By Tim Knight
So here’s what we’re potentially looking at at DE/OLB/Edge types heading into FA. OV and Shelby are UFAs.
Olivier Vernon is a very good player, but not special. If I’m in control I’m not paying him special money. He doesn’t change games.
Derrick Shelby is a solid lunch pail player who can help any team.
Cam Wake is turning 34 years old off an Achilles injury which isn’t good for guys in their 30s. Normal science is less blood flow as we age. Wake’s game is all about explosiveness.
Dion Jordan… we all know the story with him. But he has both DE and OLB talent.
Terrance Fede didn’t have the kind of year we expected but he plays hard and has some size in the lineup like Shelby.
Damontre Moore is intriguing. The Giants cut him for immaturity issues which he admitted,and like Vernon got called for dumb penalties. But he also has DE/OLB skills and he’s cheap at $700K.
Chris McCain… what is your deal? Are you just too raw, not that good, a DE or OLB?
Quinton Coples will not be back at his current $7+M per, but he could accept a substantial cut and re-sign. He’s not going to get that type of money anywhere else.
Julius Warmsley (6-2 276) – don’t know enough about him, anyone?
Jordan Williams (6-4 282) – don’t know enough about him, anyone?
***********************************
A Big FU Thank You to Tim for the submission! The rest of you guys can do it!!!!! 🙂
First! I’d like to say get Shaq Lawson he would get the full Suhport of our D line.
He’s definitely an option.
Thanks Tim we appreciate the contribution
Good work Tim! I have seen a few mock drafts that have us taking Lawson at 8. I wouldn’t complain about that.
Thanks! Agreed on Lawson. He fits a need and he’s worthy of the pick.
Piggy, Do you know if Wedge has Joshua Perry from Ohio State on his LB radar?
We discussed him the other day along with Darron Lee.
Thanks Tim
Gulp, gulp, gulp
Found myself enjoying a big ‘old glass
Of cool aid yesterday,
I was talking about new staff, new schemes
Excited once again lol
New direction always brings new hope
Going to take a couple of seasons to see
Hey ya never know….
Maybe we got the right guy…guy’s….right ?
Great job with the pics, Herd.
Look at the name of the douchebag who wrote this.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/glenn-frey-death-sad-eagles-lousy-band-article-1.2501461
He’d be more aptly named Penisman
Or Cockface.
Good stuff Tim
I think when it comes to DE – I have more questions than anything else
Do we draft one?
(Piggy shrugs)
I think resigning Vernon would relieve some of those questions
but that will be pricey
and probably means we don’t get to spend $ elsewhere in FA
I actually liked Moore a lot when the Giants drafted him out of TAMU
I’m not exactly sure what his issues were with the Giants
but he has real potential – its not your usual waiver pick up, this guy can be a probowl level pass usher
and he could have been a 1st round pick (he was a 2nd I think)
Coples will cost a little bit of $ but I’m not sure it would be a lot
Would it be crazy to go with Coples, Moore, Wake, Shelby, Jordan, Fede and McCain next season
If we do that we need at least one to come through
and that is a big risk
but I would almost prefer we spend those high picks on LB and DB than DE
3 of the guys above were actually 1st or 2nd round picks
there is kind of a huge risk factor with pass rushers
Good work Tim! Thanks for helping out, it’s totally appreciated!
Thanks folks. I did this article to get the convo going because it’s an important position. You need to be strong on the edge or QBs and RBs will pick you apart all day.
Piggy, Moore was immature with the Giants and he took a lot of penalties. I believe the last straw was he got into a fight with a teammate over headphones.
I heard there was more than 1 fight with teammates with the giants
He is a talented player
so is Jordan
if the head isn’t there it doesn; matter
between Jordan, Coples and Moore – maybe one of them grows up….lol
that is Piggy wishful thinking
but the reality is – anyone of the three can be starters and good pass rushers
Like I said to Boulder, we have options in-house but there are also quite a few risks. This isn’t a position you want to be weak at.
nice job tim. You didn’t mention if you’d keep shelby or not. I think we have to keep shelby if we let vernon leave. I’m also inclined to keep vernon. But I agree he shouldn’t get paid like the big time DEs. I’d say somewhere 7-9m/year.
Thanks. I’m not sure about Shelby. I wouldn’t be against re-signing him. This list was more about what the situation would look like prior to FA, not what we will or should do. I wanted to point out that we have options in-house but there are also quite a few risks.
I’d love me some Lawson but I’m torn between him and Myles Jack (my man crush).
DE position is worth more than OLB though so maybe that’s the difference if the score is close.
Agreed.
I’m locking in on DJ White in RD 2.
there may be quite a few decent DBs in the 2nd round
Here are some options.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/2016/CB
Man, just watched several highlight reels of Myles Jack & Jaylon Smith….
Both are special players
Myles Jack!!!!
Bartender I would like a Jack and Scooby please
(the bartender punches Piggy in the face)
LOL
Yeah they are but Smith may not even play in 2016.
There maybe a few chances to get a DE in the 2nd round as well
Nassib, Dodd and Oakman may be 2nd rounders
Ideally I would like to add a DE, OLB, ILB, CB and S in the first 2 rounds….
but as it turns out we don’t have 5 picks in the first 50
😦
Piggy’s fantasy mock draft
1a Jalen Ramsey
1b Shaq Lawson
1c Myles Jack
1d Vernon Heargraves
2 Scooby Wright
So now we just have to figure out how to get 4 first rounders without loosing our 2nd
then we really only need a 7th rounder to pick up a FB….lol
I think we need one good LB prospect and a FA LB better than Sheppard and Paysinger and we could be pretty good. I also don’t think safety needs to be a high pick.
I don’t know
sometimes relying on FA leads to picking up guys like Paysinger and Shepard
GDP or anyone else?
Thoughts on Arizona LB Scooby Wright?
Looks to make good reads; decent speed but lacks the horizontal quickness to counter a juke move.
I’ve been talking about Scooby wright for a little while now
Wedge is profiling him next Tuesday
He really aggressive and has really good instincts
He’s a smart football player
He has a nonstop motor
I don’t see quickness as a problem
but he can be eaten alive by blockers if he can’t around them with his athleticism
Piggy, there has to be better LBs out there than Sheppard and Paysinger that don’t cost a mint.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/2016/all
CBS actually has
Shaq at #8 (DE)
Ramsey is #3 (S)
and Jack is #5 (OLB)
Heargreaves is #14 (CB)
Alexander is #11 (CB)
Ragland is #16 (ILB)
we really can use any of those guys and positions
the rankings don’t read like last year with pass rushers dominating the top 15 picks
Agreed. Take the best defensive prospect on our board.
The best part of Myles Jack is that he used to be a RB and understands how offenses work.
I like former OSU LB Noah Spence’s game as well but he’s a guy who got banned from the big 10 cause he liked to do Ecstacy…That kind of behavior in Miami um is a lethal combination. LOL
You can do ecstacy anywhere. You don’t need palm trees for that. 😉
lmfao Tim.
Yes, true, but some cities are about the strong nightlife and electronic music and Miami is tops along with NY.
Gotcha!
Speaking of LB….
Can’t help but to think of the movie Airplane while seeing Oklahoma Sooner LB Eric Striker on the rankings. LOL
Damn it…wanted to attach the clip where it starts at the 4:08 mark LOL
I picked the wrong week to give up blogging
Piggy,
In regards to Scooby Wright, what I meant by horizontal quickness is what happens at the point of attack when he’s coming down in a line. Wright seems to just run in a straight line and has issues when a runner cuts at the point of attack.
Good 1 cut runners can break ankles on many defenders.
Jets FA LB Denario Davis is young and up n coming. He shouldn’t break the bank, but NYJ will likely try to resign him, he’s been good in the middle.
FA ILB Mason Foster was really good with the Bucs, but disappointed with the Skins in 2015 on a 1yr deal. He’s turning 27 in March, maybe Burke can get him back on track if he comes reasonable.
Then there’s always Rolando McClain if the Cowboys don’t resign him…lol
I also like FA LB Vincent Rey whom our new Cincy coaches know well. If his price is reasonable that could be the real get here.
I meant to add, besides Mason Foster, the Skins also have another FA ILB Keenan Robinson who’s also 26, coming off a down contract year due to a shoulder injury that cost him games.
He won’t break the bank either. I like his size & potential, Skins drafted him in the 4th rd in 2012.
Davis is a good LB.
Miami Dolphins Cheer @MDCheer 2h2 hours ago
Take a look at @MDC_Chantal’s sideline gallery on http://www.dolphinscheerleaders.com/cheer …/chantal-in-action
Al
Draft Breakdown @draftbreakdown 18m18 minutes ago
Why Eastern Kentucky EDGE Noah Spence is worth early round pick, via @nicholasmcgee24:
http://draftbreakdown.com/why-eastern-kentucky-de-noah-spence-is-worth-first-round-risk/ …
Chantal is a fraud! She isn’t posing on the SFla beaches, I saw mountains in the background…SMH!
Her boobs may be fraudulent too…lol
GDP,
I’m aware of one cut runners but I’m seeing tendencies of Wright to just run full speed in a line at his target in space which makes it easy for the ball carriers to slip by him (they aren’t running full speed at times). The good LB come in fast but they also anticipate a cut and dictate the direction they want the guy to go in (and just set themselves up to cut in the direction they expect the ball carrier to go in) rather than let the ball carrier decide for them.
I get it. He doesn’t break down as well as some defenders. That can be taught.
My breaking ankles reply was just keeping it short n sweet…lol
Again, I like Wright. Many of the things he has you can’t teach. I’d take a chance on him in the middle rounds but not in the top 50.
