In openly claiming to rebuild, the Miami Dolphins have effectively shoved Ryan Tannehill out the door. The quarterback drafted by Jeff Ireland and retained by a multitude of fired regimes has been the defining Dolphin mistake. A repeat mistake will leave the team wallowing in mediocrity for another decade.
In the simplest terms, quarterback play dictates NFL success. Debating the merits of each individual player has made the NFL draft a unique American pastime. The shows, the mocks, the experts, many of whom have never stepped foot on an NFL field will pollute the airways with opinions. All culminating in the moment commissioner Roger Goodell steps to the podium and announces the name holding the key to Miami's future.
Mocking the Miami Dolphins, Mel Kiper has Kyler Murray slotted for pick thirteen. The diminutive Heisman Trophy winner is the most compelling player in the 2019 draft, but is he the future of the Dolphins?
The moment falls on Chris Grier, his chance for genius or his moment of folly. Fate is a cruel twist of timing when a year ago five first round QBs left the stage. In 2019, only three seem worthy and only one is beyond debate. As one of the first picks, Dwayne Haskins would cost Miami so much future draft stock, the pick is unrealistic.
The decision for Grier and his posse dangles on the shoulders of a 5'9" young man with undeniable skill, trapped in a tiny body. Those who played little league football remember Kyler Murray. The little guy with so much speed and shiftiness, no one could tackle him. His team won, it won everywhere he played.
Murray is a three-time state high school football champion. Murray took the Oklahoma Sooners to the college football final four. Murray won the Heisman Trophy. Murray was the ninth pick in the major league baseball draft. Murray is a winner, and this fact is beyond debate.
Unfortunately, time catches up to all of us, faster for some and slower for others. Murray will not grow any taller and adding weight would be detrimental to his game. Time has caught up to Murray. Unlike a gangly Tom Brady stumbling along the 40-yard dash still growing into his body, Murray is done growing.
Any illusion of getting more than what is present with Murray is a mistake. Leading to the ultimate question, can Kyler Murray be an NFL franchise QB? No one can answer this question definitively. Mel Kiper is gambling the Miami Dolphins are willing to take that chance. Beyond a doubt, some team will make Murray a rich man, but is it worth the gamble?
Drew Brees and Russell Wilson are the obvious reference points, both have won a Super Bowl, both are taller than Murray. Brees is one of the all time greats, a future hall-of-famer, but how does that relate to Murray? Brees and Wilson were both good college QBs, neither was a Heisman contender, niether was a first round draft pick, both were still growing when they entered the NFL.
Murray signed a $4.75 million dollar baseball contract apparently without understanding his NFL prospects. When someone close to him realized he would likely become an NFL first round pick, he dropped the baseball money and proclaimed his love of football.
Football, that would guarantee much more than $4.75 million dollars. No one can blame him for this, but in his mind, he knew baseball was probably the sport his body would most likely allow him to play. Money is what changed that perspective.
As a true freshman in 2015 at Texas A&M, Murray appeared in games as a backup with several starts late in the season. On December 24, 2015, Murray announced that he was transferring to the University of Oklahoma. He sat out the 2016 season per NCAA transfer rules. In 2017, Murray was a backup to Baker Mayfield. Murray only started one season of college football.
In a disturbing interview with Dan Patrick, Murray was completely indecisive. He was reluctant to answer even the simplest question. The interview got to the point where Patrick stopped asking Murray questions and began to ask Murray's father to answer what Murray thought. It had eerie reminiscings of Todd Marinovich...
Football and football alone must be the basis of any Miami Dolphin decision. List the positives, next to the negatives and see if one clearly outweighs the other.
Positives:
Athleticism
Arm strength
Winning history
Negatives:
Size
Very little college experience
No Pro style offense experience
Pampered
Questionable decision-making
Money-first mentality
Indecisive
The college game is not a great indicator of whether a player will make it in the NFL. College offenses are dissimilar to most pro-sets and the Miami Dolphins can determine whether Murray is a fit by self-examination.
By essentially stealing the New England coaching staff, the Dolphins will be running a version of the Erhardt-Perkins offense. It is a multi-formational pro-set that uses two sided pattern calls for passing routes.
The offense is effective when the quarterback has an in-depth understanding and is able to make quick decisions, on the patterns, formations and blocking schemes. Kyler Murray does not appear to be a fit for the Erhardt-Perkins offense.
