The Miami Dolphins and coach Joe Philbin decided to go after free-agent receiver Mike Wallace and not Greg Jennings despite Philbin's relationship with Jennings. Philbin was on the Green Bay Packers staff every year of Jennings' career except for 2012 and was offensive coordinator for five of those seasons.
Still, the Dolphins immediately signed Wallace to a five-year, $60 million deal. Philbin explained how he and offensive coordinator Mike Sherman evaluated Wallace to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Tom Silverstein.
"We did a lot of homework," Philbin said. "We charted every catch he's made for the last couple of years, we charted every drop he's made for the last couple years. We got it on a picture and we know where all the dots are: inside the numbers, outside the numbers, this deep, that deep.
"When you're a receiver in the National Football League, you're kind of charged with a couple of simple jobs. One is to get open and two to catch the ball and No. 3 to block if it's a run. We expect him to get open, we expect him to catch the ball and hopefully make a couple of guys miss after."
Wallace is known for his elite speed and is three years younger than Jennings, who signed a five-year, $45 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Jennings is one of the best route runners in the league and has superb hands.
Philbin said there's no truth to rumors that he doesn't like Jennings and described Wallace as more than a speedster. He knows Jennings as well as anyone else in the league. Wallace simply has more long-term potential.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