A middle round guy I liked last year LB Jake Ryan has done well as a rookie in Green Bay. He was out of Mich I believe.
Tim, thanks for acknowledging my post on the FA LB’s we could get to replace the outgoing Sheppard & Paysinger, and possibly even Misis if we cut his hefty contract. Maybe Misi restructures, but we can’t keep paying him for what he gives.
BTW, very nice job on the edge rushers. I enjoyed reading it. It was good enough that even FFR won’t scroll past it. Kudos bro! 😉
I tried to use brevity to point out an issue we have at DE. There’s a lot of ways it could work out, but there are risks involved too.
Agreed, but this is where the guys on the ground have to earn their money. (Grier, Tbomb, Gase, Washburn, Joseph)
Yep!
LOL and SMH
http://news.yahoo.com/judge-judy-supreme-court-justice-college-graduates-223709181.html#
The dumbing down of America us ‘conspiracy’ guys talk about is real…there’s your proof!
Thanks again Tim….the pics didn’t look quite so choppy when I was previewing this. Sorry…ya get what you pay for! lol
They look fine to me.
Well they all looked fine except that pic of Dion FF with his dumb ‘Who Me’ look! 👿
ESPN’s Jim Trotter reports impending free agent Sam Bradford asked the Eagles for $25 million per year on a new contract earlier this season.
The two sides were engaged in long-term contract negotiations last summer after the Eagles acquired Bradford and the final year of his contract from the Rams.
__________________________
Seeing Bradford’s eyes I always thought he looked delusional…lol
But hey, always start high, you can negotiate your way down from there but not the other way around. 🙂
He already got away with highway robbery on his first deal. He should pipe down. LOL
I guess 25M a year is cheap for a QB
but I would not pay Bradford that money
He had his chance to prove he worth big QB $
I guess a team that wants a vet while they groom a rookie might want a player like Bradford
but that is what Bradford is now
he’s not a guy you tie up long term cap space for
I don’t think $25M is cheap.
The irony with Bradford is that his rookie contract is probably the reason for the rookie salary cap
and that’s the reason there are no middle of the road contracts anymore
everyone gets paid like a superstar or a rookie
kiss that middle of the road vet salary goodbye
Its a myth in this day and age of the nfl
Sounds a lot like the vanishing middle class as well.
Not sure what you mean by middle of the road contract?
Oops Tim you are right
25M a year is crazy $$$$
I was thinking 25M contract (like a 4-5 year contract)
that’s not a middle of the road contract
that’s a huge contract
and he is fucking crazy to put himself in that class
he should be asking for about 5M a year
More on the dumbing down of America from a smart guy!
Frank Zappa was regularly bashed by the U.S. media for his edgy lyrics. Frank Zappa is quoted: “What do you make of a society that is so primitive that it clings to the belief that certain words in its language are so powerful that they could corrupt you the moment you hear them?”
LMAO!!!!
Zappa was uniquely Kool!
Yellow Snow
I asked this before, but got no bites, but if you had the chance to land a Ramsey/Hargreaves in the first, and then get back in the first to take a Lawson/Bullard type DE pick, would you be willing to give up a future first to do so?
I personally think some of these guys are likely better prospects than we could see waiting another year to get them with a 2017 first, ive looked ahead and i dont see guys im a sure about as i am about some of these this year, not to mention i want to jump this thing off now, instead of waiting another year to fill out my team. Im not so sure it wouldnt be a smart move to secure two solid top tier players one at DB one at DE from this draft class even at the expense of a 1st from next years draft.
I think those kinds of trades are a dying breed.
I’m not a fan of giving up future first
you always want that pick next year
so no
we will have needs next year
and we are going to want draft picks to address them
now trading up is a different story
lets say you trade down
and then trade up
and you end up with 2 late first rounders, no 2nd day picks and only a few day 3 picks
That I would do
I don’t think we can afford to give up 2017 picks
and I am under the impression that a 2017 pick is worth one full round lower in 2016
AND FOR OINK’S SAKE
WHAT ABOUT LINEBACKERS!!!
I’d consider it. It’s a ballsy move, but one that can make a franchise leap onto the scene.
It could make or break Grier, not sure they want him making that type of move his 1st year.
Of course we all know Tbomb would be the final say. Depends on how in love they are with both candidates and injury histories, etc. If 1 out of the 2 busts, then you really hamstrung yourself in 2017.
But this franchise is stuck in mediocrity, maybe a roll of the dice is a spark that’s needed.
The roll of the dice essentially already started with the hiring of Gase. 😉
Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe.
– Frank Zappa
So where did the hydrogen to build the universe come from??? 😀
pigs
…and where did the pigs come from?
Piggy,
Unfortunately, it has become customary to be paid what the position depth pays on average around the NFL even if you are mediocre. This happens in the MLB & NBA as well.
D,
I would welcome a trade back into the 1st but it seems Lawson & Bullard are going top 15 and possibly both top 10.
Sorry, I thought you meant Baylor’s Billings not Bullard.
Midday funny bone/r
Nfldraftscout analysts are currently mocking Andrew Billings (analyst Rob Rang) & DeForest Buckner (analyst Dane Brugler)… *BARF*
If we drafted a DT in the first round….oh my
No way in hell we do. Phillips in the 2nd was enough of a shocker last year.
getterdone says:
January 20, 2016 at 1:13 pm (Edit)
Well they all looked fine except that pic of Dion FF with his dumb ‘Who Me’ look!
That was intentional. Lol. I looked for the one of him partying in key west but couldn’t find it.
LOL, I’m sure it was, but he seems to always have that look….good job.
Maybe him & Jeffro are in Key West partying together now. 😉
So if you don’t want to go DE 1st rd what’s your plan?
LB, CB, OT
No what’s your plan at DE?
I’m kinda think LB, DB, LB, DB (in no specific order)
all before DE
but the offseason in young at a lot can change
on the same token I would not mind DE and addressing very early
Its about best Defensive player available to me.
If we are not drafting OL in the 1st, I don’t see the point of drafting one in or 3rd round
I really looking for interior OL in free agency
Who are your starting DEs and backups?
(probably) Wake, Shelby, Moore, Coples, McCain, Fede
big time question marks
but if we are strong at DT and LB and DB its okay
http://www.tmz.com/2016/01/20/darius-fleming-officials-have-no-record-of-crash/
getterdone says:
January 20, 2016 at 3:02 pm (Edit)
…and where did the pigs come from?
****************
pigs come form Oink Falls
beautiful isn’t it…
…and where did Oink Falls come from 😉
Tim, ok, I see where you’re going.
The plan @ DE and if we draft a DE in the 1st depends entirely what happens in FA.
Does Vernon go elsewhere, does Shelby? Does Wake? Is Wake ahead of schedule rehabbing?
What does Grier, Gase & the defensive staff think of D Moore, Coples, & Fede?
That should be sorted out for the most part before we draft.
D, asks a question about trading away 2017’s 1st rd to get back into this years 1st & then he disappears. 😦
he traded himself back into 2017
Well i stepped out to pick up lunch, but after i saw the responses i didnt think anyone wanted to hear more of it lol. It got so many positive responses…lol
To answer D’s question above, I would love to trade back into the 1st round if we could give up a 2nd this year, a 2nd next year, and maybe another mid round pick(probably a 4th). I think Bullard does have a better chance than Lawson to be there around 20, though I still think he’ll go higher.
…I would really like to keep our 1st in 2017.
There’s also the thoughts of guys like Dodd being there in the 2nd this year, so just hang onto our picks.
Is Lawson or Bullard that much better than Dodd. Does the DE’s fall off that steeply after the 1st round?
That’s the question to consider before making such a brash move,
Most years i would agree but im thinking we are the Vikings of a few years back and would benefit from a burst of 1st round talent like they did. It has really helped their team, and helped them in a way they still are in a pretty cap friendly situation. They hit on 2.5 of their 3 first round picks, they kept adding more 1st round talent then next couple of years and now are in a pretty solid place.
I am never a fan of trading up or god forbid trading away a future pick, but if you think about it this way, trading a future first for a later round first, is just getting the talent you wanted a year earlier and likely ends up about the same pick you had previous years. You are one less need, therefore opening up avenues to trade up the next year if need be. Its not preferrable but something has to give with our team and maybe a ballsy move like that sets us up for success.
A lot of you were right saying its a gamble, but as with big gambles, if it pays off you really gain a lot, if you lose, well most of the time you were already about as low as ya get anyways.
So you’re saying Rick Spielman did a great job? 😉
Tim,
My plan with a Myles Jack selection is Misi to the middle; and 2-3 DE re-signed while a developmental option such as Ronald Blair is taken in the draft.
Who are you re-signing?
getterdone says:
January 20, 2016 at 3:49 pm
There’s also the thoughts of guys like Dodd being there in the 2nd this year, so just hang onto our picks.
Is Lawson or Bullard that much better than Dodd. Does the DE’s fall off that steeply after the 1st round?
That’s the question to consider before making such a brash move,
———————————————
You have potential of Dodd being there, and Nassib, and Tapper, etc. Those guys to me are still ?’s. I feel Lawson, Bullard, will be mid to late 1st rounders, and worth every Penny of the pick, outside of that round im not sure of. So i really want one DE we can mark down as a future star, and one DB we can do the same with. I feel pick 8 likely has Ramsey, Tunsil or Hargreaves left on the board. Id take any of them as they represent almost guarantees at their positions, then i take 2017 pick and trade it to get another first, perhaps later in the round, and take my DE. Rest of the draft can pan out however, though i would like ILB to be the next pick.