Murray may have a great career in the NFL. The team that selects Murray must make a concerted effort to tailor their offense and players to the style of play that will make him effective. Unfortunately, Murray's size is a real concern in the NFL. The injury history of small mobile QBs (RG3) is very much against him.
By examining the facts...
The Miami Dolphins should pass on Kyler Murray.
Showing posts with label Mel Kiper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mel Kiper. Show all posts
Sorry Mel - The Miami Dolphins Stole this Draft
The pundits are unhappy the Miami Dolphins did not sell their collective souls to draft a quarterback… Mel Kiper, an admitted Ravens fan, praised his team for selling out to pick QB Lamar Jackson with the 32nd pick. He then panned the Dolphins for not drafting a QB and gave them the worst draft grade of any team.
Mel was asked which player he liked before the draft, his answer – “It's so tough to answer because I have to think about team needs, how each prospect fits into those needs and realistic draft positions.”
Funny how when “their” team is on the clock, even the “experts” forget their own words. Kiper famously said, “Lamar Jackson had a lot of "layups" in Louisville's offense,” when comparing Jackson to Josh Allen. He didn’t think Lamar Jackson would develop into an NFL QB. That was before the Ravens drafted the Louisville Heisman Trophy winner and now, Mel has nothing but praise for Ozzie Newsome.
QB's running around on NFL fields is not the recipe for long and fruitful careers.
The examples are plentiful, but the prefect one is RG3. Jackson is so close in stature to RG3 that it’s scary. Most NFL GMs put on their psychology hat and remembered, “Past performance is the best predictor of future success.” Jackson lasted until 32 for that reason. Miami, along with 30 other teams were not going to risk making the same mistake.
The bottom line is, Miami fans do not care what Mel Kiper, ProFootballFocus or whomever have to say about the Miami Dolphin draft. These fans have grown numb to easy pot-shots from outsiders that don’t have to play New England twice a year.
Miami fans are a resilient and self-sufficient bunch that actually understand what Mel meant with, “think about team needs, how each prospect fits into those needs and realistic draft positions.”
Building up to the draft, this writer penned several articles detailing the issues that led to the Miami Dolphin's 6-10 season. The most annoying line that seems to have become an off-hand fact is that suddenly, Ryan Tannehill is an injury prone QB.
Tannehill and the Dolphins are guilty of thinking experimental science (stem cell therapy) is magic.
It’s not…
Guilty as charged, but injury prone? Tannehill was an ironman prior to a cheap Calais Campbell knee shot. The stem cell experiment didn’t work and Tannehill subsequently had the same surgery nearly every player wearing an NFL uniform has had at one time or another. Tom Brady’s been wearing that brace since the last time Miami won the AFC East.
If past performance is the best predictor of future success, Tannehill will be fine.
Whether Mel Kiper likes Ryan Tannehill is a completely different issue, many Miami fans will agree with that sentiment. Using the term “injury prone” is a ridiculous cop out, if you don’t like Tannehill just say it Mel, you won’t hurt our feelings.
The men whose jobs are on the line - Adam Gase, Mike Tannenbaum and Chris Grier have the belief that Ryan Tannehill will continue where he left off prior to his knee injury. The Dolphins felt they had too many holes they needed to fill and could not afford to essentially give up their whole draft for an unknown rookie QB.
The Dolphins were perfectly willing to allow one of the top four QBs to fall to the 11th pick. The Arizona Cardinals sent the No. 15 pick, a 3rd-round pick (No. 79) and a fifth-round selection (No. 152) to the Oakland Raiders to jump ahead of Miami and take Josh Rosen. Carson Palmer was 38 years old and retired from the Cardinals who were left with Sam Bradford - Now you’re talking injury prone.
No matter what the pundits believe, the Cardinals were desperate for a QB and the Dolphins were not. It’s as simple as that.
In two previous articles:
http://www.dolphinshout.com/2018/01/miami-dolphins-are-playing-wrong-defense.html
http://www.dolphinshout.com/2018/01/the-miami-dolphins-need-beast-at-tight.html
The real issues that led to Miami’s demise, aside from Jay Cutler being Jay Cutler, were evident by the end of the 2017 season.
