LOL Yeah Carey gave up less sacks and had better run #'s than most pro bowlers thats a little better than decent. ... we put up decent offensive numbers with Ronnie healthy.
Actually, we need to put Carey's 'numbers' in perspective. We had an absolutely horrible team last season, particularly on offense. While you make a good point about injuries, such as Ronnie Brown's, but let's take a closer look at the offense.
1. When we had everyone healthy, meaning we had a veteran QB in Green, a feature running back in Ronnie Brown, and our starting WR in Chambers and starting TE in Martin, we actually did pretty well on offense ... but that didn't last long. During that time Carey did just fine and we were a legitimate NFL offense.
2. Then the injury hurricane hit, and when it had passed the casualties included our only quality QB, all 3 of our quality RB's, our best WR, our only starting caliber TE, and others. That's essentially every one of your 'skill positions' missing. During this time Carey struggled. I was pleasantly surprised that he did as well as he did, but let's be honest he did not do well.
3. Vernon Carey allowed one of the highest amounts of hurries of any LT in the NFL. While his sacks total was skewed a little bit because of forced fumbles, QB's getting rid of the ball or running, and other things, this is still a very bad mark. This 'number' is compounded by the fact that our offense was so bad that we didn't run many plays, so he had less snaps to give up sacks and hurries. All in all, Carey was one of the poorest LT's in the NFL last season ... but he wasn't quite the total disaster I expected him to be.
Jake Long is an instant upgrade at LT in every aspect of the game, including pass protection. Selecting Jake also has the benefit of letting Vernon Carey switch from a very poor LT to a good RT, which helps our passing protection, running game, and his confidence.
There was a reason that every single professional ranking of this very good Tackle class had Jake Long ranked #1. It is because he is a fantastic player, and better than all the rest. Nitpick, sure, but there isn't a single prospect in this draft that's a sure-fire instant-great pass protector. Despite what people have been saying as they re-write history, Joe Thomas was considered just as suspect at pass protection as Jake Long now is. That doesn't mean Jake will be as good as Joe, but it does help understand that all college kids need to learn, and offensive line is just one of those positions where there's significantly more to learn than these kids picked up in college.
Jake Long has very good technique, but he's not without areas of improvement. Footwork is something he's going to be working on from day one, as is using his fantastically long arms. If Long, Clady, Albert, Otah, Baker and Williams all end up starting at LT next year (unlikely but it could happen), don't be surprised if Jake Long allows fewer sacks than the rest. Not because he is the quickest or has the best footwork, but because he doesn't make many mistakes, and even those with better feet still make mistakes. And I seriously doubt any of those guys can compete with Jake in the run game, including Otah and Albert. Gosder Cherilius will be a great run blocker, but he simply cannot play LT at the NFL level.
Jake Long may not be Jonathon Ogden or Orlando Pace, but he is going to be a dominant LT for his entire career. He is going to be one of those guys that ends up being an automatic selection for the Pro-Bowl almost every year. Players fear him, coaches gameplan around him, and the Dolphins will sit on his shoulders and ride him as far as we possibly can go.
