Miami signs Jake Long

[UVaAmbassador]

I haven't seen the contract terms yet, maybe they got a great deal. It seems to me thought that Long is a top 5, not a top pick, and that the Dolphins could have traded down a couple spots if they'd worked for it. They didn't need to be greedy; slipping two spots, signing the same guy (St. Louis and Atlanta weren't going to go OT) for less money on the NFL rookie scale and picking up a third round pick to boot seems like a better move to me. Thoughts?

[juise]

From what I can tell, trading down for another top 5 pick wasn't an option because there weren't any interested teams. There just wasn't a clear #1 player in the draft and the guaranteed money you have to pay a top pick just isn't very appealing. I'm sure Miami would have taken such a deal if it were being offered.

[Channing]

Ronnie Brown is a very happy man today.

[STLDukeFan4]

From everything I've read here in St. Louis, the Rams would probably have drafted Jake Long if the Dolphins didn't.

[BD80]

By negotiating before the draft, Miami was able to take away Long's leverage to an extent and sign him for less than the 1st pick would otherwise have received. Basically, they signed him for a bit more money than Long would have received as the #2 pick. Now they don't have to worry about negotiations or holdouts. A tackle is a good investment for a #1 pick, as they tend to last longer, are productive sooner, and generally are not as risky a pick as skill positions.

I am happy because the length of the first round was just reduced by 5 minutes or so (I hope).

The Rams are on the clock!

[arydolphin]

It's not the sexy pick, but this is the right pick for Miami. Miami's offensive line was not very good last year, and this pick gives them a left tackle for the next 10 years. The biggest hole on the team was left tackle, and if they had picked a defensive player at the #1 spot, then they would have almost been forced to pick a left tackle later in the draft, instead of having flexibility. The development of John Beck at QB is key to the team, and one of the best ways to give him a chance to succeed is build a good O-line in front of him. Right now, 4 of the 5 offensive line positions are pretty well set, only left guard is up for grabs, so that's promising.

Of course, you can tell that I'm very interested in this pick from my screen name. :-) I expect that Miami will draft a linebacker or cornerback with the first pick of the second round (#32 overall), then they have picks #57 and #64. I bet they go with the position they didn't get at #32 with the #57 pick, and then hopefully go back to the O-line or get a tight end at #64.

[UVaAmbassador]

It's not the sexy pick, but this is the right pick for Miami. Miami's offensive line was not very good last year, and this pick gives them a left tackle for the next 10 years. The biggest hole on the team was left tackle, and if they had picked a defensive player at the #1 spot, then they would have almost been forced to pick a left tackle later in the draft, instead of having flexibility. The development of John Beck at QB is key to the team, and one of the best ways to give him a chance to succeed is build a good O-line in front of him. Right now, 4 of the 5 offensive line positions are pretty well set, only left guard is up for grabs, so that's promising.

Of course, you can tell that I'm very interested in this pick from my screen name. :-) I expect that Miami will draft a linebacker or cornerback with the first pick of the second round (#32 overall), then they have picks #57 and #64. I bet they go with the position they didn't get at #32 with the #57 pick, and then hopefully go back to the O-line or get a tight end at #64.

The two problems of course are: a) Jake Long is a very good tackle, its a far from sure thing that hes a 10 year left tackle. Almost everyone grades him lower than Thomas or Ferguson and scouts, for example, questions whether he's not eventually going to have to be moved to the right side. I'm just not sure he's a sure thing, but obviously the Dolphins have had a better chance to evaluate that in person than we have; and b) even more questionable is whether the John Beck era is ever gonna pan out, five pro bowl O lineman or not.

[YmoBeThere]

Jake Long = the Tony Mandarich of 2008?

[ugadevil]

I'll pose this question since it's draft related. If you're the Miami GM and you're not going to trade the 1st pick of the draft, who do you take?

If it were up to me, I think I'd take Chris Long from UVA. He seems to have a relentless motor and he has the potential to be a great player on the defensive side of the ball. The Dolphins have needs all over the field, but I'd take Chris over anyone else.

Now for group response...take your pick!

[YmoBeThere]

I would have taken Webster Long of Chicago, really undersized but a great motor and with AK coaching you from a very young age, you gotta think he's like the Coach's point guard son.

