MERGED 5X:PFT: Fins Found Their Quarterback of the Future?

[poornate]

PFT's View of the Lemon Trade: He's our future?

FINS FOUND THEIR QUARTERBACK OF THE FUTURE?



The media initially was confused by reports regarding the trade of quarterback A.J. Feeley to the Chargers for third-stringer Cleo Lemon.



Surely, as some members of the media concluded, the Dolphins weren't sending Feeley and a sixth-round pick to San Diego for a guy who was an undrafted free agent. Surely, it was the other way around.



Wrong.



Word is that the Dolphins regard Lemon as the guy who can take over the starting job in 2006 -- and hold it indefinitely into the future. The Fins, we hear, had been scouting Lemon for months. They regard the deal as a steal.



And they should. They gave up a six and a guy whom they would have dumped after the 2005 season anyway, especially since his salary is poised to make a significant jump upward in 2006.



In San Diego, the decision to squeeze Lemon out didn't go over well. A league source tells us that multiple members of the organization were "livid" about the trade.



Then again, Lemon was unlikely to take the field in San Diego any time soon, since the Chargers have Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. Given that Feeley's salary will spike in 2006, our guess is that the team is still toying with the possibility of keeping both Brees and Rivers beyond this season -- and that they regard Feeley's cup of coffee as a chance to determine whether he can be the backup to the one who stays, if the other one goes

 

[Shouright]

Man if this wasn't PFT I'd feel so much better about the information. This witness has lost its credibility, Your Honor.

 

[ckparrothead]

PFT: Fins Found Their Quarterback of the Future?

FINS FOUND THEIR QUARTERBACK OF THE FUTURE?

The media initially was confused by reports regarding the trade of quarterback A.J. Feeley to the Chargers for third-stringer Cleo Lemon.

Surely, as some members of the media concluded, the Dolphins weren't sending Feeley and a sixth-round pick to San Diego for a guy who was an undrafted free agent. Surely, it was the other way around.

Wrong.

Word is that the Dolphins regard Lemon as the guy who can take over the starting job in 2006 -- and hold it indefinitely into the future. The Fins, we hear, had been scouting Lemon for months. They regard the deal as a steal.

And they should. They gave up a six and a guy whom they would have dumped after the 2005 season anyway, especially since his salary is poised to make a significant jump upward in 2006.

In San Diego, the decision to squeeze Lemon out didn't go over well. A league source tells us that multiple members of the organization were "livid" about the trade.

Then again, Lemon was unlikely to take the field in San Diego any time soon, since the Chargers have Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. Given that Feeley's salary will spike in 2006, our guess is that the team is still toying with the possibility of keeping both Brees and Rivers beyond this season -- and that they regard Feeley's cup of coffee as a chance to determine whether he can be the backup to the one who stays, if the other one goes.

Now, I know how MANY of you feel about PFT...but when they have a source that is likely to know something of the situation they speak of, then they do usually have a good beat on what is going on. The problem is a lot of times they'll have a source speak up and talk about something that he doesn't really know about, and Florio has a tough time sometimes distinguishing whether or not the source really does know anything or does not.

When PFT is most likely to be correct is when there is logic on their side. When I have already been posting something that I have reasoned out logically, and then I hear PFT confirm it through a source, that is when I tend to trust what they say.

Nonetheless, there are two points to gain from this blurb.

1. The Dolphins targeted Cleo Lemon. I've been saying it since the trade initially happened. He was not the afterthought, AJ Feeley was the afterthought in this trade. It is rather OBVIOUS too, because the Dolphins are the ones that had to give up the 6th rounder for Lemon, not the other way around. If the Dolphins just wanted to carry over this year's cap money into next year, they would have cut AJ Feeley, traded for Lemon, and negotiated some phony incentives into a veteran's contract like the Eagles do. Instead, they end up doing the same thing by trading Feeley. It is a wash from a salary cap perspective. Getting rid of Feeley this way has no added benefit to the salary cap of 2006 over their next best alternative. That means the PRIMARY reason they did this, was because they really wanted Cleo Lemon. Logically, the argument is flawless. There is no escaping the FACT that the coaches pulled the trigger on this trade because they like Cleo Lemon. Now, PFT backs that up by noting that some of their sources have indicated that the Dolphins have been scouting Lemon for months and think they may have just gotten their QB of the future at a bargain price. Is that last part necessarily true? No. But, there is absolutely no denying that the trade happened because they were interested in Cleo Lemon, NOT because they were interested in trading Feeley.

