Post by prossman on Jan 3, 2009 21:58:15 GMT -7
Miami Dolphins trade for Akin Ayodele and Anthony Fasano one sided
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BY JEFF DARLINGTON
jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com
When Dolphins tight end Joey Haynos found out Friday how little his team had to give up in a trade with the Cowboys to acquire linebacker Akin Ayodele and tight end Anthony Fasano, his reaction was pretty standard.
''A fourth-round pick?'' said Haynos, a puzzled look on his face. ``Why in the world would anyone give them up for that?''
In retrospect, it's easy to see why anyone might be surprised by this move. The Dolphins didn't just land one eventual starter -- they got two. Fasano leads the team in receiving touchdowns with seven, and Ayodele is third on the team with 74 tackles.
They have both been key reasons why Miami is headed to the playoffs, all while the team that traded them was eliminated.
''If I was getting traded anywhere else, I might have been bitter about it,'' said Ayodele when asked whether he was insulted by his market value. ``But because I was coming to a staff that I already knew, it made it a lot easier.''
Although the move might seem perplexing, it was clear to general manager Jeff Ireland and coach Tony Sparano that they'd scored a big one.
''We felt like we got one, yeah,'' Sparano said. ``I think at that point, we felt really good about the trade. We felt like we were bringing in two starters, and if you can get two starters for a fourth-round pick, you've got to feel pretty good about that.''
Further legitimizing what might be the most underrated personnel move of last year's NFL offseason, the Dolphins have continued to quietly make the deal look even more foolish on Dallas' part.
The Cowboys, who would end up trading that fourth-round pick for several other inconsequential picks, drafted linebacker Erik Walden with one of them. But Dallas eventually cut Walden -- only to have him be picked up on waivers by the Dolphins.
Yes, Walden now plays special teams in Miami.
Believe it or not, there's one more reason why the Dolphins look good: Miami actually obtained that fourth-round pick (the one used to acquire Fasano and Ayodele) by trading running back Lorenzo Booker to the Eagles.
Booker has carried seven times in the past 10 games.
So as if getting Fasano and Ayodele for a fourth-round pick wasn't already intriguing enough, the rest of the story only serves as icing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY JEFF DARLINGTON
jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com
When Dolphins tight end Joey Haynos found out Friday how little his team had to give up in a trade with the Cowboys to acquire linebacker Akin Ayodele and tight end Anthony Fasano, his reaction was pretty standard.
''A fourth-round pick?'' said Haynos, a puzzled look on his face. ``Why in the world would anyone give them up for that?''
In retrospect, it's easy to see why anyone might be surprised by this move. The Dolphins didn't just land one eventual starter -- they got two. Fasano leads the team in receiving touchdowns with seven, and Ayodele is third on the team with 74 tackles.
They have both been key reasons why Miami is headed to the playoffs, all while the team that traded them was eliminated.
''If I was getting traded anywhere else, I might have been bitter about it,'' said Ayodele when asked whether he was insulted by his market value. ``But because I was coming to a staff that I already knew, it made it a lot easier.''
Although the move might seem perplexing, it was clear to general manager Jeff Ireland and coach Tony Sparano that they'd scored a big one.
''We felt like we got one, yeah,'' Sparano said. ``I think at that point, we felt really good about the trade. We felt like we were bringing in two starters, and if you can get two starters for a fourth-round pick, you've got to feel pretty good about that.''
Further legitimizing what might be the most underrated personnel move of last year's NFL offseason, the Dolphins have continued to quietly make the deal look even more foolish on Dallas' part.
The Cowboys, who would end up trading that fourth-round pick for several other inconsequential picks, drafted linebacker Erik Walden with one of them. But Dallas eventually cut Walden -- only to have him be picked up on waivers by the Dolphins.
Yes, Walden now plays special teams in Miami.
Believe it or not, there's one more reason why the Dolphins look good: Miami actually obtained that fourth-round pick (the one used to acquire Fasano and Ayodele) by trading running back Lorenzo Booker to the Eagles.
Booker has carried seven times in the past 10 games.
So as if getting Fasano and Ayodele for a fourth-round pick wasn't already intriguing enough, the rest of the story only serves as icing.