him for a very long time at a time when others didn't really seem to like him. Hence I expressed that I'd be excited if they took him. And I would have been.

I'm looking at the damn thing right now and I've got Jimmy Graham in there, not Dennis Pitta. I don't know what else you want me to say.

But thanks for the insinuation that I'm just making sh-t up. Stay classy.

 

I said all of them didn't have that need. I'm sure some of them did.

 

I wouldn't do it. Only because there are clearly other glaring weaknesses on this team - mainly offensive line. Also, if we let both DT's go, that instantly downgrades our defensive line significantly. It goes from a strength to a question mark.

I'd rather use our resources (draft picks and money) on lineman, small-level FA's, and re-signing our guys - Grimes, Soliai & Starks.

 

Personally I've never understood the criticism that Jeff Ireland took John Jerry over Jimmy Graham. Yeah Miami had a need at tight end and yeah Jimmy Graham ended up a good one, but that's really just one pick. I mean how many teams could've had Graham in round two or round one or earlier in round three and just about every single one of them was wrong for not taking Graham instead of whoever they got instead...regardless of position needs, etc.

You can't really look at individual picks like that. There has to be a broader context. I think it just ends up being a stinger because Graham was at The U and was a popular choice among the fan base.

There are so many reasons to not like what Jeff Ireland has done...I don't think one pick in the third round should be such a consistent rallying cry. Most teams' third round picks end up throwaways.

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...calls-bill-parcells-interest-in-jimmy-graham/

Miami probably takes him if he lasted that long. Kind of hurts to realize how close he was to becoming a Dolphin (i.e. we targeted him but a round too late)

But as you note rafael, Parcells don't like TE's

http://frontrow.espn.go.com/2012/04/inside-bill-parcells-draft-confidential/

 

It's interesting that Parcells still doesn't really believe in tight ends that way.

 

LOL. You said: “Could really use a tight end here, if this is Pitta I’m changing my shorts. Whoa, John Jerry? Damn, can’t complain about that pick either. One of the few guard prospects I actually like this year!” You did not say anything about wanting the pick to be Graham. There was a different TE who you said would have made you so excited that you would have had to change your shorts. But if you say you really wanted Graham and just chose not to say anything about him while talking about how excited you'd have been if they took Pitta in your website's post-draft review, then I'll take your word for it.

 

I seem to recall that was Parcells doing. He liked Graham but considered him a 4th rounder, but he got taken before our 4th round pick.

 

Hey man, you realize that you're splitting hairs here speaking about his post draft write up, when he's specifically talking about a mock draft that he took place in prior to the draft, don't you?

I, personally recall CK saying that he was a huge fan of Jimmy Graham and would have LOVED him in the 4th. I also remember the mock draft, though not the positions of people on his board. I can tell you that it's somewhere in the draft forum if you'd like to see it. I don't have a dog in this fight but I'm just letting you know your strawman will start blowing away if you keep putting it up here.

 

Well a couple of things , he was old (er ) and was/is fat and out of shape with a poor work ethic . Graham was a risk reward selection and obviously has rewarded well beyond the risk that was taken , so sure hindsight is damn clear. TE is a position though imo that transfers pretty well to taking players with less than developed resumes and I know for me , just the sheer upside and the elite athleticism screamed take me take me.

Part of it is the backyard thing too , much like when Al Golden pumped Miller and OV , whether it is right or not , there was that feeling we should have some in or insight I suspect.

Never liked JJ , and not picking Graham with that pick sure doesn't help , but would not have changed the opinion.

 

The Ravens took 2 TEs, so apparently they needed one. The Great Ozzie Newsome took Ed Dickson with Graham on the board. Was he an idiot too?

 

Yes. That's exactly correct. What I wrote in the "reaction" spaces was supposed to be a humorous stream of consciousness narrative, not a direct reflection of every minute detail of my draft board. For example, at the time the Dolphins drafted A.J. Edds, I had Geno Atkins rated WAY higher. We're talking borderline 1st round for Geno. He went one pick below Edds all the way in the 4th round...which was predictable based on what everyone was saying about his draft stock but still something I disagreed with strongly. Did I mention it in my narrative? No. I wrote a bit intended to be humorous about going all crazy when they drafted Edds. That doesn't mean Edds was higher on my board than Geno Atkins. It doesn't mean he was higher than Dekoda Watson. It doesn't mean he was higher than O'Brien Schofield. It doesn't mean he was higher than Kam Chancellor. All of those guys, I had higher. I just didn't talk about them. Hell I talked constantly about Blair White if I remember right, but there were a bunch of receivers not even on my favorites board that I'd have taken above him.

 

I do not recall anyone saying Jerry was a bad value at the time he was picked. Now of course 20/20 hindsight says the pick should have been Graham...