2. There are people within the Chargers organization who are upset about this trade. This is the part of the article that could easily be true or not true. I've spoken with Florio many times and I asked him if he would elaborate for me on the likelihood of his source knowing whether or not there was indeed dissention in the ranks over in Charger-land regarding this trade. Suffice it to say that not every team has a media-Nazi head coach saying that he will fire anyone who speaks to the press without his direct approval. The likelihood of Florio having a source from the Dolphins talking about dissention in the ranks is LOW, because of Saban's iron grip. But that probability is much higher among teams that do not have Nick Saban or Bill Belichick in charge of them.

Anyway, discuss if you will. I am very hopeful about Lemon and I can't wait to see what he can do NEXT YEAR in training camp. Obviously, he isn't pressing anyone this year because it is very tough to learn a playbook during tthe season because week in and week out, you just prepare for the team you face, you are not in "learning the playbook" mode at all.

 

[shellgh0st]

FINS FOUND THEIR QUARTERBACK OF THE FUTURE?



The media initially was confused by reports regarding the trade of quarterback A.J. Feeley to the Chargers for third-stringer Cleo Lemon.



Surely, as some members of the media concluded, the Dolphins weren't sending Feeley and a sixth-round pick to San Diego for a guy who was an undrafted free agent. Surely, it was the other way around.



Wrong.



Word is that the Dolphins regard Lemon as the guy who can take over the starting job in 2006 -- and hold it indefinitely into the future. The Fins, we hear, had been scouting Lemon for months. They regard the deal as a steal.



And they should. They gave up a six and a guy whom they would have dumped after the 2005 season anyway, especially since his salary is poised to make a significant jump upward in 2006.



In San Diego, the decision to squeeze Lemon out didn't go over well. A league source tells us that multiple members of the organization were "livid" about the trade.



Then again, Lemon was unlikely to take the field in San Diego any time soon, since the Chargers have Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. Given that Feeley's salary will spike in 2006, our guess is that the team is still toying with the possibility of keeping both Brees and Rivers beyond this season -- and that they regard Feeley's cup of coffee as a chance to determine whether he can be the backup to the one who stays, if the other one goes

Suppose this is true.

That would mean the fins WONT bring in a big time FA QB or a high draft pick QB.

Why would they if they think Lemon is the guy? If you bring in a big time FA or a high draft pick, that player MUST play or you'll have brought him in, while wasting cap space, for nothing.

 

[BigDogsHunt]

I am sure someday soon we will all know the real story behind this trade....but I like what this implies.

I continue to give Saban and Mueller praise in all facets to improve this team. Its needs an overhaul, they are doing just that, and they continue to tinker and improve the existing talent and mix in potential new talent.

Wins for the future will follow. Whats not to like?

 

[Shouright]

All great points CK, and I think a lot of people here need to realize that this is Mueller's style. He doesn't want his 3rd QB being a guy who will be a career backup from here on out -- he wants it to be a guy who will either start or be traded for something worthwhile. And I think Saban's on the same page.

 

[DuderinoN703]

It seems very interesting to me now. I'm excited to see what Lemon could bring to the table. If he doesn't pan out, it isnt like we lost anyone valuable in the process!

 

[poornate]

Which, if this assessment is correct about their intentions, would open the door for drafting an elite offensive line prospect.

 

[fishypete]

I see this as nothing more than a roll of the dice.....he never had a great college career and has done nothing since he became a NFL player....maybe he'll turn out...maybe he won't. Time will tell....it's obvious now that the Dolphins won't select a QB in the draft....at least in the first round.

 

[BLITZKRIEG]

I'm not one of those fans that dislike PFT. In fact, I read them everyday. They may not be correct 100% of the time, but they know alot more than the lot full of arm chair GM's here do...

Great read. I can't wait to see what Lemon can bring to our offense....

