by Steve Shoup
Dolphins Have A Marshall Plan
April 14, 2010 in Uncategorized by Steve Shoup
In a bit of a surprising move the Miami Dolphins won the Brandon Marshall sweepstakes, by trading two 2nd round picks for they young and talented (troubled) receiver. There is little doubt that this trade makes the Dolphins better and is a direct answer to the Jets trade for Santonio Holmes earlier this week. What is surprising is the price the Dolphins paid, and the fact that they were even in on this deal from the get go.
Miami under Bill Parcells has been much shrewder with their draft picks and assets then they have in the past. So it is a bit surprising that they were willing to move two premium picks for Brandon Marshall. They paid a much higher price then the Baltimore Ravens paid for Anquan Boldin or the Jets paid for Braylon Edwards (last year) or Santonio Holmes. Now Marshall could very well be the best receiver of that bunch (but don’t count out Holmes) but it was still a steep price to pay considering the Ravens and Jets were no longer vying for Marshall’s services. It looked as though Miami’s chief competition for Marshall’s services was the Seattle Seahawks, and their 2nd round pick wasn’t until pick number 60. Meaning they would have had to add plenty to match the Dolphins 2nd rounder this year (pick 43). So it does seem like the Dolphins overpaid for Marshall.
Marshall does give Miami the number one receiver that they have been searching for and plenty of size for the red zone. Quarterback Chad Henne has to be the happiest man in south Florida right now, since he has someone reliable to throw the ball to. By adding a top flight wide receiver the Dolphins will know for sure whether Henne is their quarterback of the future. Marshall should also make the Dolphins other receivers better since he will draw more double coverages and team’s best corner backs. While their previous receiving corps was always much maligned in the press, I believe that there was some solid talent there already. Now guys like Hartline and Bess should have plenty of opportunities to make plays. But make no mistake the Dolphins passing attack will start with Marshall and his presence should boost that entire offense. The Dolphins are no longer solely a running team as opposing defenses will now need to respect their passing attack as well.
Denver did a great job forcing the Dolphins to raise the stakes for Marshall a player they didn’t want, and one that didn’t want to be there. Getting two 2nd round picks for him in these two drafts is a steal. This year’s draft is incredibly deep and having the 43rd pick is basically like having a late first rounder in most drafts. And right now next year’s draft looks just as deep if not deeper, which should give the Broncos the chance to grab another top prospect. The important thing for the Broncos is to make sure they draft smart and don’t make a rash decision like, drafting Dez Bryant with the 11th overall pick. I know people will say that Bryant fills their ‘need’, but I think that is grossly overvaluing him. What makes it even more problematic is that 2011 is shaping up to be for receivers what 1983 or 2004 drafts were for quarterbacks. It doesn’t make much sense to grab a lesser receiver now, when you can wait a year and take an elite front line wideout. Denver got into trouble last year by pigeonholing positions of need to particular draft spots and ended up with one of the worst drafts last season, despite having two first round picks and three second round picks. They can’t allow themselves to make the same mistakes again, and need to add quality players if they hope to compete for the AFC West.
I’m not sure what the knock on Dez Bryant is. There is no doubt that he is a talented receiver. Yes, he’s had some issues with being on time, and he does have some family members that are “suspect” to say the least, but the fact is that he hasn’t gotten into any trouble, or shown that he has done anything really wrong (aside from lack of punctuality). He is by far the most talented WR in the draft. If Denver identifies WR as a need, then so long as they force a performance clause in his contract, similar to the Crabtree deal, they can’t go wrong here. I don’t see the agent balking at that type of contract either, since the agent in question is also the agent he brokered the Crabtree deal.
All in all, I think Denver got good value for Marshall, and rid themselves of a player that didnt want to be there anyhow.
Miami is a bit baffling in this trade. Parcell’s has repeatedly stated he doesnt like thugs or criminals. It’d be interesting to see just what it takes to be labeled as a thug in his book. Then again, he did commit to Atlanta before blowing town to Miami, so I guess we can’t really take his word on anything.
The problem is receivers get vastly overrated, sure guys like Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald are worth the picks, but there are plenty of busts to go along with them. I think Bryant is hyped up because he has the size and strength but I doubt his speed, route running, game knowledge and yes work ethic. I think the character concerns play into part of the issues surrounding him, but aren’t the central issue. Bryant is the best receiver (which I think is debatable) in an extremely weak receiver class. Bryant isn’t nearly as good in my book as Michael Crabtree, and look where he fell in a much weaker draft class.
For a team like Denver I’d rather fill a big need with that 11th pick, and see what receivers fall in to that 2nd round where you now have two picks. I talked about this in my Spiller piece but the Broncos dropped the ball by taking Moreno at 12 last year instead of taking Wells at 19 or McCoy in the 2nd round. Despite spending a 1st round pick on an OLB and a 2nd round pick on a safety the Broncos still have needs at both of those positions. While I doubt the Broncos would spend their 11th pick on either of those positions they could upgrade their O-line or get an ILB or NT at that spot.