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As Miami Dolphins, I think these two guys future's are going to be pretty short and/or trivial.

Here's what I believe may happen and I'm sure Beck and/or McCown supporters will complain, so spare me the whining....

Right now, Beck is looking like the #3 or maybe even #4 guy in this QB shuffle - McCown hasn't been much better either. By the end of the preseason we can be pretty certain that:

One of our QB's will be cut or possibly traded with the most most obvious candidates being Beck or McCown

 

I don't see SIP (Sprano-Ireland-Parcells) Keeping a 4th QB over a versatile player who contributes on special teams and can be a backup at a position spot.

Beck may have some minor trade value (say for a 6th rounder). McCown has pratically zero trade value.

Beck however is not a SIP player, he's a cam-cam holdover whereas McCown was signed by the regime.

McCown has a track record in the league - albeit it a poor one with the occasional good game. Beck is much more limited (last year and this year) and basically not good.

Another possibility: Trade or cut Beck or McCown. Keep the remaining guy. Then if Simms gets cut, sign him, and cut the leftover of McCown or Beck so for '08: Pennington, Simms, Henne

'09: Henne, Pennington, Simms.

So which of the two do you think will stick - McCown or Beck? Whomever stays is probably scout team material while the other is a goner obviously who will have to hope to catch on with another team.

 

 

Matty I has a man-crush on Beck!

There, I said it - now who is with me? :)

 

 

 

 

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We are in the home stretch now and rapidly approaching the first preseason game. After all the scrimmages and practices, we'll be able to see this group get on the field against a real opponent - albeit, in a game that doesn't count.

Sure I know we have a few more days of practice, but I doubt there will be a great deal of change in the QB 'rankings' (assuming the coaches are ranking them).

Here's the question...

How do all of you think the QB's should be given playing time? Who gets how much playing time and when? Who starts?

Do you have a rotation? Alternate individual series? Give a guy a certain quarter or half?

 

 

Um, not exactly but there is an amusing article on a rather innovative offense that a high school team has come up with.

You can probably guess by the title of this post that this new offense actually uses two QB's - at the same time.

As with a lot of college/high school type offenses, it probably wouldn't work in the pro's with any regularity. However it is entertaining to see it on video.

Check out the video

 

 

Yes, non-dolphin item but hey, this is still June and not so long ago there were posts on dancing contests :)

 

So it looks like the Giants Strahan has decided to hang it up. You have to say, he is going out on top rather than being one of those guys who tries to play one more season and usually, ends in disappointment. John Elway not included.

 

Any Strahan fans out there? detractors? Do you think it will affect next year's NFC races? Will the Giants falter because of this?

 

Text from article:

 

Strahan: “I’m finished with that phase”

By Michael Silver, Yahoo! Sports 1 hour, 19 minutes ago

Michael Strahan put the finishing touch on his brilliant 15-year career in Arizona last February, as the future Hall of Fame defensive end helped the New York Giants to a stunning upset of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

It took another four months, however, for Strahan to decide he was done.

On Monday morning, Strahan awakened in the Southern California desert and concluded that he would retire, learned in a story first reported by foxsports.com. “Woke up and decided that I’m finished with that phase,” Strahan told Y! Sports via email. “Time to move on. I’ve been thinking about it for awhile and didn’t want to prolong the inevitable.”

Like Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, who ended his career after leading the Denver Broncos to a victory in Super Bowl XXXIII nine years earlier, Strahan ends his career in storybook fashion. However, Strahan resisted the temptation to try to emulate Elway by winning a second consecutive ring after a career of continually coming up short.

“I just saw Elway this weekend (at a golf tourney in Palm Springs),” Strahan wrote, “and to win two in a row is a great feat – but too hard for me to imagine.”

Strahan ends his career with 141½ regular season sacks, which is fifth on the NFL’s all-time list. He was voted to seven Pro Bowls and was the NFL’s defensive player of the year in 2001, when he set a single-season sack record with 22½. Two years later, he led the league with 18½ sacks.

In New York’s 17-14 victory over the Pats in the Super Bowl, Strahan keyed a ferocious pass rush that tormented Tom Brady all game. Strahan had a sack, two quarterback hurries, four hits on Brady and a pass defensed.

The personable and intelligent Strahan is likely to be courted as a broadcaster by numerous networks.

