I watched Friday's edition of NFL Path to the Draft on the NFL network. The subject was the upcoming draft.

They had one talking head who predicted the top ten picks. He put the Dolphins taking Jake Long, the OT at Michigan. The other talking heads agreed and someone stated that Parcells was already in contract negotiations with him. No one challenged the claim.

No one even thought that Matt Ryan would be going to the Phins.

from what I saw last year, Miami needs to work on its O-line. So I think its a great move.

Looks like Glen Dorsey will go 2 or 3, despite his injuries. Most agreed he wouldn't make it past the 5th pick.

I think it says a lot for Bill Parcells and his eye for talent and knowledge of what it takes to win.

He didn't do a great job coaching the Cowboys, but he loaded them with good players that others didn't value as much (Romo, Newman, Barber, etc.), and wasn't afraid to get rid of guys that were team favorites like Dat Nguyen that he felt didn't really fit the bill.

It also says a lot for Beck that they're trying to nail down Jake Long this soon, however there are so many QBs in this draft that a Brohm, Woodson, Flacco, etc. could fall to the Dolphins in the 3rd or 4th round (even Matt Ryan is bound a bit to fall if the Falcons don't take him early).

The Phins are also negotiating with Vernon Gholston out of OSU. While Gholston is not the best Dlineman in the draft, he is the best fit for the 3-4 Parcells will be putting in place as he can play both the DE and the OLB spot. Long and Dorsey are better players, but neither is a good fit for the 3-4...long is to slow and Dorsey would have to play NT, which would be a stretch for his abilities.

I think their first choice is Long (OT) from Michigan, but if they run into contract issues with him, Gholston could be the surprise #1 pick.

snoscythe wrote:

The Phins are also negotiating with Vernon Gholston out of OSU. While Gholston is not the best Dlineman in the draft, he is the best fit for the 3-4 Parcells will be putting in place as he can play both the DE and the OLB spot. Long and Dorsey are better players, but neither is a good fit for the 3-4...long is to slow and Dorsey would have to play NT, which would be a stretch for his abilities.

I think their first choice is Long (OT) from Michigan, but if they run into contract issues with him, Gholston could be the surprise #1 pick.

I saw clips of Long from Michigan on ESPN when they were breaking the story. The guy looks like a great player who could dominate his side of the line for years to come.

I've always liked Parcells as a coach and thought he had an eye for talent without going for prima donnas. I hope he can do for Beck what he's done for the other successful QBs he's coached over the years.

For Beck's sake, I really hope they get Long on the Oline this season.

craigoscarson wrote:

I think it says a lot for Bill Parcells and his eye for talent and knowledge of what it takes to win.

He didn't do a great job coaching the Cowboys, but he loaded them with good players that others didn't value as much (Romo, Newman, Barber, etc.), and wasn't afraid to get rid of guys that were team favorites like Dat Nguyen that he felt didn't really fit the bill.

It also says a lot for Beck that they're trying to nail down Jake Long this soon, however there are so many QBs in this draft that a Brohm, Woodson, Flacco, etc. could fall to the Dolphins in the 3rd or 4th round (even Matt Ryan is bound a but to fall if the Falcons don't take him early).

One thing that I keep hearing about this upcoming draft is the lack of any really good QB's. Most analyst that i have heard say Ryan is a good prospect not a great prospect and after him the talent drops considerably. It seems that this upcoming class is viewed as being a very weak QB class.

Parcells is no idiot, and even an idiot knows that Peyton Manning is the suckiest quarterback in the NFL if Airwolf, HawaiiPipeline, Shoesnew, me, and my 11-month-old son are his Offensive Line. And you can quote me on that one.

'Cuz last year, the Phin's line had just as well have been. Couple that little problem with the fact that the receiving corps dropped the ball so often you'd have thought they were trying to catch anvils, and it's pretty easy to see that Parcells has no idea what kind of quarterback John Beck is yet (well, he knows the kid's perfectly capable of spending quality time on his back, considering the porous O-Line and no one to throw to). I'm betting that John's work ethic alone has already won him the benefit of the doubt in Parcells' eyes.

Put another way, on a team that went, say 11-5, you could make a case that the quarterback is to blame for those 5 losses. If that team went 1-15, it's PRETTY OBVIOUS that the quarterback's not your problem.

Quarterback is the LEAST of the Tuna's worries right now. And he's playing his cards right, looking to shore-up his lines, enabling the quarterback(s) that he has to actually do their job before getting creamed. Considering the facelift the Dolphins need all over the place, I'd be quite surprised (and disappointed in their organizational intellect) if they were to take a quarterback before LATE in the draft, if at all.