One Fan's Question: ESPN's John Clayton's Response RE: Dolphins/Draft

[Dr. Phin]

why is it so hard for people to accept that they just didn't think very much of Matt Flynn? imo, he is the true Jay Fiedler 2.0

It doesn't have anything to do with Flynn or Manning, etc. It has to do with the final result of the position that we are being left in. After free agency, what do we have to show for Ireland's efforts...Gerrard. Really? We are getting stuck with having to take someone well above where he should go...or hope for next year, thanks to an incompetant FO.

 

[fishbanger]

Clayton is right on. We wanted Flynn but did not want to pay the 8M a year. I would say that taking into account potential draft of Tannehill or Weeden were seen as upgrades over Flynn and would come at half the cost. Thats probably why they low balled Flynn.

This in essence has created the pressure after 29 years of not drafting a QB in the first round since MArino to draft Tannehill or Weeden. If they dont draft Tannehill or Weeden and Flynn outplays our QB in next years game against Seattle then let the Firings begin at the FO.

 

[Finfanforever]

and in your opinion, the best way to do that, is to give a 7th round low ceiling pick QB with 2 career starts guaranteed starting QB money and hope he works out? Flynn is 27, might as well draft Weeden, he is far superior talent wise and has a much bigger ceiling,

regarding Tannehill im all for taking him at #8 especially with Sherman on board, but trading 4 picks to move him to get him just doesnt seem smart with all the other holes on the roster which can not be filled properly via Free Agency due to their cap situation so the only way to fill those spots is using all of their picks

I never said to move up to get him....

 

[Finfanforever]

The question is: are we throwing this season in the garbage? Are we playing for the #1 pick in next year's draft? I say that because if we don't get a player in the first round that can immediately help the 2012 Miami Dolphins, then just trade all our over-28 yr old players now and get more picks and then tank the season, Colts-style.
Using a first round draft pick on a player that will be useless until 2013, on a player other than Luck or RG3 is just stupid to me. If this season is nothing but a rebuild, then why didn't we trade up to grab RG3? Planning a rebuild on a 'maybe' player like Tannehill is just ridiculously stupid, IMO. But then, it is Ireland we're talking about. Panicking and trading Brandon Marshall for less than we got him for, even though his Pro-Bowl performance indicated that his skills had NOT diminished At All from when we acquired him, was a horribly stupid move that really hurt the 2012 team, really hurt Matt Moore, who had sync'd up with Marshall 10x more than Henne ever did. The Dolphins are just in a really bad place right now...NFL Hell. Even Buffalo has gotten a LOT more talented than Miami with the shoring up of their D-line/pass rush. They have talent and experience at WR, RBs at least as good as Miami, and their D will be a good deal better than Miami. Miami will be a last place team for a long time.
As much as I was optimistic about this year's team as of mid-March, I'm very discouraged with what's happened since. That Marshall trade was a disaster of epic proportions. Miami's WR is in the bottom 5 of the whole league right now. Hartline is incredibly mediocre. Bess is slow and coming off a terrible season...and.....Clyde Gates? I know more about playing WR than that guy. If you're honest, WR is really our most pressing need. To have even a shred of dignity, Miami should trade up to get Blackmon and be done with it. What else are we gonna do with the extra picks we would trade to move up? Draft more 'projects' like Gates or Nolan Carroll?
"We are beginning our descent into Miami International Airport, if you look down, you can see those giant clown shoes and know we are flying over Davie"

I agree we did not get the worth for Marshall...I also think he was over-rated and a team cancer. You can't keep "plugging holes" on this team and ignoring the QB position...because if you do indeed plug those holes with quality players but don't have a consistant championship caliber QB...then then most exciting time for this team will always be APRIL instead of Jan-Feb!!!

 

[datruth55]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7816679/nfl-sagging-rb-market-bad-news-trent-richardson



Q: I have been a Dolphins fan since 1972 and the utter chaos that is going on down there in the front office has made this once-proud franchise almost an afterthought in the NFL. Ten years ago, the Dolphins could have landed any free-agent QB, a top-flight head coach or they could have made some sort of move on draft day to possibly get Robert Griffin III. What has happened down there to send this franchise onto the trash heap? Is there any chance they can move up to take Ryan Tannehill, and if so is that a move they should make? Is Tannehill the type of guy who could play 8-12 years at a high level to give stability and top-level productivity to a team?
Carmen in Mansfield, Texas
A: There is no guarantee, but the Dolphins have played the offseason so poorly that they have no choice. They have to get Tannehill. I don't think they need to trade up to the No. 4 pick to get him, but they have to take him at No. 8. The Dolphins have probably made more mistakes at the quarterback position than any other franchise since Dan Marino's retirement. They've wasted five No. 2 draft choices either drafting quarterbacks or trading for them. They should have signed Matt Flynn to take the pressure off, but with David Garrard and Matt Moore on one-year situations, they have to look to the future. They can use Garrard and Moore this year so they don't have to rush Tannehill, which was the mistake the Jaguars made with Blaine Gabbert last year.

Really it started before Marino's retirement. We should have had someone in waiting, Jimmy Johnson should have drafted someone in 97 or 98 to groom behind Marino as it is Jimmy and Wannstedt never drafted a QB.

 

[Dr. Phin]

Really it started before Marino's retirement. We should have had someone in waiting, Jimmy Johnson should have drafted someone in 97 or 98 to groom behind Marino as it is Jimmy and Wannstedt never drafted a QB.

