Dolphins Q&A Sun-Sentinel

Dolphins Q&A with Alex Marvez

By Alex Marvez
Sun-Sentinel.com
Posted May 1 2007, 1:57 PM EDT

Q: I am baffled as to why the Dolphins want to make Vernon Carey a left tackle. The guy has been a right tackle his entire college and pro career. Why not leave well enough alone?

A: I am thinking the same thing, especially because Carey has said he is more comfortable at right tackle because of his foot placement. Cameron, though, said after the draft that he believes Carey can handle what is considered the most critical position on the offensive line. Carey did play tackle at UM and thinking he could make the transition isn't necessarily far-fetched. But Carey, who did gain some experience playing left tackle at UM, should drop another 10 to 15 pounds so he is better prepared to handle the speed rusher he would face on a weekly basis when trying to protect his quarterback's blindside.

Q: What's with all the guys drafted from Hawaii or coming from out West?

A: With Cameron (San Diego) and General Manager Mueller (Seattle) having previously worked for West Coast teams, the Dolphins' draft seemed less regional than the previous two years when former Louisiana State coach Nick Saban used five of the team's 13 picks on Southeastern Conference players, including first-round selections on running back Ronnie Brown (Auburn) and defensive back Jason Allen (Tennessee). One of Mueller's former coaches from his playing days as a college quarterback (Wes Suan) worked at Hawaii under June Jones, who is friendly with both Mueller and Cameron.

Mueller said the Dolphins were seeking players with a "specific skill set" in the draft. Translated: The Dolphins want players they believe have particular traits best-suited for the systems the team plans to run. The Dolphins are seeking lighter, more athletic guards and want to add more aggressiveness to the line as a whole. The 6-foot-2, 302-pounds Satele fits the bill on both accounts. At 272 pounds, Mauia has the size to become a devastating blocker in the same fashion as Lorenzo Neal, who played under Cameron the past four seasons in San Diego.

The Dolphins also added another Hawaii player in Esera as well as using a fourth-round draft pick on a defensive tackle of Samoan ancestry in Paul Soliai.

Q: Can we expect the rookie offensive lineman to contribute much this season? Also, are they better suited to play center and guard?

A: I would not be surprised to see second-round pick Samson Satele (pictured) of Hawaii receive snaps as the starting left guard during this weekend's minicamp. The Dolphins have juggled their line by shifting Vernon Carey to left tackle and moving L.J. Shelton from right guard to replace him at right tackle. Dolphins coach Cam Cameron said Chris Liwienski and Joe Toledo are expected to split snaps at right guard but added that the plan for how the linemen will be used at the minicamp wasn't finalized.

Eastern Michigan's Drew Mormino (sixth round) could see action as a backup center behind Rex Hadnot. The Dolphins also have agreed to terms with several college free agent linemen who could compete for roster or practice squad spots, including Hawaii guard Tala Esera, Arkansas guard Stephen Parker and University of Alabama-Birmingham tackle Julius Wilson.

The Dolphins want all of their linemen to have the versatility to play at least two positions, so expect Satele and Mormino to work at both guard and center.

Q: Will Lorenzo Booker be the third-down back? Does this mean the Dolphins don't want Ricky Williams back?

A: If reinstated to the NFL as expected, Williams should serve as Ronnie Brown's backup. Booker, though, will see snaps as a third-down back while serving as an insurance policy in case Williams gets suspended again.

Q: Isn't tight end a weakness on this team? I still can't believe they cut Randy McMichael!

A: Because the tight end is used more as a receiver than blocker in Cameron's system, a well-rounded player like McMichael was deemed to have less value than a faster player with pass-catching skills like replacement David Martin. Still, something should be said for the fact McMichael has never missed a game since being drafted in 2002 while Martin has proven far less durable by missing 16 games the past three seasons.

Q: Were you as shocked as I as when they took Ted Ginn instead of Brady Quinn?

A: I was very surprised, but shocked would be a little strong since I truly believed (and reported) the Dolphins had a strong interest in Ginn entering the draft. Remember: You can find a franchise quarterback in the second round a la Brett Favre or Drew Brees. You can't draft a player with the game-breaking speed of Ginn with the 40th overall pick.

I also spoke to someone in the front office of a team with a Top 12 pick that I respect who told me he also didn't consider Quinn worthy of being picked in the Top 10. The fact Quinn slipped all the way to the No. 22 pick gives the Dolphins some validation for their decision. But if Quinn is able to duplicate his Notre Dame success in the NFL while Ginn and/or BYU quarterback John Beck stumble, the coach/general manager regime of Cam Cameron and Randy Mueller will be doomed unless the franchise finds another way to win.

Q: What's the scouting report on John Beck? I think he was a good pick.

