Despite the news being just over 24 hours old, it seems like the "Santonio Holmes to the Jets" story has already been beaten to death. At least, that's probably what many of you think.
That's fair, I suppose. But I also think it does deserve a lot of the attention the move has gotten because it clearly represents the difference between the Dolphins and some of their toughest opponents. Essentially, it is a microcosm of Miami's philosophy - and why some fans just can't take it anymore.
According to a report from PFT, the Steelers "called everyone" about Holmes before settling on a trade with the Jets. You have to assume "everyone" includes Bill Parcells and the Miami Dolphins. There is also a report that the Dolphins specifically did speak with the Steelers about Holmes. But they were "not prepared to move" on Santonio.
So the Dolphins know they have a need at receiver - as exemplified by Chris Mortensen saying how the Dolphins "determined to get an 'Alpha' receiver" - but they can't surrender a fourth round pick or some combination of their three sixth round picks and next year's fifth to give Holmes what is essentially a 12 game try-out in Miami? And why - because he failed a drug test? Meanwhile, they are willing to give Jason Ferguson a one year contract worth more than the $755,000 left on Santonio's contract even though he is suspended for eight games.
Does this make sense to anyone?
Yeah I know - we don't want to give up any draft picks because they're just so damn valuable. However, this regime was willing to trade a fifth round pick for Tyler Thigpen. Holmes isn't worth more than "Thiggy," I guess.
Now that I'm done stirring the pot a bit, let's look at this from Miami's perspective. They have already had a rough offseason in terms of their players getting involved in negative off-field issues. Holmes is just one slip up away from a season-long suspension. He's only 5'10 - not exactly the big, physical receiver this team needs. And it's not like the Dolphins are the only team that was unwilling to give up anything better than a fifth round pick in return for Holmes.
It's not so much this one particular situation that is irritating me, though. This is just one example of many instances where I just don't understand this front office and their logic sometimes. I know - never question the "great" Bill Parcells. But let me ask you this - when was the last time a Parcells team won a championship?
I'll wait.
Yeah, it's been a while. For all of the outstanding reclamation projects Bill Parcells has overseen, he has had trouble getting his team to take that next step. And keep in mind that those Giants teams that won the Super Bowl were not built by Parcells; they were built by five time NFL Executive of the Year George Young. Bill, meanwhile, has never built his own championship team. I'm not saying he can't, either. I'm just saying it hasn't happened yet despite many believing Parcells is "God's gift to football."
There's no doubt that Parcells and Jeff Ireland have done an amazing job turning around a team that was 1-15 in just two seasons. But does Bill have the ability to help his team take that next step?
Let me make myself clear, though. My frustration here doesn't stem from one move. It doesn't stem from the aggressive moves of one very hated team, either. It actually stems from the now very obvious differences in philosophy between our front office and the front offices of other NFL teams.
Other NFL teams are aggressive and take calculated chances in acquiring talent to fill needs. The Dolphins are very, maybe overly, conservative. Other NFL teams see how the NFL is changing into a pass-first league and are adapting. The Dolphins don't seem to be in any hurry to improve their own passing attack.
I'm sure this front office has a well-defined plan and is sticking to it. I just really hope it works.