Dolphins agree to deal with Long, will select OT No. 1 overall

ESPN ^ | 04/22/08

[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.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Given scenerios like the Eli Manning - San Diego mess, teams drafting the first couple picks will start the negotiating process before draft day. They want to make sure the player isn’t going to demand a trade right out of the gate and there is a general agreement on the numbers.

[misterrob]

Parcells gets more out of his talent than anyone else but that was as a coach, not a front office guy. I don’t know how well he will do as an exec.

[Holicheese]

So could the team with the second pick start negotiations now with their pick?

[nickcarraway]

You can do better with a solid OL and a mediocre QB, than a good QB and a terrible line.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Ask David Carr how critical having a good offensive line is to a QBs career. He got the crap beat out of him for years in Houston and will wake up in double the pain when he’s in his 60s.

[vamoose]

Other recent Big 10 OTs:

Robert Gallery, Iowa, #2 pick in 2004 draft, borderline bust.

Joe Thomas, Wisconsin, #3 pick in 2007 draft, all-pro alternate as rookie (played in pro bowl).

[misterrob]

I don’t know. I would think that they could start getting serious with a few candidates but until the announcement is made on Saturday the Dolphins don’t have Long drafted. His agent could throw a wrench into the works at the last second which means Fatso then moves on to Plan B.

The second guy drafted doesn’t get more money than the #1 though.

[scott says]

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This is a fairly high volume ping list

[vamoose]

So could the team with the second pick start negotiations now with their pick?

Yes and no. They can talk to anyone, but they can't sign anyone.

[Polybius]

Having a quality running back, receivers, and quarterback AT THE SAME TIME would be a first.

No, it would be a "second".

[Polybius]

You can do better with a solid OL and a mediocre QB, than a good QB and a terrible line.

[Terpfen]

I have no idea what that picture of Trent is supposed to prove or disprove. You do realize he got knocked out when he tried to block on a busted reverse, right?

[The Pack Knight]

There's a reason left tackle is the second-highest paid position in football. He's the most important player on the offense after the quarterback, and, unlike running backs and receivers, the combination of abilities required to make a great one is very rare.

If Jake Long's the real deal, which he seems to be, then this is probably the best pick they could have made. The Dolphins absolutely have to rebuild their offensive line if they're going to do anything in the next few seasons.

[cdga5for4]

This would give them a center and a left tackle (or right if they have to move him). Satale, their second-rounder along with Beck last year, is going to be really good. He started 16 games as a rookie last season.

[BJClinton]

folks with nothing better to do with their time than try and predict how the NFL meat market will work itself out

You say that like it's a bad thing.

[The Pack Knight]

Trent Green was throwing for more TDs per season than Peyton Manning when he had guys like Will Shields and Willie Roaf in front of him. No Marvin Harrisons or Reggie Waynes to throw to, either; the Chiefs' receiver corps was never much more than average.

It should have surprised no one that he wasn't going to do any better than Culpepper behind that line.

[wolfcreek]

Took the suspence out of it for me.

Wonder what Da Boys will do with their 2 #1s?

[The Pack Knight]

I’d go farther than borderline. I remember watching the Raiders-Chargers Monday night opener two seasons ago where they moved Gallery over to block Shawn Merriman.

It was just plain embarrassing to watch. Gallery spent almost as much time on the ground as Aaron Brooks, who was sacked nine times. He was completely outclassed.

[Diplomat]

Please, enough of the David Carr baloney. I've seen trees with better lateral movement than this guy. This guy simply could NOT play at NFL speed. It's that simple. He would not get rid of the ball when necessary.

If the Houston line was the problem, Carr would be a starter some where else.

David Carr was sacked 68 times in 2005. David Carr was sacked 41 times in 2006 All Houston QBs combined were sacked 22 times in 2007.

The problem was Carr. Carr set a sack record that I seriously doubt will be beaten in our lifetimes. I mean, one guy getting sacked 68 times in a single season? This guy made every defense Houston played against in 2005 look like the 1984 Chicago Bears.

[vamoose]

RE: Gallery. I’m in a a generous mood today. He’s a definite bust as a #2 pick, but at least he has some value, unlike Ryan Leaf or Akili Smith.