
Well we all know how the draft worked out for us. We went heavy on defense and got deeper for the 2017 season.
But how did our stinking rivals do?
Let’s start with the J – E – T – E?
How do you misspell the team name if its’ four letters. Tony Richardson managed to do that when announcing a Day 2 pick. Nice Job Tony!

SUCK – SUCK – SUCK!
The Jests actually got a hell of a player with their first round pick – Jamal Adams, the LSU safety. That should help them build their defense. They can put him next to Calvin Pryor and…
Oh…what’s this they are trying to trade Calvin Pryor and Sheldon Richardson. Um…that’s just a rumor right. Nope. The jests showed everyone their dissatisfaction with Pryor by making their 2nd round pick…another safety – Marcus Maye.
Maye is another good player. But more importantly it shows that the Jests are rebuilding and done with former 2014 first rounder Calvin Pryor.

So that worked out for them…
The next 2 picks would be receivers ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen. Frankly, nothing to get too excited about. But in the 5th round they did nab Clemson Tight End Jordan Legett probably their best pick.
Legett, Hansen and Stewart are probably salivating at catching passes from journeyman Josh Macon or sandwich meat Bryce Petty.

The jests are horrible at QB. And they did nothing to address it in the draft.
Their final four picks were Edge Dylan Donahue (obviously missing on the edge fishers available early), RB Elijah McGuire, and CBs Jeremy Clark and Derrick Jones. That’s 4 DBS!!!
Expect the Jests to suck in 2017. Despite adding some talent to their secondary they had an underwhelming offseason.
How about the Bills….

Well they fired their general manager, Doug Whaley the day after the draft. It was somewhat expected that they were going to make the move before the draft…they officially said “we will be moving in a new direction”
New direction? Maybe the draft is a good place to start in that direction? Just me?
I wonder if new direction actually means drafting a QB who can compete in the NFL.

The Bills were sitting at 10 and decided that QB was not a big need of theirs. Both Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were on the board at 10 – so the Bills traded with the Chiefs all the way back to 27 and while they did get a 2018 first round pick in the trade, they missed out on drafting a QB that could seriously compete for the starting job. Mahomes was the Chiefs pick and Watson was off the board a few picks later.
The Bills took LSU CB TreDevious White with their first pick, WR Zay Jones and OG Dion Dawkins in the 2nd round. But did not even look for a QB until the 5th round when they took Nathan Peterman.

The Peterman selection prompted a dialogue from Kiper and ESPN’s talking heads about Peterman competing for the starting job with Tyrod Taylor and Cardale Jones…
Of course Peterman can compete with those guys! So can an UDFA!
That’s how bad the QB position is in Buffalo. Either Taylor, Jones or Peterman will be their Qb in 2017….poop
The Bills don’t care about the QB position and that’s why they have the longest playoff drought in the NFL.
It’s enough to cause your fan base to throw dildos on the field!

The Bills also took a pair of LBs in Matt Milano and Taylor Vallejo before their day was through.
Let’s face it…it’s not the Bills or Jests that have us worried. It’s the Patriots.
The good news. The Patriots didn’t have a lot of picks – in part because of a pretty aggressive offseason.
The Patriots also didn’t trade Jimmy Garappolo, which was rumored to be on their plate and would have helped them pick up an early pick.

So the Patriots, who I can only guess were devising new ways to cheat in the first two rounds, didn’t show up until the 3rd round.
They took Derek Rivers with that pick, a pass rushing specialist from Youngstown State. In the 4th round They took another pass rusher in Deatrick Wise, Jr. So obviously the Patriots were focussed on improving their pass rush.
Thankfully they only had two other picks, both tackles, Antonio Garcia in the 3rd and Connor McDermott in the 6th.
But the reality is the Patriots were very aggressive this offseason before the draft.
And the Dolphins have their fins full.
Hopefully the depth we built will help us put them away for good!



LOL at Chef pig stewing Brady. Can’t wait for him to retire…he’s 40 this season after all. And as you point out the other two in the division are aimlessly looking for a QB. Almost make you wonder if folks appreciate what we have in Tanny.
FEST
Will be Titans (Sun, Oct 8) or Yets (Sun, Oct 22), both start at one. If you have not already voted, the poll is up. Will be the night before meet-up and Chef Warren’s tailgate as usghe.
Need to get a rough number to reserve the group ticket section, but don’t worry if you are not sure cause they let you adjust down when payment is due a like 8 weeks before the game.
ALREADY IN (for either game)
Pig
PhinDog (+2 or +3)
Mike E (+1)
Son (+1…..and # will grow)
Rock
Chef Warren (+1)
Stanger (+1)
Phelonius (plus something)
Toba (+1)
OD
Brian in NY (+1?) (Jets works better)
POSSIBLE
Ken (Jets probable, Titans unlikely)
Herd
Howie
Getterdone
And Jets game is winning the poll 12-8………….should we just call it the Jets at this point?
