Earthlings…I bet you were wondering about me…even afraid…
“What is Wedge up to?” You mumbled to yourself. Is the Earth safe?
Well rest assured Earthlings. You are still very much a target of mine.
I’ve been watching you since the NFL draft last April…
And you know what, I’m still not impressed! Why does your pathetic species deserve to survive? With a simple push of the button I can destroy your entire species!
If I am creative enough about it, I might even get a promotion
So be very afraid…
But Earthlings here is the thing…
I really enjoyed watching the Dolphins make a playoff run in 2016
It didn’t last long once we got there…but next thing I know – it’s January and the draft is just a few months away. And this year there are some exciting prospects which has me thinking less about the destruction of your planet.
Like Anthony Walker, Jr. from Northwestern
Walker is a 6’1, 235 Junior linebacker out of Northwestern. I love his story!
Walker is not some blockhead linebacker who throws his fragile Earth head into the ball carrier to bring him down. Northwestern isn’t known to produce a lot of NFL stars, rather the school is known for its academic standing. Walker fit right in when he was there.
He actually graduated from Monsignor Pace High School in Miami Gardens with a 4.7 grade point average. While at Monsignor Pace his father was his coach and teacher…he has a close relationship with his father today and boasts about calling him everyday while at Northwestern…sort of sweet isn’t it…maybe Earth is worth sparing?
Ah Yes Football….
Walker’s most impressive year was 2015 when he tallied 120 total tackles, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and an interception. In one game vs Duke, he recorded 19 tackles. Walker actually had 6 double digit tackle days in 2015.
Walker finished his career at Northwestern with 276 tackles in three years including over 60 solo tackles in each of the last two years. He all had four interceptions, six forced fumbles and 7.5 sacks in that time.
On December 30, 2016 Walker announced his decision to enter the NFL Draft, in doing so he became the first Northwestern player to declare early for the NFL draft since 1996.
While he played Mike Linebacker at Northwestern, some scouts think he projects better outside in a 4-3 defense mainly because his size might be a detriment in the middle or in a 3-4 scheme.
Walker is an instinctive and cerebral linebacker who grew up on football. He has an excellent work ethic and clearly loves the game.
If I were going to compare Anthony Walker, Jr. to a alien weapon of destruction, I would go with the Smart Self Operable Lunar Jack Hammer. I use it to chisel into a planet’s core when I want to cause a divesting earthquake.
You can watch his highlights here:
Finsmob Unleashed 
https://twitter.com/MDCheer/status/820335519271944193
https://twitter.com/MiamiDolphinsTp/status/820984554668380161
We’ll take all four. Thank you.
Nice job piggy. Let’s go get this guy.
Good job Wedge/Piggy! Walker looks good. It’s going to be exciting upgrading this defense, but I’m pretty sure at least 1 of our starting LB’s is going to be in FA.
BTW I thought the steelers Oline was holding all game and didn’t get called but they called the hold on kelce during the 2 point conversion? give me a break.
The NFL wanted to see a pats/steelers AFC championship game and the refs made sure of it. WWE seems less rigged.
The holding call was on Fisher, and it was a hold, but yeah, I get what you’re saying. It does happen all game, that was a tough spot to call that
I really think that’s the main reason Bell can dance around back there, is mostly because the steelers oline holds. They were doing the same thing when we played them and never got called.
““What is Wedge up to?” You mumbled to yourself. Is the Earth safe?….Well rest assured Earthlings. You are still very much a target of mine.”
LOL — hard to satisfy wedge, what a management strategy (and great work Pig). Am sensing that this year the Samurai might be less fleet and more pound you into the ground types. And that makes sense…..even fits the name better.
Wedge always has his hand on the button
Who on the planet do you think most did not want the Pats to get home field advantage through the playoffs?
Gotta think the right answer is Roger Goodel.
He’ll be visiting Foxboro next weekend.
Last time he was there was the day Deflategate started.
But hey — he should be guarded better than the President.
I started the offseason with walker
But he is not my first choice
I think Cunningham and Foster are the 2 guys I am strong targeting in the 1st round
If we did that in the 1st, I’m not sure we go back to back LB, albeit it’s possible, but if we do I think Davis and Walker are on the radar in the 2nd
Or even The LSU LBs
what LSU LB’s do you see as a consideration in the 2nd qtr?
Riley and Beckwith
Who are probably more like 3rd rounders
But none the less, since we pick with a compnoicknin the 3rd, they might be gone
So if the FO likes one then….
As far as Riley goes, I think he might follow the lead of Dion Jones and shoot up the boards closer to the draft
Last January Dion Jones was a day 3 pick
He ended up being a 2nd rounder by the Falcons
Beckwith is really more of a 4th rd prospect at best, especially after tearing his ACL last month. He’s slow as they come. He runs a 4.8 and lacks lateral agility. Unlike Borland who had great anticipation and was able to diagnose plays early to get a jump on the play, Beckwith is slow to start and doesn’t have the speed to catch up to the play. The biggest red flag is the fact that only 33 of his 91 total tackles this year were solo. THAT’s huge.
Actually, I take that back Piggy. I’m slotting Beckwith in the 6th rd.
LMAO! I love this.
“When you can’t get sent to timeout anymore because you burned them all up in the 3rd qtr”
I’m not sure the NFL wants Pitt vs cheats in the playoffs
If the NFL wanted anyone going further in the playoffs it was the cowboys
The reality is pound for pound, those are the best 2 teams in the AFC
Pitt just had ups and downs this season
But prior to the start of the season – a lot of people were predicting this game as the AFC championship
I just hate it when the refs decide games. They didn’t call that game evenly IMO.
