Posted on 04/22/2008 11:18:19 AM PDT by misterrob
Miami Dolphins have signed Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long to a contract agreement and will select him with the No. 1 overall pick in Saturday's draft.
Despite speculation that Dolphins vice president of football operations Bill Parcells really had planned to select Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston or Virginia defensive end Chris Long, sources told ESPN's Michael Smith that since the Dolphins opened negotiations with Jake Long they were talking to him exclusively.
Long, a 6-foot-7, 313-pound senior who moved to left tackle in 2006 and started his final 26 games, was an All-America selection and Big Ten lineman of the year in each of his last two seasons.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...
NFL Ping
Oh. Those dolphins. I thought this was some kind of
Earth Day story.
they’ll still use their alloted hour to make their selection I’m sure.
You know Fatso Parcells will do it.
Having a quality running back, receivers, and quarterback AT THE SAME TIME would be a first.
Good pick.
How do you sign a player before the draft? Did I miss something?
You rebuild a team inside out. A good O-line makes an average QB better and it allows your RB a chance to get into the secondary. D-Lines negate offensive talent. I don’t care how good the skill positions are.
Defense wins championships.
You agree to terms with him. Since they pick first they can do everything short of signing a formal contract since he hasn’t been drafted yet.
It also sets the market for the rest of the draft.
Just guessing here, but since Miami has the first pick in the draft, they just decided to get a four-day jump on it. It does surprise me, though, since I can’t fathom why they just wouldn’t wait til Saturday - maybe they were worried that Long would pull an Ellway!
Can anyone tell me - is this Howie’s son?
They certainly help a great deal but OTs help keep your QB alive.
Joe Thomas was a great pick for the Browns last year.
I had a class with Jake at U of M and I can say that he is quite easily the biggest person I have ever seen up close. Congrats to him on his probable #1 selection.
On the bright side, whoever they do get to pass the ball probably won't end up with a concussion, and might have longer than 3 seconds before getting hit.
No, that’s Chris Long.
You agree to terms so you know you can sign him and get him into camp on time.
Thanks for setting me straight - good details to know.
I have to listen on XM this year since we’ll be camping - but the temptation to record it on my DVR and watch when I get home is something.
I’m eager to see who the Saints draft first. I’m thinking they need to beef up the offensive line, but what the heck do I know?
The OT goes up against a guy who is an elite pass rusher who can sack your QB or worse. He also seals the edge off on the outside runs.
The rush defense was last in the league last year, hopefully Parcells can do something about that.
Their defense against the pass was excellent, the only bright spot of the year.
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