Call it for the Jets not that I have any self interest
Works for me.
Piggy
Add in to the Patriots draft Brandin Cooks, Kony Ealy and Mike Gillislee
I’m not counting trades and free argent pickup
But the truth is that was their offseason – not the draft
True, but those trades were all for draft picks only, no players were involved, so that’s where their draft picks went
Nice article Piggs – Good idea to look at our divisional rivals, I like it!
(Piggy farts on the blog)
It’s looking like the jests game will be the fest
Yeah — it was 12-8, but both Mike E and I voted Titans but said would have voted different if we knew about Ken and and Brian. So it is really more like 14-6…..
I’m in the same boat
So 15-5
I’m gonna close the vote
I’ve got vacation hangover. Still haven’t really looked at the new recruits. Probably won’t worry about them til they get into some actual games.
nice job piggy. I hope passing on Cunningham to take McMillan won’t come back to hurt us later. I think cunningham would have been the better pick.
Cunningham or Anzalone would have been better for how i was seeing what we might want at MLB or OLB, but that might be the big thing, what we are seeing as what they would need doesnt really match up with what they really needed. McMillian is a completely different type of LB, so its very likely thats the whole reason they wanted him and not someone else. Obviously they changes something about their LB mindset, because we deviated in FA as well. We went with a smash mouth, not great coverage guy as well, so its probably a philosphical difference thats making us feel uneasy.
It seems like stopping the run was their main criteria for LBs not coverage.
This from ESPN about every team’s post draft Issues. Basically our biggest problem is we’re in the same division as the Pats.
Miami Dolphins
Solidify things on the offensive line.
This isn’t really a major problem area, as Laremy Tunsil should be able to slide over to left tackle, rookie Isaac Asiata might start at guard and there’s some reasonable level of optimism about the health of Mike Pouncey. But honestly, it was hard to find something here. The Dolphins’ biggest problem is the team in front of them in the standings. Their roster looks ready to compete for a title in basically any division but the one the defending Super Bowl champions have won 13 of the past 14 years. Maybe Miami can petition for a one-year realignment or something.
They had to come up with something for the list…..does make you happy the Pats seem to be focused on the now though. They went for present players instead of future picks.
yea the pats want to win a couple of more rings in the next few years before Brady bunch retires.
This from Schad at PBP, who is solid. And can’t blame him for already pointing out who might have been……unless Harris and McMillan really hit this won’t be last you hear of it.
——————————-
Miami selected Charles Harris, DE, Missouri, ahead of…
• Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama, 1st round, 31st pick, San Francisco 49ers
• Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA, 1st round, 26th pick, Atlanta Falcons
• Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan, 1st round, 28th pick, Dallas Cowboys
• David Njoku, TE, Miami, 1st round, 29th pick, Cleveland Round
• Forrest Lamp, G, Western Kentucky, 2nd round, 38th pick, Los Angeles Chargers
Miami selected Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State, ahead of…
• Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut, 2nd round, 56th pick, Oakland Raiders
• Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt, 2nd round, 57th pick, Houston Texans
• Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado, 2nd Round, 60th pick, Dallas Cowboys
• Dan Feeney, G, Indiana, 3rd Round, 71st pick, Los Angeles Chargers
As far as the Harris pick, none of those picks they listed to me are better than Harris or have any more potential to be. Foster in the long run, maybe, but im not a big believer in Njoku or Takk like a lot here are, and i think Lamp is pretty overblown. He looks pretty solid and he played big in some big games, but he doesnt just blow me away. TBH, Asisata had some blocks and plays were i was like we need this guy, Lamp didn’t impress me the same but his overall play was very good. Taco would have been a good pick, but he also isn’t giving us dynamic pass rushing ability that Harris does, he has some good power moves, and i think he could have been a 7-8 sack guy, but i think Harris could be a 12-14 sack guy, especially with Wake helping him develop. They already have very similar play styles. Harris was easily the second best pure pass rusher as a DE in the draft, Barnett, then Harris and i think we got a guy at a very good value pick wise.
McMillian pick, again, this is my bias, he was the best 2 gap run stuffer available, and it may be a mindset shift now that Burke is the DC, but previously we were looking for atletic, jack of all trades, can be moved around to different spots, can really cover, etc and McMillian just wasnt that to me when i watched his tape. Melifonwu, Cunningham, are for sure guys i could see as being a better selection, and Anzalone for that matter, but again this is my take on the way we WERE using the LB and not the way we may be this coming year. Melifonwu is a little iffy, just because he is relatively unproven and he is pretty raw. He made some mistakes in the film i watched on him and i dont say there is absolute certainty he will become a stud, but he does have attributes you cant teach and i believe in our coaching to handle the rest. Still i think McMillian is very much a wysiwyg kind of pick on and off the field, and i think they liked that. That pick to me is the one id be most likely to second guess, if i was into that sort of thing, which im not.
