I think it is typical to say that about a player with his potential ability and draft status. He may have some locker room status, as well. Given that, it would benefit the Dolphins team as a whole to keep a player like Long who is respected among his peers (if this is the case). And when did the "Dolphins" say this? Last week? Three weeks ago? The potential is certainly there with Long, and he is a veteran, so the coaches pretty much know what they have in Long. Given his history with the team and he has certainly set roots in the town, I think he could come for for relatively cheap given the potential. If Martin pans out for the rest of the year, could someone see Long move to RT? For Long, it is a step down, but it could be a resurgence for him. He has never had to look over his shoulder (the uninjured one) until this year. He did not step up, and has regressed pretty much from his second year in the league. I think this team puts everything on the table with Long, because, IF healthy, he can be a very good lineman. I honestly do not think they will overpay for him, and if he is a reasonable man, he will understand that staying in Miami will require a hometown discount. Let another team overpay for him if he walks, and I am pretty certain it will happen if he does given the name. With that, I really do not think that Miami re-signs him to a large deal. It just does not make sense at this point. This team's FO is just not that incompetent. I truly believe that. Choosing players in a draft is one thing, re-signing a player who has been sub-par but has Long's potential is a much easier prospect. As for Starks, it is not uncommon for this to happen. Year in and out, teams have the same conundrum. It may be that they are waiting for value relative to position? I do not know. But I think this is a good thing for Starks because good players generally have a tough time coming to terms regarding contracts. He is a good player. Miami has to have all of its ducks in a row to confront him to get him to take the lowest contract possible. BUT, because Starks will be looking at a pretty good payday, it could be that Miami thinks he is expendable to a point. They might be asking themselves if they can plug and play someone cheaper in this Kevin Coyle system? I do not think so, but if you begin to see more of a rotation of these interior guys, they are experimenting; especially now that the season is pretty much done regarding the playoffs.
Well, Martin gets a chance at left tackle. Next week against the 49ers is a WHOLE different issue. Could be a blessing. Either way, we need to put right tackle quite high on our "needs" list in my opinion even if Jake Long comes back. He is turning injury prone.
If we do decide to move on from Long, I don't want him to walk without any compensation back. It has to be the franchise tag/trade for Long.
I don't see any reason to think that bc there's no precedent of Ireland behaving like that. A la Brandon Marshall.
We have to get something for Long whether that's by using the franchise tag or not, whatever. I wanted Ryan but that argument is dead and buried, I still like Long here just at a different rate that he would have commanded a year or so ago. We still need help on the oline, even more so if we decide to let Long go. Taking a tackle number 1 overall, I mean he needs to be one of the best LTs in the game every year to make it worth it, why couldn't we get the number one overall when a Luck was available? yeeesh.
now that the salary of 1st rounders has dropped significantly I'd be surprised if we were offered higher than a 3rd for Jake at his cost and coming off injury. Someone won't give us a 1st when they can use that first on a rookie LT at a 1/3 the cost or better IMO.
Franchising and trading Jake Long is pretty much pure fantasy. It rarely gets done for a reason, there are so many individual issues with it. That's also compounded by the fact that Long has more questions about him than the average player in that position, and the cost to franchise him would be bigger than most. If you want to let him walk, you let him walk.
If Vontae Davis still goes for a 2nd round pick to a team whose recently-materialized playoff aspirations had to seem miles and miles away at the time, then absolutely Jake Long would be exchanged for a 1st round pick should any suitors pop up. Chicago seems the most likely although San Diego could jump in.
You can't justify it in the context of Vontae Davis. Vontae Davis was regarded as a guy who might need a change of scenery. You could make the case with the Bills trading Jason Peters for a late 1st round pick, but he had a bad year and then a contract dispute, while Jake Long having injury issues and needing to be franchise tagged to be traded makes it much more problematic.
Considering prior to this year Long missed all of 2 games I'm not sure his injuries would scare people off. Take value away? Sure. That's why he would go for a late first rather then a 1 and a 3 though. Injured he was still better then peters. He will fetch a first IMO.
He's had some play issues at time because of injury. He's had times where he's been injured and it hasn't been notably detrimental, but it has been there at other times.
I'm sure he does. But I think that's a mistake to let Starks go. You're still losing 1 starter on the D-line even if you're switching Odrick's position. Tony McDaniel is also a free agent at season's end, so you're left with just Kheeston Randall behind Soliai and Odrick if you don't re-sign Starks. Not to mention Paul Soliai has only 1 year left on his current deal. That'd be a pretty quick gutting of the best and deepest unit, offense or defense, on the team.
Just speculation on my part, but I think we've all seen the last of Long in a Dolphins uni. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8704751/tag-jake-long-too-pricey-miami-dolphins
The " priority " label was prior to him tearing his triceps. Jake will end another season on IR and whats insane, he will make the Pro Bowl and another player will get screwed because of that. Teams no longer give huge contracts to LTs that WERE elite but now have had, knee,shoulder and most likely tricep surgery in the last two seasons. Jake will still be decent but elite? I think never again. Thats not a knock just reality after the tricep is repaired. They are never the same again.
Jake Long isn't worth the franchise tag, but again, it's a function of the opportunity cost. If the opportunity cost of franchising Jake Long is being unable to sign 15 million dollars worth of free agents, it's a poor decision. That is almost certainly not the opportunity cost. They are unlikely to be big players in free agency. They will probably not use up all of their cap space. When you're unlikely to use the money to sign a big money free agent, and will likely otherwise have the finances to do what you want in free agency, franchising Jake Long to see if he can come back around becomes much more favorable.