So Peter King of si, wrote up an article following the draft. The article basically is a preseason power ranking of all the NFL teams. He lists the dolphins at #27 and writes this about the team:

 

27. Miami. I don't know who's playing quarterback, who's catching the ball or if Jason Taylor will ever speak to the great and powerful Bill "Oz'' Parcells. But you ask the people who know Parcells the best, and they'll tell you they like the way he's shaking up the bottom of the roster, and he's on his way to building a team that will give the Patriots a game soon. To do that in 2009 or '10, the Dolphins have to discover if they've got their quarterback of the future on the roster now. Best chance to be The Man, of course, is second-round pick Chad Henne.

**** ***** *****

You can see the full article and rankings here:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/05/02/rankings/index.html

 

What do you guys think of the ranking? It places us as more or less better than 5 teams though worse than 26.

Can't get enough of the draft? Still debating and discussing it? Well, seeing as the 2008 draft was such a long time ago (you know, 4-5 days), why not look at the 2009 draft? :) :)

 

Here's Todd McShay's 2009 Mock - see anybody you want? I won't even add the disclaimer that stuff will change from here till then as that should be obvious!

 

So, with the first pick of the 2009 NFL Mock Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select …

1. Atlanta Falcons -- Fili Moala, DT, USC

Atlanta finally gets its playmaking interior defensive lineman. Moala has flown under the radar to this point but he should emerge from the shadow of 2008 No. 7 overall pick Sedrick Ellis and become one of the elite defenders in college football this fall.

2. Detroit Lions -- Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech

Coach Rod Marinelli's defense is predicated on speed up front, and Johnson is blessed with plenty of that. Johnson was overlooked while playing in a rotation last season, but it won't take long for the rangy edge-rusher to make his mark in 2008.

3. Kansas City Chiefs -- Matt Stafford*, QB, Georgia

Another injury-plagued and disappointing season out of fragile QB Brodie Croyle will force the Chiefs to address the position with this high draft pick in 2009. If the supremely talented Stafford continues to progress as he did last fall, he could easily emerge as a top-five pick next April.

4. Miami Dolphins -- Al Woods, DT, LSU

At 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, Woods is a physically imposing defensive tackle with enough size and strength to anchor the middle of a 3-4 defense.

5. Cincinnati Bengals -- Sen'Derrick Marks*, DT, Auburn

The Bengals got shut out in their pursuit of an elite defensive tackle in this year's draft, but 2009 will be more kind. Marks is an undersized playmaker with the first-step quickness to disrupt as a 3-technique tackle, which is exactly what Marvin Lewis' defense needs along its front.

6. Oakland Raiders -- Andre Smith*, OT, Alabama

Smith stepped in immediately as the Tide's starting left tackle and continues to improve with more coaching and game experience. The Raiders could enlist a player with his kind of skills to take care of their most recent first-round investments in QB JaMarcus Russell and RB Darren McFadden

.

7. Chicago Bears -- Tim Tebow*, QB, Florida

It's almost certain that the Bears will need a quarterback come next offseason. Unfortunately, next year's crop of signal-callers does not look promising at this point. Bears fans won't be thrilled if the team uses a high pick on another Gators quarterback following the failed Rex Grossman experiment, but Tebow's unique blend of skills and rare intangibles might be too good to pass up. Should Tebow elect to leave school early, however, his uncommon skill set could make him the most difficult prospect at any position to grade.

8. San Francisco 49ers -- Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi

Oher, who possesses the size and athletic ability to develop into an upper-echelon starting tackle in the NFL, would make an ideal bookend opposite 2007 first-rounder Joe Staley

.

9. St. Louis Rams -- Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC

Maualuga is the top senior prospect on my 2009 draft board at this insanely early point in the process, although he wouldn't be the first senior off the board. I've never seen a defensive player take over a game the way Maualuga did versus Illinois in the Rose Bowl, and his recognition skills are clearly catching up with his rare physical tools.

10. New York Jets -- Knowshon Moreno*, RB, Georgia

Moreno burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2007 and he should build on that momentum as a first-year starter behind a more mature offensive line during the upcoming season. The Jets were not able to land McFadden in this year's draft but Moreno would be worth the wait if he's available in 2009.