RGS that route to a second 1st would work as well, but i would kind of like to keep the 2nd for an ILB pick, so we get a top guy there as well. I think we could walk away with a stud defense for years to come, if we just fill those spots with top talent this year.
Whenever we get closer to the draft all people want to do is have more picks with the dream of all these prospects becoming big time players when it rarely happens. LOL
True, so many 1st rounders seem to bust. Look at the past 2-3 years for a lot of teams.
If anything I’ve always rather trade down & acquire more picks to hedge the bets so to speak, and be able to double sown on positions of need, create more competition!
I would keep pick 8 and make sure you get a player that’s gonna be here and start for the next few years. If this FO can’t do that then we have way bigger issues.
Yeah #8 needs to be a player who makes us a better team, not e developmental type or a guy rehabbing who will be ready in November.
GDP,
You know me, I like to trade down usually, especially with so many needs (pressure to get every pick right if no trades rather than spreading the risk via various 1st/2nd day picks)
Shawn Oakman….what’s your gut on him?
Oakman scares me, literally…lol
I’m not sold on him. I think he loses a lot of leverage being so tall, and his redirection/recovery skills concern me.
He’s an athletic freak but we’ve seen those types bust too many times before.
Used correctly as a situational pass rusher I think he could excel. But why spend a 1-2rd pick on a situational guy.
No way 1st RD …maybe at some point in 2nd or 3rd (don’t think he lasts until 3rd)….
How do you rate Oakman’s ability relative to someone like Margus Hunt?
Al, I’m always leery of football players who are too tall.
http://www.miamidolphins.com/news/press-releases/article-1/PRESS-RELEASE-Miami-Dolphins-Add-Three-Assistants-To-Coaching-Staff/6a260b0c-2dba-49dd-8299-ef0fc0fa5492
Tim Knight says:
January 20, 2016 at 4:00 pm
Who are you re-signing?
—–
I can’t see Coples or Shelby commanding much in the open market.
Tannenbuam seems to think he’s right on Coples abilities (4-3 DE instead of what NYJ tried doing with him as a 3-4 LB).
Wake I think stays as demand will be limited by his age/injury risk profile.
Also someone like Demarcus Ware (similar age/player to Wake) will likely be available (projected 11.7 mill cap hit in Denver for his final contract year in 2016).
In terms of the 2016 draft strategy, I believe RB might be in play in the 2nd RD based on what Miller may be commanding vs what the Fins want to give for that kind of position ($ per snap for X player)
I still think we have to find a way to keep Miller. As under used as he was he still showed Top 5 RB ability, maybe even top 3.
He’s the kind of RB that can make offenses go, build around & he’s very young with low miles on the tires.
Keep him Tbomb, keep #26!
As for Oakman compared to Hunt. Well, you see how Hunt has been a real bust. I know Oakman is more athletic, but….he scares me….lol
D, I wouldn’t be against getting 2 first rounders as you suggested. I don’t mind that type of gamble and the first round this year is full of quality defensive players. But I would especially like to see us move back into the first if we took a Tackle at 8.
Al, right now I see DE as our top priority but like you I would love to get Myles Jack here, a three down player who can play in many different spots and situations. It’s a shame Jaylon Smith suffered the ACL injury so late in the year, I liked him a lot too but we need players ready to go.
D, wouldn’t you love Hargreaves at 8 followed by Bullard at 42?
That could be a nice 1-2 punch!
The 49ers have offered Mike Vrabel the defensive coordinator job, according to ESPN’s Dianna Marie Russini.
At this point, the Niners are just waiting for him to say yes or no. The ex-Patriot has spent the last two years as the Texans’ linebackers coach. If Vrabel joins Chip Kelly in San Francisco, it would leave Eric Mangini out of a job.
__________________________
I would’ve prefered Mangina here as our DC…oh well, water under the bridge.
Mike Vrabel…lol smh
Thanks Tim,
If I had to guess, I’d say we’ll see Cam back with a restructured deal. Shelby signed to a very reasonable deal later in FA unless someone overpays him, and OV will sign for bigger money elsewhere. I’m sure we’ll add a DE in the draft, just not sure how early and will likely sign one or two cheaper FAs like Shelby.
I’m just hoping that for once we are quiet the first week of FA. Sick and tired of overpaying guys for average value. We need to learn from our mistakes sooner or later…
son of a son of a shula says:
January 20, 2016 at 5:46 pm
D, wouldn’t you love Hargreaves at 8 followed by Bullard at 42?
Reply
—————————————–
Id probably have to take a day off work to recover from the excitement lol. Both those guys are all out on every play and highly talented players. Rare combination of both talent and work ethic.
If Albert made to Pro Bowl it’s definitely a popularity name recognition contest then.
That & shows how glaringly bad our LG play was, cause that left side and interior got lit up a lot in pass protection.
Dolfans NYC @DolfansNYC 1m1 minute ago
Branden Albert and Jarvis Landry named to Pro Bowl as alternates http://bit.ly/1lx2ggG #Dolphins
Shilique Calhoun, DE, Michigan State
Height: 6-5. Weight: 250.
Projected 40 Time: 4.70.
Shaq Lawson*, DE, Clemson
Height: 6-3. Weight: 275.
Projected 40 Time: 4.77.
Jonathan Bullard, DE/DT, Florida
Height: 6-3. Weight: 283.
Projected 40 Time: 4.78.
Kevin Dodd*, DE, Clemson
Height: 6-5. Weight: 275.
Projected 40 Time: 4.84.
Bronson Kaufusi, DE, BYU
Height: 6-7. Weight: 265.
Projected 40 Time: 4.82.
Carl Nassib, DE, Penn State
Height: 6-7. Weight: 272.
Projected 40 Time: 5.00.
Read more at http://walterfootball.com/draft2016DE.php#1xYMu4Y4sqj3qR3A.99
Bullard is a real good get if he can keep his weight in check. He’s also versatile, Bull russer or speed technique rusher.
Looks more like a 3-4 DE to me?
I wouldn’t move back up into the first for any of them unless Lawson slipped to 25 or so!
Then still wouldn’t do it!!!!!!!!!!!
You may be right on Bullard. I really like the potential of Emmanuel Ogbah, he has grown on me & could be the star that we need. Reminds me of a bigger Jason Taylor.
He is going to be very good!
But should go around 15 or so? 😦
I’d be tempted to grab him even @ #8, but best case is we can trade back a few get him & pick up some extra picks.
Planning a surprise party for my wife. There’s a lot of stuff to cover. It amazes me how many things have to get done, and all without her finding out. Before anyone asks, NO, she doesn’t read this blog. 🙂
You’re a good hubby Mr. Hand…kudos & good luck.
Thanks man. I’m gonna need some luck for her to NOT find out. She’s 1000X smarter than me, so it ain’t gonna be easy.
I have to start really looking at this draft. I just haven’t had time lately, this party is all encompassing. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about things I should do, haven’t done, etc . . .
Don’t stress, just KISS! She’ll still love it and appreciate it. 😀
True that man!
Mike E
I’m going to foil your surprise party plans by yelling in the streets of midtown NYC “surprise…oops you weren’t supposed to know”
You are done for!
Just do a fly over and poop on the rear deck. Trust me, it’ll ruin anybody’s day & still be a surprise…lol
Hey, you already bumped into her once, it’s a real possibility you could ruin it. lol
We have two Offensive Linemen in the probowl
But no Reshad Jones?
That’s a shame. I thought exactly the same thing when I saw Albert get the nod.
OUCH! That didn’t turn out well I suppose.
I actually thought pouncey was less deserving not than Albert
Mike E. Maybe you have a few trusted friends or family members you could delegate some of the party stuff to? That’s a lot for one person to handle not to mention keeping it secret.
Are you saying someone should give Mr. Hand a hand?
Herd
My sis is helping a bit, but I’m going to have a lean on her a bit more, especially when it comes to the decorating and all those things, like balloons, centerpieces, whatever. That’s not my thing. lol
I’ve already booked the place and the DJ, bought the invitations, and now I just have to figure the centerpieces and favors, and decorations.
Gold fish make great center pieces
I like Lawson best of the DE’s but in NFL Bullard is going to be A beast 4-3 DE, who will have the versatility to slide inside to DT as needed. Difference between he and Lawson is practically splitting hairs. I think Bullard has the higher motor as well TBH
What about Reeeeshad?
Of all the guys on our team he is most deserving…
AFC safety’s, name one better!
And if he did get in while I wasnt looking I dont want to hear this alternate crap
Let the Jokes begin!
Vic Carucci @viccarucci 10h10 hours ago
#Bills officially announce that Kathryn Smith has been hired as ST quality control coach. #NFL’s first full-time female assistant.
why would jokes begin? because she’s a woman or because it’s the Bills?
I guess it’s official . . .
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/21/dolphins-announce-three-additions-to-adam-gases-staff/
I thought once Albert got back and played a few games he played well. I saw him many times lock up his man in pass pro.
He was OK, sometimes very good. Regardless, not more Pro Bowl worthy than Reshad Jones.
I don’t care about the pro bowl. But I thought Albert was our best OL most of the season and I give him a lot of credit for working his back as quickly as he did.
Tim
Best O-lineman? That’s like saying Dan Campbell was our best HC. Doesn’t really say a whole lot, other than he’s being compared to 4 other struggling players
He jumped out at me as most consistently doing his job and doing it well. Our guards and RT with Fox were the main issues. Then when Pouncey went down Douglas struggled at center as well. So as a whole our OL never really looked good consistently and often looked very bad especially in pass pro. But most of the pressure did not come from the blind side unless it was a corner blitz.