I’m really happy with both picks, but chances are a guy or two on those lists might turn out better. Yeah I would have gone Reuben and Obi…..but that does not make our picks bad either. And is I like them.
You put this FO in to do what they think is the best way to build a team, right or wrong you live with the results. I hate all of the we coulda, shoulda after the draft. Just because Takk or Foster succeed somewhere else doesn’t mean they would in Miami, and at what risk? They’re both hurt.
Yeah second guessing picks is an awful thing, just because you cant say things woulda been different. Even in the extreme case of Jordan, you can only say something would have been better than nothing, but at the time, he was a stud, a lot of teams wanted him, and no failed drug tests, and we had the czar of crucifying prospects over character issues at the helm when they picked him so he must not have had obvious issues.
So what do you want us to talk about the monday after the draft? the 2018 draft?
Zelda
Mike E and MF,
thought you’d appreciate. There was a woman in my row on the plane who looked like Zelda from Pet Sematary
WOAH! Pretty freaky, man. I think I’d skydive from 30,000 feet if I saw her!
But in all seriousness, I’d feel badly for her if she’s that disfigured. That’s actually sad to hear. 😦
Break you back, break your back!
So what you are saying is there was a tranny next to you…… Zelda was played by a guy right?
Yes, Zelda was played by a guy… my brother co-starred with him back in the day in a play. His name is Andy.
I mentioned after the draft, that the actions of the team, showed he was going to get the 5th year option.
Adam CaplanVerified account @caplannfl 53m53 minutes ago
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My time with ESPN has come to an end due layoffs…
WTF!!!!! That’s my dude! Adam’s one of the very best in the business. SMH at this move. I hope he lands at NFL Network.
They probably need room for more Steven A(ss) Smith!
There now we have the answer! 😉
MF,
she wasn’t disfigured, just a slender lady with the exact same hair and pale skin, but I had the creepy vibes nonetheless just from remembering that scene as a child. *shudder*
Got ya, man. Sounds like she needs a hairdresser, a tan, and more food. Perhaps more money.
That Zelda scene spooked me too when I was a kid! *shudder* is right!
I don’t really find Zelda scary
But those trees…
Classic!!!
A good little run down on our draft picks.
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article147682579.html
Anyone know anything about G Eric Smith from Virginia who we signed as a UDFA?
He’s from Virginia and played guard
Hardy har har. Actually he played mostly RT but I’ve seen him listed as a G as an NFL prospect.
Goes by Mr. Smith and sometimes people call him Eric too
Actually Tim if you want to get technical he’s not really from Virginia and his feet are made of Greek yogurt. His hands are woven from the finest fabrics of Spain. Some of his fondest memories are from the time he was 14. He’s a sucker for sushi and model cars, but you wouldn’t know that because you don’t care to know.
Tim,
Check this out here on Eric Smith. Seems like a GOOD dude!
Cool thanks! He’s the kind of guy you want to root for. I hope he can at least make the PS and develop and some day be on our roster.
sb7mvp says:
May 1, 2017 at 2:29 pm
Actually Tim if you want to get technical he’s not really from Virginia and his feet are made of Greek yogurt. His hands are woven from the finest fabrics of Spain. Some of his fondest memories are from the time he was 14. He’s a sucker for sushi and model cars, but you wouldn’t know that because you don’t care to know.
———————————-
Longest SB7 post evah!
An this might have been my shortest one….
When does rookie mini camp start?
I don’t think it has been set
they announced its either May 5-7
or May 12-14
but I don’t think one of those 2 dates has been set
Mandatory Minicamp is 6/13 -15
Next weekend is when they bring them in as a class to do things other than football like last year.
Learn the building and how we do things sort of thing?
Anyone else under Tornado watch up in my neck of the woods?
Yes… both you, Prof Lou, and I are under a tornado watch, Brother. Stay safe!
Do they ever really touch down in a bad way by you or is it just crazy windy?
Usually just crazy wind, but we’ve had some ‘touchdowns’ recently. It’s crazy.
The article I posted earlier from Armando said our FO views Harris as a 30 snap rotational guy. It may not always be 30, depends on the game situation. I’d expect him to play mostly on obvious passing downs early on as he develops his game. I could see all three of our top picks playing this season at their positions, not just STs.
30 seems like a lot
Well that’s less than half of what our total defensive snaps will likely be but let’s hope they’re less than last year because we’re getting off the field more and forcing teams into more passing situations. It could be 15 one week and 30 another for Harris.
The team’s vision for him is to have him as part of the 4 man DE rotation with Wake, Branch and Hayes. I could see Hayes lining up inside on pass down some of the time. Grier said even Harris can do that in sub packages because of how quick his first step is.
