Dolphins MVP? So far it is Hickey | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Dolphins MVP? So far it is Hickey

Daytona Fin

Daytona Fin

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One by one, the closing doors became another stigma, another weakness, yet another reason for a snickering football world to mock the Dolphins. Remember?

The Cleveland Browns' Ray Farmer declined a second interview for the general manager's job last winter. The Dolphins' "structure" was concern. And an obvious one. Tennessee's Lake Dawson and New England's Nick Caserio turned down the job because coach Joe Philbin came with it.

Out of desperation, maybe out of other options, the Dolphins hired Dennis Hickey. The fourth or seventh candidate, depending on who's counting. The guy who worked 18 years in Tampa Bay but wasn't considered for its open general manager's job.

The MVP of the Dolphins season right now.

It's not even close, really.
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Hickey and the Dolphins scouts gave this season a chance. They made the roster better, younger, cheaper and filled in some Herculean holes doing so (though fired GM Jeff Ireland's deserves an improved legacy, as you'll see).

Hickey did in one, desperate off-season what no Dolphins general manager could accomplish over the past decade by building a sustainable offensive line.

"It's not great – but who thought 'good' was a option six months ago,'' an AFC scout said of the line.

Left tackle Branden Albert was a winning decision with big, free-agent money. Right tackle Ju'Wuan James went against form as the 18th overall pick, an actually, durable, college right tackle rather than the transformed left tackle like most do (and the Dolphins tried with Jonathan Martin).

So premium prices were paid at tackles and fill-ins found at guard, the way smart teams do. Finding five new offensive line starters is heavy lifting. But the job grew bigger when center Mike Pouncey was hurt. Hickey signed Samson Satele. That worked, too.
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But the pick Hickey sweated most of all, according to team insiders, was receiver Jarvis Landry in the second round. Hickey twice traded down to the spot he targeted for Landry. Then he prayed Landry would be there.

On the surface, it seemed an unusual pick considering the Dolphins' depth at receiver and pressing needs elsewhere. But Hickey (and Philbin, no doubt) saw the need for a physical receiver as only Charles Clay ranked in the top 50 of yards-after-catch in 2013.

"They saw Anquan Boldin,'' the scout saw of Landry.
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It's easy to release players, as Philbin has found in dropping players like Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby. But finding replacements is another issue. Hickey selected Earl Mitchell, who at 27 was three years younger than Soliai and signed a more digestible a four-year, $16 million deal ($9 million guaranteed).

Mitchell kept the strength at defensive tackle a good strength. Throw in fill-in buys like Cortland Finnegan and Louis Delmas in the secondary and Hickey's free-agent class is working out well. The rest of the draft class? We'll see.

Ireland wasn't the talent-evaluating devil he was made out to be. This team had a base of talent that was better than seen. You can settle on the misses like Dion Jordan as the third overall pick in 2013. But Olivier Vernon in the third round and Jelani Jenkins in the fourth round that draft look like steals.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-dave-hyde-dolphins-1026-20141025-column.html
 
I don't think you can dismiss Jordan yet, either. But to Hickey his first offseason looks great. I used to marvel how the great teams fixed an area of need in one offseason. The 49ers in their heyday always seemed to do that. Dallas with Jimmy Johnson fixed weaknesses in a hurry. The Dolphins offensive line had been a weakness for at least 10 years. In one offseason, Hickey has nearly made it a strength. That's a very good sign for Miami.
 
Hickey is MVP but Benton should get an honorable mention for the outstanding job he has done with 5 new starters.
 
SF Dolphin Fan said:
I don't think you can dismiss Jordan yet, either.
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Really? We're 6 games in and Jordan hasn't played a snap and he's not even close to taking over a starting position. How can he be mentioned in any conversation about the team's MVP???
 
JTC111 said:
Really? We're 6 games in and Jordan hasn't played a snap and he's not even close to taking over a starting position. How can he be mentioned in any conversation about the team's MVP???
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I may be wrong but I don't believe he was implying he was MVP, just saying, don't write him off yet.
 
Bill Lazor gets mention too
 
JTC111 said:
Really? We're 6 games in and Jordan hasn't played a snap and he's not even close to taking over a starting position. How can he be mentioned in any conversation about the team's MVP???
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He means we don't know for sure if Jordan is a bust yet. The article mentions him as a 'miss' in the draft already despite the lack of time you just mentioned.
 
Daytona Fin said:
I may be wrong but I don't believe he was implying he was MVP, just saying, don't write him off yet.
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Why should anyone be hesitant to write Jordan off? I'm writing him off. He's not going to be the MVP of this team after missing 6 games due to two suspensions.
 
JTC111 said:
Why should anyone be hesitant to write Jordan off? I'm writing him off. He's not going to be the MVP of this team after missing 6 games due to two suspensions.
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Again I believe he was referring to the sentence in the article where it says Ireland's pick of Jordan was a miss. I don't believe anybody is saying Jordan will be an MVP or anywhere close to that this year, just don't write him off as a bust yet.
 
Daytona Fin said:
Again I believe he was referring to the sentence in the article where it says Ireland's pick of Jordan was a miss. I don't believe anybody is saying Jordan will be an MVP or anywhere close to that this year, just don't write him off as a bust yet.
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We traded away a 2nd to move up to get him and he couldn't even break into the starting lineup. Then he gets suspended twice to start this season. At this point, he's a bust until he proves otherwise.
 
Jordan is going to be covering Antonio Gates one on one next week. book it.
 
I like what Hickey has done so far but, want to see more of what that has been.

In the draft, Landry's stock is rising but, James has been falling, and no one else played enough to have a legit opinion on. In FA, Albert has been great at $10M a year, Mitchell has looked good, and not sure about the rest.

I'm gonna wait a bit on MVP.
 
Olivier Vernon was drafted in 2012. Jelani Jenkins was drafted in 2013. Awful reporting.
 
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