Dolphins are negotiating a contract with Jake Long

[Admin]

I have to say that I'm not too thrilled with this because Miami already has a RT playing out of position at the LT spot and drafting Jake Long will either leave him there or put Long in the LT spot where I don't think he can succeed at in the NFL.

So if the Dolphins select Jake Long and the Rams select Dorsey will the Falcons select Ryan?

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The Miami Dolphins could soon be off the clock.

The Dolphins have formally begun contract negotiations with agent Tom Condon about the prospect of selecting former Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long as the first overall selection in this year's draft.

Condon, who also represents Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, was in South Florida early this week to negotiate specifically on behalf of Long at the request of the team, The Miami Herald has learned.

The Dolphins would like to have a contract in place with their first pick before the draft on April 26, which would allow them to avoid a potentially ugly holdout like the one that took place in Oakland last year upon the Raiders' selection of quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

Miami is still intrigued by Virginia defensive end Chris Long, but no in-person talks between Chris Long's agent and Miami are believed to have taken place to date. However, the Dolphins are believed to be happy with quarterback John Beck, and they are not considering Ryan as an option with the first pick.

The latest meeting between Condon and the team doesn't necessarily mean the Dolphins have made their final decision to select Jake Long over Chris Long, but it is certainly a major step in that direction.

By selecting Jake Long, the Dolphins would fill a gaping hole along their offensive line. Vernon Carey is currently slated as the starter at left tackle, but selecting Jake Long would potentially allow the team to move Carey back to his more natural position on the right side of the line.

http://www.miamiherald.com/616/story/489210.html

[Admin]

I should also add that as far as I remember Parcells has never drafted an offensive lineman in the 1st round and since Long isn't a blue chip can't miss LT prospect I seriously doubt that Miami is truly trying to sign him. I still think they are trying to scare Chris Long into accepting a more Dolphins friendly deal.

I also read that the Dolphins are very interested in Chad Henne in the 2nd round so don't be surprised if he is gone before the Falcons first pick in the 2nd.

[lawman]

rumor has it that parcells might be bluffing so KC would trade up from the fifth spot and in return give miami some extra draft picks

[frosgrim]

This draft is really strange. I can't figure out where anyone is going. Guys are going up and down the board like yo-yos.

If both J. Long and Dorsey are gone by the time the Falcons pick at 3, I would expect they will try like heck to move down. IMO they don't want Ryan but are trying to get the interest in him stired up. Miami may be doing the same thing. So, if the two top line prospects are gone, I guess I would look at: C. Long, Gohlston, and maybe Ellis. I thought Brohm would rise back up to this area, but his game management is now in question, so I think he goes back to the middle-late first.

Another option is to see if we can get Dallas to bite on MacFadden and send us most of thier draft. With Dallas' two first rounders and our 3 second, we could move anywhere in the first round to take one of the two true LTs and Brohm.

[coachx]

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rumor has it that parcells might be bluffing so KC would trade up from the fifth spot and in return give miami some extra draft picks

Yep, and it makes sense. Jake Long is not the most talented guy in the draft but he is a safe pick and OT is the position with the most need throughout the NFL. As many as 5 OTs could go in the 1st round. So the Dolphins and Falcons probably will not have any left worthy of low 2nd rounder.

Once Long is signed to a contract teams will know the "actual $$ price" and then the phone will start ringing with offers. The #1 pick is about $30 million in guaranteed money or more plus plenty of extra cash if they perform and stay on the team. To make a trade for that #1 pick everything has to be right: the position you want, the player you want, the contract you can afford.......then the #1 draft pick has some true trade value you canactually mark.

