On beginning Ginn’s and Fins’ future

By Os Davis  |   Wednesday, July 25, 2007  |  Comments( 20 )

Miami Dolphins
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Though probably not the worst high-round pick the Miami Dolphins ever made in the draft, Ted Ginn Jr. is certainly one of the least popular. The wide receiver is also the only draft choice to go unsigned by the 'Fins thus far, and rookie practice began yesterday.

Should Miami fans be concerned about the non-signing? After all, like it or not, Ginn, in tandem with just-inked second-round quarterback John Beck, is the Dolphins' future.

As teeth-gnashing, hair-pulling Miami fans know, Ginn is a bit of a mixed bag and more than a bit of a question mark. (Hey, there's got to be a few good reasons why the popularly perceived second-best receiver got by six teams before the Dolphins' stunning turn at No. 9 and could well have slid to No. 22 or 23 had Miami passed on him.)

The "upside" of his "electrifying" speed is counterbalanced -- and, for many NFL scouts, completely erased -- by his slight, 6-foot, 180-pound frame. Additionally, Ginn left his Ohio State Buckeyes a year early, perhaps a questionable decision.

Head coach Cam Cameron apparently wasn't willing to wait 'til next year, reportedly having discovered Ginn about eight years ago (!), when as University of Indiana coach, he "first saw the speedster as a 13-year-old when ... he made a recruiting visit to Glenville High School in Cleveland, where Ted Ginn Sr. coaches."

But if you're perchance not as sold as Cameron is and are just as baffled by the selection as on draft day (heck, this writer is), you have good reason. Aside from the whole personal-connections/skinny-dude stuff, the well-publicized plan is to break Ginn in on special teams.

Ah, special teams. One of the banes of Miami's existence in 2006 not beginning with "quarterback." After fielding one of the best units in the NFL in 2005, the Dolphins proved inept at best in returning kicks last season. Check out the excellent FootballOutsiders.com, which has the 2006 Dolphins dropping statistically from No. 4 to No. 21 in a season. Ginn is figured to start in place of the departed Wes Welker as top returner.

How nervous/angry/miffed/confused should Dolphins be about Ginn's non-appearance? (Jeez, even Trent Green was at rookie practice yesterday.) Well, the media's trying to keep cool anyway. Blogging after the practice session, Sun-Sentinel reporter Harvey Fialkov coolly asserted that Cameron "made it clear that he won't consider Ginn a holdout until Friday ... I expect Ginn to sign before Friday."

On the other hand, "every session [Ginn] misses gives another receiver a chance to squeeze him out of the receiver rotation. Cameron only seems concerned with Ginn's ability to return kicks anyhow."

Um, Mr. Ginn, isn't the future, like, now? If I were you, I'd report to camp...

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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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