Phins News Exclusive: Cut Hickey some Slack
Many Phins fans including myself were expecting Hickey to trade out of the 19th pick after the top 4 tackles were selected, however Hickey stayed at 19 and slightly reached for RT Ja’Wuan James. A lot of sports gambling fans felt that Miami could have traded back a few spots, and still have drafted James. But in reality the draft can not be predicted, so if the Phins traded out of the 19th pick, there is no guarantee that James would have still been on the board. So phins fans can’t get too bent out of shape for Hickey drafting a player who is going to be a starting right tackle at our weakest position.
Then in the 2nd round Hickey decided to start wheeling and dealing. I know that while this stock market trading frenzy in the second round was going on, many Phins fans were getting frustrated and annoyed. Then when the Dolphins finally made the pick with the 63rd pick many dolphin fans were cursing the pick, and saying how we missed out on both running backs Bishop Sankey, and Carlos Hyde. For all you arm-chair GM’s it’s hard to say the Phins missed out on these players when more than likely Hickey and the Phins were not even targeting them. The Phins and every other team set up their draft board, and as players come off the board they either decide to move back because players they thought were going to be available came off the board earlier they they thought. Or they move ahead in the draft because they are getting the feeling that another team is going to draft their targeted player before them.
It’s pretty clear why Hickey traded back in the second round, when you look at who was selected in the 2nd round before they even had the chance to draft. Joel Bitonio who the Dolphins loved was selected third in the round, and Xavier Su’a-Filo another guard who they had interest in was selected first in the 2nd round. Other notable players that Miami had their eye on, that were selected before they were on the clock were: Marqise Lee, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Cyrus Kouandjio, Trent Murphy and Jace Amaro. Most of the Phin’s 2nd round prospects were taken before they even had a chance at drafting them. So instead Hickey decided to move back and gain some extra picks so he could give himself a better chance at finding some starters.
Then with the last pick in the 2nd round the Seahawks took an offensive tackle and then in the 3rd round Morgan Moses the offensive tackle who we were targeting was selected 2nd by the Redskins. So instead of waiting for their turn to draft Hickey felt that his preferred target, offensive lineman Billy Turner was not going to be available so he traded up to get him. So as much as all the Phins fans want to bash Hickey for not trading or trading too much, one thing that is getting overlooked is that Hickey and the Dolphins had certain players that they were targeting. When those players got drafted before the Phins had a chance to make a selection, then they decided to trade back. When he felt his targeted players were not going to be available when he had has chance to pick, he either traded up or stayed put like he did in the first round. Lastly this happens every year with the fans getting pissed at the GM because he didn’t draft the players that the fans wanted. Hate to let everyone down but the Dolphins are not participating in the draft to select players that the fans want, they are here to draft players that they want and think can best fit their game plan and style of play. No one will know how bad or good this draft is until it is fully completed, and at least 2-3 years have gone by to see who many starters have come from this draft.
there are a lot of views and opinions stated here today on the very real topic of Michael sam and the kiss. I too have an opinion but I am not so sure that either party has not stated/convinced me already. it is our right to freedom of speech unless that speech oversteps into harassment, I do not feel d.jones did that. however todays world has shifted from what a lot of us have grown up knowing or feeling. now that doesn’t make us right or wrong nor them.jus makes us indifferent.
is that enough to stop anyone from doing “them” im not so sure. but either way common ground must be found in order to live in harmony as civilized people. we deserve the right to speak freely without someone questioning our motive behind it or lack thereof, aswell as Michael has the right to be affectionate with whomever he decides to. #dealwithit
Don Jones made a mistake by his comments and quickly apologize.
The Miami Dolphins should not punished Don Jones for his interpretation. “What ever happens to just counseling and move on”.
What is Offensive is that the Dolphins should have just educated Mr. Jones in the World we now live in and that his comment was not politically correct. ” learn from it and move on”!
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All of US have to monitor what we say “except the MIS IN formed FOX NEWS”, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill o’reilly, Brain Damaged Karl Rove (they are poisoning their pigeons/viewers with Garbage journalism) They should be on the US terorist Watch list.
Watch Jon Stewart Tell Off Rush Limbaugh: #F*@KYOURUSH
The Huffington Post · 9 hours ago
Jon Stewart set Twitter on fire Monday night and into Tuesday morning with a message for Rush Limbaugh: h !
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We Dol-Fans have given the Miami Dolphins over a decade of forgiveness for only making one play off season. But allowed the Management to hang around and proved themselves.
Congratulation to Michael Sam and No offense to Michael Sam (But don’t kid yourself! You will be criticize! And if the Miami Dolphins feel that strongly about this how come they did not draft Michael Sam? , Congrats to all 2014 NFL Draftee’s.
Congratulation to GM Hickey and Coach Joe Philban for a Good/Safe drafting of their NO NAME DRAFT PLAYERS! MAY THEY ALL PROVE TO BE SUPER/PRO BOWL PLAYERS WITH THE MIAMI DOLPHINS AND MAKE US VERY PROUD.
