Unfortunately we couldn't count on a Brad Childress-led Vikings to do the stupid thing and take Ryan Mallett at #12. Damn I wish that they didn't fire that clown. All 32 teams spoke on that one- Mallett- and spoke loudly. If size and a strong arm are the requirements to play the position then we might have had Jim Druckenmiller as our starting QB for 10 or 15 years. We all know what happened instead.

As much as I like Ponder- seriously, who would have seen us trade UP from #15 to get him? Nonetheless I was instantly bummed when the Vikes took Ponder, damn smart move imo. Dude can manage that offense with the great talent around him, has great athletic abilty, top notch intangibles, is accurate and talk of a weak throwing arm is rubbish.

Locker- John Gruden had a great point: look at that Nebraska game that he got bashed for. Dude was runnig for his life, was hopelessly outmanned and did the best that he could. Great athlete, better character kid than I initially thought, can throw with zip- but that damn accuracy is a concern, no doubt. I will say this: I would have taken Dalton over Locker, but both of them only in a trade down. But Locker- in hindsite I can see it. I think that he got a bad rap, and I bought in to too much of it.

Nonetheless, hindsite tells the tale- if the soFla papers are accurate, the Fins loved Locker & Gabbert and were very high on Ponder. If the Fins pulled a Jax and traded #15 plus next years #2 (in lieu of this year's as per Jax) for Gabbert- I would have been fine with that, and actually if there's room for criticism of the FO it's there. If Ponder was there at #15 and we passed I would have been livid- but he wasn't.

As to Mallett- 32 teams passed on him through the first two rounds of the draft, in a league with a massive thirst for talent at that position, the one "must have" position as the game stands today. All 32 passed. Two rounds. 'Nuff said.

Pouncy will be fine, but I still like Carimi as I did months ago. Can't argue with that one though, Pouncy is the better positional fit. It's CLEAR that multiple NFL teams highly regarded Gabbert, Locker and Ponder- not Mallett. All three were gone- it's a bummer, I lost interest in the draft quickly after Ponder was taken, but life goes on. I'll say this for the coaching staff and FO (granted I'm no big fan of either): at least the regime was prepared to do the right thing if the chips fell our way, and they didn't. At least they would have taken one of the quality QBs if they had been available. And at least they proved that they weren't stupid enough to reach for Mallett in a massive way. For the record I would have preferred Dalton over Mallett at #15 big time, but Dalton at #15 would have less than thrilled me. Ponder was my guy.

So that was that- we got our OL and a good, hard running RB. Helpful but boring. And now that Cincy has Dalton- please, please trade Carson Palmer to us for next year's 2nd or 3rd rd pick. Not only will it help us win by bringing in a fantastic talent at that critical QB position, it just might keep Sparano ball from boring me to death.

 

True. Nonetheless, he was considered the #1 overall prospect less than a year ago, he was taken #8 overall, and the Dolphins apparently would have been elated if was still on the board at #15. Has to make you think.

 

Only by one man? I think not. And as to the "people who are paid to tell him where he would go" telling him that he was a third rounder- well, the people who actually pay players like him, as opposed to those who merely venture an opinion (and we know what those are like)- THOSE people voted with their wallets and made Locker an instant millionaire and a top ten pick. He was taken #8 overall and at least two teams- the Dolphins and Vikings- would have been all over him at #'s 12 and 15 respectively. Case closed.

 

And yet at least three teams were all over him in the first 15 picks, which soundly trumps any advisory committee recommendations. Those teams are the ones that actually make the critical picks and dole out millions to their selected players. Again, case closed.

 

I don't really disagree with any of that. Mallett was worth a flyer in the mid/late 2nd or 3rd rd and he landed in a good situation. He has the mobility of a fire hydrant, a tendency to crumble under pressure, and questionable intangibles. That being said, dude has one hell of a nice arm.

As to the Dolphins- what would you have them do, especially with no 2nd rd pick? Slide up a few spots and cough up next year's 1st? Best case scenario was imo Ponder being available and snagging him- he wasn't. Ponder would have been a damn fine fit. Locker- as I mentioned I see it in hindsite and the team loved him. I thought until recently that he was kind of a punk and a dumba**, but he's not- far from it. Dude has to improve accuracy, and that's a dicey proposition. But he's talented, that's for sure.

Not a big Sparano fan, not a big Ireland fan- but they get a hall pass on this one because things just didn't break our way. And that sucks. When FA resumes I want Carson Palmer and DeAngelo Williams to spark this offense. 4th round- keeping an eye on Mark Herzlich, Mario Harvey, Edmond Gates and Marcus Cannon.

 

I thought that he was a straight up FA- not sure if there's a collective bargaining complication going on here, but no, I wouldn't cough up a 1st and 3rd for him.