I would just like to make a few observations if I could….
I'm a firm believer that if Orlando Pace, Anthony Munoz, Walter Jones, John Hannah, Jonathan Ogden, Randall McDaniel, Michael Dieter, Bruce Matthews, Joe Thomas, Isaiah Prince, and Alan Faneca were all lined up – Mr. Grier is going to end up with Michael Dieter and Isaiah Prince out of that lineup every time. He’s a blind dart thrower at the lines of scrimmage and you simply cannot compete like that.
I don’t think he's necessarily a football guy, more of just a football geek. I think there's a difference. I haven’t seen anything that makes me believe he's employed in a competent NFL front office. It’s unfortunate that Miami has supported incompetence for a long time while trying to pass it off on each other as things looking up. Love your team, but don’t support incompetence.
Mr. Grier trades Ryan Tannehill for a couple of late round fliers and all he does is get to go to the AFC Championship Game in his first season out from under Miami. Again, I don’t think it proved Tannehill is that good, but what he was able to do was expose the team builders in Miami as being incompetent. I mean it’s right there. Furthermore, he admitted to never speaking up in terms of bringing in a quarterback to compete.
Trades Laremy Tunsil to a team with no GM trying to win the superbowl while the the window is open and all people do is pat Grier on the back for "swindling" the Texans. They didn't even have a GM to swindle. I'm not sure what Mr. Grier is going to do with all those 1st round picks that he hasn't already done. The rest of the league doesn’t hesitate to load this guy up with 1st rounders because they’ve seen the way he drafts.
Passes up Tremaine Edmunds for Minkah Fitzpatrick, then trades him to the Steelers and all he does is immediately go to the pro bowl. It was a complicated situation, but I just probably wouldn't celebrate that as any sort of win if I were Miami. I just wouldn’t.
It’s difficult not to see that everything this guy touches turns to ****. Looking around the league at all the players he traded away that immediately step in and produce for their new team just doesn’t look good….like Kenyan Drake. It shines a bright light on the situation they were under in Miami and exposes the decision makers.
Passes up a starting caliber center for the next decade who kicked Wilkins *** all over the field in college that likely has a few pro bowls in his future for an immature comedian at DT with 2 sacks who can't get off blocks but has a ‘big personality’ and likes to fondle other team's players while they're on the ground. As if 56 tackles is suddenly a real distraction from what Miami could've had. Hell, the other team's running back is just going to run into you 56 times over the course of a 16 game season if I keep putting you out there. It's not like the Dolphins have anybody else to put out there to absorb the 56 tackles. If you go DT there and pass up the Center, at least take the best one. Jeffery Simmons was a better talent.
Passes up another pro bowl caliber center in the 2nd round in exchange for a walking, talking concussion either for himself or somebody else in Josh Rosen and a lower 2nd round pick.
Passes up Tre’Davious White, T.J. Watt, and Dalvin Cook for Charles Harris. It’s just on and on and on.
For a guy whose drafts are so good you’d think Miami would at minimum compete for something. Anything. UDFA’s from all over the country come in off the street in droves making minimum wage and outperform this guy’s draft picks like it’s going out of style. Contrary to what you might think, that is not a sign of progress.
Line up Sony Michel, Nick Chubb, Kerryon Johnson, Kalen Ballage, Mark Walton, Nyheim Hines, Gus Edwards, Bo Scarborough, Mark Ingram, and Phillip Lindsey – Mr. Grier is going to end up with Mark Walton and Kalen Ballage every single time. It’s just incredible.
I simply don’t see the impact players Mr. Grier has added or where he’s improved the roster with any difference makers. Selling off all your best players to the teams that are competing for something because they’re not afraid of loading you up with draft picks isn’t really the measure of a great decision maker. It doesn’t take much for the rest of the league to want to take your good players. Your good players that you now have to replace. The only impact players I see are the guys the left making impacts for other teams.
Coach Flores has gained the respect of the league because they know what he’s up against. He’s forced to operate under a GM that has demonstrated the ability to stock the rest of the league with difference makers, but failing to do so with his own team.
Fact is, with the number of substantially high draft picks Mr. Grier has accumulated via stocking other teams with talent, there’s no excuse why Miami shouldn’t end up with half a dozen pro bowlers over the next two drafts. Most importantly, finally hitting on the right quarterback that can hurt defenses and be the face of the organization through multiple championship runs. That’s what has to happen in order to compete with the best teams in the league. Simply drafting a guy and making him a ‘starter’ because he can beat out all your UDFA’s here and there won’t cut it.
If my performance at my job was reflective of Mr. Grier’s performance at his, I’d expect to be let go – and I would be. So would you. That’s the truth.
There’s just no way I could be convinced that Mr. Ross himself could take over the draft using Mel Kiper’s big board and do worse. It’s just not possible. Which has to be frustrating for Mr. Ross.
It’d be a real shame to see Miami squander some of the most relevant draft resources the league has ever seen one team acquire over a two year stretch. Although based on the body of evidence provided, I find it difficult to predict a different outcome.