It might be bc I saw the replay so many Tim’s
But I didn’t think there was much room to say that last play was not a hold on Fisher maybe it happens all the time or all game
But fishers hold was pretty blatant
I thought Sean Davis played well yesterday
The Steelers went 1 -2 DB (Burns and Davis) in 2016 in an attempt to improve their defense and it appears to have worked (although D is still not the strength of their team)
The Falcons also went 1 -2 with Neal and Dion Jones in 2016
it also worked for them
hey actually did it 2 years in a row to improve their defense
we might have to do the same (2 years in a row)
I think eight now in the NFL you are seeing teams get immediate impact from their draftees
Dallas is another team although in their case their 2nd rounder was Jaylon Smith who DNP and Prescott was a 4th rounder
I think we did well last year with Tunsil and Howard
If we can get 2 solid young defensive players 1 and 2
it will go along way to making us a better team
22: R1P22 LB REUBEN FOSTER, ALABAMA
54: R2P22 EDGE TACO CHARLTON, MICHIGAN
98: R3P34 LB DUKE RILEY, LSU
167: R5P22 G DANNY ISIDORA, MIAMI (FL)
177: R5P32 C TOBIJAH HUGHLEY, LOUISVILLE
185: R5P40 TE PHARAOH BROWN, OREGON
207: R6P22 CB DEMETRIOUS COX, MICHIGAN ST
243: R7P22 WR K.D. CANNON, BAYLOR
Something wrong with your draft Wyo! It’s got offensive players too!
He must be snifing glue
Defense defense defense
excellent 1 and 3
I don’t know about Taco
he seems solid but I don’t see a great pass rusher when I watch him
I think I would rather have Harris, Lawson or DeMarucs Walker if available
It’s not unusual to see LBs that can contribute meaningfully as rookies. I think LB is the easy position to fix if it’s broken. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the window is closing with our defensive stars. Wake is getting up there. Reshad wants a new contract, and Suh is no longer a spring chicken.
So what we need is to get better fast and make a push next next year that leaves these veterans in a position where they BELIEVE they are in the right place to compete for a championship.
I think we can easily get a starter or 2 from the draft and/or a starter or 2 from FA-for the defense. I also don’t think they are going to ignore every position on offense except TE as some of you seem to think.
******side note. There is a TE fetish on this board, has been for a very long time. Not sure why…Gronk being in the division? But it’s borderline unhealthy and I might have to stage an intervention for you guys if you don’t get your TE fetish under control. 😛
I hope they address the oline as well. See Tennessee game why that’s important.
I totally agree about LB
It’s ine of the easier positions to scout and get right
And one of the more likelihood contribute immediately
And one of the more likely to have a really good player out of the early picks
I want to address pass rushers as well
But edge players aren’t so easy to get right
i think it’s an area with a lot of misses
I feel a little safer picking LB early
Jahn — yes we have some older guys, but this team is young overall. And screw the “and/or”……we got our first and 2nd round and will be able to bring in some serious players in FA, and that doesn’t even count all the injured guys who should be healthy for training camp.
We should have $50 mil+ in cap room, even with re-signs and taking care of the rookie class that should be 2-3 real starters all by itself…..then comes the draft.
Always liked Adam Beasley, but he is now officially my favorite Phins reporter. You want to knwo what I think about the season in better words….just read this.
http://wlrn.org/post/heres-great-ok-good-season
And even if if there is a whole lot more….will put out the conclusion.
———————————————-
Q — Dolphin fans have been disappointed for years — without making any predictions — has this team turned the corner? Is it a team that we could feel good about again, that is going to be competitive again?
A — Couple of things; one, you should feel good because the coach is in place. This is a guy, that from top to bottom the organization, from Steve Ross to the last guy on the roster, all believes in him, all believe he’s the guy to get them to the ultimate goal, which is the Super Bowl. However you need talent to do that. And as I mentioned there is a deficiency and it might take a bit and they might regress in the standings in 2017, they could go 7-9 or 8-8 and be a better team, just because they didn’t get the breaks they got this year. But long term they’re building this franchise the right way. I would say in two if not three years this is the team that will consistently compete for the playoffs, if not the Super Bowl.
I like beasley as well but you are what your record says you are. I’m sure there are many coaches that could say we’re building for the future so ignore are record today.
In the full thing he says basically, “maybe we got lucky to end up 10-6″……but at the same time points out all the injuries and (like above) how Gase is the man, and that we at the same time are building for the future. Great words from Adam.
I don’t know as I want a pure pass rusher anymore?
I’m so tired of not being able to set the edge on a running play that I might give up a sack or 2 for 12 more tackles for loss?
JMHO
Well
I do think Taco might be a better choice in that case
He seems to be pretty solid all around
Maybe Carl Lawson too? I have been a fan of Lawson for like 2 years now
He is very solid and a really high character guy with a great work ethic
IMO DeMarcus Walker is a difference maker in terms of a pass rush
I tend to want DEs that get up field and LBs that hit the right gaps
I don’t really see that in Taco
But I do love Tacos so….
While watching the Packers/Cowboys game yesterday I found myself thinking “why do I watch the NFL when the refs so clearly influence games?” This thought came while the refs were letting the ‘Boys blatantly hold the Packers receivers, kept the GB score down, and gave the Boy’s an opportunity to get back into the game.