Tim
The Pro Bowl doesn’t mean squat to you and me, but it means a lot to the players. All-Pro IMO is the highest accolade though.
Yeah I get that, but the game is now coached by Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin so that’s what it’s become and the game itself is absurd. I think Reshad was deserving as well but who made it over him? It’s no longer NFC/AFC right?
All-Pro is the highest accolade for sure.
The game itself is a farce at best, just the recognition and $$$ they get if they have they have a clause in their contract (most do)
Albert has elite skills at LT, and i dont even think that arguable. His first step on pass pro is a thing of beauty, those DE’s are dead on the outside to even attempt a speed rush just because of it. He maintains great positioning, he has near perfect body lean to handle bull rush and power moves. He is studly. Problem for him isnt his ability, its his health, he stays injured, hell last quarter of the season he was noticeably affected by the last injury even though he was out there. He is also aging, and thats bad to combo with injury prone.
Its a hard decision to make, i have thought over it a lot. Replace him now or squeeze another year out of him. I think the latter comes with a high level of concern because when he goes down our entire unit turns to shit. We generally have to shift a guy from another position where they are performing well (ie James) to a spot where they do “ok” and then the position they left becomes a liability. Its a real domino act and he seems to be the first domino.
What i came to is ultimately we HAVE to have more stability there even if it means we are moving on from one of the best LT’s in the NFL. I could really see trading/cutting Albert and signing Codry Glenn in FA. It would be a sizable investment but we would be getting a young guy, who seems to be healthy and on the upswing. Cutting Albert along with some other moves should mean we could get him and still add to other positions like OG through FA. Look to draft for CB/DE which are generally your expensive FA spots. We could also address LT through the draft, but if i went that route i might hang on to Albert, and take a guy like Denver Kirkland LT Arkansas in a mid round and groom him behind Albert for his first year, possibly even rotate them some to keep Albert healthy and get the guy some experience.
Cordy.
Mike, the Mets signed left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo from the Pirates to a 2 year deal. They’re also bringing back left-handers Jerry Blevinsand and Josh Edgin who missed last season after having Tommy John surgery but he is expected back by May. It sounds like Addison Reed will be the main right-handed setup man.
Yeah, I heard this morning on B&C. I’m glad, the bullpen was shaky in the late innings except for Familia. They said Bastardo will likely be one of the set up guys, so they have a choice of righty or lefty now, with Bastardo (L) and Reed (R). I like it!
Agreed. This offseason has been about better defense, better on base pct. and bullpen.We lost so many games because of that last year.
I know a lot of fans want Cespedes back but we’re not heading into this season with half our lineup being minor leaguers. We should win more of those games when we had 1-0 to 3-2 leads.
D, Albert does need to stay healthy but when you look around the league very few lineman stay on the field all season. The knee injury in 2014 really set him back but he worked his way back into form. He’s only 31 and that’s not old for an OL. Fans talk about him like he’s 35. He has no intention of retiring and I’m not looking to replace him if I’m in control, that’s taking a step back. Better depth at tackle is what we need to backup both Albert and James. We need a quality starting guard then I’d add some youth to compete with our other young guards for one starting spot and depth at G/C.
D
Very tough decision. I’d expect them to stick with Albert, who hopefully will now be able to make it through a whole season healthy. We have to finally have a solid fallback plan though. Last years was for shit.
FA: starting guard, better tackle depth
Draft: competition at guard and backup center
sb7mvp says:
January 21, 2016 at 7:31 am
why would jokes begin? because she’s a woman or because it’s the Bills?
I figured the “She must have nice toes” Rexxy Jokes were coming! 😉
Here’s @TonyPauline’s Shrine Game Recap from Wednesday, as an offensive tackle was one of the biggest standouts: http://phieagl.es/1JkD4FE
Devon Johnson/FB/Marshall: Johnson impressed in every manner on Wednesday. He proved himself to be a devastating blocker at the line of scrimmage as well as on the second level and regularly annihilated opponents. Johnson also showed a lot of versatility and made several nice receptions out of the backfield.
Andrew Abramson @AbramsonPBP 18m18 minutes ago
This is cool: #Dolphins holding international search for cheerleaders. Will have auditions in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico
31 wouldn’t be “old” if he had no injury history. The fear you have with any 30+ year old is bouncing back from injury. So imo, 31 with his injury history is practically late 30’s without out any. I know from you old peoples perspective, 31 is still a youngin, but in the world of sports it practically a grandpa.
I don’t agree. That’s just a speculation because not everyone is the same. We’ll have to wait and see moving forward how Albert looks. He didn’t look old to me this year so I doubt he ages 4 years this offseason. LOL
He broke down 3 times this year. One time he missed a span of several games. I wouldnt exactly say this season was one where he had bounced back, id say at best he survived the year. As i said before, he’s still elite when he is out there but i dont see him seeing a full season on the field for the rest of his career and we need more than just a sometimes he’s out there guy.
I do agree with you about the FA and draft plan for those positions.
Good stuff!
http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2016/01/21/new-dolphins-coach-gase-calls-tannehills-struggles-a-hiccup/
Yea Josh McDaniel did great in Denver.Lets hope gase doesn’t follow in his footstep.
That’s not what he’s talking about.
D
Didn’t Albert play in 14 games this past season?
wyoming85 says:
January 21, 2016 at 11:27 am (Edit)
Devon Johnson/FB/Marshall: Johnson impressed in every manner on Wednesday. He proved himself to be a devastating blocker at the line of scrimmage as well as on the second level and regularly annihilated opponents. Johnson also showed a lot of versatility and made several nice receptions out of the backfield.
Go Rockhead! He was a Tight End until I think his Jr year so he does have versatility. Missed half the season it seemed like his Sr year due to injury(back, I think). Seems like he is healthy now from the reports I’ve been seeing this week.
He’s a FB/H-back in the NFL. He’s not big enough to be a TE.
D, Albert played in 14 games this year. He missed games 3 and 4 but he also came back earlier than expected and he experienced some fatigue and I believe a hammy due to compensating for the knee. Getting nicked up isn’t breaking down. It’s as if Albert is the only OL who doesn’t play every game. I think his lack of durability is overly exaggerated mainly when fans discuss the cap.
Anyway, none of what we say really means anything about his 2016 season.
Tim — great content and more than anything props to you for popping in up top. Have a feeling it will be a DE in the first, but mainly cause the draft board doesn’t seem to present a shutdown corner at our spot. I’d still kick the wheels on Jordan for a season though so long as his head is on straight…..not like the price is that much.
Thanks and I agree. I also don’t believe in shutdown corners, they’re kind of like unicorns, they don’t exist. LOL
You could have a pro bowl secondary, if you don’t have a good pass rush you’re not going to stop good passing games.
Some corners can do that. Revis and Sanders at least could, even if the window on Revis seems past. It is a special thing…..but then looks like it won’t be there anyhow.
TIm & Mike E — don’t be thinking Antonio Bastardo will be the savior of your bullpen. He’s not a bad pitcher, but more of a good support guy in the mix. He was like one of four guys we could trot out when it wasn’t Melancon or Watson time, but then that admittedly is part of why our pen was so good last year.
We needed a quality left-hander and he’s better than the guys we had.
Never said he wasn’t good…..just that he ain’t gonna walk into Metlife with a cape on. Was actually surprised he got the $6 mil per year though.
Stanger, you mentioned two guys who were shutdown corners and one played over a decade ago at the end of his career. That’s how rare they are, just a like a horse with a deformity that resembles a unicorn. LOL
Just mentioned two to make the point that there are horses with horns do exist. And to my mind Patrick Peterson has the biggest horn out there right now. But shutdown aside, we need a #1 corner. Grimes played that well for a couple years, but seems like he is less than that now.
Not sure there are any though is what I mean. I make sure we can get after the QB first than keep looking to upgrade the corners. I think we should look at one FA CB like in Br. McCain’s tier, and draft two corners to compete with our young corners. But I want to make sure we can get to the QB first and foremost.
Hargreaves or Ramsey would be possibles, even if they look to be out of reach……..but it will still shake up. We’ll see what the list is after the combine. Still put CB right up there with DE on the wish list though.
Stanger, I wasn’t saying Antonio Bastardo is going to shut everyone down. He’s just better than what we had and we needed a quality lefty. Also $6M per is nothing for a left-handed reliever. They’re hard to find.
He ain’t a closer though, or at least hasn’t been one. Maybe he shows more, but I didn’t get the feel for that…..his mind drifts at times when the pressure is on.
No he’ll likely be a lefty set up man with Reed as the righty.
Stanger
We needed a lefty that can be a set up guy. I don’t think either Tim or I think Bastardo is the end all, he’s just a potential set up guy. We only have 2 other lefties in the BP, and they’re both coming off injuries (Blevins-twice broken arm) (Edgin-Tommy John), so we really need another guy in the mix no matter what. I saw him pitch last year, he’s competent, not great.
Right. At this time Blevins and Edgin are hopefuls.
Hopefully we’ll get a surprise from the minors for some more bullpen help as well. Maybe Robles and/or Montero.
” competent, not great” is exactly what he is. Just trying to tell you guys that. Definitely someone you want in the pen though.
Stanger, a lot of people feel Ramsey will be a great safety but just good as a corner. I do think both Hargreaves or Ramsey could be there for us at #8. Once the QBs get slotted, then the OTs and pass rushers, everything will get pushed down.
I don’t know anything about them other than seeing where they are slotted in the current mocks. Do know I want legit choices for us at both DE and CB (and heck if Ramsey becomes a kick ass playmaking safety we need another one of those too).
