Jake Long #1 Overall Pick

[Packers_Finland]

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story;jses...0d5d807e7335&template=with-video&confirm=true

 

[pack_in_black]

Crazy. Guess it's not a smokescreen, after all.

Here's the ESPN link.

And the article:

The Miami Dolphins have signed Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long to a multiyear contract and will select him with the No. 1 overall pick in Saturday's draft.

The contract is for five years and $57.75 million, with $30 million guaranteed.

The Dolphins were interested in trading the top pick, but no suitors surfaced -- so they decided to sign Long and avoid a possible holdout. Last year's top pick, JaMarcus Russell, missed all of training camp before signing a $61 million contract with the Oakland Raiders.

Despite speculation that Dolphins vice president of football operations Bill Parcells really had planned to select Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston or Virginia defensive end Chris Long, sources told ESPN's Michael Smith that since the Dolphins opened negotiations with Jake Long they were talking to him exclusively.

Long, a 6-foot-7, 313-pound senior who moved to left tackle in 2006 and started his final 26 games, was an All-America selection and Big Ten lineman of the year in each of his past two seasons.


Hashmarks

The intrigue for the No. 1 selection is gone now but there is plenty of it left for the high picks that follow, Mike Sando writes. Hashmarks
• Sando: Long to start at left tackle

The new Miami regime led by Parcells began negotiations last week with Long's agent, Tom Condon. Offensive line is considered the biggest need for the Dolphins, who went 1-15 last year, and new Miami coach Tony Sparano coached the offensive line with the Dallas Cowboys.

Miami made Long the first offensive lineman taken No. 1 in more than a decade and the fifth in league history. The St. Louis Rams took Ohio State tackle Orlando Pace first overall in 1997.

"We had him at the top of our board for a long time," Miami general manager Jeff Ireland said at a news conference in Davie, Fla.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

And for less $$ than last year's #1. Parcells is a genius.

 

[Packers_Finland]

I don't see how it's crazy. OT was clearly their biggest need.

 

[pack_in_black]

Just crazy that he's already signed on the Tuesday before the draft, and that he signed for less than last year's #1 overall, who sat out all of TC. The way it's gone so smoothly demonstrates that Parcells' style and Al Davis' are worlds apart.

 

[Pack93z]

A total shocker that they chose probably the safest pick in the draft and arguably one of the cornerstone positions on any given championship teams.

It didn't hurt that the tuna used a little contract leverage in getting him signed, sealed and delivered before the draft even begun. Not a bad choice on Long's part either to gather that kind of guaranteed money either.. works well for both sides.

 

[pack_in_black]

Ok. It was crazy to me. I figured with all the deception and misdirection GM's use for the draft these days, everything would be done late the night before if it was done at all before the actual draft. Personally, I was surprised. Jeez, plenty of guys smarter than me around here, I guess... j/k :lol:

 

[bozz_2006]

less money. 2 million less guaranteed than Russell got, and i think 3.5 million less total. BUT it's a 5 year deal and Russell signed a 6 year deal, so...

 

[gopackgo]

Ok. It was crazy to me. I figured with all the deception and misdirection GM's use for the draft these days, everything would be done late the night before if it was done at all before the actual draft. Personally, I was surprised. Jeez, plenty of guys smarter than me around here, I guess... j/k :lol:

I think it would have been if Parcells hadn't been the GM.

 

[bozz_2006]

Tuna is the "Executive Vice President of Football Operations". Jeff Ireland is the General Manager. What's the difference? I don't know.

 

[tromadz]

Ok. It was crazy to me. I figured with all the deception and misdirection GM's use for the draft these days, everything would be done late the night before if it was done at all before the actual draft. Personally, I was surprised. Jeez, plenty of guys smarter than me around here, I guess... j/k :lol:

They have the 1st pick. Who are they gonna trick or deceive? Themselves?

You know what would be funny, if whoever had the 2nd pick signed\picked someone before the draft as well. The NFL Draft starts with pick #5. lol.

 

[TheKanataThrilla]

I wonder if Miami will take their 15 minutes just to be ******?

 

[bozz_2006]

I wonder if Miami will take their 15 minutes just to be ******?

10 minutes

 

[TheKanataThrilla]

I wonder if Miami will take their 15 minutes just to be ******?

10 minutes

Thanks bozz, I missed that rule change.

 

[pack_in_black]

Ok. It was crazy to me. I figured with all the deception and misdirection GM's use for the draft these days, everything would be done late the night before if it was done at all before the actual draft. Personally, I was surprised. Jeez, plenty of guys smarter than me around here, I guess... j/k :lol:

They have the 1st pick. Who are they gonna trick or deceive? Themselves?

You know what would be funny, if whoever had the 2nd pick signed\picked someone before the draft as well. The NFL Draft starts with pick #5. lol.

I never understood why, either. But teams picking 1st still always waited alot longer to finalize this stuff than the Tuesday before.

I swear I'm not crazy here. I saw on ESPN last night that the Rams asked permission to start negotiations with their #2 pick, and the NFL Competition Comittee denied them because they didn't know what to do in this situation, as no one has wrapped up a contract for the #1 this early in draft week.

 

[bozz_2006]

Tuna wants to show that he runs a tight ship. That's fine. don't blame him. he's trying to change the perception of how the Dolphins organization operates.

 

[TheKanataThrilla]

Ok. It was crazy to me. I figured with all the deception and misdirection GM's use for the draft these days, everything would be done late the night before if it was done at all before the actual draft. Personally, I was surprised. Jeez, plenty of guys smarter than me around here, I guess... j/k :lol:

They have the 1st pick. Who are they gonna trick or deceive? Themselves?