Then the last 2 minutes of the game happened, GB fg, Cowboys fg, 36 seconds left, and Rodgers makes an unbelievable throw, Cook makes an amazing catch, GB makes another 50+ yd fg, Packers win, and I’m thinking to myself “wow, this is why I watch”.
And to read that Rodgers drew that play up in the huddle is…I can’t even come up with a superlative good enough to describe how awesome that is.
I guess I’d have to say it’s….
I saw that too. Go back and watch the 2nd and 21 playin 4th. Huge hold allowing prescott to complete a 19 yard pass. I was shocked that wasn’t called. Cowboys went on and scored to tie the game. Such bullshit.
Was that the play Clay Matthews got held so bad he got turned around? If it was that play, that was so bad, I still remember it without having to go back to it.
yup that’s the one. HE was completely turned.
Skip Bayless argues that the calls when against the Cowboys…lol
Adams was getting mugged all game
I beleive it
I wasn’t really paying attention
He had his jersey pulled off one side of his shoulder pads on one play and nothing was called.
I only get emotional about officiating when it goes against the Dolphins
The integrity of the game is important IMO. Why not allow every play to be reviewable but don’t change how many challenges you’re allowed.
https://professorlousmiamidolphinsblog.org/2017/01/16/2017-nfl-draft-prospect-scouting-report-kendall-beckwith/
Brian,
That jersey play was one of the obvious refs influencing egregious no calls. Adams scores on that play otherwise and it’s something like 28-3 (if memory serves) The defender pulled his jersey down past his shoulder pad. And there was no major contact at the line, so it wasn’t as if they were both initiating contact or hand fighting. The jersey got pulled down as he ran past the defender and the defender grabbed the back of his jersey as he ran past. There is just no way in hell the ref didn’t see it.
It seriously makes me question my own intellect in that I know the game is compromised, yet I still can’t help but watch. Pass me the crack pipe please.
The ref was staring right at it
claibourne got away with a bunch of holds. That was one of them.
Nice job Piggy
If WRs are Samurai what do we call the LBs? Ronin?
We definitely need a name for the LB’s
We don’t need to stick with Japanese
Maybe some sort of Vikings or Aztec Warriors
somwthing historical, merciless, cruel and likely tto be kill Tom Brady
Any suggestions
Demogorgon.
What is that?
Fictional, it’s in “Stranger Things”
Linebackers are barbarians. Inside barbarians, middle barbarians, and outside barbarians
I’d go with Lions or Tigers.
or Bears Oh MY!!
I’d stay away from any moniker that sounds like another NFL teams’ mascot. Vikings, Lions, Bears…probably all bad omens…they all draft before us. 🙂
Okay how about fucking wolves? LOL
how about Orcs.. Lord of the Rings .. they smash the shit out of everything in their path…
Toba
The Orcs were so easily vanquished. I’d say this years Dolphins LB’s were Orcs. lol
LOL… it was worth a shot.. very tired.. 🙂
Berserkers:
were human warriors who had the power to turn into wild bulls, bears, or wolves and had the tendency to be out of control. Owing to their unbelievable strength and endurance, Berserkers were often employed by Scandinavian kings as their own bodyguards as well as their soldiers.
Sounds good! I want opposing teams to think our LB’s are berserk, and out of control
unbelievable strength and endurance would not hurt us either..
So I guess that’s where the saying “he went berserk” comes from? I like it.
Suh named ALL-PRO
http://www.miamidolphins.com/news/article-1/Suh-Named-PFWA-All-AFC/9275f8a6-514b-4dfb-a9de-6c86e3c0993d
So Laremy Tunsil won AFC East rookie of the Year. Awesome! Ya see, bong gas masks aren’t that big a deal. LOL
We confiscated one off of a kid last week in school.
Do you have it now? LOL
Lol!
LMAO @ Tim. Now it’s Brian’s official blogging mask.
Tim Knight says:
January 16, 2017 at 5:22 pm
Okay how about fucking wolves? LOL
_____________________________________
I don’t know Tim, seems like just regular old “wolves” is more menacing than Fucking Wolves, but hey….whatever floats your boat. 😛
LOL
The Flying Pig says:
January 16, 2017 at 3:57 pm (Edit)
We don’t need to stick with Japanese
Maybe some sort of Vikings or Aztec Warriors
somwthing historical, merciless, cruel and likely tto be kill Tom Brady
Any suggestions
——————
Beserkers
LOL @ Jahn and Demogorgon. Leave it to God to suggest the name of a demon lord
LOL…I was going for menacing afterall!
Oh Tunsil is just AFC East ROTY. But still! LOL
Okay I’m just gonna call them “good LBs”. 🙂
So a question for the legal eagles on the blog. My daughter was in a traffic accident a couple of weeks ago, worst 20 minutes of my life from the time she called me til I could get to where it happened. It wasn’t her fault, the accident report states it’s the other driver’s fault(the other driver is disputing this, bitch). The other driver’s insurance is a pain in the ass, they want to question my daughter, who is 17, about the accident. Is there any obligation for me to let them question her?
The insurance company wants to question her? What about the police report?
I’m NOT a lawyer, so take this with a grain of salt, but I do have a fair amount of experience with insurance. They likely want to offer your daughter a settlement. If the police report clearly states she’s not at fault they may want to close the case asap and not risk an actual lawsuit.
I would defer to your own insurance company and do what they recommend. They are the ones who will provide you with legal counsel should it become necessary.
I defer to our attorney board members though. Lets see what they have to say.
