"The 800 lb gorilla in the room is that Miami will probably draft Tua at 5."
Fans (and the media) need to air their opinions; none of which are actually based on official info straight from the team's decision makers. Many fans and the media said that Miami was tanking to attain the top pick in this upcoming draft. Who came up with this idea? NO ONE related to the Dolphins EVER mentioned tanking! Ross did say that the way they were doing things wasn't working, so they needed to pretty much tear it down and rebuild the team the "right" way, and that it could/would probably mean that there will be a few losses along the way while they rebuild. How could anyone hear this and then say it's proof that the team is tanking? The media is the problem... they need to get people to read their articles to keep their job, so they make up "facts" to attract attention. There was never a plan to "Tank For Tua"... it was all the doing of the media. I don't recall ever seeing an official news release from the Dolphins saying that they 100% wanted to draft Tua. Did you? Why do so many fans believe that Miami wants Tua? It's possible, or maybe even probable that they were thinking about drafting him, but it's not a certainty; especially now after his injuries and surgery.
"... Miami has done a very mediocre job in drafting, developing and keeping players. You traded a LT and DB that were going to be the cornerstones of your franchise in exchange for picks."
True, but that's because the past two regimes (Philbin and Gase) and Tannenbaum were idiots who should NEVER have been hired by the Dolphins. Those two coaching staffs were terrible at developing young players, and their schemes did little to take advantage of their players' strengths and put them in a position to succeed. As for keeping players, it's not always the smart thing to do. Many fans wanted to keep RT James, even though he was often injured and was going to want a pay increase. His play never lived up to his draft status, and he was in no way, shape, or form worth the amount of money that he eventually received (from another team). Good riddance. Fitzpatrick's trade is debatable, and both sides of the argument have merit. Tunsil's trade, IMO, was a HUGE success for Miami. They're rebuilding from the ground up, and those draft picks will be a big help.
So many fans disagree with me when it comes to Tunsil; they think hes "all that", and I think he's not worth paying, or keeping. I'll explain my position: Under Philbin, Miami's offensive philosophy was to create mismatches at the line and then to throw a short pass almost immediately after the snap to the best target, with the hope that the receiver will gains yards after the catch. And, these short passes will basically take the place of the run. So, since Philbin's "dynamic, explosive, and high-scoring" (his words) offense was based on a quick short pass, Philbin had no need for tough, physical, old-school style o-linemen who could sustain their blocks. And, since these short passes replaced the running game, there was little to no emphasis placed on the ability to run-block. This is evident in his favoring someone like Jonathan Martin over a physical player like Incognito. However, the result of this philosophy resulted in Tannehill being sacked more than any other QB during his first 4 seasons. Also, the o-line's poor run-blocking led to an inability to consistently convert 3rd or 4th and short on the ground, and they were considered to be one of the worst o-lines in the league. (For the sake of comparison, Sparano's o-line with FB Polite was nearly perfect in converting 3rd or 4th and short!) Next came Gase, who was better at calling trick plays than normal, everyday football plays. It seems to me that the plays he called were ones that would have the least chance of success; he'd run up the middle for no gain on 3rd and long, and he'd call a pass behind the line of scrimmage for a loss on 3rd or 4th and short. When they did attempt to run on 3rd or 4th and short, they usually failed because, like Philbin, Gase had no desire to build a tough, physical o-line that could dominate the line of scrimmage, or to have a powerful running game. He preferred using the RBs as receivers out of the backfield. So, why did I just ramble on about all of this? Because Flores, when hired, said that he wants a tough, physical football team with a strong running game. There was NOTHING, and I repeat NOTHING about Miami's o-line or running game under Philbin and Gase that could even remotely be described as being tough or physicallly dominating. Was their o-line dominating with a strong running game, while first round draft picks Tunsil and James were the anchors? Nope! They had a problem pass-blocking let alone being able to run-block. Tunsil was selected because he was seen as a "top talent" who would fit into Miami's short pass based offense. But, he doesn't fit Flores' need for tough, physical players. Tunsil gave up few sacks because the other 4 guys were even worse than him; he was the best of the worst.
And, finally, I LOVE talking about Landry. Loved by millions of fans. I have no idea why! I admit he was talented. But, he was also a "me-first" immature diva who couldn't control his emotions and was overall a detriment to the (future) success of the team. Why a me-first diva? It's a well-known fact that he's best friends with Odell Beckham Jr, and is very competitive. They both crave attention and the spotlight. Ever notice that when ODB made a one-handed catch in an early game, odds were that Landry playing later would also make a one-handed catch. He wants to be seen on the highlights; he didn't care that if he dropped that pass it could possibly hurt his team's chances of winning. The "team-first" decision would be to make that catch with both hands; not to show off for attention! And, how many times did he make bone-headed mistakes and get penalized? Too many times! He enjoyed taunting defenders (and was often called for it) because of his need to show his superiority (diva). Last, but not least, he set a record for the most catches made by a WR over his first 4 seasons. Sounds good, doesn't it? Sounds like Miami ran the offense through Landry, right? His record for the most receptions should have been accompanied by the record for the most yards too, right? Or at least close to a record? Nope. Landry was the main check-down target in a short pass based offense in which the QB rarely had time to wait for a WR to get open downfield. Running the offense through Landry via short passes created a lot of first downs, but overall, without a potent vertical passing game, competent o-line, or strong running game, Miami's offense was mostly ineffective. Landry was a good slot receiver who could move the chains, but there was too much baggage with his ego and he was definitely not worth the money he wanted in Free Agency. I liked watching Wilson (keep at a reduced salary for next year) and Hurns this past season more than I ever liked watching Landry's immature antics.