I don't think that's very likely. It's difficult too difficult to predict his trade value and market at this point.
This is now the third year in a row Long has been injured. He is no longer the player he was during his early years with the Dolphins. Martin is not a great LT, but neither is Long, at this stage of his career. I suspect that when the 2013 season starts, Martin will be the starting LT and Long will be playing for another team who is willing to pay him the huge salary he wants. I just don't see this rebuilding Miami Dolphin team paying a huge salary to a player who can't seem to stay healthy.
I think it's tough to predict what will happen with Long, because this is such a unique situation. Very rarely do you see an elite player decline at his age. I think if I had to guess, I would say that Long won't be a Dolphin next year. I think a lot of his value at this point derives from his versatility, and the team may not value that going forward. I think there will be a massive amount of turnover this offseason, so continuity will be less of a consideration as well.
Long is the Dolphins Tony Boselli. Boselli was the best LT in the game during his first few seasons in the NFL. He started getting injuries and his play continued to decline. After six season with the Jags, he was selected in the free agent draft by the Houston Texans. He played one season for the Texans and retired because of his injuries. Unless he is willing to sign a very cap friendly contract with the Dolphins, I just don't see how this organization can risk paying Long a huge salary, when he is no longer the same player he was just a few years ago. Right now he is just an often injured NFL player who is merely average at his position. I just don't see things turning around for him in the future.
The thing is, we really have no idea what Long wants, or what the market for him will be. He is almost certainly going to be taking less money than he got in his rookie contract.
If Long is in fact done as a Dolphin, then I think it's safe to say we made a mistake taking him over Matt Ryan.
Sure. Was it a bad decision? No. I don't think many people thought Matt Ryan was the best guy there, which is remarkable given what the draft does with quarterback prospects.
Even if he stays, in hindsight Ryan was the better pick. Even with that being the case, getting a 4 year starter at any point in the draft is a pretty good result, never mind one that makes a few Pro Bowls.
I would offer the kid 4 yrs 25 million 12 million guaranteed and thats it. Anyone thinkin he will have a miraculous turn around from his injuries is wrong. Long said prior to the season starting he felt great and felt he was in the best shape he has been in in a long time. Or something to that order, maybe not word for word. Well if what we saw was his best shape then no, this is not a one year 15 million dollar player. I love Jake, the team loves Jake but its a business. I would offer him a fair deal with clauses IT all kicks in IF he is fully recovered if surgery is needed. No team in the NFL is going to sniff Long until he can work out after his Tricep surgery ( if needed ) I do not care what he was, what hes done or how many imaginery pro bowls he was voted into. Not sure of the FULL recovery time of tricep surgery but would not even get down to brass tax until that date comes. Jake and his wife are happy in Miami. If and when the time comes he is fully recovered I am positive the team and him will work some agreement out that will make both parties happy.
I think it makes more sense for both parties to sign shorter term deals even if it isn't under the franchise tag. Jake Long's market has been depressed, and the Dolphins need to guard against him declining further.
Agree. Like I said, love the kid and his personality but lets face it. We do not need to pay a kings ransom for a decent LT anylonger. Jake is not the Jake we all saw and loved when he first got here and he is never going back to that. If Jake does not A first prove he fully healed fomr the injury and B Agrees to something reasonable then yes, I have to also jump on the side of the room that says, " Good Luck and wish you well " people. Honestly never thought I would even think that. IF Jake needs surgery and if I were him I would be on the phone with James Andrews right now making an appt. for tomorrow. The sooner its taken care of the sooner the young man can get to rehab it. Searching around Google on torn triceps it appears the rehab time is calculated in months. Now, what " months ' equal in actual recovery time I do not know but for Jakes sake its in his best interest to be ready to go prior to the 2013 draft in Aprl That would give him approx 4 plus months Have to say though for a LT and the intense beating his triceps take this is not a good thing for Jake. Love offensive lineman and followed many of them thru the years. Torn Triceps was the downfall of one of my favorites of all time, Orlando Pace. He tore his triceps in 2006 and was never the same after that. Difference is Pace had a nice 10-11 year career before he started wearing down. Jake had two years and last year and this year the team has had major concerns with his health and there was good reason for that. Would love to see the kid stay but him being a LT and from others that have had this surgery, LT is nt a good position when you have a repaired shoulder and possibly a tricep that will be now held on with screws and a prayer. You know that as well as I do. Other postions could fair better but when you are on the outside facing the fastests, strongest speed rushers ,no, this injury is not a good thing for Jakes future contract wise
I don't think we have any idea if this is the case. I don't really believe that his issues this year had a whole lot to do with health personally.
To be honest, I could see why Jake Long would want to leave Miami. He's good enough of a player to fit into a ZBS, but is that going to make him look his best?
if Miami doesn't re-sign most of their own free agents they'll have to use up most of that cap space - per the rules of the new CBA.
I don't think the blocking has a lot to do with it. He got drafted based off of his ability in a zone blocking team. As weird as it sounds if it's any one thing, I think he got complacent as was never right this year.
If his poor play this season is due to him being complacent. This should be a big worry for this new coaching staff and another reason they should not want him to return next season. He is in a contract year and playing for a new coaching staff and he becomes complacent? If that is truly the reason his play has slipped so much, it is time he finds another place to play where he won't be so complacent.
