<snipped from Fins Q&A>
On six out of the nine drafted players being linemen: “I know you know (Bill) Parcells and his history. I’m kind of the same way. We feel like one of the first things you have to do is build the offensive line and defensive line. We weren’t targeting those players, but they did fall to us. They also met a need. We like big guys who can play that are good character guys. They have great motors. All these kids we picked today fit that type.”
On what a defensive end in a 3-4 has to be able to do: “In a 3-4 defense you have to be able to two-gap because he’s lining up head up on the tackle, so he has to be able to two-gap the guard and the tackle or the tackle and the tight end. He has to be able to knock that tackle up the field if it’s a run. He has to be able to transition versus run and pass. More importantly, he just has to be able to hold his ground. You can’t get knocked off the ball. You can’t get lost inside. You hope that if you go in a nickel situation that he can slide out or slide in and be a pressure player from the inside or the outside.”
On how long it takes to judge a draft: “You guys judge it on how quickly these guys get on the field. That’s how you guys judge it, or at least it seems like it, or how you have them in your top 100 or whatever. I judge it probably in three years. You have to judge them in three years and how they contributed to your roster and how well they are playing. I think there are a lot of different variables of how you can judge. I judge them based on three years.”
On how the needs of the team he was working for changed when he came to the Dolphins from the Cowboys: “I think the needs changed drastically. Dallas is in a very good position. I think we left Dallas with them having a very good core of offensive and defensive linemen, for sure. I think the core of this team is not as strong as it was in Dallas. I haven’t studied Dallas’ draft, but I think they went with more skill position players, where we went with more offensive and defensive linemen.”
On if he recalls the last draft he was part of with so few skill players: “I think one of my first drafts with Bill was where we took (DeMarcus) Ware, (Kevin) Burnett, (Chris) Canty, Jay Ratliff, (Marcus) Spears – I think the only specialist that year was a running back, a guy by the name of (Marion) Barber. It’s fairly routine to be honest with you. We took two backs here.”
On if the blueprint is to build the lines: “I don’t know if it a blueprint, but I think it’s important. I think it is very iimportant that you have an offensive line and a defensive line developing together.”
On if either of the running backs chosen today remind him of Marion Barber: “I know both the kids have great character, which Marion has fantastic character – work ethic. Both kids have good work ethic. From an intangible standpoint I think there are some similarities. What Marion was able to do immediately was find his niche and what he was going to be in the National Football League. He knew he was not going to dodge them all, he knew he was not going to outrun them all so he thought he would just run through a couple of people. These kids are going to be the same way. They are going to have to find their niche of what they are going to be in the National Football League. That is good advice for these kids to find out what they are going to be and run with it.
The other thing Marion did was he learned how to be a professional from day one. He was professional from day one when he walked in the door and he never acted anything to the contrary.”
On what he is looking for in the rookie mini-camp: “I think it is important that these guys compete and have a good first impression.
I go back to the way Marion (Barber) was – act like professionals. This is a job now. They are under the microscope. We are looking at them every single way. We go back, we study their videotape over and over and over. You can’t loaf, you can’t make mental errors so you have to come in working hard, giving everything you got because the microscope is on them and we are looking for tough, smart, disciplined football players.”
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