I’d like to see Wake a little less on 1st down, let Hayes and Branch play more on those running downs. When we play Tenn, Hayes should get lots of action.
Be safe PA peeps.
Thank you, sir!
I also hear that parts of NY are going to be affected by this storm front. Be safe, NY peeps.
SB
Did she run up the aisle when you got on the plane and tell you she was going to twist your back so you’ll never get out of bed again?
No, but I made sure I hid my soup.
LOL!! Funny!
I think the best way at this juncture to look at our draft is did we get players that might potentially fill our needs. The answer to that is yes. Whether they actually will or not remains to be seen. They liked Harris and took him. They liked Tankersley and took him. They showed a lot of patience and guile waiting till the 5th to take Asiata, but they got him, and got great value there. As far as that’s concerned, they seemed to get the players they wanted, and that’s good.
Some players who were always kind of on the edge at some positions might have a hard time making the team this year or have their roles lessened because the depth of competition got better.
Another reason we could be a better team is 2-3 year players taking their games to another level.
No doubt, and I think we’re going to have a lot more drafted players making the roster year after year, which is exactly what you’re saying with the year 2 and 3 guys. We need that to happen more, and I think it will.
Steve – I agree with you on Wake. I think it would be better for Wake, if he played less on rn downs and came in with more obvious passing situations. It would keep him fresher. Unless of course, he prefers to play more, then that’s different.
They wanted to do that with him last year but had to play him more because Williams and Jones didn’t pan out. The both of them are still not on teams.
Yeah, and he handled it much better than I expected, but he is getting older, and we should take care of him so he’s effective and can play another year maybe.
Steve, I agree opponents and game situations will determine snaps from week to week with some guys. You might see more rotation at LB against physical run teams as well so not to get worn down.
Okay, this may come as a shock to some of you, but… I love the Asiata pick.
I only know of one person who doesn’t, but he doesn’t like anything, and no his name isnt Mike E
Nothing personal Mike, your name just fits😉
Seemed like a good draft. One constant I heard with many of our picks was that they love the game and will do whatever it takes to succeed. Football is such a brutal sport. Guys that don’t have passion for the game tend to underachieve.
I agree, and how’d that workout for Landry? So we should be pretty well set. These types of players were targeted, they didn’t just fall in our laps. A little less talent and a little more desire sometimes is better, and safer.
drg
I think most of us are happy with the draft. I’m sure there were a couple players some liked better than the guys we took, but I don’t think there were any questionable picks.
If you count the players drafted since 2014 and add this year, we have 24 draftees heading into TC this year. We only have 4 left from 2010-2012 and none left in 2013 – Misi, Jones, Pouncey and Tannehill.
I agree they have no one to throw them the ball but Ardarius Stewart is a really good WR. He isnt flashy but h has great hands and he has some sizzle after he catches the ball. He is kinda like Landry in a lot of respects. Hansen and Leggett are also both solid players, but again, i see what you are saying, though i heard reports Hackenberg was progressing pretty well and they had no intentions of drafting a QB early as a result, so it may be a bunch of crap and they still might be horrible at QB, but it could be Hackenberg might be finally showing what a lot of people felt he was capable of. I think their draft was decent, even if i still feel ours was better.
Bills im pretty much the same way. They just paid Taylor to be their starter, they werent looking to add a guy to replace him, they were adding a guy who might develop into one. Peterman was a decent one, i dont think he is exciting but solid and has potential. He is a long way from reaching it, and im kind of shocked they didnt take the head case nephew of their former god QB, but the rest of their draft wasnt shabby. I think the trade was a bad one, not because of its value, it had decent value, but because they passed over s bunch of great players like Reddick, Lattimore, OJ Howard, Jonathan Allen, all at positions of need for them, they get White from LSU and he is pretty good, but he isnt as good as those other guys.
Id probably give both of them B’s or B-‘s to our B+
A lot of people thought the Jets did poorly outside of them landing Adams. Maye is a good prospect as well but they loaded up on safeties already having talent there and not much else. But again, I’m not big on draft grades this early.
Mike, Wake needs to be more of that late in their career Kevin Greene, Trace Armstrong pass rush type guy.
DrG these guys are a little slow on the uptake.
Congrats on us taking one of your Utah boys.
This is supposed to bite – let’s hope
We could use a gem from the 5th on the OL after all we’ve been through. LOL
We officially have 13 OL on our roster with a few more UDFAs coming and maybe a June vet addition. We usually only keep 9. We need Asiata to be one of them. We could use some more physical presence inside.
Maybe the Stej new this?
Adam SchefterVerified account @AdamSchefter 2h2 hours ago
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Vikings officially not picking up fifth-year option on QB Teddy Bridgewater.
I’m sad for Bridgewater.
It only means he’s not getting the big bucks, he’s on a one year trial.
