Palm Beach Post Staff Reports

A look at the drafts since 2005, when Nick Saban took over for two seasons:

2005

Rd Selection (overall)

1 RB Ronnie Brown (2)

2 DE Matt Roth (46)

3 LB Channing Crowder (70)

4 CB Travis Daniels (104)

5 OT Anthony Alabi (162)

7 DT Kevin Vickerson (216)

Bottom line: A solid draft overseen by Rick Spielman and Saban, but no
players remain.

Could have had: Edge rusher DeMarcus Ware (11th overall) or Shawne
Merriman (12) instead of Brown, or a decent QB in Kyle Orton (106) instead
of Crowder or Daniels.

2006

Rd Selection (overall)

1 DB Jason Allen (16)

3 WR Derek Hagan (82)

4 OL Joe Toledo (114)

7 DT Frederick Evans (212)

7 DT Rodrique Wright (226)

Bottom line: A disaster engineered by Saban that produced one mediocre
player in Allen.

Could have had: Antonio Cromartie (19th overall) or Johnathan Joseph
(24) would have been a big upgrade over Allen. Brandon Marshall wasn’t taken
until the 119th pick.

2007

Rd Selection (overall)

1 WR Ted Ginn Jr. (9)

2 QB John Beck (40)

2 C Samson Satele (60)

3 RB Lorenzo Booker (71)

4 NT Paul Soliai (108)

6 FB Reagan Mauia (181)

7 LB Kelvin Smith (219)

7 P Brandon Fields (225)

7 LB Abraham Wright (238)

Bottom line: Low-rounders Soliai and Fields salvage an otherwise
forgettable class.

Could have had: Patrick Willis (11) or Darrelle Revis (14) would have
offered more playmaking skills on defense than Ginn ever did on offense.
Sidney Rice (44) or LaMarr Woodley (79) trump Beck.

2008

Rd Selection (overall)

1 LT Jake Long (1)

2 DE Philip Merling (32)

2 QB Chad Henne (57)

3 DE Kendall Langford (66)

4 OG Shawn Murphy (110)

5 RB Jalen Parmalee (176)

6 OL Donald Thomas (195)

6 RB Lex Hilliard (204)

7 DE Lionel Dotson (245)

Bottom line: Long could be a Pro Bowl fixture for years but Henne’s
lack of development makes the decision to bypass a quarterback at No. 1 all
the more wrenching.

Could have had: Matt Ryan (3rd overall) would have given Miami the
long-term solution at QB they have been seeking for a decade.

2009

Rd Selection (overall)

1 CB Vontae Davis (25)

2 QB Pat White (44)

2 CB Sean Smith (61)

3 WR Patrick Turner (87)

4 WR Brian Hartline (108)

5 TE John Nalbone (161)

5 S Chris Clemons (165)

6 OL Andrew Gardner (181)

7 LB J.D. Folsom (214)

Bottom line: A solid class pulled down by the abject failures of White
and Turner.

Could have had: Linebacker Clay Matthews, last year’s runnerup for
defensive player of year, went 26th, just after Davis. And the dynamic
LeSean Jackson went nine picks after the one-and-done White.

2010

Rd Selection (overall)

1 DE Jared Odrick (28)

2 LB Koa Misi (40)

3 OL John Jerry (73)

5 CB Nolan Carroll (145)

5 S Reshad Jones (163)

7 LB Chris McCoy (212)

7 LB Austin Spitler (252)

Bottom line: So far, a case of quantity over quality with the jury out
on several players.

Could have had: Miami traded down from No. 12 to get Odrick and Misi
but could have had center Maurkice Pouncey (18) or tight end Jermaine
Gresham (21). Tight end Rob Gronkowski (42) has proved a better pro than
Misi so far.

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Updated: 10:23 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011

Posted: 7:55 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011

For 26 years, the Dolphins were the NFL’s model of consistency under Don Shula, winning two Super Bowls and making 16 playoff appearances between 1970 and 1995.

For another eight there was similarity in the style and methods of Jimmy Johnson (1996-’99) and Dave Wannstedt (2000-’03).

But since then, with two owners, three general managers, four coaches and seemingly a dozen new directions, they have had five losing seasons in the past seven years and are 0-4 to start this season.

“Continuity really helps you,” said CBS analyst Charley Casserly, a former general manager with Washington and Houston. “The front office and scouting staffs grow over a period of years and get in tune with the coaching staff. Not every year is going to be perfect, but the longer you can stay together the better you get.”

For the Dolphins, the lack of stability has been most evident in the draft. Miami has only four players left from the 2003-07 drafts, including punter Brandon Fields, a seventh-round pick in 2007. The others are safety Yeremiah Bell (’03), guard Vernon Carey (’04) and nose tackle Paul Soliai (’07).

GM Rick Spielman oversaw the 2004 draft, Spielman and Nick Saban 2005 and ’06 and Randy Mueller and Cam Cameron 2007. The players in those drafts are now typically 26-30 years old, in the prime of their careers. Of the 10 players picked in the first three rounds, only Carey, a first-rounder, remains.