I think it’s standard procedure. They are probably looking to see if what she says matches up with the police report so they can use it against her and get out of paying part of it. Jahn’s advice seems pretty sound; consult with your insurance company.
Meaning Standard procedure for the other company to try to talk to you.
Plead the 5th no?
Lisa:
Are you or daughter making a claim against the other driver for property damage or personal injury and have you reported the accident to your insurance? You can shoot me an email I will send you my phone # and we can discuss it. This is the type of stuff I do
There you go Herd. I would trust Ken. He’s a good man.
Correction Tim I am a bad man 😈
Herd:
Short answer is you don’t have to talk to the other sides insurance company
Hey Wedge,you excited about the Trump inauguration in a few days?
At least you can fly over the “wall”, so no worries there. 🙂
Try not to get murdered. 😉
Huh?
Entertainers performing at the presidential inauguration are getting death threats. Unreal! Really, that’s what we’ve become?
It’s sad what we’ve become….saw where many will boycott the inauguration and also a lot of not so kind protests are planned. Hope it doesn’t become bedlam.
Why can’t people accept the will of the people and give the guy a fair chance…..it’s like hating on a draft pick before he even gets to camp. lol, actually much worse. 😦
Too many people do not respect, understand or want a free land.
Look around the world… imbeciles, would you rather be there instead? No clean water, sparse food and healthcare?
What exactly are we doing as a nation these days?
Right….it’s mostly looney spoiled people that don’t know what tough is and have had it waaay too easy much of their lives.
Wedge almost pressed the “kill” button after the election
You are not helping this planets chances for longevity by mentioning Trump…lol
Piggy, good post on Sean Davis up the board some. I remember screaming from the rooftops, err keyboard for him in the middle rounds. He’s a thumper and has good instincts….he’ll get even better next year.
Another Reshad Jones in the making, maybe even better.
Well he went in the 2nd round
So we took Howard
Davis would have been nice in the 3rd though
The steelers were not afraid to “reach” for guys burns wasn’t supposed to be a 1st rounder either
I kinda of like Demogorgons
But Beserkers is also kind of what I had in mind
I was going to go all Americana and suggest Apache Warriors, but I like the other 2 more than that
If I were going to do wolves it would have to be Direwolves
Very GOT I like it
Herd
I would follow Kens guidance
He does that kind of work
My answer would be simple and I would say there is no obligation to speak to anyone unless there is a subpoena (which requires the commencement of a case)
Piggy, that’s right, I now remember we were all mildly shocked when Davis was taken that early. I thought he was made for the NFL game even though the draft experts weren’t as high based on college.
He looked great yesterday
The steelers always draft well
What the hell is Ricky Williams doing on Celebrity Apprentice?
Herd I would suggest against her talking with them and she has no obligation to. Be careful if you do decide to as they may do more than check your story against the report, they may try to trip her into saying something that will allow them some leverage in settlement.
I for sure would do as jahn suggested and allow all communication to go through your insurance. I have never heard of an insurance company wanting their customers talking to the others sides company until a settlement has been reached, they always tell you don’t do it.
Ya’ll shooting each other down in FL again?
https://professorlousmiamidolphinsblog.org/2017/01/17/2017-nfl-draft-prospect-scouting-report-zach-cunningham/
Good stuff
Who have you done now: Cunnigham and Davis?
When wedge profiles those same players he will include a link to your profiles. Is that okay with you?
and Beckwith. and, yes, that’s okay. thanks
Piggy, yes the Steelers do draft and coach well.
We are starting to see the glimpses of that with Gase & Co. I feel after having such a successful season as a rookie HC, should be COY….that Gase will now have earned a lot of leverage in choosing players in the offseason, bot FA & Draft. This will help keep T-Bomb in check some, for the T-Bomb haters….IMO 🙂
steelers have drafted well for years and one of the biggest contributors for quite some time was Joe Greene. One of the best in the business after he retired as a player.
But, Pittsburgh was a pioneer in going after players from all black schools too. They leave no stoned unturned when they look for talent.
Think he might have a bit of berserk in him?!?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F5zbB5tecI
Thumbs up or down Toba
A lot of “noise” being made about Ingram and although I would love to have him on the team I don’t know so much the team is interested in spending a ton of money on a FA anymore considering what they were able to accomplish w/o so many starters this past season.
I think they may look to solid starters, like guys on the o-line and then solid depth at o-line, d-line and elsewhere and then look to the draft for the playmakers.
I’m not convinced the team feels a real need at this time to sign big name FA’s but more just get guys they want who can play within their system and help them win games.
I tend to agree
If I go after a big $ free agent I go after Eric Berry
but I would rather just pick up moderately priced free agents and draft well
especially up front defensively where I think you can find contributors right away
we really need solid depth on the OL and I think last season highlighted that need
If Ingram is expecting Vernon kind of money – forget it
I think he is a hell of a player but I really don’t want to spend a ton on one guy this offseason
I’m sorta hoping they don’t go for a huge money guy and spread it around instead, but even a good but not great starter will cost like $6-8 and we could use like three of those. Adds up quick even with our cap room and other obligations like re-signs and rookie class.
If you do a five yr deal and structure the contract right by bonusing the money up front to make it more attractive and pro-rate the bonus you COULD defer a ton of salary the first two seasons and back end load it for the later yrs when you have a higher salary cap.