11. Tennessee Titans -- Michael Crabtree*, WR, Texas Tech

Do not pigeonhole Crabtree; he's not just a product of coach Mike Leach's pass-crazy offense. The tall, long-armed receiver could be the go-to-target QB Vince Young so desperately needs.

12. Houston Texans -- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State

Jenkins made a wise decision to return as a senior. He needs to improve his footwork and overall man-to-man cover skills to prove to scouts he's capable of playing corner in any scheme at the next level. Regardless, the Texans could use his ball-hawking skills in their secondary, no matter whether it's at cornerback or safety.

13. Denver Broncos -- James Laurinaitis, ILB, Ohio State

Laurinaitis surprised many NFL scouts when he elected to return to Columbus for his senior season. Assuming he continues to make progress in 2008, there's no reason to believe he will fall out of the top 20 picks in next year's draft. The instinctive, high-motor inside linebacker would be a nice addition to a Denver defense in search of more stout defenders up the middle.

14. Baltimore Ravens -- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

The Ravens need an upgrade at corner and a young playmaker like Davis, who possesses rare athleticism for his size, would be an ideal fit.

15. Philadelphia Eagles (from CAR) -- Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland

The Eagles failed to land a go-to-receiver in the 2008 draft (no, DeSean Jackson does not qualify). Instead of going the free-agent route to land a weapon for veteran QB Donovan McNabb, they might as well use one of two first-round picks in '09 on a future primary target for future QB Kevin Kolb

.

16. Arizona Cardinals -- LeSean McCoy*, RB, Pittsburgh

After Arizona failed to find a complement for Edgerrin James in this year's draft, the Cardinals' need at running back will be far more pressing in the spring of '09. McCoy is a supremely talented sophomore who is draft eligible after spending a year in prep school, and he is reportedly already eyeing the 2009 draft.

17. Buffalo Bills -- Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin

Beckum could emerge as a top-20 pick if he can add 10-15 pounds to his frame while maintaining his big-play ability as a receiver during his senior season.

18. Philadelphia Eagles -- Phil Loadholt, OT, Oklahoma

After failing to land one of the record-setting seven offensive tackles selected in the first round of this year's draft, coach Andy Reid will be craving a big fella like Loadholt in 2009.

19. Washington Redskins -- Greg Hardy*, DE, Mississippi

Hardy is flying under the radar right now despite notching 10 solo sacks the past two seasons, and the Redskins will be looking for a young pass-rushing threat after failing to land one during the latest draft.

20. Minnesota Vikings -- Percy Harvin*, WR/RS, Florida

Staying healthy for a full season would all but guarantee Harvin a spot in the first round of the NFL draft, either next year or in 2010.

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Ciron Black, OT, LSU

The Bucs will be looking to enlist the services of a talented left tackle prospect such as Black, who displays quick feet for a 6-5, 315-pounder.

22. Green Bay Packers -- Max Unger, OT, Oregon

Unger, who projects as a first-day pick in next year's draft, is the type of versatile lineman the Packers typically covet.

23. Cleveland Browns -- Ricky Sapp, DE/OLB, Clemson

Sapp is an up-and-coming talent with outstanding speed and pass-rushing potential. He should fit perfectly as a rush linebacker in a 3-4 scheme like the one employed in Cleveland.

24. Seattle Seahawks -- Duke Robinson, G, Oklahoma

The Seahawks are still looking for a long-term solution at left guard, so why not use this pick on the player who is at this point the top prospect at that position.

25. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU

Jackson is among the elite senior defensive prospects right now but that might not hold up for 12 full months, as he's simply not a great fit for every team's defensive scheme. At 6-5 and 290, Jackson is best suited to play defensive end in a three-man front like the one employed in Pittsburgh.

26. New Orleans Saints -- Gerald McRath, OLB, Southern Miss

The Saints will be looking for an injection of youth and athleticism at linebacker and the speedy, undersized McRath falls in line with that objective.

27. New York Giants -- Brandon Spikes, ILB, Florida

The Giants could use a quick and powerful tackling machine like Spikes after failing to address that need early in the 2008 draft.

28. Jacksonville Jaguars -- William Moore, S, Missouri

Moore emerged as a playmaking machine in 2007, when he notched 114 tackles and eight interceptions. At 6-1 and 215 pounds he could be the versatile strong safety Jacksonville needs opposite FS Reggie Nelson

.

