In case you haven't heard, the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins are in very substantial talks in a long discussed trade, to send QB Trent Green to Miami. Everywhere I look, on forums, comments, emails, you name it, the general feeling is WHY!??!
Why would Miami surrender a draft pick for a 37 year old QB, when they haven't had a reliable starting QB since Dan Marino retired.
The answer to this is SO SIMPLE please let me try to explain!
Last year we traded a 2nd round draft pick for Daunte Culpepper. Nick Saban made this trade, not Cameron, so really Cameron owes nothing. After the training camp Miami just had this past weekend, Culpepper could not even RIDE A BIKE! Think about that for the second. If you were the coach, and your player's knee (who arguably plays one of the most important positions) was so bad that he had to use a stationary bike and couldn't play in any of the mini camps, do you think the coach would have confidence that you'll recover in two short months? Let alone learn a new offense on the field by the time the regular season opens.
The short answer is 'no', and Cameron knows it. Why Trent Green? Who else is available? We could have went after David Carr (who's to say we didn't) but then you have the argument that you're getting someone else's castoffs. Jimmy Johnson has always said, NEVER trade or pick up other teams castoffs to try to build around. It simply doesn't work. Frankly no one knows how good David Carr is because he played for such a horrible team, still he is very unproven.
Trent Green is a pro-bowler, thrown for 3000 and 4000 yards many many a times in his career and is very smart, reads defenses well and most importantly is the PERFECT mentor. He also knows Cameron's system and is very familiar with QB coach Terry Shea from his days in KC. Do you want Daunte teaching a rookie QB, when the guy can not even get on the field himself? Trent Green is a stop gap, he'll start this year and if Miami is close to the playoffs he'll play the entire year. Next year (or the year after, whenever he's ready) the new QB we draft, whether its Quinn, Stanton, Edwards, Russell or whoever Cameron likes the most, they'll ACTUALLY be ready to go. They'll have a smart, older vet to show them the ropes.
Why everyone thinks "Trent Green is the be all and end all" of the dolphins blows my mind. It's not like they'll give in to the Chiefs and trade a 2nd rounder... I figure they'll settle on a 4th rounder but whatever they decide to do I'd rather have a healthy Trent Green grooming my QB and running the offense than a injured Culpepper, who might I add will make about 6.8 million this year (5.5 in salary, 1.3 in bonus money IIRC). I realize Green missed a lot of games last year due to a concussion, but this kind of injury is no where near what Culpepper sustained. Trent green injury history apart from that is pretty spectacular in recent years.
All my two cents on the matter of course, I would love to hear what other people think of the trade after seeing the other side of it (and hopefully what Dolphins management are thinking too). I really have faith in Cameron and has ability to change around this team. We are going in the right direction, just be patient (Raise your hand if you said this when Saban was hired as I may have). :)
Take care, and until next time!