We’ve Got to Get Better

It’ll be an eventful off-season for the Miami Dolphins.

As everyone already knows, Bill Parcells is now running the front office of the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins, coming off a season in which they went 1-15 and did not win a game until week 16 of the season, figure to have as eventful off-season as any team. His rebuilding of a franchise that, until last Saturday night, had been the only team to complete an undefeated season in NFL history began with the firing of General Manager Randy Mueller on Monday. He hired Jeff Ireland, who worked in player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys for the past seven years, to replace Mueller. Here are the main questions that Ireland and Parcells must ask themselves going into the draft in order to rebuild this franchise:

1. What do we do with the #1 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft?
2. Do we dismantle the core of veterans we have in order to rebuild?
3. Who is our quarterback going to be in 2008?
4. These questions are difficult to answer

Options Regarding a Draft Pick

Draft a QB, RB, or DT. Darren McFadden out of Arkansas is the consensus best running back in draft. Matt Ryan of Boston College is widely considered the most NFL-ready quarterback in the draft. LSU’s Glen Dorsey still has time to improve his stock as the best DT in the nation in Monday’s National Championship versus Ohio State.

Another option would be to trade down and use some of the bonus money that they save to try and lure another veteran player to Miami. The option that makes the most sense seems to be to draft McFadden because of his explosiveness, which could help turn the offense around.

Parcells might want to think about trading veterans like Joey Porter, Zach Thomas, and Jason Taylor while he can. Thomas had an injury-riddled season and his stock could be low, but the other two have been two of the most feared defenders in football over the past five years. Accumulating draft picks for these veteran players may not be a bad idea, especially since they are in a re-building stage. By acquiring draft picks, they can build a solid core of talent and try to win with that two or three years down the road.

The quarterback position was a major Achilles Heel for the Dolphins in 2007. Trent Green was slated to be their starter coming out of training camp, but a concussion knocked him out for the season. The combination of Cleo Lemon and John Beck did not get it done. The Dolphins could do one of three things to improve their situation:

1. Draft a franchise quarterback who will be around for a while.
2. Sign a veteran and hope Beck will emerge as their starter.
3. Stick with the Lemon-Beck combination and build around them.

What would be best for them at this position would probably be to draft a quarterback either with the first overall pick, or trade down. Ryan would be the QB to choose if they are going to pick with their pick. If they trade down or go for a QB later in the draft, then Brian Brohm of Louisville, Chad Henne of Michigan, Andre Woodson of Kentucky, and Colt Brennan of Hawaii should all be there. Going for a veteran could lead them to Chad Pennington, the Jets’ starter before being overtaken by Kellen Clemens, Derek Anderson of Cleveland, who had a great year but the Browns have former first round pick Brady Quinn waiting on the bench, or Byron Leftwich who played for Atlanta in 2007.

This would be a good option if you want to give Beck, a second-round pick in 2007, another shot in 2008. The Lemon-Beck combination would not work too well for another season.

The Miami Dolphins have a lot of work to do in the 2008 off-season and another season like they had in 2007 will not please ownership or their fans.