Dolphins should take Ryan

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Truth is, it's probably not going to happen.Not with new team vice president Bill Parcells running the show for the Miami Dolphins.Not with so many other glaring voids that need to be filled on a football team that mustered only one victory last season.But wouldn't you love to see the Dolphins take Boston College's Matt Ryan with the No. 1 pick in next weekend's NFL Draft? Wouldn't you love to see the Dolphins use this unfettered opportunity to boldly address the most important position on the field? Wouldn't you love to see the Dolphins finally use another first-round pick to get a top-shelf quarterback who could lead them back into the championship chase? History would be on their side.Only twice before have the Dolphins spent a first-round pick on a quarterback -- Bob Griese in 1967 and Dan Marino in 1983 -- and both times, the player they selected went to the Hall of Fame.That's not saying Ryan will be another Marino. Or that he's destined for Canton. Or that he'll spend his entire career in Miami, same as Griese and Marino.But, clearly, Ryan is the best quarterback in this year's draft. He possesses the arm, the smarts and the intangibles necessary to lead a team and win games in the fourth quarter.There's no reason he shouldn't develop into a frontline NFL quarterback. And let's face it: The Dolphins haven't had one of those since Jimmy Johnson chased Marino into retirement in 1999.That was a long time ago -- too long for Dolphins fans who haven't seen their team in the playoffs the past six seasons, the longest such drought in franchise history.At the very least, the selection of Ryan would get folks excited, create a buzz and give people hope, the way only the advent of a promising, young quarterback can.Yes, the Dolphins need help up front, too. On both sides of the ball.They need a cornerstone offensive tackle like Michigan's Jake Long. They need a pass-rushing defensive end like Virginia's Chris Long. Both Longs would make the Dolphins better, probably for years to come.The sexiest selection? That would be Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, the draft's most electrifying and intriguing player -- a home-run hitter capable of changing games every time he touches the ball.The Dolphins desperately need somebody like that. And remember running back Ronnie Brown is coming off reconstructive knee surgery.Really, though, there is no bad choice here.The Dolphins can't go wrong.Not with the No. 1 pick, with this year's class, with Parcells making the big decisions.Nobody knows what Parcells is going to do, but we know this: He'll make the right call. He'll get the player he needs to build upon.Chances are, it won't be Ryan.And that's too bad -- because Ryan could be another Phil Simms, Parcells' quarterback in his two championship seasons with the New York Giants.But as Parcells has proven: He doesn't need a Hall-of-Fame quarterback to win big.When Simms went down late in the 1990 season, he won the Super Bowl with Jeff Hostetler. He went to another Super Bowl in New England with Drew Bledsoe. He reached an AFC title game with Jets and Vinny Testaverde.None could be confused with Joe Montana, or John Elway, or even Marino. They didn't need to be.So Parcells might be able to win with John Beck, the Dolphins' second-round pick last year. Or with free-agent Josh McCown.But this will be the third time in four years the Dolphins entered the draft with a top-10 pick.And after a run of mediocrity -- from Jay Fiedler to Damon Huard to Ray Lucas to Brian Griese to A.J. Feeley to Gus Frerotte to Sage Rosenfels to Daunte Culpepper to Joey Harrington to Cleo Lemon to Trent Green to Beck -- wouldn't you love to see them use this one to get a franchise quarterback? It's probably not going happen.(Ray McNulty is sports columnist for Scripps Treasure Coast (Fla.) Newspapers, The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Vero Beach Press Journal. Contact him at ray.mcnulty@scripps.com or on the Web at www.tcpalm.com.)