Apparently pleased with what they’ve seen so far this year, the Miami Dolphins have signed Ricky Wililams to a one-year extension, keeping him on the team through the end of the 2009 season.
Ricky’s 2008 salary is a paltry $730,000, but could be increased with “easily achievable incentives”. His 2009 salary is expected to be higher.
Filed under: Contracts, Player News
Tags: contract, miami dolphins, ricky williams
1st round picks I liked:
Dolphins - Jake Long - He’s a great left tackle and will anchor that line for years to come. He’s a great building block for them.
Oakland - Darren McFadden -He’s a great weapon for Jamarcus Russell to utilize. He’s big and fast; he can run you over or run right past you. It makes sense that the Raiders would take an offensive player, given the tons of money they spent on defense in free agency.
NY Jets - Vernon Gholston - He’s a great defensive end and will immediately improve the Jets defense. He’s a monster pass rusher.
New England - Jerrod Mayo - They needed some youth at LB, given that all their starters from last year are over 30.
Dallas - Felix Jones - This makes the Dallas offense ridiculous. Barber and Jones in the backfield is scary (not to mention Jones as a returner). Dallas now has more than enough offense to win a play-off game. It’ll be up to the defense not to screw it up.
Pittsburgh - Rashard Mendenhall - He’s a great fit for the Steelers. He can pound that ball on the inside and will be a great change of pace from Willie Parker.
Dallas - Mike Jenkins - Jenkins gives them a great CB tandem with Terrance Newman on the opposite side. They are putting together the defensive firepower to match the offense.
1st round picks I didn’t like:
St. Louis - Chris Long - Don’t get me wrong, Long is a great player, but given how quickly that offense has aged, they really could have used an OL or a WR. They would have had to trade back to pick either of those, but more picks is never a bad thing.
Buffalo - Leodis McKelvin -Not the best CB in the draft. Given that none had been selected by #11, I’m surprised they didn’t go for one of the better CB’s, like Mike Jenkins.
Carolina - Jonathan Stewart -Stewart s a great runner, but they don’t need a great runner. They need OL help to create holes for their RB’s.
Chicago - Chris Williams -One the one hand, they need line help. But on the other hand, Cedric Benson is terrible and Mendenhall would have been a great fit in Chicago. At least now Grossman will have more time to make poor throws and bad decisions.
Arizona - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie - A great CB, but Arizona already has a solid D. They could have picked up Mendenhall with this pick to replace the washed up Edgerrin James.
Baltimore - Joe Flacco -Not to bash small schools, but I don’t think Delaware has remotely prepared Flacco for the speed and talent in the NFL. A more NFL ready QB like Brian Brohm would have been a better choice, especially this late in round 1. Baltimore will continue to struggle at the QB position.
Filed under: NFL Draft
Tags: arizona cardinals, baltimore ravens, brian brohm, buffalo bills, carolina panthers, cedric benson, chicago bears, chris long, chris williams, dallas cowboys, darren mcfadden, dominique rodgers-cromartie, edgerrin james, felix jones, jake long, jamarcus russell, jerrod mayo, joe flacco, jonathan stewart, leodis mckelvin, marion barber, miami dolphins, mike jenkins, new england, new york jets, oakland raiders, pittsburgh steelers, rashard mendenhall, rex grossman, saint louis rams, terrance newman, vernon gholston, willie parker
With the first pick in the 2008 draft, a few days early, the Miami Dolphins have selected Jake Long. He’s already got a contract and is good to go. There was speculation that they’d choose someone else, but they claim Jake was their man the whole time.
I can’t remember a time in recent history when a player was already signed before the draft even began. When was the last?
I felt kind of bad for Jake last season. He came back for his senior season to help lead a senior-heavy Michigan team to the national title. Of course, we all know what happened in their first game of the season against App State…
This should work out well for both sides. Jake got a fat contract (5 years / $57.75 million) and the Dolphins have filled one of their many holes.
Filed under: NFL Draft
The media is making entirely too much of Jeff Ireland’s slip of the tongue.
Media members and pundits seem to think that now the Dolphins have narrowed their choice to Vernon Gholston, Chris Long or Glen Dorsey. imagine that, the Dolphins have narrowed their list to the same 3 guys who have been the consensus best players in the draft. Why make a big deal about this?
You also have to consider that Ireland purposely “let it slip” that they were targeting a defensive player. That news could trigger better trade offers from teams panicking that “their player” might not be on the board when they pick.
What it comes down to is that the Dolphins are likely going to pick one of the defensive players, since their defense is getting older and breaking down more. Does Ireland’s goof tell us anything more or different from what we already assumed?
Filed under: NFL Draft
Tags: chris long, glen dorsey, jeff ireland, miami dolphins, NFL Draft, vernon gholston