The idea that someone like you would celebrate the suppression of anyone’s free speech because they don’t like the speech is appalling. The point of democracy is that people speak their minds, argue their positions and over time either come to consensus or agree to disagree. The idea of trying to win the argument by silencing the opposition by calling them names or intimidating their employers into suppressing their speech is utterly un-American. If the whole farce of sending Don Jones to a re-education camp to get his mind right with liberalism does not make you shudder, you are in the wrong country.
Only a bigoted closed minded idiot and probably a brainwashed non thinking gay hating christian would care about the kiss. If you feel that strongly about it its you that has the problem not the rest of us who couldnt care less who kisses or sleeps with who. Re the draft, i thought it was very poor and we will likely only get one full time starter this year from it in James. Landry will get some playing time too but the rest will be special teams. Paying a 3rd and 4th rounder for Turner was a very poor decision. Looking at what the Jets did i think we will be 3rd in the division at best. Well said Cheph by the way.
Oavery… Regrettably, this is a trend that has a head of steam and is going t be extremely difficult to slow. I’ll say to you the same thing I tell anyone who is dissatisfied and unhappy about the direction the USA is drifting. Do your homework and get out and vote for those candidates that best represent your beliefs. Less then 60% of the eligable voters in America did so in the last two presidential elections. Even fewer in midterms (which are coming up again in November)
Aside from voting,,, live what you preach. And teach your kids the values YOU WISH THEM TO HAVE. if you can, keep them as far from public schools as you can.
Now… As for the draft. Don’t look past Jordan Tripp. He is very fast. Very smart and has a nose for making plays on the ball I make it a policy to never compare a rookie with great veterans. But Tripp has the mentality and physical ability to make a huge contribution in his first year. He may be starting before you know it. Also, TE Arthur Lynch is a worker. I guess the easiest way to describe how he could make the team and put an end to the Egnew experiment is to say “Lynch can block AND catch” enough said. Miami also brought some good UFA talent in also. There is a good write up in the sun sentinel.
I think this draft was good. Try to keep one thing in mind. Miami had 10 positions that were in play TOPS. I’d say it was closer to 7. Most of these guys are trying to make the team on ST and as backups. The rest of the team is under contract and it is very expensive to cut guys with contracts. Caps get wrecked that way.
I agree that Lynch and Tripp are tough hard workers, Besides Aikens Hickey focused on high character players to help rebuild the culture in the Phins locker room
Re a far more important issue, The Kiss.
I for one am disgusted that the NFL would televise this. This during family programming on a network that is family exposed especially at that viewing time. I dont want to be shocked without warning, I had my kids watching the draft with me mainly so they could witness the athletes stories and their family stories of all the hard work and sacrifice it takes to make it. Then I have to expose them to the friggin KISS! F that.
And since when is our right to speech i.e. Don Jones punishable? He did nothing illegal. His comment via tweet is certainly just as much within his rights to express as that player has to act and be a perverted homosexual.
This country is in a mess when only one side has the moral authority to express itself.
Ross and the Fins are losing my financial patronage, least of which their actions with DJones is indicative of a festering dysfunction and failing morale across the entire industry.
This is a bad organization with some poor human beings at the top.
Personally I have no problem with gays or even gay kissing. I do have a problem with Gay-stapo groups like GLAAD who seek to intimidate and destroy anyone exercising their God-given free speech rights to say whatever they damn think about some event. The whole point of freedom of speech is to get all the viewpoints out there for the discussion. When the politically correct fascists insist that some viewpoints, ones that disagree with theirs, are not permissible then there is no discussion, no exchange of ideas and over time there is no democracy. The petty Gay-stapo groups attacking people who felt as phinfreak did are utterly reprehensible and are utterly alien to the democratic principles underlying America.
On another note – I was not thrilled with Miami’s draft – but I figure Hickey knows more about the needs and the players than I do so I will judge the draft by its outcome. As I see it GOOD = 3 starters, FAIR = 2 starters, POOR =1 or fewer starters and accompanying that GOOD = 5 players still playing on the team in 2 years, FAIR = 4 players still playing for the team in 2 years, Poor = 3 or fewer players still playing on the team in 2 years. I figure James as a starter. Landry could start but only if Gibson is injured. Turner is a project but may be a starter in a couple of years. The rest are special teams fodder and backups although I am hoping that one or two turn out to be pleasant surprises.
The free speech that you are referring to is not punishable by the government but is punishable when the company he works for decides what he spoke about hurts the company image. When you work for a corporation you have to abide by the rules stated either in your contract or the employee handbook. Which you sign when you are hired.
I find it funny that overall, the same people that argue that corporations are “people”, think that corporations should be permitted to do as they please in regard to everything from ignoring government regulations to donate unlimited funds to political parties. These people also believe that companies cannot discipline employees for conduct the company deems inappropriate.