[UVaAmbassador]

I'll pose this question since it's draft related. If you're the Miami GM and you're not going to trade the 1st pick of the draft, who do you take?

If it were up to me, I think I'd take Chris Long from UVA. He seems to have a relentless motor and he has the potential to be a great player on the defensive side of the ball. The Dolphins have needs all over the field, but I'd take Chris over anyone else.

Now for group response...take your pick!

I'll assume from the name you can guess my vote. In other news, even those in C'ville are surprised that Albert has skyrocketed into the top 5 on some draft boards. Throw in Eugene Monroe, who most people think has better upside than Ferguson, and UVA could have three O linemen drafted in the top 5 in a 4 year period. Funny how we can't translate that into crap on the recruiting trail...:confused:

[rockymtn devil]

I'll pose this question since it's draft related. If you're the Miami GM and you're not going to trade the 1st pick of the draft, who do you take?

If it were up to me, I think I'd take Chris Long from UVA. He seems to have a relentless motor and he has the potential to be a great player on the defensive side of the ball. The Dolphins have needs all over the field, but I'd take Chris over anyone else.

Now for group response...take your pick!

I think given the 3-4 defense Miami's likely going to play this coming season, Goulston's a better fit than Chris Long. He's the perfect OLB for that defense, and I'm not sure Long would be satisfied with his role in the 3-4. Long's too good of a player to play end in a defense that emphasizes LBs over linemen.

With that said, Goulston is not #1 quality, so Miami might've taken the odd move of passing and taking him a little later.

[SupaDave]

From this point on I will count and see how many more threads there are on Miami football. I think this will be the highlight. Expecting a rookie left tackle to come in and produce is like expecting Orlando Pace to play a full year now.

Since you guys wanna talk football:

Reasons why this doesn't matter...

*Miami is at the BOTTOM of the AFC - that's a long climb to the top and some of the rest of the teams are just hitting their stride.
*Ummm... 2nd year QB. Beck. Beck. Hmmm... Does he sing or something?
*Oh man - starting RB coming off a MAJOR injury
*Jason Taylor can't do it all by himself at age 72
*Gosh, a new coach and staff too hunh
*Wait - is that a new GM?
*Chris Chambers!! Hunh. Excuse me. They traded him mid-season?
*David Boston!! I think Congress has ordered dogs to sniff his old locker.
*Randy McMichael! Oh snap. Gone too...
*Paging Zack Thomas. Zack Thomas. Paging Zack Thomas...
*There's always Wes Welker! Whoa! What's that you say? Super Bowl?

Wow - I didn't even realize they were THAT bad...

Two words: Houston Texans.

B/c the Dolphins will make them look like the Colts next year.

Getting the first pick is cool and negotiating with a solid piece is great but for the Dolphins it's pretty much the equivalent of having to play defense beside the guy that's banging your hot sister.

Sorry Charlie. :)

[ugadevil]

From this point on I will count and see how many more threads there are on Miami football. I think this will be the highlight. Expecting a rookie left tackle to come in and produce is like expecting Orlando Pace to play a full year now.

Since you guys wanna talk football:

Reasons why this doesn't matter...

*Miami is at the BOTTOM of the AFC - that's a long climb to the top and some of the rest of the teams are just hitting their stride.
*Ummm... 2nd year QB. Beck. Beck. Hmmm... Does he sing or something?
*Oh man - starting RB coming off a MAJOR injury
*Jason Taylor can't do it all by himself at age 72
*Gosh, a new coach and staff too hunh
*Wait - is that a new GM?
*Chris Chambers!! Hunh. Excuse me. They traded him mid-season?
*David Boston!! I think Congress has ordered dogs to sniff his old locker.
*Randy McMichael! Oh snap. Gone too...
*Paging Zack Thomas. Zack Thomas. Paging Zack Thomas...
*There's always Wes Welker! Whoa! What's that you say? Super Bowl?

Wow - I didn't even realize they were THAT bad...

Two words: Houston Texans.

B/c the Dolphins will make them look like the Colts next year.

Getting the first pick is cool and negotiating with a solid piece is great but for the Dolphins it's pretty much the equivalent of having to play defense beside the guy that's banging your hot sister.

Sorry Charlie. :)

Considering the lengthy discussion that's taking place on the main board on being anonymous or not, I'll take Dolphins threads all day.