“It’s tough, because the draft is the window you build your team around,” said Casserly, who selected five future Pro Bowlers in his 2002-06 stint in Houston.

Miami’s misses have been all over the board. Saban whiffed on cornerback Jason Allen in the first round in 2006, prompting Jeff Ireland to take Vontae Davis and Sean Smith three years later. Cameron missed on Ted Ginn Jr. in 2007, which led to the trade for Brandon Marshall in 2010. Ireland’s decision to pass on Matt Ryan in 2008 has left the quarterback situation muddled.

“When you miss the repercussions are huge, not only because you’ve wasted resources on a player who doesn’t perform for you but now you have to waste additional resources trying to fill that void,” said CBS analyst Brian Billick, who coached Baltimore to a Super Bowl title in 2000.

Billick’s Ravens had a string of first-round hits that have propelled them to seven playoff appearances in 11 years, including Ray Lewis (1996), Peter Boulware (1997), Jamal Lewis (2000), Todd Heap (2001) and Ed Reed (2002).

But the Ravens also consistently missed at wide receiver and, prior to drafting Joe Flacco in 2008, quarterback.

“That has a cascading effect if it happens at a lot of positions,” Billick said. “During the week you try to convince your players that every minute they don’t spend getting ready for an opponent they’re hurting themselves. Well, spending time and resources filling holes has the same effect on a franchise.”

Experts point to last year’s Super Bowl teams, Green Bay and Pittsburgh, as the modern gold standard of consistency in management.

Pittsburgh has had only three coaches since 1969, when Chuck Noll took over, and has followed the same drafting model.

Green Bay’s scouting staff has barely changed for decades and Ted Thompson, who interviewed with Wayne Huizenga for Miami’s GM job in 2004, has followed the model set up by Ron Wolf since Thompson returned to the Packers in 2005.

For more than two decades, no franchise had a more consistent philosophy than the San Francisco 49ers, who went from coach Bill Walsh (1979-88) to George Seifert (1989-96) to Steve Mariucci (1997-2002).

“We all ran the West Coast offense and a 4-3 defense, and we had (assistants) like Mike Holmgren and Mike Shanahan coming through to add their own flavor,” said Mariucci, now an analyst with the NFL Network. “Bill McPherson was the (defensive) line coach for all three of us, and John McVay was in the front office for all three. It was going so good it, was silly to even think about changing it.

“When I got there I said I’m going to do things my way but keep 85 percent of it the same, and maybe 15 percent would be my way. One day I talked about adding a wrinkle in the offense and Steve Young stopped me and said, ‘Coach, you’re going over the 15 percent.’”

The Dolphins of the last decade are far removed from that model. Huizenga hoped he had the answer in December 2007 when he brought in Bill Parcells, who subsequently hired Ireland as his GM and Tony Sparano as his coach. In their first major decision five months later, the trio opted to take left tackle Jake Long with the No. 1 pick over Matt Ryan, then got Chad Henne 56 picks later, in the second round.

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

MIAMI GARDENS — If the Dolphins keep it up, the Red Zone Channel might start switching to other programming when Miami gets inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

The network that was created to showcase the game’s most exciting plays hasn’t had much to work with through the first two games by Miami, which has only three touchdowns and two field goals to show for its 10 trips inside the 20-yard line this season.

“Our team depends on us scoring points in that area,” tight end Anthony Fasano said after the shortcomings proved crucial in a 23-13 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. “It’s one of our biggest problems as a team, and definitely as an offense.”

How bad is it? Carolina was the worst team in the red zone last year and still converted two-thirds of its chances (22 of 33) into at least a field goal. While Miami was a middle-of-the-pack 15th in scoring touchdowns at 52.9 percent (18 of 34), the Dolphins were third in getting a score at 91.2 percent (31 of 34). Miami’s numbers are now 30 and 50 percent, respectively.

“You’ve got to punch it in,” running back Reggie Bush said. “If anything, you get creative in the red zone. It’s not a time to limit plays at all.

“I know (offensive coordinator Brian) Daboll is calling the right plays for us and we’ve just got to make plays. The last two games have come down to the visitors making more plays than us.”

Two of Miami’s four forays into the red zone Sunday ended with no points as the usually reliable Dan Carpenter missed two field goals; one was blocked and the other went wide left.

“It hurts a lot to go down there and come away with nothing,” guard Vernon Carey admitted. “We moved the ball up and down the field in the first half, and to come away with nothing, it hurts. It’ll deflate you.”

A quick review of Miami’s four trips inside Houston’s 20 on Sunday:

- Miami trailed 13-3 early in the second quarter after Houston picked off a Chad Henne pass deep in his own end and quickly scored a touchdown. But Miami then went from its own 20 to Houston’s 20 in eight plays, then to a second-and-goal at the Texans’ 6.

A short pass to Davone Bess gained 1 yard, and Henne, throwing on the run, missed Brian Hartline in the back of the end zone.

Carpenter’s 22-yard field-goal attempt was blocked by J.J. Watts.