I’m sad about what happened to him. He was progressing and then in TC with no contact tore the hell out of his knee/leg to the point of life threatening. Like Dustin Keller.
Adam SchefterVerified account @AdamSchefter 4h4 hours ago
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After drafting Josh Dobbs last weekend, Steelers now have released Zach Mettenberger. http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-0650760119331593177-4 …
Ken’s boy
Fair evaluation on McMillan and fits what most feel about him. He was always a 2-3 rd LB prospect and he went #54 because of his NFL build and readiness, not HOF upside.
http://www.steelersdepot.com/2017/03/2017-nfl-draft-player-profiles-ohio-state-lb-raekwon-mcmillan/
Can tell you from those clips on thing he needs to work on, and i saw this more than once on him. He needs to learn to wrap up around the midsection and stop trying to tackle high, the whole college game has gotten sloppy with form tackling, and he is no exception. NFL RB’s will shuck him really easy if he doesnt learn to get lower with his tackling and wrap up around the midsection.
On the “good” play, he was tackling high and if it hadn’t been for their other linebacker coming to help him shut down the RB it looked as if he might get to the outside of him and shed his arms. Look at that play and you will see what i mean. He did close down that gap really fast though and thats pretty much everything that has been said about him having really good instincts for run defense.
On the “bad” play he was kinda set up for the tackle but he didnt square up with the runner and put his body into the tackle he just tried to grab him as he ran by and like they guy said he kinda had his head down, again just not good tackling form. He and Cunningham both had some issues with arm tackling and in the NFL a lot of what Cunningham got away with, holding on with what has to be either bigger hands or stronger hands than McMillian, isnt going to work either.
I also agree his coverage isnt bad, like some say, but i see it as average. On one hand he has great instincts for plays and on the other he just doesnt have fluid movement skills to stay with a crafty receiver. Still he should be able to stay in play for defending the passes just because he can predict pass quick enough to get in position and be in play. Like the guy was saying this means the QB will have to be pretty dead on with the pass, and lead his receivers correctly to not get it defended by McMillian. Brady might work him, but a guy like Hackenberg or Taylor very likely either get picked by him or the pass swatted down. Boulware which is a guy everyone called crap in coverage a lot of times defended receivers really well purely out of his ability to get a jump on the play because of his instincts, McMillian is similar but being more athletic means he should be able to do it more consistently.
I still think the guy has some pretty sharp qualities to him and he seems to be a real leader on the field. We really need these qualities, because as much as Alonzo is a talented guy, he doesnt seem to lead the defense like we would want. McMillian probably assumes the MLB role a lot better, and with Alonzo not having to try to get everyone else to do what they need to he probably does a lot better staying on his responsibilities.
Steve, Mike,
Agreed, I think it’s pretty clear that our FO prioritizes a love for the game in it’s players. Makes for a good locker room. No sense picking apart a draft for a few years, although I know some of you put in a lot of work studying the draft so I put stock in your opinions.
No more Jonathan Martin’s and DionFF’s.
Amen, brother.
Son,
Ha, you know me. Always a homer for the Utah guys. Utah doesn’t typically get the 5 star recruits so their players aren’t athletic freaks (Sean Smith an exception), but they will work their ass off for the team and are well coached.
Asiata has every intangible you could hope for. He will be a great chemistry guy, live in the film room, give everything he has to get better, and take care of himself. He is sometimes a little slow to catch a stunt, but watching him run block is a thing of beauty. He’s not joking when he says he wants to put guys in the dirt. Was voted top lineman by his peers in the PAC12, so you know he is a tough SOB come game time.
I was nervous about the talk of picking him in the 2nd or even 3rd for value sake. Getting him in the 5th is a steal.
They had as many drafted as LSU and Florida
Yeah, it was a good year. Too bad they choked in November…. Could have been a great one.
I was hoping we’d sign Dimick to a UDFA contract. He would have made the team and been a nice rotational guy.
Interesting
• Though scouts have some concerns about Ohio State’s McMillan in pass coverage, his work against the run isn’t in question. Palazzolo notes that McMillan missed only 23 of his 268 tackle attempts over the last three years.
By contrast, Vanderbilt’s Zach Cunningham – who Mel Kiper and some others say the Dolphins should have drafted instead – had 21 missed tackles in 2016 alone and finished 174th in tackling efficiency last season.
“I think he will be the best player in their class,” one of the aforementioned scouts said of McMillan.
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article147945589.html
MCMillan is a solid LB
not sure he will play on passing downs early in his career though
Cunningham was actually pretty good in coverage from what I saw
Cunningham has really thin legs and is not overly physical was the difference. We’ll see. That’s the choice this FO made.
I don’t really have a problem with them selecting their preference
everyone has preferences. I’m glad they have a plan and they stuck with it
I’m just saying I thought of Cunningham as a good in coverage
McMillan is also only 20 years old – 21 in November, compared to Cunningham at 22 – 23 in December.
