First: the "passing on a franchise Quarterback" issue: there is no franchise QB in this year's draft, not one that is readily apparent. If there were, SF would be negotiating with his agent right now, and that would be that, and we would be left to wonder if the second and third-best QB's in the draft were as big a drop-off in talent as they seemed, just as we are wondering about these guys Smith and Rodgers now.
It's all well and good to talk about ending up with two franchise QB's if we drafted one with the second pick and Feeley turned out to be as good as we think he can be, but that is most certainly not the worst-case scenario.
The worst-case scenario is, we reach for Smith or Rodgers with the second overall pic in the draft - That's the second pick, guys - and the guy turns out to be a dud. Or worse: he turns out to be a coach-killer with just enough talent to get by, but not enough to take the team anywhere significant. In other words, if he turns out to be Brees or Fiedler.
Think about that; this is the highest pick this team has had in its 39-year history, and maybe the only time this team will ever pick that high. It's a pick more important and more crucial than any before it; it will set the tone for the Saban era, and define the course for the team's future.
No, we can't afford to reach with this pick. We can't afford to take a guy that has questions attached the way the QB's in this draft all do. This is something we all have to understand, because I'm sure in my heart that Saban must know it too.
And if anyone should understand this, it's those who are lighting the torches and gathering the pitchforks over reaching for Vernon Carey with a pick in the 20's - imagine the horror of reaching for a player in a draft position as rare for the Miami Dolphins as the second overall pick!
If we use this pick rather than trading it, we have to draft a player that is as close to a sure thing as we can get; and the players that statement describes are Ronnie Brown or Braylon Edwards. No other players bring as much potential and as many of the tangibles essential to success in the NFL as those two. It's not sexy, it's not as exciting as even the phrase "Franchise Quarterback," but it's the only thing we can do with the pick - other than trade it to improve the number of overall picks we get in this draft - if we want to avoid the crippling draft mistakes of the past.
Second: rafael's argument regarding the parallels between this situation and Wannstedt's draft decision in 2000 is an example of an unfortunate yet frequent application by Dolphin fans of factual information, to a situation in which that information simply does not apply.
Wannstedt should have drafted Brees in 2k? No. He made the right decision, but for the wrong reasons. He reached by drafting Fletcher because - as the scouts and everyone who read the pre-draft magazines knew - Fletcher was a zone CB, a guy who had to play facing the QB. Miami, as we all know, played press man. Fletcher was not suited for the scheme, as we found out painfully and in a costly manner; and Wannstedt - being a Defensive coach - should have known that.
But Wannstedt was right about one thing - Brees was no better than Fiedler. With the exception of last year - his contract year - Brees has been nothing more than simply terrible. In actual fact, it could be said that Fiedler and Brees are essentially the same QB. As bad as Wannstedt was, he saved us years of heartache and disappointment over that.
(The player he should have taken with that pick was Reggie Wayne, who would have filled the slot role that OJ McDuffie had relinquished due to injury the season prior to that draft; and in that role, it would not have taken Wayne four years to acclimate and excel, the way it did in his role in Indy.)
Third: sentiment aside - and if there's one thing you can count on, it's that this is the way Saban will play it, coldly and without sentiment - the team owes it to no one but itself to give Feeley every opportunity to excel. Not because we nade a significant investment in him, although that is true and must be a secondary factor in the decision. We must do it because Feeley has the talent, skills and tools to be an excellent QB in the NFL. Because to go along with those things, he has technique and experience that would take a rookie QB at least 1-2 years to acquire. And because we own him at a ridiculously low cap number for a starting QB, and it would take 2 good seasons from him to get a better contract, so we have time for him to be what most of us think he can be.
Now: having said all that, I would like to see the team take a solid QB project in the 3rd-4th rounds. And I'd be thrilled - THRILLED, I tell you, if we got Adrian McPherson this draft, because I believe he can be something quite special in this league.
And speaking as a fan: wouldn't it be great if Miami had a special Quarterback again? It's just too bad, and our bad luck that there isn't one to be had at the top of this draft.