Passing on Kendall a vote of confidence in Miami

By Adam Best  |   Friday, August 24, 2007  |  Comments( 14 )

Miami Dolphins
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After weeks of speculation that former disgruntled New York Jets guard Pete Kendell would be traded to the Miami Dolphins, Kendall was instead shipped to the Redskins for a fourth-round pick Thursday.

Some fans and pundits will see the Dolphins' decision to not ante up a second-day draft pick for Kendall as a huge mistake.

Others will pinpoint the Dolphins' valuing draft choices way too much to keep handing picks out like cheap Halloween candy as the reason Kendall to Miami didn't materialize, and that the best move was no move at all.

Then you'll have the people who will suggest that the AFC East division rivalry between the Dolphins and Jets complicated matters, and ultimately was the reason a deal didn't get completed.

Not that any of those theories are completely wrong, but I have a theory of my own about what was behind the fruitless Kendall negotiations, and it conflicts with all three of the theories above.

Maybe, just maybe, coach Cam Cameron and general manager Randy Mueller are satisfied with the talent the Dolphins already have at the guard position -- Chris Liwienski, Drew Mormino and Rex Hadnot. Perhaps not acquiring Kendall was a vote of confidence for those three.

Local writers like The Miami Herald's Armando Salguero suggest that the Dolphins "will scour the waiver wire in the next two weeks" for an interior offensive lineman. However, hasn't the team had the entire offseason and three quarters of the preseason to do that? Many decent guard prospects will be cut during the next week or two, for sure, but what's wrong with suggesting that the Dolphins are content with just standing pat with the three capable guards on the roster?

It was evident during the Kansas City game last week that the offensive line has improved. The Chiefs have a vastly improved defensive line (as evidenced by the multiple goal-line stands the unit came up with last night against the high-powered New Orleans Saints) and a fast, talented linebacking corps. Nonetheless, the Dolphins' O-line opened up some holes for Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman, while doing a pretty good job of protecting both Trent Green and Cleo Lemon from pass rushers.

Sure, some of that success can be attributed to the standout blocking of rookie center Samson Satele, but all three guards had some encouraging play, too.

There might be a journeyman guard out there during the next two weeks who's slightly better than Hadnot or Liwienski. The problem is that the player will cost money, and he also won't know the offense nearly as well as his competition by opening day. The Dolphins aren't likely to find a better guard prospect than Mormino out there at this point in the summer.

That being said, maybe the team wants to play Mormino and live through his growing pains. Maybe that's why Kendall or another guard hasn't been brought in.

It's difficult for both the fans and media to be patient when the season is under two weeks away. From Cameron's perspective, perhaps taking the road less traveled and exercising some patience and starting Mormino -- and sticking with him, too -- is the best long-term solution for the Dolphins. After all, Steve Hutchinson isn't going to miraculously appear on waivers.
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