A: Here are four pre-draft evaluations of Beck:

Mel Kiper Jr. (from his 2007 Draft Report): "After his stellar senior campaign, I view Beck as definite starter material. Preparation is key with Beck, and in that area, he takes a backseat to no one. At worst, you'll be looking at a quality backup who has the ability to come off the bench and jumpstart an offense."

Nolan Nawrocki (author of Pro Football Weekly's draft guide): "Has the smarts and savvy to become an ideal No. 3 quarterback and at his best could be a solid backup. Physically, falls in line with the same tier of quarterbacks as Tim Rattay and Brooks Bollinger and will never be a solid starter teams want to lead them. A good college system quarterback with enough arm to function in the pros. Will be the best outside the pocket but does not have great mobility to move around and escape in the pro game."

Scout.com: "Positives: intelligent passer accurate in the short and intermediate field. Stands strong in the pocket, poised under the rush and consistently finds the open wideout. Sells the ball fakes, looks off the safety and goes through receiver progressions. Displays a sense of timing, hits receivers as they leave their breaks and nicely sets up screen throws. Puts touch on passes when necessary, placing the ball into the receivers' hands. Immediately gets rid of the ball on quick tosses. Stays away from the errant pass. Negatives: Lacks the top deep arm. Over-aged prospect [at 25]."

NFLdraftscout.com: "Positives: Has a lean frame with room for additional growth, showing average overall muscle tone, good arm length and large, soft hands … Runs with a normal stride and has the functional hip snap to change directions and avoid pocket pressure … Has good balance and adequate body control throwing on the move, demonstrating good hip rotation … Very intelligent player who has no problem executing a complicated game plan … Student of the game who breaks down opposing film and does a good job of making adjustments on the field … Plays through pain and shows very good poise in the pocket and confidence in his protection, as it is rare to see him bolt too early, as he will stand tall and take some shots under pressure … Has good throwing mechanics and sets his feet with agility and solid base … Even with just average timed speed, his feet appear light when forced to move out of the pocket … In the short-to-intermediate area, Beck's tosses show good zip and velocity."

"Negatives: Needs to add more bulk and strength to his frame to absorb punishment in the pocket and, even though he is able to move around the pocket, he is no threat running with the ball … Has good arm strength for the short-to-intermediate area, but realizes that he lacks the raw power to air the ball out consistently, keeping the game plan within his athletic talents … Lacks ideal height and valid speed, but makes up for it with good short-area avoid skills and a quick release to unleash the ball on time … Will sometimes revert to locking on to his primary target, resulting in him throwing into double coverage (see 2006 Boston College and New Mexico games) … Sets his feet well on delivery, but will show a bit of a wind-up when he releases the ball over the top rather than his normal, three-quarters delivery … When he attempts to air it out, the ball tends to float and fall off, causing the receivers to break off their routes. "

Q: Is Carl Peterson crazy or just plain stubborn?

A: How about a little bit of both? Understandably, Peterson is trying to make the best deal he can to maximize value for quarterback Trent Green. But the reality is that the Chiefs aren't going to carry a player with a $7.2 million salary that coach Herm Edwards projected in March as being a potential third-string quarterback behind Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle. This is starting to become a lose-lose scenario on both sides. If Green is going to start for the Dolphins in 2007 as expected, he could use as much offseason time as possible working with his new teammates trying to build cohesiveness in Cameron's offensive system. Peterson, though, may someday rue not taking the Dolphins' offer of a sixth-round draft choice for Green during the 2007 draft.

Q: Why is everyone saying that Ted Ginn Jr. is "raw" as a receiver and runs poor routes? You wouldn't know that from watching him in college.

A: Ginn was a productive college receiver, catching 110 passes for 1,584 yards and 13 touchdowns the past two seasons while also making significant strides as a junior. But NFL draft analysts universally believe he needs significant work on his route running, especially when it comes to correcting his penchant to round off patterns, and must learn how to better shed cornerbacks that will be much more aggressive at the line of scrimmage at the NFL level.

Q: How would you grade the Dolphins' draft?

A: Like in previous drafts, I won't grade the draft simply because how can anyone tell how good the players that were selected will be before they even appear in a minicamp, let along play in a game? Ultimately, this draft will be judged by how well Ginn and Beck fare when compared to Brady Quinn. But it's also important that the Dolphins finally hit on some second-day draft choices. Consider: Safety Yeremiah Bell (2003 sixth-round) and center Rex Hadnot (2004 sixth-round) are the only two of 31 players drafted between rounds four and seven this decade that are projected Dolphins starters entering this season. The lack of productivity from second-day picks is one of the reasons the Dolphins are one of just five teams that hasn't reached the playoffs since 2001