However, I still don’t think they’re interested in doing that. I
for instance, you could have a first yr salary under $1M because you paid a huge bonus up front and pro-rated over 5 yrs you keep your cap down. 2nd yr you could take the salary to $2M and with pro-rated bonus still have lower cap hit.
3rd thru 5th yrs would be much bigger hits to cap but if guarantees only go thru 3rd yr then yrs 4 and 5 could be cap casualty.
Yeah they could defer money, but that money comes home to roost eventually. Part of how the Jets got into cap hell with — who was that — as GM? Luckily haven’t seen signs on that, and am hoping it was because he was getting pressure from Rex and the owners to make what happen was one big roll of the dice to max out Now.
What’s up with these divisional awards? AFC East comeback player of the year??? Really???
He should win NFL comeback player of the year, but WTF is AFC East CPOY? Might as well win Miami Dolphins CPOY.
As voted by the ESPN AFC East writers.
Just bored I guess?
Welcome to the era of the ESPYS
they can’t get enough of giving out awards
its self promotion by espn
Matt Miller’s link to the top 300 is worth checking out
the one thing I find interesting is he was the one who said NFL scouts don’t love Cunningham and have him as a 2nd/3rd rd prospect, yet he has him in the first rd.
There is just too much LB talent this year to miss on a stud pick, if they do it will be because they dont agree that many of them are as good as they seemed in college.
My favorites of this draft as of right now are Cunningham and Anderson, though i do think that Foster, Davis and a few others arent far off being as good as those guys. Some of those guys i could see as MLB in our system, but i think id prefer starting them out at OLB and rotating them in an out, keeping Alonzo as the primary MLB. I think Cunningham is a guy who could come in right away and unseat Alonzo and allow us to move him to being a primary OLB.
I think Beckwith had some games that weren’t spectacular but i think the talk of him as a 6th round prospect is pretty off. i could definitely see him in the 3rd, and probably the 4th, just due to the immense talent above him but i also think he, in the fourth is a really solid pick for us. We will see but from my personal observations, 6th seems a little too low of an assessment.
I don’t think Cunningham will last till 22nd pick.
If you watch Cunningham and then watch Davis there’s a HUGE GAP between the two in terms of talent. Davis is definitely not a first rd pick and he’s actually fallen to the end of the 2nd rd right now. By draft time he’ll be in the 3rd rd.
Beckwith is NOT a starter at the next level.
I disagree on both of those. I think we may also be evaluating from different angles. We normally see things at least similarly so i think that has to account for the differences.
McMillan was also another guy they were hoping to see more from this year. There were questions about his ability to cover and concerns about too many “clean up” tackles and those questions weren’t answered this year.
Again, if you look at a guy like Cunningham, for instance, he’s moving forward at the snap of the ball. McMillan, and Beckwith, both hesitate and they tend to dance around too much before getting involved in a play.
Beckwith actually wasn’t involved in too many this past season. he spent too much time as a spectator.
Lou i dont see what you see in McKinley either. I watched the Utah game, with him paired against one of the better OT’s and he didnt get anything done when he lined up over that guy. He made all his plays against their RT, but their LT stoned him, stood him up, always got leverage and first step on him.
That shows me as a pass rusher, he has bad form, no leverage, no push against him, and no speed moves that he wasn’t able to handle. Guy obviously has talent or he wouldnt be so highly ranked but i would see him more as a 3-4 OLB to have his best success entering the league, and if he was going to play 4-3 DE, he would have to get a lot stronger, while also really working on his technique. He was also much better when he played from a standing position vs hand in the dirt, with hand down his speed off the snap was pretty bad.
He did set the edge well, and he was disciplined in that respect, again, not a bad player, but i dont think the right fit for our defense.
I never said I would utilize McKinley as a DE in a 4-3. He’s probably best utilized as an OLB in a 3-4 but his athletic ability makes him good enough to use as an OLB in a 4-3.
I agree that he needs to increase his strength when it comes to pass rushing. He uses straight speed most of the time and he would need to develop more moves as a DE. he has only one.
Contrast that to Taco who has a bull rush, swim move, spin move and can bend well with an outside speed rush. Just needs to refine a few things but as a DE he’s much more ready.
I agree that McKinley sets the edge well. It’s one of his strengths but, like I said, I’d prefer him in an OLB role rather than a DE role.
I do agree though with you on Taco Charlton, and i will give it to you i was somewhat overlooking him before you said to look deeper. I liked what i saw in films but i just really didnt think, this is the guy i want, but as i looked further, he has definitely risen on my list. That dude has some brute strength to go with really good burst speed. I am kinda leaning towards someone like him in the first, vs even Foster as a LB selection. I basically feel that if Cunningham isnt there, im looking to get a top DE, unless most my top ones are off the list, then im looking for S of CB. There are some “second tier” guys i think are really good for us, especially if we keep Branch and Wake, but if i could land Charlton there, id take him.
Barnett too, that dude is a really good blend of speed and power, i like him over Charlton, just because of his motor.
as do I but I doubt he’s around that late. however, there is THE video possibility. lol
I missed the spreadsheet Miller did on the prospects. He had Cunningham at 23 in his B/R article but he has him at #37 in his spreadsheet.
He’s been on Twitter talking about how he misses too many tackles and I asked him why he has him in the first rd and he gave me the spreadsheet link.
I still think he’s nuts. And so are the scouts
BBL
here’s what I mean about the difference between solo and “assists”. watch Cunningham and watch Davis.
Davis is flowing the the ball and gets involved in play and gets the assist. Cunningham, on the other had, will come off his assignment run 5 ys or even more and still be involved in the play. That’s a huge difference.
