Rumors Abound

There have been rumors that Jake Long doesn’t want to play for Miami, that he doesn’t want to live in Miami, and that he wants more money than Miami is offering and believes he can get it from the St. Louis Rams if Miami doesn’t pay up.

There are more rumors that Jason Taylor wants to be traded out of Miami and will likely retire if a deal can’t be worked out.

Jeff Ireland is looking for a pillar of his teams defense in the draft, which makes it sound like Jake Long’s prospects with Miami are limited. Look for Chris Long or Vernon Gholston to be chosen number one, providing more impetus to let Jason Taylor go.

Miami continues to look favorably on Chad Henne, and hasn’t given Joe Flacco the barest glimpse. The Dolphins also haven’t had Brian Brohm in for a workout despite earlier reports that they would. I’m thinking that Parcells may try to grab Henne with the Dolphins’ second pick in the second round rather than the first. If Matt Ryan falls far enough and Brohm doesn’t go until the second round, there may be a good chance of getting Henne with Miami’s third pick. If QBs start going early, they may need to act at the top of the second round to grab Chad. Still, a lot of teams like Brohm and Flacco more than Henne, and Miami might be able to put off grabbing him for a while.

There have also been rumors that Miami is looking at signing Chris Simms if he gets released by the Bucs but I don’t see this happening. I think Parcells wants to bring in a young guy out of the draft.

The draft is less than a week away and I expect things to be quiet right up until the Dolphins go on the clock. I predict Ireland and Parcells will try to do some last minute wheeling and dealing, but will be ready to take Chris Long if other teams aren’t willing to deal. After the first pick, I expect to see three or four other teams trying to make deals to move up or down in a hurry. I think the first round will have streaks of one or two positions and if a team needs a certain position filled early, they’ll have to try to make a move up or else risk getting shut out.

The suspense is killing me.

Dolphins Scouting Brohm, Chris Long

The Miami Herald is reporting that several Dolphins coaches including Tony Sporano and Paul Pasqualoni as well as GM Jeff Ireland have met with Virginia defensive end Chris Long.

The Herald also reports that Jake Long will be visited soon. The Dolphins have already checked out BC QB Matt Ryan and Michigan QB Chad Henne. There have been inquiries about scheduling a visit with Louisville QB Brian Brohm.

Other than the Senior Bowl and the NFL combine, the Phins haven’t scouted Joe Flacco. Also Darren McFadden seems to remain off the Dolphins’ radar.

All this doesn’t really tell you too much. If Miami keeps the first overall pick, Chris Long, Jake Long and Matt Ryan are the three most likely to be taken by Miami. The scouting of other quarterbacks suggests that Miami will take a QB later on, possibly in the second round. Brohm might still be available then depending on how far Matt Ryan falls, and Henne and Flacco will likely be there.

Dolphins Looking at Henne?

The Miami Dolphins have been scouting out Michigan QB Chad Henne, attending Michigan’s pro day and supposedly have invited Chad to come to Miami for a private workout.

Joe Flacco hasn’t received much attention from the Dolphins since they scouted him at the senior bowl and saw him at the combine. Most signs indicate Miami is looking more seriously at Henne at the moment.

Boston College QB Matt Ryan was also scouted by the Dolphins on BC’s pro day, but not too much has been made of the appearance.

My money is still on Chris Long with the first overall pick if the Dolphins can’t trade it. The Dolphins will try to trade that pick and will give it away cheap, possibly a first and second round pick.

I’ve seen quite a few sportswriters talking about Bill Parcells’ drafting strategy and several have suggested that scouting Matt Ryan or other players may just be a ruse to convince other teams that the Dolphins are interested, to either keep pressure off the players they want, or to increase the trade prospects for the first pick. I wouldn’t put it past the big Tuna, and wouldn’t rule out Flacco going to Miami if they are purposely over-hyping Henne. For now though, signs point to Chris long going first and Henne being taken in the second round.

-Jeff

Dolphins QB Draft Possibilities

ESPN.com analysts Todd McShay and Mel Kiper both have former Boston College Quarterback Matt Ryan at the top of their list with the number one pick. McShay gives the caveat that this will be the pick if Parcells isn’t happy with John Beck.

If the Dolphins don’t go with Ryan, most others are looking at DE Chris Long who will fit nicely into a 3-4 scheme or Jake Long, who will create holes for new OC Henning’s power running game.

Back to the QB situation; John Beck didn’t wow anyone in his first year. At times he was downright horrible, with too many fumbles, botched snaps and even tripping over his own linemen. For the most part, however, you really can’t judge a quarterback on his rookie year. I’m perfectly willing to give him another shot.

The Phins definitely need to draft another QB and sign one in free agency. It’s looking like they will not keep Cleo Lemon and Trent Green has already been released. If the Browns are unable to sign Derek Anderson, he would be #1 on my list for veteran starters. Otherwise, Miami will probably pick up a 2nd tier QB like Byron Leftwich, Daunte Culpepper (shudder), or Todd Collins. If Anderson isn’t available, I like Todd Collins, although Washington might re-sign him soon.