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Title: The Homer Report Post by: DolFan619 on May 03, 2008, 03:29:11 pm http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/news/andycohen.asp?contentID=5790
Dolphins Draft Brings Big, Strong Nucleus April 29, 2008 Presented By Andy Cohen The re-building process is well underway. While there is still much to be done, and no starting jobs will be handed out anytime soon, it is clear by what happened in the recent two-day NFL draft what the new Dolphins blueprint looks like. Build from the inside out. Build with size. Build with strength. Build with toughness. Some of the skill positions will have to wait. The bottom line right now is, well, the lines, meaning the offensive line and the defensive line. Six of the nine players selected by the Dolphins in the draft were linemen – three on offense, three on defense. This is no mere coincidence. This is the way Bill Parcells has constructed football teams all of his coaching career and this is the way Parcells, General Manager Jeff Ireland and Coach Tony Sparano are doing it here as well. The philosophy makes a lot of sense. Winning starts up front. Everything else feeds off of that. If you check back to what Parcells did his first year in Dallas, it’s the same thing. While it may not be the sexiest thing to do from a public standpoint, it is probably the smartest. The days of looking for a quick fix for this franchise are thankfully over. Instead, it is most important that the right long-term plan be firmly in place. And this draft served as the ground floor for that plan, a clear indication that we are now dealing with decision-makers who are comfortable knowing that their jobs will not be judged on instant gratification. We are not here to make any proclamations about who is going to fit in and where. Those types of decisions will come in training camp and beyond. But if you look carefully at the nine players selected in the draft, specifically four of the first five picks, you'll see how the thought process unfolded. As previously stated in this space, Jake Long was a slam dunk as the No. 1 overall pick. He is everything the Dolphins could want with that pick and the way he handled himself before, during and after the draft served as a further reminder that this is the type of person you want representing your franchise. Sure, that doesn't mean a lot if he can't play. But if he can play, it makes the package that much more appetizing. Then the Dolphins went after Phillip Merling, a defensive lineman from Clemson who could have been a top 15 pick if not for recent sports hernia surgery. Merling is the type of defensive player you build around. Give him the three T’s: Tough, Tenacious and Talented. He should fit perfectly in the 3-4 defense. So should Kendall Langford, a defensive end taken in the third round. Langford in some ways looks a lot like Merling. This makes sense since you don’t build a defensive line with one player. The idea wasn't to tweak the two lines as much as it was to reshuffle the nucleus. A couple of young defensive ends are a great way to start that. The addition of guard Shawn Murphy, meanwhile, was an important way to match up with the selection of Long. Murphy is a guard, Long a tackle. They possess many of the same characteristics from a work ethic, intelligence and commitment standpoint. The Dolphins went into the draft with some serious holes on the offensive line. Getting Long, Murphy and then Donald Thomas, a guard, in the sixth round gives them a degree of comfort to know that there is the potential of some important upgrades. Along with Merling and Langford on the defensive front, the Dolphins used a seventh round pick on nose tackle Lionel Dotson. It made sense, didn't it? If the Dolphins had five more picks, you got the feeling that three of them would be linemen again. Look at any of the Super Bowl champions, look no further than the Giants of last season, and you'll see how much a talented offensive line and a dominating defensive line made up for other shortcomings that might have existed. It takes discipline to stay with this philosophy when so many other "skill position" players are out there. Parcells, Ireland and Sparano are certainly disciplined. A few thoughts now on Chad Henne. The readers of this column are well aware of my feelings regarding the importance of finding a first-rate quarterback. While I can't claim to know any secrets about Henne compared to the other top quarterbacks taken, I can tell you I was rooting hard for the Dolphins to go after that position, even after using a No. 2 pick on John Beck a year earlier. The more quarterbacks you have, the better the chance you are going to find the right player. Henne comes with excellent credentials. The Dolphins are saying he was the quarterback they coveted. That's good enough for me right now. Throw him up against Beck and Josh McCown. See what happens. When's the last the Dolphins have had two young quarterbacks together like Beck and Henne? If nothing else, it certainly offers hope. Sure, there is still a lot more tinkering to do before training camp starts. More players will be signed. Some will be released. Others will be considered. But with the draft now in our rearview mirror, with May upon us and with training camp less than three months away, this much is now abundantly clear: The Dolphins are being re-built in the correct manner, with one big, tough piece after another. |