He was a good coach in the 80s and 90s but that doesn’t mean you know how to build a franchise.

During Ray Lewis’ 17-year time span the Ravens, including years such as 2008 and 2009, the Ravens have a combined 17 draft picks that range from Rounds 1 & 2. During the two specifically aforementioned years the Fins picked guys like Jake Long, Pat White, Chad Henne, Philip Merling, but only have six combined 1st and 2nd Round picks from 2008 till now.

In years such as 2005 the 49ers picked up Frank Gore while the Dolphins were excused by fans as having Ronnie Brown as the 2nd overall pick in a “bad draft.” Gore was a part of San Fran’s team in 2012, but Brown is now in San Diego.

His point is that those two teams went to the Super Bowl because their draft picks were good and date back to even earlier times. If your picks no longer stay with you you can’t go to the Super Bowl the way that the 49ers and Ravens did.

I agree with LeBatard.

Except, he forgets to point out how players like Jake Long, Sean Smith, Ronnie Brown, Vontae Davis, and even 3rd round picks and free agents like Kendall Langford, Karlos Dansby, and Kevin Burnett cannot just be let go because those players still help their teams. They’re not All-Pro guys or the most talented, but teams go to the Super Bowl when they have many players who do help.

If you let helpful players leave then you face greater risk of worsening because not all replacements are helpful. Teams struggle because they have too many unhelpful players or ones that make as many or more bad plays than good ones.

Those who make more good plays than bad are helpful.

Right now the Dolphins look as if they have stagnated or worsened because when they do not have players that are proven to help their team while subtracting or letting go of players who technically helped they will likely not improve.

In the NFL you set your bench mark with the players you had on your roster during the prior season. Now, they have too many subtractions to where they might repeat at 7-9 or be a 5-11 and 6-10 team because they subtracted and substituted the subtracted players instead of avoiding subtractions while adding more helpful players to fill roster holes and improve their recent flaws.

Things looked better with for Miami in 2012, but 2013 cannot be approached with that much optimism because the roster too different from 2012 to where you know what good the team can really do.

He already is head and shoulders over any QB has drafted since #13 retired; his athleticism and intangibles give many reasons for hope.

If Ryan’s the man, Mike Wallace and Brandon Gibson will prove worth the money, and Keller will earn himself a fat multi-year deal in FA next spring. Otherwise, it’s all for naught.

I think he will have a pretty decent year this year but the turf will take it’s toll, you will see a steady decline.

Good not great player anymore.

BP clearly was not Dolphin-safe Tuna.

That was the real turning point…for both franchises.

I still remember Henne’s bullet passes (near the end zone where a touch pass would have been more appropriate), Merling’s inability to make a play (except for that one interception return- against the Jets I think), Langford spending hours fruitlessly looking for a $50k earring on the practice ground and Jake being made to llok like a fool by Merriman and Freeney last year (their only good games of the year).

Good times . . .

Did the Falcons choose poorly when they picked Ryan and ignored Flacco? Flacco has a 54-26 record, has gone to the playoffs every year, won at least 1 playoff game each year and has earned a Lombardi and SB MVP trophy.