and I love Ronnie and I want him to have a long hall of fame career as one of “our guys” and retire as a Dolphin but just to play devil’s advocate – Ronnie is expensive and Parcell’s doesn’t place high value on running backs. He’s spent a 1st round pick only twice in his 25 year career on running backs -Rodney Hampton and Curtis Martin (who he traded for) and is more likely to commit big money on defense and o-line(see this great post from fin haven). If Ronnie comes back strong Parcell’s can either dangle him for a couple of 1st rounders on the trade market or use the Franchise Tag at the end of Ronnie’s contract betting that a team will jump on him and give the dolphins a couple of 1sts. I think Parcells jumps on it especially if we develop a young guy that may or may not be on the roster (Parmalee?, see Julius Jones – 2nd rounder in Dallas).

At a certain point I have to agree that its the best way to go – I’d much rather draft a bunch of stud trench guys in the first round that make all the skill players look a lot better. You also need to consider injury just because of the nature of the position itself – its not that Ronnie is injury prone, its that running backs are. Not to say that any given acl in any given knee can’t snap on any given sunday, but it seems that running backs, because of constantly being tackled, making cuts, etc are more susceptible to getting hurt (although I agree Ronnie’s injuries have been kinda freakish, but its an odd’s game in the end).

agree on all points regarding RB, and i’m a huge fan of RB. But I must say that there might be some truth regarding this article. But and a big BUT, nothing will happen this year i’m thinking next year. The trifecta are still not done rebuilding a good foundation for this team, and in order for them to do that they will need a few more draft picks. Now if RB can be dealt for say a 1st and 3rd would you guys still say no? I know i would not hesitate even being a big fan of RB as you can see with the name I use on this board.

In 1989 Ottis Anderson was the NFL Comeback player of the year at age 31, after barely playing the previous 3 years. His coach for the NY Giants that year? Bill Parcells.

Remember the article in the Miami Herald earlier this year about how Parcells told Ricky Williams about how Anderson resurrected his career at the age of 31?

That being said, I don’t see any way that Parcells gets rid of Ronnie Brown anytime soon. He has no fall back position if Ronnie is gone and Ricky gets hurt. This extension is a win-win situation for the Dolphins. Ricky is one of those players that needs constant positive reinforcement. This is a low risk, high reward part of that plan. It has nothing to do with Ronnie Brown…at all.

I love Ronnie Brown. So does every dolphins fan. What the hell is there not to love? Hes one of the most tenacious runners in the NFL. Seriously, if you watch his highlights, the guy NEVER stops running hard. It’s amazing. Outstanding pass catcher and has a nose for the end zone at the goal line. CONSUMATE team player. Seriously, during his absolute 7 game TEAR last year, the guy was as down to earth as any NFL player could ever be. He’s the worst person that could suffer the injury he suffered last year, and I stand by him as my favorite dolphin no matter what…

That being said, I really think the Tuna has ZERO patience with him. I realize Ronnie’s injuries could have happened to ANYONE, and I’m not about to label him as injury prone. But the fact is, he has consistently gotten injured, and Bill HATES that. Did anyone see Bill’s first press conference? He said that the MAIN problem with almost every team he has ever turned around is that their stack of medical records has been WAY too high. He said that the first thing he does when he tries to fix a franchise is to put in place a structure in which players can remain healthy, and/or get rid of players who can’t remain healthy. Are Ronnie’s injuries his fault? Absolutely not IMO. But the big man will have no part of players who get consistently injured. If ronnie doesn’t have a fabulous season this year and avoid further injuries, I fear that Bill WILL shop him, and probably successfully. This isn’t to say that he believes Ricky is the future at running back. We all know hes 32-ish and has only a couple years or so left, but I don’t doubt for one second that Bill would feel comfortable with Jalen Parmele as our RB of the future or exploring other options if Ronnie continues to have health issues. He simply has no patience for it, and I’m truly afraid that our favorite dolphins (or at least mine) may not be a dolphin much longer after this season if his luck doesn’t start to change.

The only reason they signed Ricky to an extension was because the guy was making chump change this season and bustin his ass out on the field. So they rewarded him with an insentive based contract + when he comes out gang busters this season (and notice I say when not if) with 1200+ yds we will have him locked in for an extra year.

None of this has ANYTHING to do with Ronnie, However I do think that if Ronnie does go down again this year that Parcells and Co. will start looking to explore new options.

Ronnie is the compliment to Ricky. Ricky (when his head is on right) is the better back.

Ricky is going to have an incredible year. Especially with our new revamped OL

The big, happy dolfan family… well, at least sometimes :)

Hey guys, been reading for a while but just now had to put my two cents in. I do believe Ronnie is a “special” back, but look around the league … with a good O-line (which is certainly in the works after just 1 offseason) and an efficient QB (which we will have to hold judgemnent on for the future) you can muster up a better than average running attack with mid to late round draft choices. Running backs are truly a dime a dozen unless they are elite. I am not sure if I put Ronnie in that elite group yet. He may have been on his way last season but we will have to see what he is like in the coming season, especially the second half when he should have his legs back under him a little more (I am a physical therapist who has worked with high level athletes and they are not the same until about 18 months for the most part … some are restricted physically and some physchologically). So, this may have legs in that right now, Ronnie is expensive, he has had his share of injuries, and we don’t know how he will come back. The trifecta might feel that they could “find” a back with a good line and serviceable QB. It seema most other teams have done so successfully.

Certainly possible but look at his most recent endeavor … Jones and Barber were mid -late choices. Much cheaper than the 2nd overall pick which allows you the money to tie up o-linemen, d-linemen and linebackers which is what Parcells truly covets.

Everyone knows that this league is gearing more and more to a two running back system. You need 2 legitimate starters on your team. And Parmele is not one of them. you do the math.