Daily Dolphins News From The Sun-Sentinel

Dolphins staffers get a lesson in draft logic

By Sarah Talalay and Alex Marvez
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted May 3 2007

In the wake of a controversial draft-day decision, coach Cam Cameron and General Manager Randy Mueller met Tuesday with Dolphin Stadium officials who have regular contact with season-ticket holders and other fans. The meeting was spurred by the Dolphins passing on popular Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn to select Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. with the No. 9 overall pick. "We wanted to have everyone in the organization understand the decision-making process that took place," Dolphins Enterprises spokesman George Torres said. Mueller said the combination of Ginn and Brigham Young quarterback John Beck, who was chosen in the second round, was a more appealing option to the Dolphins than selecting Quinn in the first round. But the move angered a sizable number of fans, including those who booed Cameron during a draft-day party at team headquarters in Davie and interrupted his speech about Ginn with chants of "Bra-dy! Bra-dy! Bra-dy!" The weekly staff meeting was opened to some stadium employees, Torres said. "Both [Cameron] and Randy explained the weekend, so everyone is completely knowledgeable about the plan and strategy so when we talk to season-ticket holders or anyone else, they can explain what happened, what transpired and the thinking about it," Torres said. Wright off to Buffalo One day after being waived by the Dolphins, defensive tackle Manny Wright was claimed Wednesday by Buffalo. A 2005 fifth-round supplement draft choice, Wright showed promise as a rookie but left training camp last August and spent the season on the reserve/non-football injury list while battling depression. Wright returned to the offseason program in March but was overweight at the April minicamp and became expendable when Utah nose tackle Paul Soliai was chosen in the fourth round of the draft. Dukes, Malone signed The Dolphins signed Clemson tackle Marion Dukes and Sam Houston State wide receiver Michael Malone as college free agents. Dukes was a three-year starter, and Malone caught 23 passes for 250 yards and four TDs last season. Elsewhere CONCUSSION SUMMIT: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ordered all teams to send their doctors and trainers to a leaguewide concussion summit in Chicago on July 19. MITCHELL AUTOPSY: A preliminary autopsy showed former NFL linebacker Kevin Mitchell, 36, died of a heart attack in his sleep Sunday at his home in Ashburn, Va.