Good article on the the F/A offensive tackle depth and OT depth in the draft

I think if he leaves we probably look for a right tackle, I don't want him to leave, I want him to accept a deal that shows a recognition of his last two years, not based on what he thinks he can be again..when you missed games you collected the same amount of money, lets talk about what is fair jake.

"djphinfan wrote:

I think if he leaves we probably look for a right tackle, I don't want him to leave, I want him to accept a deal that shows a recognition of his last two years, not based on what he thinks he can be again..when you missed games you collected the same amount of money, lets talk about what is fair jake.

I have faith Jake is going to take all you said into consideration. I believe he will be a Dolphin in 2013. Here is a list of teams already close to or over the cap already. Half the league. I know once cuts start the figures will change but just the same, Jake knows there are three things going against him. 1 He has not played up to par to get the franchise tag. 2 There are a lot of OT in the draft this year and for a good price 3 There will be a lot of OT FA on the market once the smoke clears after the initial 2-3 day insanity of FA signing. And a possible 4th, Jake is a good kid and knows his best place is with the Miami Dolphins. Kid made his money on his first contract. Here is a link to teams cap situations, its amazing how many are up there. We still have to sign 4 more players to get to the mandatory 51 by the time FA period starts.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/21676714/jets-cowboys-among-many-teams-in-sticky-cap-quandaries

I know if he does not resign, that I don't trust Martin as Tannehill's blind side protector. That would move Lane Johnson to the top of the list for our 1st round pick.

If Jake isnt willing to take something reflective of his play the last 2 years and injury concerns then goodbye. Not only am I comfortable with martin as Miami's LT but I think as a RT hes a complete waste. This guys isnt a power run blocker and he cant handle the strength you get from a LDE typically. He has the footwork to be a LT and the agility. No reason not to just sign Vollmer, Loadholt or Cherilus at RT if Jake is going for the most money.

I'd take Beatty from the Giants for LT or Gosder at RT. Both played at a high level and PFF has both rated very highly.

"MrClean wrote:

I know if he does not resign, that I don't trust Martin as Tannehill's blind side protector. That would move Lane Johnson to the top of the list for our 1st round pick.

I don't know Big C, I wouldn't want a rookie protecting it either, if we don't sign Jake I suspect we go the free agent route there that will cost less than what Jake is willing to settle for.

It's certainly not a bad off-season to be interested in picking up an offensive tackle. There are a lot of potential good ones on the market, and I think that's going to pretty badly hurt Jake Long's ability to get paid given the circumstances.

It's kinda too bad we have Martin. Beatty will cost less then Jake Long but had a fantastic year. Gosder or Smith had fantastic years at RT. Right team makes the right choice and they got themselves instant bookend tackles.

I would be in favor of Martin moving to LT and getting a good RT. Bye-bye Long.

I think they go cheap and get either a Polumbus or a Svitek for RT.

Yo Colombo where u at dawg

Columbo is concentrating on his music now with Free Reign

http://www.myspace.com/freereign

"mommabilly wrote:

Columbo is concentrating on his music now with Free Reign

http://www.myspace.com/freereign

That music is worse than his play at tackle.

"gunn34 wrote:

I would be in favor of Martin moving to LT and getting a good RT. Bye-bye Long.

Like Clean said, I don't trust him protecting our QB..I'd feel better with him at guard, and signing Jake.

"gunn34 wrote:

I would be in favor of Martin moving to LT and getting a good RT. Bye-bye Long.

What, the heck, has Martin done for people to have so much faith in him as LT?

Incidentally, given the kind of band they are, isn't the name "Free Reign" the most sickeningly cliche band name in the history of history?

"djphinfan wrote:

I don't know Big C, I wouldn't want a rookie protecting it either, if we don't sign Jake I suspect we go the free agent route there that will cost less than what Jake is willing to settle for.

Why would you paint all rookie OLTs with the same broad brush?

"djphinfan wrote:

Like Clean said, I don't trust him protecting our QB..I'd feel better with him at guard, and signing Jake.

I don't think we want Martin at G either, unless you just feel he has the feet to become a Wade Smith type of zone blocking guard.

While a lot of pundits keep saying that Jake is set to break the bank, I've always been a bit skeptical. With his recent injury history, whispers that his body may be breaking down and his good-but-not elite play recently, it's always been my contention that his pay day may quite well be tied to him proving that he can return to form. If all those other free agent options hit the market, it will certainly cause some teams to pause when it comes to Jake's injuries. With the new 3 day negotiating window in place this year, it wouldn't surprise me if Jeff lets Jake check out his market and then comes in with a last minute offer.

I thought Awsi Dooger brought up a good point about free agents in that you should generally aim to pay them what you would have paid them a year ago. Fresh, one-year trends are often illusory...more prone to reversion to the mean than permanence. If you would've paid Brian Hartline $3.5 million a year ago then you should not be itching to give him $6 million today. On the other hand, a guy like Jake Long in my opinion is more likely to bounce back up rather than stay down. Yet, Jake already wants to be paid as if last year didn't happen, so it's not an easy question. My inclination is to see if you can get him to negotiate a contract on the basis of the fact that last year DID happen, and it does damage him...and then you'll probably get a good deal. But only the doctors will know if there's any lasting, permanent damage inside him.

"VanDolPhan wrote:

I'd take Beatty from the Giants for LT or Gosder at RT. Both played at a high level and PFF has both rated very highly.

The only things with Beatty to be cautionary of are his injury history and seemingly chronic ailments and the fact that after a few years in the league he still gets pushed around. Hes kind of what I see Martin being in that he has excellent feet and agility but needs upper body work. To have him and Martin on the same team is essentially having the same player twice with Martin having a higher upside.

I have mixed feelings about Jake Long's status. I don't want to see the Dolphins sign him at $15 million because he hasn't played up to that kind of contract but I still see him as a better LT option than Martin. I think a lot of the enthusiasm about Martin is based not so much on Martin being that good but on Long's injuries and his apparent digression from his Pro Bowl seasons. I believe if Long recovers from his injuries he can still make somebody a Pro Bowl quality Left Tackle and I just haven't seen any indication of that from Martin yet. I don't blame Long for looking for the most money either, I don't feel like its being greedy on his part but just looking out for he and his families future. I just hope if he departs we can find an adequate replacement and don't end up creating a weak spot on our offensive line that opposing teams can exploit to get to our young quarterback. I know some people don't see LT as being that critical anymore but I can remember some terrible left tackles on the Dolphins in years past that couldn't stop a waterboy carrying a couple of water bottles.

"Silverphin wrote:

What, the heck, has Martin done for people to have so much faith in him as LT?

i have no idea, in fact if we sign Long or another FA tackle i wouldn't be surprised if Martin got beat out in camp by a Nate Garner or a late round draft pick.

"Boik14 wrote:

The only things with Beatty to be cautionary of are his injury history and seemingly chronic ailments and the fact that after a few years in the league he still gets pushed around. Hes kind of what I see Martin being in that he has excellent feet and agility but needs upper body work. To have him and Martin on the same team is essentially having the same player twice with Martin having a higher upside.

no, Beatty has developed into one of the most well rounded OT's in the league. Martin on the other hand was lousy in pass pro and run blocking.