The Miami Dolphins and Matt Ryan
The 2008 NFL Draft Will Not Land Tony Sparano a Quarterback in Miami
Mar 8, 2008
Why Miami Will Pass on Matt Ryan
The silver lining to a horrendous 1-15 effort in 2007 is the first pick in the NFL Draft in 2008. Although the once-storied Miami Dolphins have a variety of positions in need of an upgrade, perhaps nowhere is that need more pronounced than at quarterback. The Dolphins have been desperate for a talented signal-caller and have exhausted virtually every resource to find one. In the last couple of years the Dolphins have brought in a trio of former NFL starters in an effort to fill the gaping void left years ago by Dan Marino. First Miami recruited Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington to compete for the spot. Both seemed to fizzle out, and the fish let them go and brought in Trent Green to take the helm. Green arrived late in his career and with major injury concerns after missing most of 2006 with a brutal concussion. Not surprisingly he was lost early in 2007 with a head injury leaving the offense to the infamous Cleo Lemmon, who has since left the team as a free agent. The latest acquisition is Josh McCown, who hasn’t accomplished much in Arizona, Detroit or Oakland.
So with absolutely nothing at quarterback and the number 1 pick in the draft Miami’s finally going to cure their ails by picking Boston College’s Matt Ryan, right? Possibly...but probably not. And they shouldn’t. Although the Dolphins are absolutely starving for a franchise quarterback, the harsh reality is that this draft simply doesn’t have one. Matt Ryan has some positives, in particular the intangibles such as intelligence, aptitude and leadership. But the fact of the matter is he simply isn’t a #1 quarterback. Consider some of the quarterbacks drafted recently in the first round, and how Matt Ryan’s college work compares. Matt Leinart was infinitely more poised and dangerous in the pocket and he went 10th overall. Vince Young, who carried an entire team to a national title? Third overall, before becoming Rookie of the Year for Tennessee. The same Miami Dolphins PASSED on Brady Quinn last year, who went 22nd, and was nothing short of dominant for the Fighting Irish. Matt Ryan had a fine career at Boston College, in particular as a senior, but in most other draft years he is a mid-first round pick at best.
So what, you ask. Miami needs a quarterback, so take one. What can it hurt? For one, if they do draft Ryan #1, you can count on having to pay ‘Matty Ice’ a comparable salary to other quarterbacks drafted first overall. For JaMarcus Russell last year, that was over $30 million just in GUARANTEED money, maxing out at almost $70 million. So the ‘phish would have to pay up and take the cap hit to lock in an unproven rookie quarterback. Of course that’s not uncommon, but is Matt Ryan really worth making that commitment? Has he shown the kind of promise, the upside, to buy into yet? If nothing else, one expects a quarterback drafted #1 overall to be the kind of franchise player that an owner and coach are ready to hand the ball to as the future quarterback. Michael Vick was #1, Eli Manning was #1, is Matt Ryan in that class? The short answer my friends, is no.
Unfortunately for dol-fans worldwide needing a #1 quarterback and having the #1 overall pick does not equal getting a #1 quarterback. The sad truth is that there are no franchise quarterbacks in this draft, and truth be told last year’s second round pick, John Beck, probably has just as much potential to compete as Matt Ryan does. Besides, has Matt Ryan really distanced himself from all of the other quarterbacks in the draft so much that Miami can’t take a quarterback later in the draft?
The fact that Miami can’t trade this pick tells you something: nobody wants it. Half the teams in the league would pack up and move to Pango Pango to get a great young quarterback, and yet nobody wants the #1 pick in 2008. Miami’s desperate, but the right move here is to take someone who can make an immediate improvement. The Dolphins as a team need a lot of help, and sinking a fortune into a quarterback that doesn’t show franchise potential is just another big step in the wrong direction.