29. Indianapolis Colts -- Vance Walker, DT/DE, Georgia Tech

Walker has the right blend of tools to provide depth along the interior of Indianapolis' quick-but-undersized defensive line.

30. San Diego Chargers -- Auston English, DE/OLB, Oklahoma

English is an instinctive, high-motor player with very good speed and fluid hips for a young defensive end. He already has experience dropping into coverage on zone-blitz looks within Oklahoma's complex defensive scheme.

31. Dallas Cowboys -- Demetrius Byrd, WR, LSU

Wide receiver is the one area Dallas did not address during an otherwise promising 2008 draft. Byrd has a lot to prove as a senior but he certainly has the blend of size and deep speed it takes to emerge as a first-round draft pick.

32. New England Patriots -- Brian Cushing, OLB, USC

The Patriots continue a recent trend of drafting linebackers by using this selection on the versatile Cushing. The 6-5, 248-pounder has experience on the strong side and as a rush linebacker, which will be attractive to a New England coaching staff that likes versatility in its linebackers.

Todd McShay is the director of college football scouting for Scouts Inc. He has been evaluating prospects for the NFL draft since 1998. Scouts Inc.'s Kevin Weidl and Steve Muench also contributed to this report.

Peter King had the following in his column today (see below). It is interesting to see what the offer was and what was at stake. I think it kind of gives some insight into how teams work the phones, review offers, and make decisions.

 

Ironically, it is suggested that Cam Cameron played a role in evaluating the picks which is odd given his performance last year with our QB's...

 

**** ****

 

Shortly after noon, Baltimore GM Ozzie Newsome offered St. Louis first-, second- and fourth-round picks this year and a third-rounder in 2009 for the Rams' first-round pick to select Matt Ryan. In essence, to move up six spots in the first round, Baltimore was offering the 38th and 106th pick this year and, say, around the 80th pick next year. Tempting, St. Louis thought. So the Rams called Atlanta, at number three, asking for a second-round pick this year to swap spots. If St. Louis traded with Atlanta, the Rams would pick up a free first-day pick and still get Chris Long. If the Rams traded with Baltimore, they'd lose out on Long, the only legit pass-rusher they liked in this draft.

Though the Rams never asked, Baltimore was unwilling to sweeten the pot. I'm told a sweetener like next year's first-round pick instead of the third- would have gotten the deal done for St. Louis. Two reasons the Ravens didn't ratchet up the offer one last time. One: New offensive coordinator Cam Cameron loves Ryan, but he also likes Flacco and Henne, and he thinks Flacco might have the traits and the arm to be special. Two: New coach John Harbaugh wanted picks. He wanted an influx of talent for this first-year coaching staff to coach, and if they had to spend a mint to get Ryan, three or four of those bright prospects -- like second-round back Ray Rice -- would never have been Ravens today.

The Rams called the Ravens back and turned down the offer about five minutes before the draft began. "It was a really hard decision,'' said one of the Ram execs in the room. "But it was more about our belief in Chris Long and the fact that we thought he was the perfect pick for us more so than anything else. Anybody else but Chris Long, and we'd probably have done it. But when we walked out of the room and made the phone call to Baltimore, we were in 100 percent agreement that it was the right decision.''

 

*** ****

So now we have a full slate of QB's following this draft.

We all know about John Beck who started a few games last year before going back to the bench. He'll be 27 this season and looking to win the starting job. Beck was Mueller and cam-cam's chosen QB as they specifically tabbed him as their guy.

Then there's Josh McCown signed as the nominal veteran backup. He's got oodles more starting experience than any other QB on this roster. He's been both a starter and backup in the league. While he's been on a few teams now, he's only 2 years older than Beck.

Finally we know have Chad Henne who is 4 years younger than Beck, at 22 (23 by season's opening).

Parcells has been known to favor veteran QB's throughout his coaching career. However, he has gone with a rookie, one he drafted #1 overall no less, in the form of Drew Bledsoe.

Now fast forward to the opening kickoff. Who do you think is the starting QB for the Fins? Vote and add comments to explain your selection below...

With the draft behind us, it is time to look back.

We won't know how 'good' (or bad) the players we picked up will be.

We do however know what the Fins needs are and who was available to fill those needs.

 

So here's the question...in terms of filling needs and in terms of talent, how would you grade the draft? Explain your grade and what, if anything, you would have done differently.

 

Looking forward to reading your comments!