The Dolphins allowed 94 catches by tight ends, the most in the league. Only Oakland allowed more tight end receiving yards (1034 to 1038) than Miami. Tight ends scored 10 touchdowns against the Dolphins, tied with Cleveland for second-most and behind only the Giants (13).
The league is evolving and Miami was not: The Patriots had 221 snaps in Dime (6-DB) Personnel and an astounding 161 snaps in Prevent (7-DB). Miami had SEVEN total snaps in a Dime defense. The Patriots faced 3rd & 10 or more on 54 snaps this year and yet they played 6 or more DBs on 382 snaps.
The Miami Dolphins used the Dime package only 7 times…
It’s humorous to hear the talking heads berate the Miami Dolphins for picking Minkah Fitzpatrick in the first round. Maybe lining up only 7 times in a dime package is a tiny clue to what Miami REALLY needed.
It’s also humorous to hear how Fitzpatrick will displace T.J. McDonald in the defensive backfield. Stats are for losers, but 7 times versus NE’s 161 times and a total of 382 snaps with 6 or more DBs.
T.J. and Minkah will be playing alongside one another a whole lot in 2018.
NFL teams are not “supposed” to draft for needs but one thing is very clear, Fitzpatrick was a much greater need than drafting Tannehill’s future replacement.
The Miami Dolphins literally had no starting TE prior to the draft. Julius Thomas caught 4 TD passes for Miami and that’s it. The Eagles? 14… The Patriots, 10. Of the TEs with the most TD receptions, 4 of the top 5 were on playoff teams and 2 were in the Super Bowl.
The Dolphins cut Julius Thomas and Anthony Fasano retired… Miami threw out the old axiom of not going into the draft with a need so the team could select the “best player available.”
What were they going to do, hide it? Tight Ends haven’t existed in Miami since long before Mad Dog opened the pearly gates.
The pundits are still stomping for Mason Rudolph but the sight of Mike Gesicki in Dolphin teal warms the heart of any true Miami fan.
The Dolphins did not only draft exactly what they needed, but they actually followed the Jimmy Johnson credo and doubled down! They selected coverage LB Jerome Baker in the 3rd round and the Kelly green hulk TE Durham Smythe in the 4th round. (Hey Paul, any relation?)
Kalen Ballage in the 4th as the bruising RB to spell Kenyan Drake. They added CB Cornell Armstrong and LB Quentin Poling in the 6th, along with a kicker, Jason Sanders in the 7th.
Mel Kiper can grade Miami wherever he likes…
At the beginning of the day, this Miami fan is smiling.
At the end of the day, Mel Kiper can explain trading away Jarome Baker and Durham Smythe for Lamar Jackson to sit on the bench for a few years.
Hey he’s the expert after all…
Mel was asked which player he liked before the draft, his answer – “It's so tough to answer because I have to think about team needs, how each prospect fits into those needs and realistic draft positions.”
Funny how when “their” team is on the clock, even the “experts” forget their own words. Kiper famously said, “Lamar Jackson had a lot of "layups" in Louisville's offense,” when comparing Jackson to Josh Allen. He didn’t think Lamar Jackson would develop into an NFL QB. That was before the Ravens drafted the Louisville Heisman Trophy winner and now, Mel has nothing but praise for Ozzie Newsome.
QB's running around on NFL fields is not the recipe for long and fruitful careers.
The examples are plentiful, but the prefect one is RG3. Jackson is so close in stature to RG3 that it’s scary. Most NFL GMs put on their psychology hat and remembered, “Past performance is the best predictor of future success.” Jackson lasted until 32 for that reason. Miami, along with 30 other teams were not going to risk making the same mistake.
The bottom line is, Miami fans do not care what Mel Kiper, ProFootballFocus or whomever have to say about the Miami Dolphin draft. These fans have grown numb to easy pot-shots from outsiders that don’t have to play New England twice a year.
Miami fans are a resilient and self-sufficient bunch that actually understand what Mel meant with, “think about team needs, how each prospect fits into those needs and realistic draft positions.”
Building up to the draft, this writer penned several articles detailing the issues that led to the Miami Dolphin's 6-10 season. The most annoying line that seems to have become an off-hand fact is that suddenly, Ryan Tannehill is an injury prone QB.
Tannehill and the Dolphins are guilty of thinking experimental science (stem cell therapy) is magic.
