So, I am guessing that almost all of you read my post on Friday night where I called Jeff Ireland, Tony Sparano, Brian Daboll, Stephen Ross, and the entire Miami Dolphins organization a dumbass.
I would like to take this post to explain myself and to apologize to everyone in the organization that I complained about.
At the time of the post I was very angry because the Dolphins had just passed up on Ryan Mallett and the Patriots selected him just a few picks later. You have to understand that I have been a big Mallett supporter for three months now, and to see Miami pass him up and the Patriots to get him to (I believe) step in for Tom Brady when he retires was very frustrating. I still believe that Mallett will be able to be replace Brady effectively, but it isn't as damning as I had made it seem.
I had a lot of time to think about it yesterday, and the truth is that the Dolphins actually had a really good draft. They strengthened their interior offensive line with Mike Pouncey, they added a lightning fast receiver to stretch the field in Edmond Gates, they took a running back in Daniel Thomas that will fit their offense well and has the potential to be really good in the NFL, and they added a pass-catching fullback who can also play tight end in Charles Clay.
Miami added a player at every position that they needed help in. They fixed a lot of problems with this draft, and I can't help but be pleased with it after giving it more thought.
The only big remaining concern of mine is Chad Henne. We are probably going to have to live with seeing him under center another year.
That isn't ideal, but I think that he has a strong enough football team surrounding him that all he has to do is manage games and he will be able to win. This will hopefully be a similar case to Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets. Sanchez doesn't have to be great, he just has to be able to manage the game and his defense and the running game will take care of the rest. That's what I'm hoping the case is with Miami.
I believe that Chad Henne is better than a lot of us give him credit for (myself included). He practically had no help at all last year. His OC sucked, his running game sucked, and he had to deal with the enormous pressure of the expectations of us fans. I can't believe I am saying this, but I think we should give him one more chance. Now that he has a great offensive group surrounding him, we will really see what he is actually capable of.
Do I think Miami should have gotten Ryan Mallett instead of Daniel Thomas? Sure, I still think Mallett is a better QB than Henne, but it won't doom the Dolphins for the next 15 years like I said it would before. The Jets have shown us that you don't have to have an incredible QB as long as you have a great team surrounding him. I was just pissed off when I wrote that post on Friday and I went a little too far.
The truth is that Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano are actually pretty good at what they do. Do they make some boneheaded mistakes every once in a while? Absolutely, but they also make some pretty brilliant moves that counter their mistakes.
So, this is my official apology to Jeff Ireland, Tony Sparano, Brian Daboll, and everyone in the Miami Dolphins organization. I doubt that anyone of them will read this or read my post from Friday, but I feel like I had to say that.
I also want to apologize to you guys who read my post on Friday night. I shouldn't have made it seem like we were screwed for the next two decades. I still think Mallett is the real deal and the Patriots getting him is a problem for the future, but he alone won't be able to beat the Dolphins without help. Hopefully the Dolphins will be able to put together a better overall team than the Pats and Mallett won't be able to take them to victory.
We'll see I guess. I have officially renounced my fandom of Ryan Mallett, though. I no longer follow him on twitter. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.
Thanks for reading, and let me hear your reactions because I know you have them.