I do see a possibility of the Dolphins taking Jake Long and keeping him. They have been know as a finess football team who loses in cold weather. Their defensive front seven was built around 2 undersized players (Taylor and Thomas) and they have lacked a good running game more seasons then not. This is fine in Miami's sun but the speed is not as effective up in chilly NY and Boston and the lack of size and toughness are exposed. One thing Parcells will NOT stand for is a lack of toughness on HIS football teams. (It would be the 1st step in changing the team identity.) Moving Taylor to OLB and getting a physical run blocking T with a mean streak who is also from cold weather are the 1st steps in that that direction.

Since the Dolphins are moving to the 3-4 there are no 3-4' DTs worthy of #1. I see Chris Long as a better 4-3 DE then 3-4. I don't buy him as a true OLB in a 3-4. The OSU kid could be the darkhorse for #1. He is the guy you have not heard much talk about from Parcells and that is what makes me think he likes him. His versitility makes a perfect 3-4 guy. Plus he was used as both a LB and DE throughout college (perfect for a 3-4).

[Admin]

The Dolphins are no longer a team that cannot win in the cold, we are a team that can't win period ... but we play the same in warm weather and in cold weather. It's been 4-5 years since we were a team that could win in the warm weather with a good team but couldn't win in the cold.

Zach isn't on the team anymore and Jason Taylor may or may not be back. Miami will be much bigger defensively this year for sure.

There is a chance that Miami will stick with the 4-3 exclusively this year, rather than the hybrid that was run the past couple of years, or the 3-4 which Miami probably won't have the personnel to effectively run. Jeff Ireland mentioned that last week.

Personally I am hoping for a trade down, but if not I want Chris Long. The kid has 10 years ahead of him at a high level and we need a lot of help on the D-Line. I'm just not sold on Jake Long as a LT in the NFL and Miami already has a very talented RT playing at LT in Vernon Carey.

[coachx]

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Personally I am hoping for a trade down, but if not I want Chris Long. The kid has 10 years ahead of him at a high level and we need a lot of help on the D-Line. I'm just not sold on Jake Long as a LT in the NFL and Miami already has a very talented RT playing at LT in Vernon Carey.

I like Chris long too, just not for a 3-4. He has too much talent to be waisted playing DE in a 3-4 taking on 2 blockers at a time on many plays.

I like the good old fashioned 4-3 defensive and nickle defenses with 4 down lineman.

[Admin]

I'm not a big fan of the 3-4 either. If I was going to run a defense I would run the Tampa 2. Give me the Power I on offense and the Tampa 2 on defense and I would be set.

[NJHAWK]

Sometimes teams with the 1st pick negotiate with more than one guy to get a feel for what kind of contract those players want. I know a few years ago when my Bengals had pick 1 they were talking to Palmer and Terrence Newman about money and length of contract. I imagine Miami figures they can get him a little cheaper at 1 than a QB or DT. If that proves untrue they may look elsewhere.

[AHF]

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Sometimes teams with the 1st pick negotiate with more than one guy to get a feel for what kind of contract those players want. I know a few years ago when my Bengals had pick 1 they were talking to Palmer and Terrence Newman about money and length of contract. I imagine Miami figures they can get him a little cheaper at 1 than a QB or DT. If that proves untrue they may look elsewhere.

They can also use guys to bid against eachother. If one elite prospect (like Long) agrees to a 40M contract, they can tell Long that a 50M contract is out of line and one he will never get from any team [just picking random numbers] to try to get him to drop his demand. Long will be looking at dropping to at least #2 in the draft where the payment is slotted at a lower value than at #1 and may not have any way to extract the contract he wants.

[Admin]

The rumors from last year suggest that is what happened to Brady Quinn. His agent (I believe Tom Condon) wouldn't accept a low ball deal for the #1 pick so the Raiders went with Russell who they felt was worth the big money and then Quinn ended up sliding big time and it cost him millions.

I just saw on ESPN when I was at lunch that Miami has also started negotiations with Vernon Gholston. He and Chris Long are the only 2 players that I would want to see Miami draft with the #1 pick.

[DrReality]

Mortenson was on the radio and confirms this is their guy. I thought it was head games, but we shall see.