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Tuesday, April 20, 2010 – Daily News – 3B Draft dilemma: Pick for need or take best By OMAR KELLY Sun Sentinel (MCT) A marriage can't sur- vive without compro- mise and loads of give and take. NFL teams are the same way. In the weeks leading up the NFL Draft, and especially on the three days teams make their selections this week, most coaching staffs and scouting departments will have many dis- agreements. There are usually two camps debating — and sometimes arguing — about the best way to build a team during draft meetings. "Coaches think about immediacy. General managers and scouting departments are looking long term," Dallas Cow- boys coach Wade Phillips said. "Coaches don't look long term because long term can get you fired. There's always a pull back and forth, but it comes down to what's best for the football team, now or later." The coaches, who are responsible for develop- ing talent and winning on Sundays, usually want to address position needs because their job security is at stake. By that line of thinking, the Miami Dolphins should make selecting a nose tackle, pass-rushing linebacker and free safe- ty their highest priori- ties. Executives and their scouts, who are respon- sible for building the 24 HOUR TOWING Removal. Large Selection Of Impound Autos For Sale Lockouts - Recovery Long Distance Tows All Insurance Welcome Se Habla Expañol FLATBED SERVICE AVAILABLE AAND A TOWING 1775 Airport Blvd., #B Red Bluff 529-3595• Corning 824-8869 Lic.#372081 RELIABLE SERVICE Junk Cars, Trucks & RV FAST two philosophies — need-based and best player available — is a difficult balancing act. "It's best to evaluate players on their merit," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "But if you already have a quarter- back and you need a running back, does it make any sense to stack the quarterback above the running back if they have similar grades." That's why Smith hints that subconscious- ly, whether an organiza- tion intends to or not, their board is usually slanted by needs. By some might dis- agree. MCT photo Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips shows his frustration late in the fourth quarter against the Minessota Vikings in an NFC Divisional Playoff game. The Vikings defeated the Cowboys, 34-3, at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn., Jan. 17. team's talent base, are usually thinking long term, fortifying the foundation by drafting the best player available and thinking two to three years ahead. In this deep draft that approach might mean the Dolphins will be adding more corner- backs, offensive and defense linemen, which are not areas of immedi- ate needs. Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland says it's never a bad strategy to supplement ALSCO, INC. Since 1948 535 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff (530) 527-4001 • PVC PIPE & FITTINGS • LAWN AND GARDEN SUPPLIES • DESIGN & INSTALLATION ON ALL SHAPES & SIZES OF IRRIGATION PROJECTS • AGRICULTURE & DOMESTIC PUMPS Clint Heiber & Russ Harman owners Lic#381307 8am-12pm Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm Sat. April 30 - May 1 & 2 an area of strength. But Ireland also says under- standing each team's holes allows him to fore- cast picks, just like read- ing a poker player's telling traits. "I certainly think you need to really study your needs in the draft (and) what other teams' needs are picking in front of you. I think you need to know the teams that are directly behind you as well. And so I do spend some time with that," Ireland said. "I have spent a lot of attention to it, especially four or five days (before the draft) until the end of the draft so we know what our competition is doing." Most NFL teams believe the best way is an approach that encom- passes both strategies. But a marriage of those PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT ✓ ❏Re-Elect GREGG COHEN TEHAMA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY "I don't know any- body that puts the draft board together based on need. The draft board is always based on talent," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "Now draft day is a different story." On draft day, game plans often change for various reasons, such as when teams realize there is an early run on a posi- tion. It's those instances — the selection of eight offensive tackles in the first-round of the 2008 draft and six safeties being taken in the sec- ond round of last year's draft — often trigger desperation. Barber Shop $ Cheers 600 Senior Cuts Open 6 days 9-6 570-2304 259 S. Main St. Tractor Supply Center That can lead to draft- room panic, and panic often leads to mistakes. For non-playoff teams, especially those selecting early in the draft, Schwartz said tak- ing the "best available player" is a luxury most franchises on shaky ground can't afford. For instance, why would Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio, whose job security with Jaguars isn't firm, draft Florida's Tim Tebow, a quarterback who needs time to develop, when Del Rio knows he could be fired if he doesn't win in 2010? "Other teams are at different places. Maybe you're a playoff team that lost a key free agent and you need to fill that spot. Sometimes they overlook talent at anoth- er spot to do it," Schwartz said. "If you're drafting in the 20s and 30s you usually don't have pressing needs, so you take players you like. "I hope we're at a point one day where no matter who we pick, we're saying they aren't going to start." But not every fran- chise can afford such a luxury or has the disci- pline and patience required to draft that way. 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