You cannot have it both ways.
Most corporations today are not willing to lose sales/profits that could come from the LGBT community and those that support them. So, it all comes down to the all mighty dollar.
Lastly, I know its fun to “grade” the draft right after it happens. But, lets be honest. Did anyone grade the Patriots higher when Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round in 2000 draft? No, Lets wait at least a year or two before we hand out F grades.
PS – phinfreak, I don’t think the Phins care that they lost your financial patronage, They gained respect as a franchise/corporation that cares about how people are treated no matter their race/religion or sexual orientation. That should be reason enough to buy some Dolphins gear for most people. We know you wont, its OK.
Cheph – I agree that it is legally within the rights of corporations to prohibit their employees from becoming involved with public issues in situations where the corporation thinks the individuals will be perceived as corporate spokesmen and will compromise the company BUT I think that this is in general a corporate power best exercise minimally and that in this case the exercise of it represents a curiosity of power that can bite them big time. It should be exercised minimally since it is basically an unnecessary infringement on the rights of their employees to live their own lives as free citizens and creates a hostile work environment to anyone disagreeing with the corporate policies. Miami already has enough problems in this regards. More importantly the economic interest you refer to – the purchasing power of the fraction of the homosexual population who agree with the extremist Gay-stapo opinion is a fraction of an already small population (homosexuals are about 3% of the population). Kowtowing to the extremist Gay-stapo that is engaging in Anti-Christian bigotry on a daily basis risks the far more serious possibility of alienating the 73% of the population who are Christian. As I noted, personally I do not care one way or the other about whether people are gay or not. But I think that telling 73% of the population to shut up, that their opinions should not be stated in public, in order to kowtow to 3% of the population who are engaging in active efforts to suppress free speech is a short sighted approach. Right not it can work because the 73% who are Christian (and the additional percent of non-Christians who oppose the bullying of the Gay-stapo) are basically turning the other cheek and not boycotting the people like the Dolphins management who insist on insulting their view. But this is a foolish strategy. The more the extremist Gay-stapo pushes their agenda, the more people they alienate and the more inevitable the backlash. It is a far wiser path to just say, the Miami Dolphins do not comment on the private opinions of individual employees and align themselves with sustainable opinions based on longstanding American values.
PhinFreak, Welcome to 2014. I feel bad for you and children based on your closet minded approach to life. It’s probably already too late for you anyways but you are only hurting them.
Regarding Don Jones, when you work for a company (let alone one that pays you hundreds of thousands of dollars to play a sport) they have every right to control what you say when it directly affects that organization. If you don’t want to give your money to the Dolphins then so be it. I think you need to do some self inflection before you type another comment online.
The future in Miami is only getting brighter. Fins Up!
What is so ridiculous is that out of all the players in the league it had to be a Dolphin that tweeted a comment, and then of course Pouncy made that comment on tweeter about James buying gifts. It does not appear that the coaching staff has control of these players. If I were the coach or the GM I would ban everyone from these social media sites. Enough these guys are like children, they need discipline
So on one hand the Fins as a corporation care more about profits, but dont care about a fan who is disgusted with their ethics? Seems a bit contradictory doesnt it? Which should tell you everything particularly that their focus is not the average Joe fan…its corporate sponsorships, Hollywood stars, media relations ie tv revenue, and appealing to the liberal elites rather than the average joe and his family.
They wont care about losing my patronage, true, but I am blogging the hell out of them and find similar sentiments I hold broadly across the country, thank God!
People freaking out about “the kiss” amuse me. Get over it! It’s 2014. If it disgusts you, look away. No one cares about your homophobia any more. Or your whining. Or your freakin’ Bible for that matter. Shove that useless fiction up your ass, and shove the Koran and Torah with them.
Those comic books are responsible for millions of murders, not to mention the very kind of stupidity in phinfreaks remarks.
The draft, however, was solid. Great leaders with tons of experience at positions of need. Clearly Hickey and Philban are on the same page. Good to see! Solid B+ draft, which is not a A because I think that grade should only be reserved for “special” drafts, and sometimes that takes luck as much as anything.
If Zach Martin had slide 3 more picks and Hickey had not moved up for Turner but gotten him anyway…along with a play-maker with our 4th he surrendered (Ka’deem Carey was there), it would have been a solid A.
I’m not homophobic. My uncle is gay and has lived with his boyfriend since the 60s. I lived with that since I remember. It didn’t even ocur to me that there was something wrong there. Maybe because they’ve always given the appearance of straight men, as if they were just friends. This is acceptable for me. But we all have to understand that homosexuality is not normal, So don’t shove it in my face. I’m not going to say it’s OK because I they have no shame anymore or because now is 2014.
I agree wholeheartedly with you, Matthew. Bravo!!!
Why is it always “homophobia “? Why can’t someone just not like to men kissing on draft day. I’d be willing to bet you were on JoAnne, I mean Jonathin Martin’s side.
*two*