People question Ramsey’s overall speed. He has everything else. He might be one of those guys you can do a lot of things with. I wouldn’t be against drafting him as a safety and matchup guy in nickel and dime.He’ll be on the field all the time.
I added up the numbers. Our RBs averaged 18.125 rushes per game combined. Pathetic!!!
Most importantly, we quit on it many times when it was working well, and the game wasn’t out of reach. That’s the most disturbing issue with it. It’s not like NE, where they almost have to pass, because they don’t run well, but they pass very well.
True, and the Pats RBs averaged 21 rushers per game and they had a weird year with injuries. They lost their two starting RBs. We didn’t.
I also feel that Brady is obviously better suited to throw more. He’s been running that offense for over a decade and they have Gronk. Also Edelman is so good on those quick routes they like to run.
Yeah, when they have both on the field they’re much more dangerous.
wyoming85 says:
January 21, 2016 at 7:13 am
Let the Jokes begin!
Vic Carucci @viccarucci 10h10 hours ago
#Bills officially announce that Kathryn Smith has been hired as ST quality control coach. #NFL’s first full-time female assistant.
——-
Here comes Incognito with his golf clubs
I don’t think she’s gonna be wearing a skirt Al. lol
Incognito was the first player to congratulate her. Good PR move on his part. LOL
I’d be pretty disappointed if the Fins draft a CB with their top pick.
FS covers more ground sideline to sideline and thus to me can make a bigger impact (if he’s elite) because his job is more than covering a #1 WR. With that said, I guess Ramsey at FS would work for me but DB are those kind of positions you can find in RD 2 and such. Also, even if the Fins had Revis right now, their D would still suck because he can’t cover everyone (the front 7 have to create the pressure for the DB to make plays). The most glaring weakness appears to be at LB and with edge rusher but DE can be solved by re-signing/restructuring guys or finding a UFA to cover for a departing DE.
Id be extremely disappointed Dolphins went ILB in the first with out at least trading back and picking up some picks. In fact there are only 3 players id stay put at 8 for. Hargreaves, Ramsey and Tunsil.
That’s why I posted this article, we have so many questions at DE and edge pass rush. Also good pass rushers aren’t cheap and some of the guys I mentioned are not big time pass rushers to begin with including Vernon.
Albert played in 14 games, he started and finished like 12. He played hurt and you could see it affected him in a few games but i think he was pushing through it to ensure the idea that he cant stay healthy wouldnt continue
Mike im not a cap guy. Im not always looking to make cap space. I really like Albert, you probably scanned through the part i wrote about how elite he is and what i think about his LT skills, suffice to say if you had read it you would know i wasn’t looking to get rid of him.
I have been torn on the idea, on one hand you lose an elite level player and on the other, you gamble with a guy who likely misses at least a few games a year. I cant say he wont make it through a whole year, but can you tell me truthfully you think there is a high probability he will? Last three years he has PLAYED in, nor completed, 12, 9, and 14 games. Just from that you would have to lean towards he isnt going to make it through the whole year.
That said, whats your preference? I prefer moving on right now to a younger guy who has no injury history, 0 games missed in 4 years, giving them the same money as Albert to give some stability to a group that hasn’t had any in years. Its not about saving cap money, because im actually going more against the cap by doing it, im saying this because i care that we have as few questions about the OL as possible.
That’s a lateral move and no guarantee of the same level of play and it could be worse. We’re not in a position to get rid of our better OL for unknowns.
Any U of Miami FS – Dion Bush fans? I like his instincts and quite frankly he probably wasn’t taught anything meaningful by the worst DC on the FBS planet -> D’Onofrio.
D
I would love to draft a T, a quality one at that. I’ve been saying that for over a year. If Albert is healthy all season, maybe the guy we drafted to play T can play G for a season, we need as much quality as we can get on that O-line.
We drafted an OT in the 1st rd in 2014.
Yes, but I knew Albert was hurt last year, and knew we needed better depth. The O-line killed us this year when James went down, and before that, Albert was out for a couple of game, and basically wasn’t right until the 5th game. We can draft all the pass rushers in the world, it won’t protect Tannehill,
The risk of the draft is does the guy pan out. Generally the LT’s i the first round do, some take a little while to get going but it usually happens. I think thats why im leaning towards Glenn in FA as a replacement. more expensive option but the guy is proven. He has started at LT since game 3 of his rookie year and never looked back.
Tim
We drafted 2 CB’s in 2013, does that mean we don’t need to draft a CB now? We do need to think about Albert and his health, and ability to play every game, and if we draft a T early, at a minimum it gives us insurance, as well as a player to eventually replace Albert.
Im good with a LT in the first, and if Tunsil somehow falls for us id love that pick. I do think CB and DE are also strong needs but Mike is right, we need to draft a guy to be at very least eventual replacement for Albert potentially even this year. Tim you are also right we need DE on that same level. Why ya think i brought up the trading a future first or future second along with other this year picks, to get back into the first round to get another stud player, like Lawson or Bullard. We have some really strong needs at some really important positions.
Also Tim you seem to talk about DE and CB as if DE helps CB but its not the other way around. Id say that its more the other way around because a lot of systems these days use quick passes, pretty much nullifying even the best pass rush. Without great CB’s you have a guy open and the ball comes out before they get to him, the better the CB’s the more likely he has to run deeper into the read progression, the more time for the ball to come out, and the more sacks you get. They feed off one another but it starts with great coverage.
Tim Knight says:
January 21, 2016 at 3:16 pm
That’s a lateral move and no guarantee of the same level of play and it could be worse. We’re not in a position to get rid of our better OL for unknowns.
Reply
————————————
Tim how is it unknown. He’s a 4 year starter, never missed a game and one of the Top LT every year. Thats a pretty proven track record.
Was Albert an unknown when we signed him?
Who, you didn’t mention a name? It’s also a lateral move that doesn’t change anything going into the season. The idea is to add more good players, not keep replacing good players who you already have. That’s going in circles.
D,
Agree on ILB as high as 8 since there is no real Patrick Willis type out there to warrant such a high pick. Edge LB who can use their speed are just as valuable as edge DE IMO because both can pass rush effectively and also disrupt stretch plays along their side. One is more of a power position of course but hey both are important on same side of field and both can create pressure in different ways. That said, I am favoring these days a move of Misi to the middle with the drafting of UCLA’s Myles Jack.
Mike E, we signed Albert in 2014 and draft James 1st rd the same year. How many resources do you want them to use on the same position within two years? Hickey had to use most of his top resources in 2014 on the OL because of the mess Ireland left it in. He also used a 3rd on Turner.
I know it sucks the situation we’re in, but there is only so much you can do in 2 years.
Who cares what they did? Not sure why anything we’ve done matters? We drafted a DE with the 3rd pick in 2013, but you want to draft another DE at #8? How does that make any more or less sense than what I’m saying? The O-line sucks! It’s BUSTED. The difference is you’re willing to the roll the dice with Albert, I’m hesitant to do that. You continually say OT’s can’t play their first year, but can’t see that drafting one to replace Albert next year is important? There’s a disconnect somewhere there Tim
Good point D in your 3:33PM post. We need CB’s that play right up on receivers, and can stay with them on those short quick routes.
The OL situation is a mixed bag.
I often here people say ‘it sucks’ etc.
The Fins were very efficient at running; they just didn’t do it as often as they passed.
If a OL truly sucks, they wouldn’t be able to run block either.
There are several forces at play in why they aren’t consistent at pass blocking.
Talent is one of them; protection schemes is another, and I’m sorry to say it but QB play in the pocket is another albeit lesser issue.
It is a lot of things and I’ve mentioned all of it all season. But our interior guys got run over way too often in pass pro. That’s personnel. I said many times we run it pretty well so why do we treat it like the plague? I came to the conclusion that offense was broken from top to bottom all season.
Hopefully Gase makes Lazor look like even more of an idiot. LOL
Al in MIA says:
January 21, 2016 at 3:28 pm
D,
Agree on ILB as high as 8 since there is no real Patrick Willis type out there to warrant such a high pick. Edge LB who can use their speed are just as valuable as edge DE IMO because both can pass rush effectively and also disrupt stretch plays along their side. One is more of a power position of course but hey both are important on same side of field and both can create pressure in different ways. That said, I am favoring these days a move of Misi to the middle with the drafting of UCLA’s Myles Jack.
————————————–
Have ya looked at Deon Jones from LSU. More i watch more i really like this guy. Watch LSU vs Texas Tech bowl game. Dude is all over the place in coverage, shutting down the sweeps and screens. He has been consistently good this year but was on fire that game. Really high motor guy too. Ive seen what Jack can do and he is a really great player, only thing that makes me nervous is that injury. That shit looked pretty bad, and i havent heard anything about his recovery status to know if he is bouncing back from it. Guess we will know come combine.
Tim Knight says:
January 21, 2016 at 3:34 pm
Who, you didn’t mention a name? It’s also a lateral move that doesn’t change anything going into the season. The idea is to add more good players, not keep replacing good players who you already have. That’s going in circles.
————————————-
Ive mentioned a name multiple times now….Cordy Glenn.
How is it going in circles to upgrade a position, its an upgrade to have a guy a full year instead of scrambling to fill his spot and having games where his replacement gives up multiple sacks in those games.
Because you’re replacing a position where we already have a good player.
You made it seem like just some young guy. I don’t remember everything you say. LOL
Mike E, you’re losing me with your logic. You only play two tackles at a time, you could play 6 corners at once.
And seriously on the DE situation with Jordan? You didn’t see that coming, you went out and bought his friggin jersey. LOL
The big issue was we lost Albert for more than half of 2014 than James in 2015. Nobody has a crystal ball.