This “poor tackler” bs I’m reading from Miller right now is also just that. BS. Watch Cunningham’s 71 solo tackles and tell me he’s a poor tackler. He was involved in so many plays this past season that most other linebackers in CFB wouldn’t even be around.
UK: re Deon Lacy..
Height 6’2 Weight 229 lbs 6th in the league in tackles this year .. I had to google him to get this.. so he is no Cam Wake 🙂 but I would not expect him to be a Berserker.. 🙂
I think Miller is one of the best scouts out there
and he does his homework
but I can’t figure out what is going on with him with Cunningham
He has also said he is a bad fit for the Dolphins
I actually think Cunningham is an ideal fit for us
He also has Foster really highly ranked and there is a huge gap between Foster and Cunnigham
I really don’t think Foster will go top 5
even though I think he is awesome
I think its unusual for a ILB to go top 10
I guess scouts just differ in opinion
Its great for us if people are not so high on Cunningham
I already think there is a good chance he is there at 22
would be even better if he is available in the when we pick at 54 or 55 or whenever we pick in the 2nd
Rock
So I finished Prince of the Blood, and I thought that book got much better as it went along. There were some cool character developments in there, but the plot and the story were better than I anticipated from the beginning.
THATS NOT FOOTBALL TALK, NERD!
D — you meet him and last thing you would think about Mike E is a nerd …..join us at a Fest and so much more will be clear. 🙂
UK: I looked at him (Lacy) way back when we picked him up. He attacks like Wheeler did, like with reckless abandon, however he seems to be a more sure tacklers than Wheeler, so when he gets his hands on guys he usually stays attached to them. He was playing against CFL talent so it might not translate to NFL where backs shed you a lot better, but he had some falre to him and he shows a lot of passion for playing. After every play he pops up and jumps around, just a really stong passion to play the game, and i like that.
Not a ton out there on him, but a few things i did find: He worked his way into the starting role by ballin’ out on ST’s so we know he can contriute there for us. He got into the mixx as a rotational player the next year and it was enough to earn him a starting role on the defense last year for the oilers. Like i said, the video shows him flying aorund, he is fast, he strikes hard, and he brings people down when he gets hands on them. My only concern is a NFL bac will break his legs with a quick cut/chance fo difrection and that hot pursuit will make him over run them. I also think he arm tackles too much for my liking. He must have good hands to hang on like he does, but again, an NFL caliber RB will be harder to do that to. He was a good add in my opinion.
Oilers ?? WTF he plays Hockey too ?? 🙂
Eskimos, not to nitpick.. just to be a dick.. 🙂
I think part of the Foster and Cunningham comparison discrepancy is taking into account a few factors off the videos. Cunningham is pretty much a ths year star. Foster was already a beast at Alabama next year, hell i liked him for us more so than Ragland and then he went back for his Senior year. On top of that he is coming off a Saban defense, that was one of the best Alabama had ever had and simply from the pedigree of players coached by him, a lot of people give pluses to players coming from his system. IMO Cunningham is the better LB, but taking into account those other things, i can see how Miller puts them in an opposite order.
22: R1P22 LB ZACH CUNNINGHAM, VANDERBILT
54: R2P22 EDGE TACO CHARLTON, MICHIGAN
98: R3P34 C ETHAN POCIC, LSU
167: R5P22 LB BEN BOULWARE, CLEMSON
177: R5P32 G ZACH BANNER, USC
185: R5P40 S TONY CONNER, OLE MISS
207: R6P22 K DANIEL CARLSON, AUBURN
243: R7P22 WR K.D. CANNON, BAYLOR
Pretty killer draft, that kicker is a really good one, and i doubt seriously we could have gotten much better there. As much of a SEC homer as i am, im not very big on Tony Conner though, id rather have Weston Steelhammer as a later round guy, but again, splitting hairs to complain about a 5th round “hope he develops” guy.
nice Bezerkers
manitobafinfan says:
January 17, 2017 at 12:42 pm
Oilers ?? WTF he plays Hockey too ?? 🙂
Eskimos, not to nitpick.. just to be a dick.. 🙂
———————————————————–
Sorry i forget the team names up there, i just know it has to due with blubber or a blubber byproduct or something that consumes blubber….occasionally they sneak in a beaver…. i dunno all that weird frigid weather deviance, i just cant keep track 🙂
But yes you are right Eskimos.. lol
“Miami Dolphins to weigh moving Kiko Alonso from middle linebacker”
The Herald blog headline says what many of us have been thinking as we are considering that true MLB run-stopping force.
Didn’t read the article cause can’t onto the Herald without paying (probably my URL location address)…..but still just makes sense (even if probably from Mando).
I agree – Best for both Kiko and the defense
Might be bad news for Jenkins, but we could end up with Kiko on the weak side, the stud MLB, and some player yet to be named who sets the edge on the strong side and cover a bit until we go nickle (and he should cost less either in FA money or the draft).
I think Tim has mentioned before – and I agree
There is some discretion if you are bringing in versatile LBs
it really doesn’t matter too much how you designate those LBs
if you drafted a more traditional Mike LB, I’m sure moving Kiko is imminent
but we might not even have 3 LBs on the field for a majority of snaps
the reailty is we can get away with bringing in two inside guys or two outside guys
what we need is guy who cover more ground, make better reads, and get in passing lanes
I think the big question with LBs isn’t who is inside or outside
its really who you leave out there on 3rd down
I expected Kiko to be better in coverage than he was
he did a lot well last year and I bet he will be better with more talent around him regardless if they are inside or outside
Great point — I could see us having two real good LBs (Kiko being one) and then adding a pure force….or at least close to one as we can get. Those two could feed off each other and be flexible in assignment. And trust in Gase to scheme them…might keep him up at night figuring how to use them.