Exactly. A QB should be drafted every year....and as the current starter declines, the round you draft in would get earlier; unless you find a replacement...then continue to get QB in later rounds...

 

[Zounds]

John Clayton is ESPN's cheif propoganda engineer. Still, after months of free agency, he is still trying to push this idea that Miami desperately needed Matt Flynn. Clayton and the other weathermen on ESPN all pegged Miami as the favorites to land Manning, and when that didnt happen they were sure we'd sign Flynn, and they just cant admit they their "inside info" was bogus and they were wrong all along. I just dont understand how any reporter that's been around as long as he has can say we "have played the offseason so poorly" just because we didnt sign Matt Flynn.

 

[Killerphins]

Flynn was extremely overpaid.
People need to get over it.
Just because we didn't break the bank in FA doesn't mean our offseason was a disaster.
The same people who say these things also said Philly would be unstoppable because of their FA acquisitions last season. Didn't happen.
YOU HAVE TO BUILD THROUGH THE DRAFT!

 

[Predaphin]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7816679/nfl-sagging-rb-market-bad-news-trent-richardson



Q: I have been a Dolphins fan since 1972 and the utter chaos that is going on down there in the front office has made this once-proud franchise almost an afterthought in the NFL. Ten years ago, the Dolphins could have landed any free-agent QB, a top-flight head coach or they could have made some sort of move on draft day to possibly get Robert Griffin III. What has happened down there to send this franchise onto the trash heap? Is there any chance they can move up to take Ryan Tannehill, and if so is that a move they should make? Is Tannehill the type of guy who could play 8-12 years at a high level to give stability and top-level productivity to a team?
Carmen in Mansfield, Texas
A: There is no guarantee, but the Dolphins have played the offseason so poorly that they have no choice. They have to get Tannehill. I don't think they need to trade up to the No. 4 pick to get him, but they have to take him at No. 8. The Dolphins have probably made more mistakes at the quarterback position than any other franchise since Dan Marino's retirement. They've wasted five No. 2 draft choices either drafting quarterbacks or trading for them. They should have signed Matt Flynn to take the pressure off, but with David Garrard and Matt Moore on one-year situations, they have to look to the future. They can use Garrard and Moore this year so they don't have to rush Tannehill, which was the mistake the Jaguars made with Blaine Gabbert last year.

He lost me when he said we should've took Flynn...

 

[Mogwai]

I'm not a big Flynn fan, but it's true that signing him would have lessened the pressure at the QB position even if he's not a long term solution. We didn't get Manning, we didn't trade up for RG3, we didn't sign Flynn, which means we're almost forced to take Tannehill at 8 if we want to make any attempt to address the QB position. Flynn with his limited guaranteed money and built in understanding of Philbin's offense would have allowed for some breathing room while we explore developing a less high profile prospect or waiting until next year for a better opportunity like Barkley.

 

[DolfanDuBbZ~]

Exactly. A QB should be drafted every year....and as the current starter declines, the round you draft in would get earlier; unless you find a replacement...then continue to get QB in later rounds...

How many if any franchises, draft a QB every year? Name me one and we can go from there.

 

[Gonzo]

Flynn was extremely overpaid.
People need to get over it.
Just because we didn't break the bank in FA doesn't mean our offseason was a disaster.
The same people who say these things also said Philly would be unstoppable because of their FA acquisitions last season. Didn't happen.
YOU HAVE TO BUILD THROUGH THE DRAFT!

$26 million with $10 million guaranteed for a potential starting QB is hardly overpaying. Kolb was overpaid. They didn't bring him in because they didn't think he was much of an improvement over what we have now. That's fine. Philbin had first hand knowledge of his abilities. HOWEVER, if they are wrong, it will be the beginning of the end for them because of that firsthand knowledge. I hope he was right, and as of now I have no reason not to believe he was.

 

[iambanned]

The idea of us being 'desperate to draft Tannehill' is just as bad as the idea that we 'had to get Matt Flynn'. The point is to create the best football team, period. Overpaying for a guy who 'might be good in 2013, but might be a choker like he was in college' doesn't seem smart.
Think of this: If Miami totally blew off Tannehill at #8, he'd plummet like Lehman Bros. stock in 9/08, or Aaron Rogers in his draft year. Then if you reallly wanted him, you could use that 3rd rounder you got from Chicago (well, technically you'd have to use your own cuz it's better) and maybe a 5th to trade up into the 21st pick and grab him then ahead of Cleveland's 2nd first round pick.
I say, screw Tannehill, period. Use your extra 3rd rounder and draft Kirk Cousins.

 

[Stefins]

I would say that the Fins passed on Flynn for a reason..

 

[Killerphins]

$26 million with $10 million guaranteed for a potential starting QB is hardly overpaying. Kolb was overpaid. They didn't bring him in because they didn't think he was much of an improvement over what we have now. That's fine. Philbin had first hand knowledge of his abilities. HOWEVER, if they are wrong, it will be the beginning of the end for them because of that firsthand knowledge. I hope he was right, and as of now I have no reason not to believe he was.

It is when you take into consideration he has had one good game in his career up to this point. Obviously Philbin had input on his worth and said he didn't dictate that sort of value. As as far as not much of an improvement over what is currently here I would agree which is why I said overpaid.
Ten million dollars guaranteed is way too much for Matt Flynn.