Recent reports out of Miami stated the Dolphins had begun contract negotiations with the agent for offensive tackle Jake Long, formerly of the Michigan Wolverines.
It’s over, the dream is dead. Jake is a Dolphin, the Chiefs aren’t going to get him. They’re going to draft a mediocre quarterback and watch him get destroyed as a makeshift offensive line plays midget league football in front of him.
What’s that? What did you say? The Dolphins aren’t necessarily going to draft Long?
That’s right Chiefs fans. The Dolphins are doing what every good team should do with the first pick overall prior in the draft—get a contract signed before it begins. We all saw what happened last year when the Raiders failed to get a contract in hand before they selected Jamarcus “Dough Boy” Russell 1st overall. He sat out, missed all of training camp and didn’t even make an appearance for the silver and black until the season was almost over. Apparently he spent most of his money and time eating–atta boy Jamarcus!
But like I said, the Dolphins are doing what every good team should do prior to the draft—the Raiders are obviously not a well ran organization, and as long as Al Davis is calling the shots in Oakland, they will never be. The Dolphins are now being lead by one of the better football minds you or I have ever seen whether we want to admit it or not, Bill Parcells.
Here is what Parcells is doing and it’s exactly what players’ agents do to NFL teams when the player they represent becomes a free agent. The Dolphins will try to figure out during the negotiations with Long’s agent what type of money he is looking for if the Dolphins were to call his name 1st overall on April 26th. Once they decipher what kind of monetary commitment it is going to take, they will move on to Chris Long and perhaps another one or two players and do the same thing. Once they have all the numbers in, they can target the player they really want, look him and his agent in the eyes and say, “look, we would love to draft you, but we can get player x for a lot cheaper than you.” What more, each pick afterwards is that much less money the player, and the agent are going to make.
That’s some pretty powerful bargaining chips that set on the Dolphins side of the table, and Parcells is a master poker player.
Classic contract negotiations 101, and few are as good at it as Bill Parcells. Not only is he good at evaluating talent, he is also very good and keeping his intentions close to his vest so to speak. Whether Bill honestly wants Jake Long to be the pick or whether he is merely starting the game we’ll never know until a couple days prior to the draft—if even then.
My heart still says the pick is going to be Chris Long with an outside shot at Vernon Gholston’s name being read aloud by Roger Goodell—but more importantly my mind says Chris is the pick as well. Chris is a Parcells type of player-blue collar, hard working, high motor and he can play down lineman and outside rush linebacker.
Next week, I will have my closing arguments for who I think the Chiefs will pick and why. I want you guys and gals to think about who you think the Chiefs will draft, not necessarily who you want them to. Be prepared to make an argument for your guy and then come April 27th, we can see who got the closest.
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