Why does Albert need to be replaced next year, he’s 31, not 36?
Tim – My logic is, Dion Jordan isn’t working, and may never work out. But bringing up that we drafted a DE in 2013 doesn’t make the position any less of a need NOW, does it? So we drafted a T in 2014. he was hurt last year, and he wasn’t playing that great when he wasn’t hurt, but of course, not as bad as Fox. I think saying that we drafted a T in’14 has nothing to do with what we need in ’16. That’s my point.
I bet you 100% of the teams would never draft an OT high a year after signing a top FA LT and drafting a RT in the 1st the year prior. Our depth is a concern but man how can you keep putting top resources in that same position when we just did it?
Mike E. says:
January 21, 2016 at 3:36 pm
Good point D in your 3:33PM post. We need CB’s that play right up on receivers, and can stay with them on those short quick routes.
———–
That’s a scheme issue. If the HC/DC want to play man to man, you employ man to man cover type CB (they aren’t the same as zone scheme DB though the better the talent the more you can do both). I heard Tannenbaum a few years ago on NFL Network during draft talk that he woiuldn’t have drafted Revis if Rex ran a zone corner scheme. He said Rex asked him to find the best man to man corner and that Revis was that for him.
It is a scheme thing, but Cincy plays press and man, so im going with thats the scheme Jospeh likely goes with. Zone is risky to be your primary scheme, most only mix in zone, but primarily run man, and press-man against teams like NE or NYG who get rid of it so fast.
Tim Knight says:
January 21, 2016 at 3:42 pm
You made it seem like just some young guy. I don’t remember everything you say. LOL
—————————————-
I mentioned the name several times …..Today. Your ADD acting up again?
Sorry, you could have easily mentioned his name in the post I replied too. If you did I would have had a different reply.
If we keep Wake on a restructure, or resign Shelby, i would still think we need a stud DE but id fee a lot more comfortable with us taking one in maybe the 2nd. If we keep Grimes, id be more comfortable with CB dropping into the 2nd. I see the first one as a MUCH more likely situation, so thats why i am focusing on CB in the first.
I think they keep Grimes. Based on current 2016 $ ranking on cap hit for CB; Grimes ranks 12th at 9.5 million (tied with Ravens CB Ladarius Webb).
They could also do with him though, what im suggesting with Albert, dump him/trade him in favor of a guy like Janoris Jenkins who winds up costing the same amount, young, on the upswing, more dependable.
D,
I agree with press scheme. That’s my preferred style; leave the zone shit for safeties lol.
It’s not just zone, it’s off man and every team plays it. 😉
Al, Yes on Deon Bush from the U!
If he can still be had late, then it’s a homerun>>>IMO.
His skill set is tremendous for the position as a FS. He’d learn quickly in a Vance Joseph secondary.
Ive been working him into some of my recent mocks, going CB in the first, DE in the second and then FS in the 3rd or 4th. Sometimes i work it into the second and take Jalen Mills who i think is probably one of the better coverage safeties.
Everyone on the CB 2016 cap hit ranking list between 1-25 is getting paid ~$7 mill or more in 2016.
Janoris should come in at about a 10mil per year payday, which is slightly under what we pay Grimes.
Deon Bush so far hasnt accepted the invite for Senior Bowl so dont know if ill be able to see him but Jeremy Cash, and Darian Thompson, Deandre Houston-Carson, are all going to be there. Lots of other mid round prospects too.
Thompson & Carson are considered among the top 3 candidates and will go too early for my liking when we have bigger needs…IMO.
That’s why I’m hoping for a guy with the skill of Bush to be there later in the draft. Also a guy like BC’s Justin Simmons or GA Tech Jamal Golden.
I want Grimes gone because of that damn thing he calls a wife!
But with that said, all this talk about shut down corners being rare, well Grimes is near being a shutdown corner.
Yes he had some tough games this year, got beat some, but he also made some big plays as well as defended a lot of passes when they sometimes rarely got thrown his way.
Grimes could have a nice bounce back year in a better system, better ran Defense than what crap Coyle installed years ago.
Based on him being ranked as 12th in money @ CB, then it might be good to hang onto him, maybe even see if he would restructure some. (which Miko would say Hell Naw)! 🙄
All corners get beat. Revis, Sherman, Howard etc… so what does shutdown mean?
D,
Yes to Deion Jones as well….LSU defenders have had a good run in the NFL …Kwon Alexander last year had the same size as Jones (6-1 227 prior to draft) and Kwon had a very good rookie year (NFL all rookie honors) getting 93 tackles despite missing 4 games due to suspension. Hell, Alexander did that starting 12 games at MLB!
Jones FLYS around the field. I really like him. I like his buddy Kendall Beckwith and if we landed both i feel really certain they would start for us day 1.
D,
Here’s an article I came across on Jones
http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2015/10/it_took_lsu_senior_deion_jones.html
Yeah thats an awesome article i really like the guy.
Listening now to Troy Aikman on with Mike Francessa – when he was 17 the Mets were trying to lure him into their org over football. He said baseball was his first love but started to realize at the higher levels he struggled hitting breaking stuff. Before the draft the Mets asked him one more time what will it take to get you here and he said $250K not even knowing what that figure meant. The Mets said Daryl Strawberry who was their best prospect doesn’t even make that, so they wished him good luck and that was the end of it. LOL
lmfao
Damn the LB’s that have accepted invites to Senior Bowl is STOUT.
Kentrell Brothers Missouri
Josh Forrest Kentucky
Deion Jones LSU
Nick Kwiatkoski West Virginia
Blake Martinez Stanford
Tyler Matakevich Temple
Antonio Morrison Florida
Jared Norris Utah
Kyler Fackrell Utah State
Jordan Jenkins Georgia
Joshua Perry Ohio State
Reggie Ragland Alabama
Joe Schobert Wisconsin
Eric Striker Oklahoma
I have looked at every single one of these guys for potentials at LB’s for us.
The Dolphins won’t have to go far to get an evaluation on Jenkins (UMiami’s Mark Richt)
I had Jenkins penciled in to us last year before he decided to return for his senior year. I dont know that it helped him much he is about the same draft projection as he was last year.
Alright D & GDP,
Now that we have Bush & Jones on the radar…let’s find strategies to get DJ White, Deon Bush, & Deion Jones LOL.
Speaking of LSU defenders, CB Rashard Robinson is very good, has the length @ 6’2 for today’s bigger receivers we face.
His skill set and decent speed make him a good get that we can find in the later rounds due to him getting kicked off the team for breaking into a students apt to retrieve his laptop that the student stole from him. Not like a drug or assault charge, so he can be put back on track easily one would think.
But because of it, he’s very under the radar at this point.
D says:
January 21, 2016 at 4:25 pm
Yeah thats an awesome article i really like the guy.
—–
I loved reading this part:
“”The first day on campus, I came in 196. I can remember it like yesterday going against (former LSU offensive linemen La’el Collins and Elliott Porter) at the first morning practice and it was not fun when you’re not even 200 pounds.”
—
LOL, boot camp DIV 1 style…
The way the game is played, the only LBs worthy of a high 1st rd grade are 3 down players who can play well in all phases. Does anyone fit that bill?
Yeah i believe there are in this draft. There are some really good ones but i wouldn’t take any of them at 8.
That’s what I was wondering.
Jalen Mills will also be at the Senior bowl, they had him listed under DC, which is CB.
GDP,
I haven’t had a chance to look at Rashard Robinson closley but we all know the LSU CB alumni in the NFL …they rock.
Yes, they do. I’m sure Grier is looking closely at him too.
The Fins can ask Landry as well what he thinks about him lol
Its why i really like Jalen Mills….. their DB track record is AWESOME.
Its also why i wouldnt mind taking a shot at Claiborne the former no 6 overall pick by the Cowboys, who they just gave up on. He’s a FA this year and would be really cheap pickup. His former position coach is now ours too, so even if the organization didnt believe in him, he should know best if he is worth a look.
Patrick Peterson, Honey Badger, Eric Reed, all recent products out of LSU, all from same coaching staff as Mills and Claiborne.
getterdone says:
January 21, 2016 at 4:27 pm
Speaking of LSU defenders, CB Rashard Robinson is very good, has the length @ 6’2 for today’s bigger receivers we face.
His skill set and decent speed make him a good get that we can find in the later rounds due to him getting kicked off the team for breaking into a students apt to retrieve his laptop that the student stole from him. Not like a drug or assault charge, so he can be put back on track easily one would think.
But because of it, he’s very under the radar at this point.
————————————–
At LSU thats pretty mild lol.
lmfao!
FSU Terrance Smith is another later round gem @ LB. He’s played both Mike & Will after Telvin Smith left for the NFL.
He was in the draft mix last year but decided to stay his senior year. He has great burst & is very aggressive in both run & pass cvgs.
Cyrus Jones out of Alabama is a decent later round CB, and he comes with excellent return skills.
Amen!!!!!!!!
D, Claiborne is an enigma that hasn’t been able to stay healthy. I wouldn’t spend much to sign him. But he is young(25) & had a ton of talent @ LSU.
Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) | Twitter 22 mins ago
Bummer. #MichiganState DE Shilique Calhoun is OUT of the Senior Bowl due to a minor injury. Was going to play DE and LB there.
Good, he’s a guy I like and could drop a bit now. We’ll have many ways to go in this draft w/o trading up anywhere. I’d rather pick up an extra pick or two in one of the first 4 rounds.