So your saying Cunningham is better because he’s older?
No, less upside with Cunningham. His body type is almost maxed out. McMillan might be a 250 LB in a couple of years. Cunningham will always be around 235 and Mac is already faster 4.61 vs. 4.67. McMillan is just getting started. Cunningham is maybe the guy who is what he is.
Lol
Don’t be surprised if Tankersley pushes for playing time with all our corners. He’s got coverage and ball skills.
Harris was 1-2 – we were high on him as an edge rusher
McMillan was 2-3 – good overall LB
Tankersley was 2-3 – a tall ballhawk
Watching his tape I saw him knock more than a couple of guys on their asses.
I felt that hit, he’s deceptively quick.
Taylor has a useful skill
Blocking FGs
Taylor’s not bad at scaring the shit out of people, either!
https://miamiherald.relaymedia.com/amp/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article147945589.html
VERY RARELY will you see a team down by 2 goals yank their goalie and score 2 goals late in the game to force overtime. About 5-6 days ago, the Rangers blew a 5-3 lead in a playoff game vs. Ottawa when the Sens scored twice with an empty net, sending the game into OT. Ottawa completed the mind-boggling comeback when they scored in the 2nd OT to win a game the Rangers seemed to have locked-up!
—————
Tonight, in Pittsburgh, recent history may repeat itself. The Penguins, without injured Superstar Sidney Crosby (the victim of a vicious cheap shot to the head) were down 2-0 with less than 2 minutes left in regulation. All looked lost. The Penguins pulled their goalie and scored not 1 but 2 goals in 48 seconds to force sudden death overtime in the NHL Playoffs for the second time in a week! –Absolutely EPIC! –I won’t be surprised if the Penguins, like the Senators, complete the incredible comeback by winning tonight in overtime! THIS YEAR’s NHL Playoffs have featured more overtime games than this old codger has ever seen!!
Sports columnist Martin Fennelly argues in today’s TAMPA BAY TIMES that the Marlins SHOULD NOT build a statue honoring pitcher Jose Fernandez, mainly because Fernandez tested positve for cocaine and alcohol and supposedly was driving the speed boat that took his own life and the lives of two others. Fair enough. Fernandez made a horrific mistake.
——————-
Would NOT building the statue bring back Fernandez or his two friends?? Would NOT building the statue end all the suffering of the families involved? We all know the answer to those questions.
——————
I’d argue that Fernandez, like so many young men before him, made some very poor choices. Yes, he was the greatest, most accomplished, 24 year old pitcher in Marlins’ history. And he remains a legend in Tampa both on the field and in the community he served while pursuing a career in pro baseball. Jose & his mom tried several times to escape Castro’s Cuba. After many failures, they both finally succeeded. And we Americans are better off for having known BOTH OF THEM. His unprecedented achievements both on and off the field deserve recognition, too.
Their mutual love for America, and what it stands for, will stand as a beacon of light for all those still detained in Castro’s island prison we call Cuba.
—————–
There’s unbelievable good in what Jose did in his too short life. His role in both the Miami & Tampa communities is impressive. He should be saluted for the good he did. BUT, at the same time, those gazing at Jose’s statue NEED TO BE REMINDED that all the good a man does can be wiped out by ONE HORRIFIC MISTAKE.
—————-
Those two seemingly contradictory phases of Jose Fernandez’s life can best be remembered if the Marlins build that statue. Sometimes, in life, you only get ONE STRIKE!
OD
Dontrelle Willis was a pretty damn good 24 YO pitcher as well for the Marlins
Dolphins picked up the 5th YR option for Ja’Wuan James
Eh, old news, I wasn’t around much yesterday, missed that
https://twitter.com/MiamiDolphins/status/859392590835306496
Asiata may not be fleet of foot
But he is a mauler
Really good pick
People say he pulls well too
That would be nice to see
Other than dying, what did that guy do that should warrant a statue?
What guy?
He was very good young pitcher who gave his time to the community
Jose Fernandez
Tim Knight says:
May 1, 2017 at 9:54 pm (Edit)
Don’t be surprised if Tankersley pushes for playing time with all our corners. He’s got coverage and ball skills.
Harris was 1-2 – we were high on him as an edge rusher
McMillan was 2-3 – good overall LB
Tankersley was 2-3 – a tall ballhawk
******
I wonder if he can play nickel
That would be a heck of a addition of so
I know he fits the mold for boundary CB
But some one did mention the ability to cover slot receivers and TEs effectively in draft day
Howard
Maxwell
Lippett
Tankersly
Good ole Bobby McCain
That’s a solid group of cbs
I see a bunch of question marks with upside.
