Sun Sentinel
1986: Dolphins happy with 52 pickup
Two plays. Two tremendous hits. That`s what it took to convince coach Don Shula that Western Michigan inside linebacker John Offerdahl could make an immediate difference in the Dolphins` porous defense.
Fourth and one. The South had the ball in the first half of January`s Senior Bowl. Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson took the handoff. Just as he was about to leap, Offerdahl met him head on. No gain.
Fourth and goal from the 1-yard line a few minutes later. Jackson took the handoff again. This time he got off the ground. Offerdahl found him in midair. No gain. No doubt about it. Offerdahl was chosen the game`s defensive MVP.
``The kid took Jackson on with a vengeance,`` Shula said. ``I liked that.``
Liked it so much he made Offerdahl Miami`s first pick, the 52nd overall, in Tuesday`s NFL draft.
No debate was necessary. Shula and his coaching staff watched that Senior Bowl film one more time early Tuesday morning. They never thought Offerdahl (6 feet 2, 232 pounds) would be around when Miami`s number was called. Defensive coach Chuck Studley was so sure of that he put a pizza on it with Director of Player Personnel Chuck Connor. Extra cheese, please.
``Don told us to give up hoping (Offerdahl would be available),`` Studley said. ``When he was still there, it took us about 15 seconds to decide. We went around the table and everyone agreed.
``We needed somebody who is intelligent enough to make the defensive calls and handle the people up front. We needed an A.J. Duhe type of guy back on our defense. I think Offerdahl can be that guy.``
Strong words for the 52nd pick in a weak draft. But the Dolphins believe they got themselves a big-time steal.
Smart? Offerdahl is a pre-med major. Productive? He`s the leading tackler in Mid-American Conference history. Consistent? Only once in his four years did he fail to get at least 10 tackles in a game.
When the top defensive linemen were gobbled up in the first round and early in the second, Offerdahl rose to the top of Miami`s most wanted list. There was concern until just before the Dolphins picked at 2:10 p.m., more than six hours after the draft began.
The New York Giants, picking 51st, needed an inside linebacker. When the Giants took Ohio State`s Pepper Johnson, Shula wore the look of a man who had just gotten the Christmas present he thought his wife could never afford.
``We haven`t been happy with the play of our inside linebackers over the last couple of years,`` Shula said. ``We feel like we got the player who can come in and upgrade us right away. He`s a hitter, and we need more of those.``
The Dolphins aren`t nearly as certain about the rest of their draft. They stayed defensive in the third round, taking Houston lineman T.J. Turner, unstoppable as a junior, invisible as a senior. Next they turned to offense to take Cal-Fullerton wide receiver James Pruitt, a player who with no modesty calls himself ``the prototype of a big wide receiver.``
Back to defense as the Dolphins selected Arkansas cornerback Kevin Wyatt in the fifth round, Alabama defensive end Brent Sowell in the sixth and Ohio State linebacker Larry Kolic in the seventh.
But this was clearly Offerdahl`s show. The Dolphins feel he will challenge incumbents Jackie Shipp, Jay Brophy and Mark Brown for a starting inside job. In particular, they look for him to improve a rushing defense ranked 23rd out of 28 teams a year ago. So what if he spent four years playing a weak Division I schedule.
``He sure looked like he belonged in the Senior Bowl,`` Shula said.
Offerdahl, 21, is a classic overachiever.
``I`ve always been knocked about my speed, then I worked with the track coach and got my 40 time down from 4.85 to 4.72,`` he said. ``I`ve always been knocked about my weight, then I went out and gained 40 pounds. I`ve always been knocked about my strength, then I improved my bench press from 225 to 375.
``My job was to prove that I could play with the big guys. I feel I`ve done that and now I`m ready for the next step.``
Those who have followed Offerdahl are convinced he will be successful.
Western Michigan coach Jack Harbaugh calls him ``the greatest player I`ve ever coached`` and adds, ``he makes every player on the field 10 percent better.``
When Offerdahl was one vote shy of being a unanimous All-MAC selection as a junior, then Bowling Green coach Denny Stolz stood up at a coaches meeting and told his peers, ``I can`t believe one of you didn`t vote for this kid. It`s a disgrace.``
The following year Offerdahl was a unanimous choice.
The pride of Sun Prairie, Wis., Offerdahl was an all-state basketball player, the pitcher on a state championship baseball team and an All-Wisconsin middle linebacker. If only he weighed more than 185 pounds, the major colleges would have called. Instead, he was banished to the solitude of Kalamazoo, Mich.
``I don`t have any regrets,`` said Offerdahl. ``I`m looking forward to helping the Dolphins.``
But before that happens, there is a contract to sign. Cleveland-based Pete Johnson is his agent. He doesn`t anticipate any problems. Then again, Johnson represents Miami wide receiver Nat Moore and his 1985 negotiations dragged on for months before an agreement was reached.
``I`m very optimistic,`` Johnson said Tuesday. ``The fact that he was the Dolphins` first pick should increase his value. I`m not sure they`ll look at it that way. But the Dolphins got themselves a great player. They`re very fortunate to have gotten him so late in the second round.``