Tim
It seems like you’re looking at Albert as if he’s a perfect physical specimen of health. he had a major knee injury, and he somehow toughed out 14 games this year, but I can’t bank on him for 2017 and beyond like you do. I’d keep him this year, but draft his replacement this year if he’s sitting there for us at #8, or if there’s a guy with upside in the 2nd or 3rd, maybe that instead. Bryant McKinnie was kind of like Albert, but he was always healthy, and stopped at 34. I think Albert might be done at 32. It’s not far fetched
Also – If we’re going down the road of what 100% of teams would or wouldn’t do, 100% of teams wouldn’t have paid Suh what we’re paying for him, and that’s proven, because we have him.
In 2017, Albert’s dead cap hit falls all the way to $3.4M
So as I’ve mentioned we keep him 1 more year, & draft a OT to groom for 2017.
That’s apples and oranges and teams were interested in Suh.
A better comparison would be using our #8 on a DT this year after we signed one in 2014 in Mitchell, Suh in 2015 and Phillips in the 2bd rd in 2015.
Anything is possible. I said sign an upgrade at OT in FA and go from there. I would not use a high draft pick on his backup who can maybe play guard though. It sounds good, but probably not as easy to find. I would just target that guy the year I need to replace him.
Any player can get his knee rolled up on. His durability is a little over exaggerated. He plays much more than he doesn’t but it comes off as if it’s the opposite. This is a tough game and lots of players miss time. It’s not exclusive to him. Look at how many of the top WRs we all discussed last draft that didn’t or barely played.
We just disagree on how to deal with OT heading into 2016 and that’s okay. You can’t build your team always worried about injuries and their replacements.
Yes, it seems we disagree on the LT situation. To add, it’s not that any player can get his knee rolled onto, it’s that Albert did, and he required major reconstructive surgery. That’s what worries me.
KC’s LT Donald Stephenson could come reasonable in FA. He’s 27 & has remained relatively healthy.
I’m sure Albert would love to see him coming for his job again….LOL
It would really push Albert & give us depth & future.
Just got done watching some film on Georgia Southern LB Antwione Williams…
I’m impressed. This guy knows how to hunt down his target.
FA Bengals Safety Reggie Nelson was ’32’ for the entire 2015 season & led the NFL with 8 INT’s & double digit PD’s.
Gives us hope that we now have Cincy’s DB coach as our DC now.
The Draft Wire @thedraftwire 7h7 hours ago
Everything on interior OL at the @seniorbowl http://thedraftwire.usatoday.com/2016/01/20/2016-reeses-senior-bowl-preview-interior-ol/ … by @JonahTulsNFL
Mike E,
I can’t speak for Tim but I’m one of those that believes you have to trust the process when it comes to injured players.
It’s one thing if the same injury is affecting Albert year in and year out but he’s had a little bit of bad luck there; not suffering the same injury in each instance. Major knee injury last season and this year he had some hamstring injury that kept him out of games. He suffered a knee injury in SD but he came back the next game.
You basically just spoke for me. 🙂
Mike E,
To put things into perspective, Albert played more games than James this year and a knee injury is generally worse than a toe injury lmfao.
Yeah, but have you seen James’s toe? 😉
NFLPA Bowl Game @NFLPABowl 30m30 minutes ago
Norfolk State’s Deon King seeks to turn heads at #NFLPABowl http://foxs.pt/1SAcYRQ @NSUSpartans
LOL, I’ll pass.
Armando Salguero @ArmandoSalguero
Steve Young’s analogy on injured Peyton Manning: “I’m a world renowned brain surgeon. But my hands are shaking.”
________________________________
LOL, Go Broncos!
Al
Actually, I think the big problem when one part of your body fails you is that you are more likely to injure another body part compensating. That’s how you hurt a hammy, when you’re knee is stiff and painful. I just don’t trust him to last beyond this year, if that. Just how I see it man.
Mike E, should i mention every player who has had an unfortunate knee injury so we can all hold a grudge against them? It happened to Brady and he’ll be 39 next year. I know he’s a QB but he also gets attacked every play.
Shouldn’t the fact that Albert played in 14 games off the knee injury give you some promise?
How is it a grudge? I don’t care what the LT’s name is that had the injury. Hey, we all saw what injuries can do to a LT, look no further than Jake Long.
I replied to ya above on the LT.
See what Al is saying, we’re sharing tinfoil helmets on this subject. LOL
GDP,
I wasn’t impressed or intrigued by many of the coaching hires the Fins but Vance intrigues.
He’s not a Bengals lifer like Coyle was and he had stints in the SF & Houston organizations who had at least 1 very good year while he was at each stop. Clyde Christensen intrigues as well; both he and Gase had OC titles with Manning at QB at some point in their careers (Clyde at Indy in 2010; got fucked in 2011 without Manning and a 3rd string QB while the franchise tanked for Luck LOL).
Yep, I agree. Vance has learned from a few different stops, and Cincy has always had a good defense under Lewis & Zimmer, whom Vance also learned from.
Clyde is said to be a great people guy & very smart. He’ll take a lot of pressure off of Gase & have a lot of nice input as well.
VJ never coached under Zimmer but he coached in his system carried over by Guenther.
VJ coached under Nolan in SF and Phillips in HOU who both ran 3-4 defenses. I hope we use multiple fronts and start drafting players who can do multiple things. I don’t like one dimensional players because in today’s game you need to be able to use different matchups. And if that blows some players minds, get new players. Football is not that complex.
Also helps when QB’s like Rodgers are trying to catch you in a certain look personnel wise & changes to quick snaps to prevent substitutions.
Tim,
I just feel Albert gets the ‘old’ tag often but it’s not his fault the team has no depth behind him.
If they had anything but Fox at RT we probably wouldn’t be hearing so much bitching about Albert’s injury.
That & if we got better play out of the 2 young OG’s that a 2nd & 3rd pick pick was squandered on.
Their horrible play just puts Albert in a bad light as he gets lumped in with a bad OL.
Plus too many injuries all along the OL, including Pouncey yet again.
Matty I @TheMattyI 4m4 minutes ago
Fact: Ryan Tannehill had 930 passing yards combined on passes that traveled at least 20 yards beyond LOS in the air – 7th most in NFL in ’15
He sucks, Mr. Dink n Dunk. Draft a QB in the 1st.
Hi, my name is Randy BoulderSon, 😉
As Gase said, he saw enough of Tannehill to know he can work with him as his QB.
Parker 19.0
Stills 16.3
Matthews 15.4
They didn’t get that all on YAC.
Mike E,
Unlike Long, Albert came back this season and didn’t tear his ACL again.
Hamstring injuries happen all the time to various players and when they do happen, the players are never allowed to let it heal 100% since you can play through the soreness (post injury soreness). It takes 3-4 weeks of idle time to heal a hamstring injury 100%.
I see banking on Albert as a gamble, not even a low risk one.
GD, I don’t think Albert needs to be pushed. The guy worked his ass off to come back and if you ever heard him talk, motivation is not what he needs. Injury concerns is all he has to overcome.
I didn’t say he needs to be pushed, but competition is healthy for everyone & we do need a contingency plan @ back up OT.
Stephenson shouldn’t cost a fortune and lets us worry more about drafting OL later in the draft & key on defense early.
Agree but Stephenson can probably find starter money somewhere. His agent will push for that. What will be more interesting is what I posted already and that is a scenario where the team finds a new RT and moves James inside.
GDP,
Douglas needs to have a big off season so that he can push for LG starter or something next season. Someone has to be able to make it as a suitable starter out of Turner & Douglas (i think it will be Douglas sooner than Turner). I’ve heard rumors around the net about the possibility of moving James inside to OG but not sure how realistic that is.
Douglas should get better in his 2nd year, and yes I too have mentioned him as our future LG. Turner may still develop @ RG, but may be better suited as a swingman, he does have OT experience from college.
But as for moving James inside…hell no, that would not be wise…IMO. He’s showed he can be one of the best @ RT. Leave him be!
Also Gase will help by making sensible play calling, installing sensible routes for the receivers, and balancing the run. This should help the OL a lot.
GDP, you would pick up a guy like Stephenson in FA over Glenn?
I like Glenn better, but he’s going to cost a bundle & will have more suitors than Stephenson.
Depends on how our cap looks after some cuts are made & see what direction the team is going in with personnel.
If you get a guy like Glenn you cut/trade Albert. With the way Aponte works the cap system, they probably could get Glenn on his first year for about the same money we save cutting Albert. I think Glenn is going to be around 10-12 mil per, so so they could probably get that first year down a good bit, roll the rest of the first year back to year 4 or 5 and end up with a guy who they pay roughly the same per year as Albert for the majority of his contract.
Before i insult that photoshop job lol, thats not yours right GD?
D
I have no problem with picking up Glenn other than what it will cost, and if it’s possible with our cap. Then we can draft defense all day.
If we cut Wake, Grimes and most the other guys with heavy contracts we wind up with about 30mil cap space. With that much we can get either a top FA LT or CB and probably at least one top OG. After that it sets the direction for the draft. You go CB in FA, then you take a LT or DE in the first and the other in the second. You take Glenn, opens ya up to draft CB/DE and the other in the second and you have 5 extra mil cap space to potentially get a solid vet ILB, though after i was looking at those guys most the top ones are 3-4 ILB’s.
D
That makes a lot of sense to me
D says:
January 21, 2016 at 4:22 pm (Edit)
Damn the LB’s that have accepted invites to Senior Bowl is STOUT.