- A 41-yard pass-interference call on Miami’s next possession helped the Dolphins march from their 26 to a third-and-5 at Houston’s 16. But Henne’s pass for Bess was off the mark, and this time Carpenter pulled his 34-yard attempt wide.

- Down 16-3 after Neil Rackers hit his third field goal on the final play of the half, Miami used the no-huddle offense to keep the Texans off balance and march from its own 38 to a first down at the Texans’ 12. This time Henne, seeing Brandon Marshall covered by ex-Dolphin defensive back Jason Allen, hit Marshall for the score to make it 16-10.

“I gave him a signal, and he did the rest,” Henne said. “He did a great job of powering through.”

- Once again using the no-huddle and shotgun, Henne used eight plays capped by a brilliant 25-yard sideline catch by Hartline to get in scoring territory early in the fourth quarter with a first down at the 16. Henne missed Bess and then Marshall twice, with Allen almost coming down with an interception on the first bad throw. Miami settled for a 34-yard field goal that cut Houston’s lead to 16-13.

“We’ve got to execute better,” Henne said. “Teams are going to bring pressure, (and) if they’re going to drop in zone, we’ve got to keep working our feet.”

Added Fasano: “It’s a condensed field, but we have a part of our offense that’s able to handle that. We’re just not executing it right now.”

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Updated: 8:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, 2011

Posted: 11:59 a.m. Friday, Sept. 9, 2011

DAVIE — Jared Odrick’s coaches and teammates keep telling him to keep it down.

“Just ask this guy right here,” the second-year defensive lineman says as Brandon Marshall, the Dolphins’ leading receiver, passes Odrick’s locker stall. “Man, they all keep asking me, ‘Why are you so angry? Why are you so mad? Why don’t you just stop yelling?’ “

Odrick shakes his head.

“And I’m like, ‘No, man, I’m not going to stop yelling. Because it can be taken that quick from you.’ “

How quick?

Quick as one tackle.

Quicker than three quarters.

It was just after halftime of his NFL debut last September when Odrick, a first-round pick, suffered a hairline fracture to his right fibula. That was the last action he would see; he broke his left foot in practice a month later.

That’s why he can’t wait for Monday night.

He’s hardly the only anxious Dolphin.

Reggie Bush and Chad Henne have a chance to disprove doubters, about whether one is worthy of more work and the other of greater faith. Mike Pouncey, Daniel Thomas and Clyde Gates have a chance to fulfill lifelong dreams simply by stepping on an NFL field.

Newcomers such as Kevin Burnett and Jason Trusnik have a chance to show how much they can help.

“You want to be counted on from your teammates, and your coaches, that they can trust you when you’re out there doing your job,” says Trusnik, a linebacker and special-teamer.

Jason Taylor, Marc Colombo and Vernon Carey have a chance to show they have something left.

“That’s what I’m going to do,” says Carey, who moved to right guard with Colombo taking over at right tackle. “That’s all I can do, play hard, to show people I still got it.”

Then there’s Sean Smith, who can show how much he’s grown.

He started all 16 games at cornerback as a rookie in 2009, and figured to do the same in 2010. But when the season opened in Buffalo, Smith wasn’t on the field. He wasn’t even in uniform. He’d been benched for Jason Allen, and wouldn’t supplant Allen until mid-season.

“I haven’t felt that feeling my whole life,” Smith says. “It was hard, but at the same time, it was all my fault. I put myself in that position. I had no one to blame but myself.”

What was he doing?

“Just small things,” Smith says. “Put it like this: if I was working in a normal 9-to-5, I would have been fired a long time ago.

“I’m not going get into the specifics, but there just a few things mentally I was doing, that I would have been fired in any other job. The coaches and the other players were trying to get to me, saying that even though it’s football, this is still my job, and it can be gone in a second, you can be on the streets trying to find a place to work.

“I had to learn the hard way, but I’m fortunate enough that I went through it, I learned from it, and I’m ready to move on. I don’t ever plan on going back.”

Except when he needs a reminder to stay serious.

“So coming into this season, I’m hungry, I’m focused, I can’t get wait to get out there and be the kind of player I know I can be,” Smith says.

Odrick plans to start being the player the Dolphins believed they drafted, after a lost season that was a struggle physically, mentally, emotionally. He attended just one road game, and wasn’t a regular at the stadium.

“What, I’m going to go to home games and sit there in the stands, with a broken foot and a fractured leg?” Odrick says. “So I’d stay at home. It was tough to watch when you’re home with both feet up.”

He’s been through this before, injured as a sophomore starter at Penn State, winning the Big Ten defensive player of the year award as a senior.

“I know what I have to do to come back and be a top-notch player,” Odrick says.

With that in mind, his intensity can be overwhelming.

“I want to make sure everything is going in the direction I need it to go, that I want it to go,” he says. “Some people say I am a bit over-fanatical about it, when people are criticizing me, when I am criticizing them. I keep telling them I don’t know any other way, I really don’t, other than to be very passionate about doing my job.”

His job now is to make people remember his name, following a forgettable debut.

“Shoot, forget about me or underestimate me,” he says. “Make that mistake.”

Make no mistake, he’s among the many who can’t wait until Monday.