A “bunch”
I disagree
There are question marks there. But no more than any playoff NFL team or any other unit. This is deeper than we have ever been. Taken individually
Maxwell – he is not a ? to me at all. We know what Maxwell is. He’s proven it. I don’t think he is a shutdown CB. And at his $ that makes him overpaid. But he can play in this league, particularly when surrounded by more talent. I think eventually Maxwell won’t be a part of this team for $ reasons. But for now, with our cap room, he’s ideal to bring along younger. We know what Maxwell is – probably above average and that’s alright
Lippett – was a big ? Last year. I think he answered that he can handle the conversion from WR. Not better than Maxwell or Howard but potential is there. But if he is at his ceiling now, I don’t think he is a ?
Howard – was good when he played but I have him as a ? Bc he is yet to prove his durability. Could be our best CB but if he is not healthy it won’t matter
Tankersly – well a day 2 rookie is always going to be a ?. So yeah but every team is adding a ? mark like that
McCain – he might be on the way out within the year. He’s not bad IMO but we can to do better
IMO that’s a solid group to work with. ? Are inevitable but we have the bet in Maxwell we know can start, a decent starter at a minimum in Lippett and couple of other guys with high potential
The big question is can some one play nickel effectively bc that will be a difference maker vs the pats
But this is a solid group to work with
Undeniably there are things that need to be answered throughout the season but I think that is unavoidable on any team, even the good ones
What impresses me about this FO/draft is the fact that last year we were 30th in the league against the run, that said we drafted a run stuffing LB and 2 Run stuffing DTs, we also acquired Timmons, This team should be better than the 10-6 team last year. we also helped our OL to keep the J train on the tracks with Asiata, Stop the opponents running game and run the ball! A recipe for success.
it would appear that the light is finally on in Davie FL
the only 2 teams that were worse than us at stopping the run had the first 2 picks in this years draft!
We should have had the 3rd pick then. lol
That’s the scary part, how good will we be if we correct our weaknesses?
We had such a void at DE with Mario Williams, we lost our all pro safety, then we lost our other safety, we had no linebackers other than Kiko. Pretty tough to overcome all those things. We just strengthened those positions big time
Mike,
I’m still not seeing a valid reason for a statue. I’d he had lived a full life and continued doing what he was praised for there wouldn’t be a statue in the discussion. I personally don’t think anyone deserves a statue, but if we are going by statue rules of precendent, he shouldn’t get one.
I don’t care either way SB. I think it’s just to commemorate a promising young player who died tragically. He meant a lot to the Cuban community, and to a lot of Marlins fans. If the people want it, do it if it makes them happy.
Haha I still say no
This is who SB thinks we drafted
RD 1 DE ? ^
RD 2 LB ? ^
RD 3 CB ? ^
RD 5 OG ? ^
RD 5 DT ? ^
RD 6 DT ? ^
RD 7 WR ? ^
True dat Mike. They haven’t proven a thing for the Dolphins yet.
Piggy
I think SB meant our draft picks, although there still might a couple of question marks that were already on the roster.
I don’t expect immediate impact from these draft picks
part of the reason why is bc people ahead of them are in place already
McMillan should have a chance to start, and Asiata should as well. Tankersley has a small shot too, but Harris will be in the rotation and get plenty of snaps, so even if he doesn’t start, he’ll be on the field a lot. Godcheaux and Taylor have to fight to make the roster, and Ford will definitely be buried on the depth chart.
I see cornerback by committee, until some of these guys can stay on the field and be consistent when on it. I can’t give them solid status at this point in time Piggy. I consider someone solid if they aren’t hurt and have consistent play for several seasons.
I was just looking through NFL.com’s player ratings to see who wasn’t drafted. I clicked on this guy, look at the player comparison after you read the scouting report.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2017/profiles/jarron-jones?id=2557864
https://twitter.com/MDCheer/status/858006655396716545
Now that the Draft is over!
https://twitter.com/MDCheer/status/847962465744764928
It’s nice to see ORob as an optimist when it comes to the phins. Long way from the philbin days 🙂
i hope everything is good with you boulder
thanks man. They are. Same to you.
Ford will definitely be buried on the depth chart.
________________________________________
Not sure about that, who does he have to beat out, Caroo and Grant?
Landry, Parker, Stills, Carroo, Grant and Scott.