Kentrell Brothers Missouri
Josh Forrest Kentucky
Deion Jones LSU
Nick Kwiatkoski West Virginia
Blake Martinez Stanford
Tyler Matakevich Temple
Antonio Morrison Florida
Jared Norris Utah
Kyler Fackrell Utah State
Jordan Jenkins Georgia
Joshua Perry Ohio State
Reggie Ragland Alabama
Joe Schobert Wisconsin
Eric Striker Oklahoma
I have looked at every single one of these guys for potentials at LB’s for us.
I meant to say – that’s a lot of good players
but I forgot to post my portion….lol
You guys think Cordy Glenn is better than Branden Albert?
Why?
I don’t have an issue with Albert after coming back from knee surgery and playing in 14 games. He didn’t re-injure the knee which was a good sign. Some guys blow it again.
I don’t think D thinks he’s better, but he’s a safer bet to finish the next 5 seasons, without a significant drop off. I’ll let him answer that though. lol
Or Glenn gets his knee rolled up on and we’re right back where we were in 2014 and 2015. LOL
GD, you did say push Albert but I get the rest of your point. 😉
“KC’s LT Donald Stephenson could come reasonable in FA. He’s 27 & has remained relatively healthy.
I’m sure Albert would love to see him coming for his job again….LOL
It would really push Albert & give us depth & future.”
I don’t want to cut the whole team to sign 1 or 2 free agents
Don’t you guy think that’s why we are where we are to begin with?
Can we just bring in good players through the draft and build some consistency
instead of cutting contracts and bringing in new contracts we will be cutting again in a couple of years
Albert’s contract is 2 years old…
I said the same thing earlier. Doing that is going in circles.
I just want to bring guys in through the draft
we will cut some vets eventually if we draft well
bring some cost effective free agents
no big contracts
let’s build on the roster we have
not overhaul it
Al, I don’t see James moving inside. Just find a starter quality guard and let the youngins compete for the other spot.
Tim
Albert could slip on Joe Toledo coming out of the whirlpool and be done for the season. lol
That’s impossible
Joe Toledo has been instructed to wear this hat in 2016
the team is taking steps to prevent those accidents
LOL, keep Toledo away from the facility.
Sooooo, is everyone ready for the blizzard????
As long as they close my office and I don’t have to go in, SURE!!!
It’s not supposed to start here until around 10 am from what I see on the news. Hopefully they let us go home early if it starts getting really bad.
Piggy, I agree. Add players and let the competition decide the 53. When you release a bunch of players or don’t bring them back you’re creating voids that NEED to be replaced and you create new depth voids again. Too many fans are worried about the cap and just want new, new, new. LOL
I’ve said it before
I don’t might spending in free agency
in fact it may be your only chance to bring in blue chip players
but signing guys and then cutting them within a couple of years to sign new guys
Are we really going to get any better that way
You can bring guys in
I don’t know think teams should be so eager to discard guys
for me that is a big part of why we have been 8-8
and actually getting worse
Maximize the draft
get production out of young players
keep vets until they get beat out by the competition
that should be the model IMO
I don’t think moving money around to bring in different guys works really well
and that is what it feels like when we cut guys to create cap room
Hold on a second – Aren’t a lot of these players the same guys that helped us to 8-8, 7-9, 7-9, 6-10? Now we have to keep them? Who can’t we do without?
A lot of guys we discarded helped us to those records too
no individual player got us a record
but I’m guessing the philosophy of getting rid of guys to bring in new guys is what gets us those records
ex A
Dansby + Burnett for Wheeler and Ellerbee
That’s not the point. You’re trying to get better by adding players to the good players you already have and let it work itself out. When you create more and more voids now you have NEEDS and have to replace them or you’ll be worse. They call that gutting the team. Then you can’t go after some other positions because you had to replace your voids.
Unless you’re willing to take that approach and take another step back this year to retool for 2017?
Replacing Albert with Glenn does not upgrade the LT position in a way where you corrected a problem. Depth at tackle and guards are the problem. It’s a lateral move that doesn’t make any sense to me.
Oy! Albert was not the problem this year. He played well once he got back into game shape. Man you guys are barking up the wrong tree. I think I will cut it down. LOL
He even made the pro bowl
lol
okay okay
that was a stretch!
Albert is a good LT so no it’s not a stretch. I’m amazed at the disrespect shown to the guy.
Tim
I don’t think he had a pro bowl year (Or Pouncey) either
but I think he is the kind of player than produce a pro bowl year in 2017 or 2018 or beyond
the guy is talented
just not always healthy
Albert made the Pro Bowl out of respect for his game. He was our best OL this year. He wasn’t the problem. The interior and Fox was. Improve the guard position and upgrade over Fox. How hard is it to find a G better than what we had and a OT better than Fox? That should be the focus, not replacing the quality players.
Pouncey was excellent in the run game when we did it and was solid in pass pro. But poor guard play does not allow Pouncey to be the best he can be. An OL works as a unit, not as individuals like say a WR. The OL also needs continuity so let’s keep changing it up like we’ve been doing because that has worked so well. I really don’t get that thinking.
The one thing we have not done is find a solid 5 we can roll with for years. Yes injuries have hurt that progression too. But Albert was not a problem most of this season. He missed weeks 3 and 4 due to fatigue off the knee injury and compensating for it because he didn’t have much of a chance to get into football shape and had a hammy or calf injury, don’t remember exactly. From that point on he was really solid.
I’m sure we have to make some salary moves
but I think some of these players than have contributed in the past and played well
might not have done much this year
but that doesn’t mean they don’t next year
The nfl is full of guys that have good and bad years
in 2013 Rob Gronksowki played in 7 games
and now look at him
You just can’t give up on guys after a bad year for them individually
most players don’t get better and better and better
Its one thing to give up on a guy that has never produced
but guys like Albert, Grimes and wake have pro bowls under their belt
are they getting old – yes
but I see a log of good teams retaining their players through thick and thin
if you are trying to get better – the focus cannot be on who you lose
its who you add
we are not better with less
we are better with more
You would take out sugar to make something sweeter would you?
Who’s getting rid of good players? I didn’t hear anyone say get rid of Jones, Landry, Parker. I heard one alternative for Albert, and I think that’s just a younger player with slightly less skill, but a much more stable outlook. I’d get rid of Grimes, if you mean that, but I don’t think he’s worth $9M + and another year older, and he can’t cover the guys in our division, so I can wave buh-bye to him
OV and Shelby are UFAs, Wake is a ? off the Achilles, people have mentioned replacing both Mitchell and Misi for cap purposes, Sheppard is a UFA even if he’s mediocre at best, replace Grimes and Miko lol, replace Albert, Cameron, Stills, might have to replace Miller. That’s quite a lot. I’d rather push some of those guys out with competition, not create voids that MUST be replaced and that’s what we’re looking at here.
Some of them we can’t control, like the UFAs and if Wake isn’t the same who I’m concerned about. That’s already voids we need to look at. Like I said in this article, we can’t rely on Fuckface, and Coples will either have to take a substantial cut or he won’t be back. We could end up really thin at DE if it doesn’t go down the right way.
Then we want to replace LT, depth OT, G, TE, Miller?, LB, CB and S.
Oh yeah, we also want to draft a developmental QB to push Logan Thomas and maybe even Tannehill, and get rid of Matt Moore.
Oh okay, good luck with all that. I’m sure it will all just go down just as we envision it. LOL
I want to keep Miller and OV, and if they really like Shelby, him too.
### New Dolphins coach Adam Gase told WQAM’s Joe Rose on Thursday that last year “was a hiccup” for Ryan Tannehill. “I feel like we can help with the sacks; we can eliminate some of those hits he’s taken.”
Gase’s offense — which he said is based in part on what Indianapolis has done — includes some deep shots. But keep in mind that Tannehill threw more deep passes last season (81, completing 27) than Jay Cutler did under Gase in 2015 (24 for 73) or Peyton Manning under Gase in 2014 (31 for 70). In this case, deep passes are balls thrown 20 yards or more in the air.
Gase spent 2 ½ hours at Don Shula’s home on Wednesday and called it an “unbelievable experience, a day I’ll never forget.”
Awesome!!!
I think Glenn is pretty close to Albert’s level and on the upswing but yeah majority of why I think he’s a better option is he is very dependable.
He has started every game since they put him in 3 games into his rookie season. Albert has missed multiple games in all but one season. He has a history, a pattern, one that I want to move on from with possibly the most important position on the OL.
And yes tim any one of them can get rolled up on, but you can’t say that there is no difference in Albert and some of the other players. A lot of players make it through the season OK. They hold up better to the abuse of football. Albert isn’t one of them so there is much higher likelihood he follows his pattern of injury and Glenn follows his. That just logical.
I want to focus on positions that need upgrades, not the ones that don’t. I would expect Albert to be much more ready this offseason without rehab and more strength training and getting into football shape before the season starts which he had to do in-season this year coming back so quickly. James was the man down this year, not Albert.
Upgrade OT depth and add a quality starting G in FA. That will go along way and should not be too expensive.
Then draft a C/G to compete with Douglas and round out backup C and/or G. Maybe one becomes a starter over Thomas and Turner or someone else.
LT Albert
LG?
C Pouncey
RG?
RT James
That’s the core. The best thing we can hope for is those 3 stay relatively healthy and we build from there.
Can’t make tea sweeter taking out the sugar, but I hear you can make a pig sweeter taking him on a white water rafting adventure. 🙂
This is cool.
Gase spent 2 ½ hours at Don Shula’s home on Wednesday and called it an “unbelievable experience, a day I’ll never forget.”
Ah, it does the chunk of coal that passes for my heart good to see you all discussing the players that truly matter. 😀
Randy, any concerns at DE/Edge types?
Tim,
Yes! Lol
Awesome insight! LOL