Why the Dolphins can afford to pass on Boldin and Burress

By Adam Sweeney  |   Monday, June 15, 2009  |  Comments( 2 )

Miami Dolphins
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Pennington drops back in the pocket, buys some time and launches the ball deep to Anquan Boldin. Boldin's at the 10, he's at the 5... touchdown, Dolphins!

It sounds good, doesn't it? Replace Boldin's name with that of Plaxico Burress and you could still get the same result. The Maddenesque fantasy isn't what is stopping the Miami Dolphins from making this scenario play out. It's what they'd have to give up, both in terms of chemistry and compensatory, that is.

A big-name receiver always sounds good to an offense, but the price you pay for the position with the highest diva-to-humility ratio isn't often worth it. You can't substitute desire and the Dolphins have plenty of players with that trait, which is why Miami is looking beyond Boldin and Burress.

We've discussed Boldin's current unhappiness in Arizona before. Boldin is a great player, but he's going to come at too high of a cost for a team that emphasizes the idea that no player is above the rest.

As for Burress and his legal troubles ... well, it's doubtful Bill Parcells wants to deal with that.

Dolphins rookies Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline may not have the skills of a Boldin or Burress, but they are cerebral players. Both have been applauded for their understanding that it is the mental, not physical, aspect of receiving that they must improve in order to reach the next level. Ted Ginn Jr., whom fans have been quick to judge, is looking like he could have a breakthrough season. Davone Bess is underrated and Greg Camarillo should be back from injury with a vengeance. So, how many receivers do the Dolphins need?

The Dolphins' offense is already designed to spread the ball around, which limits the need for a star wideout. The current scheme protects Chad Pennington, so it's OK to not have Randy Moss (though that would be a nice luxury).

But with the hungry receivers the Dolphins have right now, they're in a good spot.
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About Adam Sweeney

Adam Sweeney spent 4 years as an opinions and arts & entertainment columnist with the Lone Star Lutheran, also working with Sports Illustrated.com. Along with his work on Realfootball 365 he currently is a contributor for Film School Rejects, SLAM Online, Talkhoops.net, and C-Heads ...
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