With the NFL draft mere hours away, I find myself thinking about times when the Miami Dolphins have been in a prime position to select players that would change the course of their franchise. Two weeks ago, I wrote about the Dolphins passing up on Brady Quinn for Ted Ginn Jr., A move that at the time was perplexing and felt franchise-altering, but in hindsight proved to be much ado about nothing, as neither player really made their mark in the league.
This week, I want to revisit the 2008 draft, one that I believe led to years of heartbreak and frustration. To fully appreciate the level of ineptitude on display by the Miami Dolphins, we have to look over the season the team had that led up to the draft. The 2007 season was incredibly unkind to the fans. Though it began with hope, as any season with a new head coach and quarterback does. The Dolphins had hired Cam Cameron, the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers.
At the time, it made sense as San Diego had just put up an offensive showing of legendary proportions. Led by future Hall of Famer and all-time great running back Ladainian Tomlinson, who ran for 1,815 yards and 28 touchdowns while putting up 508 yards on 56 receptions and three more touchdowns, and also throwing for two more TDs. Tomlinson would be named MVP, and Cameron would become a hot commodity on the head coach market. Ultimate landing with Miami in the hopes that he would be able to bring similar success to Ronnie Brown, who was coming off a promising second year where he rushed for 1,008, the first and only time in his career where he would eclipse the 1000-yard mark.
The Dolphins also traded for Trent Green, who saw a career renaissance in Kansas City, making two Pro Bowls and establishing himself as one of the better signal-callers in the league. Unfortunately for Cameron, both Brown and Green would be out for the season by week 7, and the Dolphins were forced to start John Beck and then Cleo Lemon at quarterback and Jesse Chatman at running back. The Dolphins would finish the season 1-15 with Greg Camarillo preventing the team from going winless with a TD against the Baltimore Ravens in overtime. Cameron was fired, Green was let go, and the Miami Dolphins began the offseason on the clock with the number 1 overall pick.
With the first pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins selected Jake Long, Offensive Tackle out of Michigan. It’s rare that a player who was a 4X Pro Bowler, a one-time First-team All-Pro, and a one-time Second-team All-Pro can be looked back upon as a disappointment. Ultimately, Long being a disappointment wasn’t his fault; he was on pace to be an all-time great Dolphin and potentially a hall of fame talent had it not been for injuries. All of the previously listed accolades came in his first four seasons. Long would then deal with back and bicep injuries, causing the team to not want to take the risk in resigning him after his rookie contract was over. As Long went on to struggle with injuries and ultimately bounced around between four teams in six years before retiring, the Dolphins made the right move.
What makes the selection of Long a serious disappointment is that future Hall of Famer Matt Ryan was a part of the same draft class. Instead of taking the chance on Ryan, who led his Boston College Eagles to one of their best seasons ever, Miami Dolphins Executive VP of football operations Bill Parcells instead chose to go with Long and then Michigan starting quarterback Chad Henne with the 57th overall pick. Henne wouldn’t end up working out in Miami, though he would go on to have a solid career as a backup.
Ryan, on the other hand, would be picked by the Atlanta Falcons with the 3rd overall pick and go on to be a 4X Pro Bowler, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and NFL Most Valuable Player. He would pass for over 60,000 yards, throw 381 touchdowns, lead Atlanta to the playoffs six times, and the Super Bowl once. When Miami hasn’t won a playoff game in 25 years, watching a player they could have drafted go on to become an all-time great for his team and have a lot of success in the league is frustrating.
Parcells talked about the decision in 2011 with ESPN.com, saying
“You always wonder if you should’ve taken a quarterback, you always wonder about that.” Parcells said. “But I don’t regret taking Jake Long. The guy has been in the Pro Bowl every season he’s played. What else do you want?”
Unfortunately, there hasn’t been an update with Parcells after 2011, but I feel like he would admit that taking Long over Ryan was a mistake. A perfect example of a moment that leaves Dolphins fans wondering what could have been. I know I’ve often thought about what heights Ryan could have brought the Dolphins to had they drafted him, even 18 years later I still wonder and so I blog about it.