Stanger
Jenkins health is bad news for Jenkins. Can’t imagine we consider him as anything more than depth. He’s an UFA, so I think there’s a pretty good chance he’s not back, unless he really wants to come back and is willing to play for an inexpensive contract
We did see what he can do though….maybe his health problems becomes our steal.
to elaborate on my above post
I think you look at Kiko and say – okay that is 1 LB
now I need 2 more
and then you bring in versatile talented LBs and you make those parts fit
I don’t think Kiko at MLB was the problem with our defense
I think the lack of talent at LB was the problem
and to some extent I think Kiko int he middle was a product of the lack of talent
At the end of the day he probably moves outside
but I bet whether he does or doesn’t has no effect on our FAs or draft
we don’t have to look for inside or outside guys
we just have to look for versatile talented LBs
I really like the Berserkers known as Reuben Foster and Zach Cunningham
(Piggy foams at the mouth)
^
this is just a test run to see how it feels….what do you guys think
Piggy
Hit Men just came to mind. I kinda like that
That is a good one
but I don’t know the berserker one ….I like Toba’s suggestion
Maybe we should post a poll
what are the suggested candidates:
Berserkers
Hitman
Demigorgon
any others
I’m just throwing this out there
how bout “gallbladders” – an anatomical themed one….what?….no?
LOL @ Piggy
Pig — my choice would be the Warriors.
Ajax on the strongside (of course)
Swan on the weakside (he’ll figure out the play)
Cleon in the middle (too many versatile moves to put anywhere else).
we can clink our bottles together at the fest and chant
“Warriors come out and play”
LOL — if that dude had a hood on in the movie it would be perfect comeback. 🙂
How about the 3 Lil Pigs ?
How about Shake-n-bake, Magic Man and El Diablo…..
Dion Jordan might actually show up to claim the name Shake-n-bake….
Annihilators. Conquerors. Executioners. Or you could call them the herdfans since I have totally destroyed everything I’ve tried to do today. 😖
I might be late to the party, but did you guys see the crap that AB actually did, recording the coaches post game speech and posting it to Facebook? Kinda messed up stuff, he definately is in the dog house with Tomlin it sounds like.
Stupid kids and their social media
Well people post crimes they commit. SMH
Mike i think Jenkins could have a home here still, and a chance to work back into the lineup by signing with us on a 1 year show me contract. We are the only team that likely signs him with an opportunity to be anything but a depth player. At least with us he would have potential to rotate in in pass defense packages and possibly at different positions since he has played both OLB’s and MLB for us on occasion. I think re-signing him is good for us because then a guy who might not be fully ready for NFL coverage might still be an option for us, having Jenkins still on the team.
I think he provides about the best value we will be able to find out of a mid range signing in FA, as well as him not finding much better than what we could offer him elsewhere. He is also a Florida native so just the value of being in a no income tax state and noth having to move, and leave behind family and friends might weight in there as well.
Oops that was meant as a new post.
Stanger id really like out LB’s to be SOLB (Kevin Minter or Jamie Collins, perferrably Collins) MLB (Cunningham), and WOLB (Alonzo). Wouldnt mind having Jenkins back for coverage, as i stated above, and also add a later round guy like Boulware, Anzalone, Riely, Beckwith, etc as a better quality depth guy, whom we could bring along a little more slowly.
D
I’m totally fine signing Jenkins, as long as the price is right. Only thing working against Jenkins is he doesn’t play ST’s, and Paysinger does, so I could see signing Paysinger again, or someone like him.
Long talk with Tannenbaum on a bunch of subjects. His comments start at like minute 31. Pretty clear he is loving where the Phins are going, but also that he has nothing but respect for both Ross (well makes sense) and Gase (could not say more).
Anyhow you can decide for yourself. One impression I got was he does not want to run the team….even if he cares about it (and his job security).
http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/01/17/themmqb-albert-breer-podcast-mike-tannenbaum-miami-dolphins-adam-gase-nfl-playoffs
At first when it was early on the accepted invites for Senior Bowl i thought it was going to be a kind of low talent game, but man it has changed since then. So many solid players are going to be there. Any of those guys in particular you want me to try to meet at the meet and greet?
Hell yeah! In alphabetical order: Jarrad Davis, Isaac Asiata, Evan Engram, OJ Howard, Danny Isidora, Takkarist McKinley, Ethan Pocic, and Jeremy Sprinkle
OK, not EXACTLY alphabetical order. 😀
Don’t see this at all . . . Lots of other places we need talent upgrades.
http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2017/01/17/2017-nfl-free-agents-why-dolphins-should-target-wr-alshon-jeffery/
Remember me saying this earlier this year? I think you have to consider that if you are going to pay stills a good amount to stay you might want to upgrade. He will be a lot cheaper than most expect, simply due to having an injury contract year. He hurt himself like Jenkins did, though thats where i leave the comparison.
To me its all about Stills and his price tag. If Stills remains affordable, then you resign stills no doubt, if he demands a decent pay grade, putting him close to Jeffery (and i believe that might happen) then Jeffery might be worth it.