You know what would be funny, if whoever had the 2nd pick signed\picked someone before the draft as well. The NFL Draft starts with pick #5. lol.

I never understood why, either. But teams picking 1st still always waited alot longer to finalize this stuff than the Tuesday before.

I swear I'm not crazy here. I saw on ESPN last night that the Rams asked permission to start negotiations with their #2 pick, and the NFL Competition Comittee denied them because they didn't know what to do in this situation, as no one has wrapped up a contract for the #1 this early in draft week.

That seems pretty unfair for the to deny the Rams the right to negotiate. As many of these picks are based on the ability to get a deal done, and the best deal possible under their cap, why shouldn't the Rams be given the opportunity to see who would give them the best bargain considering we all know who is going #1?

 

[bozz_2006]

Ok. It was crazy to me. I figured with all the deception and misdirection GM's use for the draft these days, everything would be done late the night before if it was done at all before the actual draft. Personally, I was surprised. Jeez, plenty of guys smarter than me around here, I guess... j/k :lol:

They have the 1st pick. Who are they gonna trick or deceive? Themselves?

You know what would be funny, if whoever had the 2nd pick signed\picked someone before the draft as well. The NFL Draft starts with pick #5. lol.

I never understood why, either. But teams picking 1st still always waited alot longer to finalize this stuff than the Tuesday before.

I swear I'm not crazy here. I saw on ESPN last night that the Rams asked permission to start negotiations with their #2 pick, and the NFL Competition Comittee denied them because they didn't know what to do in this situation, as no one has wrapped up a contract for the #1 this early in draft week.

That seems pretty unfair for the to deny the Rams the right to negotiate. As many of these picks are based on the ability to get a deal done, and the best deal possible under their cap, why shouldn't the Rams be given the opportunity to see who would give them the best bargain considering we all know who is going #1?

it's because there isn't actually a rule that would allow it. not that there is a specific rule denying it. From what i've heard, the NFL is trying to get something worked out that would allow the Rams to negotiate, but they will have to be able to get creative with the collective bargaining agreement

 

[pack_in_black]

Evidently, the NFL CC told them they'd have a finalized answer w/in 24 hours of yesterday afternoon, so we should see pretty soon.

I think the Rams are interested in trading out, though, so I wonder if they'll even put much effort into it.

 

[TheKanataThrilla]

You're on a roll today bozz. I can see the collective bargaining issue, but why then should Miami be allowed to negotiate prior to the draft? The rules seem odd. Then again as PiB has mentioned this is the first time someone signed this early from what I recall. Normally you hear about the signing on Friday night.

 

[bozz_2006]

the rules do seem odd. i think it's weird that you can even talk contract with a guy before the draft, let alone sign one.

 

[porky88]

Ok. It was crazy to me. I figured with all the deception and misdirection GM's use for the draft these days, everything would be done late the night before if it was done at all before the actual draft. Personally, I was surprised. Jeez, plenty of guys smarter than me around here, I guess... j/k :lol:

They have the 1st pick. Who are they gonna trick or deceive? Themselves?

You know what would be funny, if whoever had the 2nd pick signed\picked someone before the draft as well. The NFL Draft starts with pick #5. lol.

I never understood why, either. But teams picking 1st still always waited alot longer to finalize this stuff than the Tuesday before.

I swear I'm not crazy here. I saw on ESPN last night that the Rams asked permission to start negotiations with their #2 pick, and the NFL Competition Comittee denied them because they didn't know what to do in this situation, as no one has wrapped up a contract for the #1 this early in draft week.

That seems pretty unfair for the to deny the Rams the right to negotiate. As many of these picks are based on the ability to get a deal done, and the best deal possible under their cap, why shouldn't the Rams be given the opportunity to see who would give them the best bargain considering we all know who is going #1?

I thought that too at first but if the NFL let the Rams negotiate and they got a deal done then the Falcons are up and if they got a deal done then Oakland and so on. So it really takes a lot away from the NFL Draft. From that perspective, the NFL made the right call.

 

[Packnic]

I'm with you PIB I think this is pretty insane.


they just gave a guy with absolutely ZERO NFL experience the highest contract in the NFL for his position.

i know its the draft and thats how it works. but its still a huge gamble. this guy could be a total flake and they just paid him more than any other Tackle in the entire game of football on planet earth.

thats just insane to me. When you sign a QB for the same amount... its not that big of a deal because good QBs get way more money than any rookie could ever get. But to give a guy the biggest contract in his position... we're talking more money than Tausch and Clifton combined... and he has never played a snap of NFL football.

Long is getting 11 million a year (30 guarenteed)

You can literally pay for every single Offensive lineman on the Green Bay Packers (a team that went 13-3) and still have money left over with 11 million dollars.

Safe my ***.

 

[Pack93z]

This will be (** edit** "I think this will be ) addressed within the next CBA.. mark my words.

A rookie salary scale with sometype of policing enforced upon the franchises not to under spend but allowing the veteran that have earned the right to a larger pay day getting a larger chunk of the $$$.

With that in place.. it really won't matter whom a team selects first, their salary will be a fixed entity so to speak.

Those taking the burden off of franchises to tie up gross amounts of cabbage on unproven players comming in. And added bonus.. a slightly less of an incentive for the college players to turn pro a year early.. no striking it rich if someone reaches and picks you in the top 10 of a draft.