It’s not…
Guilty as charged, but injury prone? Tannehill was an ironman prior to a cheap Calais Campbell knee shot. The stem cell experiment didn’t work and Tannehill subsequently had the same surgery nearly every player wearing an NFL uniform has had at one time or another. Tom Brady’s been wearing that brace since the last time Miami won the AFC East.
If past performance is the best predictor of future success, Tannehill will be fine.
Whether Mel Kiper likes Ryan Tannehill is a completely different issue, many Miami fans will agree with that sentiment. Using the term “injury prone” is a ridiculous cop out, if you don’t like Tannehill just say it Mel, you won’t hurt our feelings.
The men whose jobs are on the line - Adam Gase, Mike Tannenbaum and Chris Grier have the belief that Ryan Tannehill will continue where he left off prior to his knee injury. The Dolphins felt they had too many holes they needed to fill and could not afford to essentially give up their whole draft for an unknown rookie QB.
The Dolphins were perfectly willing to allow one of the top four QBs to fall to the 11th pick. The Arizona Cardinals sent the No. 15 pick, a 3rd-round pick (No. 79) and a fifth-round selection (No. 152) to the Oakland Raiders to jump ahead of Miami and take Josh Rosen. Carson Palmer was 38 years old and retired from the Cardinals who were left with Sam Bradford - Now you’re talking injury prone.
No matter what the pundits believe, the Cardinals were desperate for a QB and the Dolphins were not. It’s as simple as that.
In two previous articles:
http://www.dolphinshout.com/2018/01/miami-dolphins-are-playing-wrong-defense.html
http://www.dolphinshout.com/2018/01/the-miami-dolphins-need-beast-at-tight.html
The real issues that led to Miami’s demise, aside from Jay Cutler being Jay Cutler, were evident by the end of the 2017 season.
The Dolphins allowed 94 catches by tight ends, the most in the league. Only Oakland allowed more tight end receiving yards (1034 to 1038) than Miami. Tight ends scored 10 touchdowns against the Dolphins, tied with Cleveland for second-most and behind only the Giants (13).
The league is evolving and Miami was not: The Patriots had 221 snaps in Dime (6-DB) Personnel and an astounding 161 snaps in Prevent (7-DB). Miami had SEVEN total snaps in a Dime defense. The Patriots faced 3rd & 10 or more on 54 snaps this year and yet they played 6 or more DBs on 382 snaps.
The Miami Dolphins used the Dime package only 7 times…
It’s humorous to hear the talking heads berate the Miami Dolphins for picking Minkah Fitzpatrick in the first round. Maybe lining up only 7 times in a dime package is a tiny clue to what Miami REALLY needed.
It’s also humorous to hear how Fitzpatrick will displace T.J. McDonald in the defensive backfield. Stats are for losers, but 7 times versus NE’s 161 times and a total of 382 snaps with 6 or more DBs.
T.J. and Minkah will be playing alongside one another a whole lot in 2018.
NFL teams are not “supposed” to draft for needs but one thing is very clear, Fitzpatrick was a much greater need than drafting Tannehill’s future replacement.
The Miami Dolphins literally had no starting TE prior to the draft. Julius Thomas caught 4 TD passes for Miami and that’s it. The Eagles? 14… The Patriots, 10. Of the TEs with the most TD receptions, 4 of the top 5 were on playoff teams and 2 were in the Super Bowl.
The Dolphins cut Julius Thomas and Anthony Fasano retired… Miami threw out the old axiom of not going into the draft with a need so the team could select the “best player available.”
What were they going to do, hide it? Tight Ends haven’t existed in Miami since long before Mad Dog opened the pearly gates.
The pundits are still stomping for Mason Rudolph but the sight of Mike Gesicki in Dolphin teal warms the heart of any true Miami fan.
The Dolphins did not only draft exactly what they needed, but they actually followed the Jimmy Johnson credo and doubled down! They selected coverage LB Jerome Baker in the 3rd round and the Kelly green hulk TE Durham Smythe in the 4th round. (Hey Paul, any relation?)
Kalen Ballage in the 4th as the bruising RB to spell Kenyan Drake. They added CB Cornell Armstrong and LB Quentin Poling in the 6th, along with a kicker, Jason Sanders in the 7th.
Mel Kiper can grade Miami wherever he likes…
At the beginning of the day, this Miami fan is smiling.
