Armando Salguero's look back at Miami's 2008 Free Agent Class | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Armando Salguero's look back at Miami's 2008 Free Agent Class

X-Pacolypse

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http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2009/01/olb-charlie-and.html

I still wonder why people talk up free agents so much, when usually this is how most teams FA periods look like when it's all said and done.

Unrestricted free agency was not the duo's shining moment, with the exception of one Chad Pennington. I grant you, signing Pennington as a free agent when the Jets released him was Miami's signature move of the season.

Pennington changed everything. But does that completely erase the problems with signing Ernest Wilford? And Josh McCown? And Boomer Grigsby, and Chris Crocker, and Sean Ryan?

Were it not for Pennington becoming unexpectedly available, Miami's 2008 venture into free agency would have graded a C-minus, at best. Of course, Pennington's acquisition turned an ugly picture into a winning portrait.
 
Free agency can actually be more of a gamble then the draft... You have no way of knowing how a particular player used to another team, system and coaches will perform with a new address...

At least in the draft you have (more often than not) the ability to mold players and shape them the way you want...
 
Justin Smyley also was a good adition!!!

smiley wasnt a good addition because he got hurt. and now needs two surgery's to get healthy and who knows how he is gonna be when he gets back.

FA is a hit or miss. We did get lucky with chad, and all those big name free agents were trying to go for, we wanted last year as well and how many big names did we get?? Will they even go after someone who is over 26-27? I dont see them going after any big name guys.
 
I think Smiley was a good addition. He stabilized a position in which we had a gaping hole and had no depth. You could look at his impact by looking at the running attack before and after his injury.
 
Gotta throw this out there even though its more about this years FA class, J. Peppers made it known he would rather go to a team playing in a 3-4 defense and now I know we do have Langford and Merling but would it be wise to try and sign him and put him on the opposite side of Porter? He could stand up and play that outside linebacker spot, he has the speed and ability and even though Roth had a decent year, we need help getting to the QB and he could provide that....what do you guys think?
 
Peppers could play de then on passing downs play lb like jt did and rush qb from any part of the field or drop back and let porter rush qb.
 
To be fair, we signed most of these guys before we knew what we had in the draft. FO knew we were going to change to a 3-4 on defense, and a smash mouth running team on offense, and most of these signings fit spots to these schemes. The draft was fruitful in filling spots for our schemes, and this year we won't have to make preemptive signings to fit new schemes.

We'll be able to sign guys to fill spots that we identify before the draft, and fit our known systems. I expect the signings to be much better this year...
 
Getting Pennington was great and made this offseason a success. Anytime u can pick up a guy who finishes second in the MVP voting off the scrap heap . . . I call the offseason a success.

Yes, its better to be lucky than good. And yes it wasn't free agency . . . but the deal for Fasano and Ayodele for a 4th may be the DEAL of 2008. What a steal.
 
I disagree with a lot of you. I feel our FA pool was very successfull. NO, we didn't have a lot of stars (yet), but we had a lot of good role players. A good team has a few stars and a lot of good role players. We wouldn't have made the playoffs with them.
 
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