PHINZ RULE!!!

 

[Shouright]

I see this as nothing more than a roll of the dice.....he never had a great college career and has done nothing since he became a NFL player....maybe he'll turn out...maybe he won't. Time will tell....it's obvious now that the Dolphins won't select a QB in the draft....at least in the first round.

But at least they're ROLLING the dice instead of sitting there doing nothing with a career backup QB in the 3rd spot. Stagnating never got anything done. I like the fact that these guys ALWAYS seem to be thinking about and evaluating the roster, looking for ways to improve it. That's a good sign whether or not Lemon ever becomes anything special.

 

[ckparrothead]

That would mean the fins WONT bring in a big time FA QB or a high draft pick QB.

That is not necessarily true regardless of what they feel about Cleo Lemon. If anything, acquiring a guy who you HOPE could turn out to be the future just pays homage to the fact that it is very tough to find big name quarterbacks that you feel give you a good chance to win, at the kind of price you are willing to pay. Honestly, how often does that happen??

Also, Saban has shown a decided aversion to drafting QBs high. And, I can understand his reasoning there. Generally, quarterbacks need at least two years of holding a clipboard to give them a chance to learn everything they need to know about managing an NFL offense. Ben Roethlesberger and Dan Marino were spread about 20 years apart, and that isn't a coincidence. Drafting a guy high, you get him on a 5 or 7 year contract and pay him millions in the first two years to just sit there. Doesn't make much sense. That is not value in the draft. Value in the draft is the mid to late first round and second round, picking a guy that is relatively cheap at a position where he has a chance to make an immediate impact on the team in the first two years (basically any position other than QB).

 

[Shouright]

That is not necessarily true regardless of what they feel about Cleo Lemon. If anything, acquiring a guy who you HOPE could turn out to be the future just pays homage to the fact that it is very tough to find big name quarterbacks that you feel give you a good chance to win, at the kind of price you are willing to pay. Honestly, how often does that happen??

Also, Saban has shown a decided aversion to drafting QBs high. And, I can understand his reasoning there. Generally, quarterbacks need at least two years of holding a clipboard to give them a chance to learn everything they need to know about managing an NFL offense. Ben Roethlesberger and Dan Marino were spread about 20 years apart, and that isn't a coincidence. Drafting a guy high, you get him on a 5 or 7 year contract and pay him millions in the first two years to just sit there. Doesn't make much sense. That is not value in the draft. Value in the draft is the mid to late first round and second round, picking a guy that is relatively cheap at a position where he has a chance to make an immediate impact on the team in the first two years (basically any position other than QB).

Exactly -- isn't it a bigger roll of the dice to pick a QB in the 1st round and hope he pans out?

 

[fishypete]

But at least they're ROLLING the dice instead of sitting there doing nothing with a career backup QB in the 3rd spot. Stagnating never got anything done. I like the fact that these guys ALWAYS seem to be thinking about and evaluating the roster, looking for ways to improve it. That's a good sign whether or not Lemon ever becomes anything special.

Shouright;

Lets all remember why he became the 3rd string QB...and who replaced him...to many here...Gus is no better....and he has the benefit of knowing the offense...something Feeley didn't...in fact....Feeley had to learn two offense's.
Feeley's gone now...and frankly I don't care what happens to him....he's no longer a Dolphin....but he did get a raw deal from Saban and the OC.

 

[Gonzo]

Suppose this is true.

That would mean the fins WONT bring in a big time FA QB or a high draft pick QB.

Why would they if they think Lemon is the guy? If you bring in a big time FA or a high draft pick, that player MUST play or you'll have brought him in, while wasting cap space, for nothing.

How so? Though I doubt the credibility of this article, even if that was their intent, why wouldn't they draft another? What team wouldn't want to be in San Diego's position with two good QB's (assuming, of course, that Rivers isn't a bust. He is at least good trade bait)? If he doesn't pan out, what do we lose? A third stringer and a 6th or 7th round pick? Thats a lot better than losing a 2nd...

I simply can't understand why everybody is flipping out about this. We possibly upgraded our third string QB. Our THIRD STRING QB. Whoopedeedoo!!