At the end of the day, Mel Kiper can explain trading away Jarome Baker and Durham Smythe for Lamar Jackson to sit on the bench for a few years.
Hey he’s the expert after all…
Ryan Mallett And Jake Locker's Stock Have Fallen: Good Thing For The Miami Dolphins?
In Mel Kiper's latest Big Board, which is him ranking the Top 25 prospects in the NFL Draft, he doesn't have QBs Ryan Mallett or Jake Locker on the list. Kiper says that he thinks both could still possibly be taken in the first round, but each has question marks that forced him to drop them off of the list.
This doesn't really concern me, actually. I know that Kiper is obviously not as confident in either quarterback anymore, but I still believe both players can have great careers in the NFL with whoever picks them. I think Mallett can be better than Locker, but Locker still has potential.
If anything, Kiper dropping the two is good for the Miami Dolphins. It's a good thing because if they decide to pursue either, then they could trade down in the draft, get an extra draft pick or player, and then pick Mallett or Locker with their new pick.
Before, I was concerned that Mallet would be taken before Miami would be able to get him with their 15th overall pick, but now it looks like they will be able to trade down and still get him.
While Mallett did fall a lot since the last Big Board, he hasn't fallen nearly as hard as Jake Locker has. Locker was considered by many to be a strong contender for the first pick of last year's draft before he decided to stay another year, but in this year's draft he may not even be taken in the first round. I actually wouldn't be surprised if he fell to late in the 2nd round or early in the 3rd.
Locker hasn't shown much progression at all from last year, and he has been plagued by terrible accuracy. Both those reasons have to be why Kiper dropped him from the list, and I don't blame him. In all honesty, I don't know how much I want the Dolphins to get him anymore. I guess I wouldn't mind if they picked him with a 2nd round pick that they traded down for or a 3rd round pick, but it would be a huge, huge mistake if they took him in the 1st round.
No, I don't actually expect them to take Locker 15th overall, but I am just saying it would be a very bad mistake if they did. I wouldn't put it past the current Dolphins, though.
So, yes, it does seem to be a bad sign if Mel Kiper drops both Mallett and Locker, but I am actually excited by the move because the Dolphins may still end up picking Mallett even if they trade down. I think he is the real deal, and I want Miami to take a chance on him.
Thanks for reading, and please feel free to comment. I know there isn't anything going on with the Dolphins at the moment and the news is really slow, but hang in there because there is bound to be something new happening soon.
Subscribe to DolphinShout
This doesn't really concern me, actually. I know that Kiper is obviously not as confident in either quarterback anymore, but I still believe both players can have great careers in the NFL with whoever picks them. I think Mallett can be better than Locker, but Locker still has potential.
If anything, Kiper dropping the two is good for the Miami Dolphins. It's a good thing because if they decide to pursue either, then they could trade down in the draft, get an extra draft pick or player, and then pick Mallett or Locker with their new pick.
Before, I was concerned that Mallet would be taken before Miami would be able to get him with their 15th overall pick, but now it looks like they will be able to trade down and still get him.
While Mallett did fall a lot since the last Big Board, he hasn't fallen nearly as hard as Jake Locker has. Locker was considered by many to be a strong contender for the first pick of last year's draft before he decided to stay another year, but in this year's draft he may not even be taken in the first round. I actually wouldn't be surprised if he fell to late in the 2nd round or early in the 3rd.
Locker hasn't shown much progression at all from last year, and he has been plagued by terrible accuracy. Both those reasons have to be why Kiper dropped him from the list, and I don't blame him. In all honesty, I don't know how much I want the Dolphins to get him anymore. I guess I wouldn't mind if they picked him with a 2nd round pick that they traded down for or a 3rd round pick, but it would be a huge, huge mistake if they took him in the 1st round.
No, I don't actually expect them to take Locker 15th overall, but I am just saying it would be a very bad mistake if they did. I wouldn't put it past the current Dolphins, though.
So, yes, it does seem to be a bad sign if Mel Kiper drops both Mallett and Locker, but I am actually excited by the move because the Dolphins may still end up picking Mallett even if they trade down. I think he is the real deal, and I want Miami to take a chance on him.
Thanks for reading, and please feel free to comment. I know there isn't anything going on with the Dolphins at the moment and the news is really slow, but hang in there because there is bound to be something new happening soon.
Subscribe to DolphinShout
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