Good Draft Dolphins article

Commentary: Saban's simple strategy: No reaching in draft

By Greg Stoda

Palm Beach Post Columnist

Friday, April 14, 2006

DAVIE ? There are numbers from 0 to 9 indicating general rankings and ratings.

There are a whole bunch of letters ? "alerts" is what the boss calls 'em ? indicating specific proficiencies and deficiencies.

There are verticals and horizontals forming a chart listing players and positions.

There are categories and sub-categories for evaluations of everything an NFL team can think to evaluate, which, basically, means any behavior or athletic endeavor back to kindergarten is subject to scrutiny.

At least that's how Dolphins coach Nick Saban described the Miami prospect board Thursday afternoon at team headquarters, because no way is he going to let anybody without Top Secret Personal Beeswax clearance actually see the thing during these frantic hours leading to the NFL Draft the last two days of this month.

"We're still in the information-gathering stage," said Saban, who's embarking on his second season in charge. "People like to ask strategic questions about what we're going to do."

Long pause.

Which was his way of saying, "Don't bother."

But for as complicated as it all sounded, Saban's explanation of his overriding philosophy made everything seem very simple. He prefers to search for long-term value at any position rather than short-term satisfaction at a single position of need. It's all the better, of course, if value and need fulfillment happen to come in the same glorious package. But nobody's counting on such a confluence of factors arriving at Miami's 16th pick if, in fact, that's where the Dolphins stay.

No matter what happens, though, Saban isn't going to tip the balance on his risk vs. reward scale. That would be what's called reaching, and Saban simply won't do it.

He'll listen to his scouts and his assistants at meeting after meeting during the next couple of weeks, and he'll eventually put a we're-all-in-this-together stamp on every decision. In the end, however, Saban won't waver from his plan to take the player the Dolphins have deemed to be of greatest worth.

Because look how well that blueprint worked last year.

Confidence in research

It was easier then with Miami coming off a 4-12 season and holding the second pick in the draft. The selection of Ronnie Brown was a paint-by-numbers exercise.

Brown, indeed, turned out to be a dandy running back. But he isn't what made Saban's first Miami draft of Grade A variety. No. What gives Saban such confidence in his research lies in having found two other players ? linebacker Channing Crowder and cornerback Travis Daniels in the third and fourth rounds, respectively ? who became rookie starters last season.

Brown (Auburn), Crowder (Florida) and Daniels (LSU where he was coached by Saban) did all come from Southeastern Conference schools to form a Miami pipeline. Saban understands the more distanced he becomes from the SEC, the more his familiarity with its players "will begin to dry up."

But pardon him for not being overly concerned.

"I don't think we're considering a lot of changes," Saban said.

And the Dolphins also have what amounts to a pretty good jump on the draft what with quarterback Daunte Culpepper, acquired from Minnesota for this year's second-round pick, already at work. Saban, for the record, is "encouraged" by Culpepper's progress after a gruesome knee injury and subsequent surgery cut his Vikings' season in half last year.

When might Culpepper be ready to play?

"I don't know. He doesn't know. Nobody knows," Saban said.

Which is precisely what he would have said were Culpepper actually a second-round pick instead of a seven-year veteran.

Who needs Wunderlich?

Meanwhile, the Dolphins go about formulating their draft outline without placing much stock in Wunderlich results.

"I think standardized tests test standardized people," Saban said.

Which would seem to indicate the Dolphins, if inclined, could pursue a trade to move up in the draft in order to choose Texas quarterback Vince Young despite his reportedly low Wunderlich score. And wasn't that Young, who once upon a time attended Saban's camps, making a recent visit to the Miami facility?

"I've known him since he was 14 or 15 years old," Saban said.

Which is apropos of absolutely nothing, but does provide the compulsory pre-NFL Draft tease.

On that 0-to-9 scale? Figure the high end for the Dolphins to stay whatever course they set for a middle-of-the-food-chain selection in the opening round.

And if the comprehensive target is to find three more rookie starters, well, Saban already has all the proof he needs about such possibilities.

You can listen to Greg Stoda from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays and Fridays on ESPN Radio 760.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/cont...stoda_0414.html

I dont think it has been posted yet here