EX: Still is drawing interest at a 9-10mil per range that Randall Cobb or Hurns got their contract year then Jeffery who shouldnt be much more than that due to injury, would be worth the sign IMO. If he get something closer to Torrey Smith kind of money, 8mil per, it becomes more iffy which is best, you would pay enough more for Jeffery at that point for it to be a judgement call of potential reward for the extra expense. Its truly not out of the question because one way or the other we are about to add a pretty solid amount of money to the WR corp salary pool.
You have more to gain from re-signing Jenkins than Paysinger, even with the ST contribution. You can have other players make up the loss at the ST spot a lot easier than it would be to have a guy with starting experience and starter ability (if healthy) to give you solid depth on your LB unit, especially with his any LB position flexibility. I agree the price has to be right but i wouldnt let him walk unless his price was just way off.
Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice reports the Eagles “are considering moving on” from C Jason Kelce.
It would be a surprising move which ultimately would not save the cap-strapped Eagles very much money. Philly would gain $3.8 million against the cap by releasing or trading Kelce, and that number would grow to $5 million if he is designated a post-June 1 cut.
________________________________
Hmmm, I’d consider replacing Pouncey with Kelce. May even save a little to spend elsewhere.
We take big dead money cap hit by cutting Pouncey
Yeh, I know….but don’t know how much longer I can stand to see him miss crucial games every freakin season.
Phindog
3 little pigs is a lot for some one to live up
I don’t want to put that pressure on a rookie
That’s asking too much
Mike E. says:
January 17, 2017 at 9:18 am
What’s up with these divisional awards? AFC East comeback player of the year??? Really???
*
The Oinkee’s carry more weight Mike
Absolutely
And literally
You should see the size of some of the pigs in the audience
They got him
Piece of Shit!
GD, the thing with Pouncey is we have to try the best we can to get him healthy and hope for the best because we’re better with him in there. We underrate his ability, especially getting to the 2nd level where Ajayi feasts.
At the end of the day the team will target the prospects they like. LOL
At the end of the day, it’s night
No it’s afternoon….
That’s the thing about a draft. You can target certain guys all you like but at the end of the day you’re often left choosing from whatever players are left…not necessarily the ones you targeted at the start of the day. That’s why you build a draft board and be ready to make adjustments vertically and horizontally.
Mostly horizontally with regards to options at positions in each round.
1a, 1a, 1a, 1b, 1b, 1b, 1b, 1c, 1c, 1c, etc.
A lot of times teams don’t even have 1st rd grades on 32 players. We’ve seen pre-draft 2nd and 3rd prospects go much later or even undrafted for all sorts of reasons. There’s more that goes into it than what we fans and media can do with a list. LOL
Chip Kelly OC in JAC?
I declare all of you right! 🙂
Personally, I think Miller is a tool and, by that, I mean he’s putting stuff out there he’s being fed by a team or two he has a connection with to try and have some sort of influence on evaluations.
The game isn’t all about stats or all about numbers but when you take a player like Cunningham and compare him to, let’s say, a Raekwon McMillan and maybe they say someone like him is a better tackler than Cunningham but there’s nothing you can base that opinion on.
Maybe McMillan will have a few tackles where he hits a guy head on and makes a huge hit but they are few and far between.
When you look at the numbers you see Cunningham had 71 solo tackles and McMillan 49. That’s a significant difference from a stat point of view but then take a look at how Cunningham compiled those tackles and it becomes even more impressive. Not only did he have 16.5 tfl’s but if you watch his games you’ll also see he made a number of impact plays in the games he played in like stopping plays short of a first down on 3rd or 4th down.
Admittedly, there were times when he showed bad technique and went high trying to tackles backs by the tops of their shoulder pads but there’s nothing there that cannot be corrected with proper coaching. I think only teams who are deficient in coaching and won’t be able to fix it because they don’t have the coaches who are able to do so will be the one’s that scoff at the “poor tackling” issue.
Those with coaches who get things done wont’ even bat an eyelash.
I don’t know
In general I like Mike Miller
I just think he missed the boat on Cunningham
Watching Cunningham on film its pretty evident that he is for real
Jeremiah doesn’t even have Cunningham in his top 50. But, like I said in the past, I challenged him on Abdullah with his fumbling because of his small hands and he wouldn’t touch it.
You can fix tackling with good coaching; you can’t fix small hands.
The teams that will bypass Cunningham because of his “tackling issues” are those with deficiencies in coaching because they won’t be able to fix it but the teams that have good/great coaching will scoff at that and say it’s an easy fix.
The most impressive I’ve watched in the last few weeks have been Cunnigham and Duke Riley
I was actually more impressed with cunnighams game tape than the highlights
And that is rare – he’s pretty solid
I don’t think it’s all that difficult to pick out the best 50 or so best players. The true art of the draft…and where I think really good GMs make their money…is in rounds 3-5. If you can consistently find valuable contributors in the mid rounds…you build a team that is made to last.
bingo
We had a GM (Ireland) who seem to struggle a lot in the 2nd rounds
Take a look at drafts from 3 or more years ago
You can see a lot of misses in the first couple of rounds
Doing what Pittsburgh does each year finding contributors in the first 2 rounds is not the norm
A lot of teams aren’t always hitting on those guys
Lou
At first glance I was croak of Cunningams tackling
But watching him more and more I think he is a good tackler
I think I mentioned before that Rob Rang compared him to Phillip wheeler who was a pretty bad tackler
I don’t think Cunningham is Denzel Perryman level of tackling (who I think was the class of recent years) but don’t think he is wheeler…lol