Even at best, he’s the 5th WR
How many WRs do we keep
at best 6
He might be the #6 if he doesn’t beat out Grant or Carroo
I don’t see him getting any higher than 4 on our depth chart
Never to early to start right Tim! 😉
2018
18: R1P18 CB MINKAH FITZPATRICK, ALABAMA
50: R2P18 TE TROY FUMAGALLI, WISCONSIN
82: R3P18 LB JOSEY JEWELL, IOWA
120: R4P18 S STEVEN PARKER, OKLAHOMA
156: R5P18 C SEAN WALSH, IOWA
197: R6P18EDGE QUALEN CUNNINGHAM, TEXAS A&M
226: R7P4 G TONY ADAMS, NORTH CAROLINA STATE
240: R7P18 S C.J. HAMPTON, MISSISSIPPI
245: R7P23 WR ARMANTI FOREMAN, TEXAS
I thought we were done Fantasyland 😉
Oh geez! LOL
ORob,
Our first round draft choice is a DE who struggles against the run…and will probably be used as a situational pass rush specialist and not even play on running downs. Our second pick is a LB who may not even be a starter, but he is a good tackler. Our third pick is a CB who is averse to tackling…whether or not you think CBs need to tackle or not….he doesn’t. Then, we drafted two DL who may not even make the roster. And, if they do, they most likely won’t be playing many snaps and will, more than likely, be PS guys. I don’t see where this FO did much of anything to address our run defense deficiencies in the draft. MAYBE some of these guys help our run defense in 2 or 3 years.
I think Mcmillan was taken because of his tackling and run stopping abilities. And this draft was a future type draft IMO. none of these guys need to be day 1 starters, but should contribute in 2-3 years. Asiata might be the pick that could be day 1 starter, unless we have injuries to LB or DEs in camp.
I am betting McMillan becomes a starting OLB during the season
Timmons and Hayes were guys to help that too. Getting Jones back should help and more continuity on defense could help more than specific players.
ORob
Boulder is Rocky Mountain High, what could be bad? 😉
FEST IS AGAINST THE YETS
Game is Sun, Oct 22 at one. So make your travel plans……early the flight typical cheaper.
Pig and I talked about it and agreed — the poll is strong for that (including guys like Mike E, Pig and I who voted Titans but would switch now) and who doesn’t want to see Rock mix with Jets fans? And thanks to all you who said either game is cool.
Kicker was I got a call from the group ticket office today and had to choose a game or face going bottom the draft list for seats. Looks like seats will be like $80 each, but the way they do it and as early as we are in might be better this year…..and if not you can biotch about what I did after.
Seat Draft Day is May 11…….and we will be in. But need all you guys to firm up your numbers so can give a real reserve. P-Dog, Son (with your crew), Brian, Ken, Phelonius (you want to sit with us need to know) OD (same Q)……and where the heck has Bookman, Al, etc. been? Not signing in blood yet, but you get the idea…..help a stanger out.
ALREADY IN (for either game)
Pig
PhinDog (+2 or +3)
Mike E (+1)
Son (+1…..and # will grow)
Rock
Chef Warren (+1)
Stanger (+1)
Phelonius (plus something)
Toba (+1)
OD
Brian in NY (+1?) (Jets works better)
POSSIBLE
Ken (Jets probable, Titans unlikely)
Herd
Howie
Getterdone
Woohoo looking good for me
Excellent
Randy
Come on man. The entire draft is full of guys that ____ but don’t ______. We literally could have drafted anyone and you can make the same arguments.
If we drafted Myles Garret we would hear he takes plays off.
Every draftee has something to prove. But that’s inevitable in every year on every team in the history of the draft
My expectations for the draft class:
Harris: Situational pass rusher with increasing playing time as the season goes on.
McMillan: ST contributor/back up LB who has chance to win starting OLB job.
Asiata: Most likely day 1 starter of all our draft choices.
Tankersley: ST contributor/dime DB.
The remainder of the draft is developmental/rotational players
I think McMillan definitely has a shot to win a starting LB job.
He is a future starter the question is is this year or next?
I also think McMillan has a chance of being a starter very early into the season maybe even before it begins
My expectations are you put competition on the field, let the chips fall as they may, and don’t look back. Of course you hope the rookies bring something, but whatever, if they don’t work out you replace them in the future, they all won’t work out.
Alright back to work for me
Tankersley doesn’t play the slot.
The same people that will say, you should draft a starter with a 1st, will say when you do the guy is a ? In other words whatever you do theyll have a reason its no good.
It’s like a merry-go-round. LOL
I agree Pigster on your comment to Randy and want to add, that we got McMillan add to that Hayes and Timmons and the run D should be improved. Why does it matter hos the talent was acquired? Whenever someone isolates something, they do it to back their opinion. Randy😉
Rookie starter schmarter, except for Asiata it doesn’t matter they’ll play.
No doubt McMillian will get a chance to compete to start or playing time. I think we’ll use 5 LBs in games anyway – Alonso, Timmons, Misi, Hewitt and McMillian. Misi also helps in run defense until he goes down.
Well put with Misi. lol It’s not “if” anymore, it’s when
Unfortunately his body can’t handle his physical playing style.
Id like to see those 5 LBs in the game at the same time.
We now have 11 LBs on the roster with probably only a max of 7 making the team.
Allen, Alonso, Barrow, Hewitt, Hull, Lacey, McMillan, Misi, Reilly, Timmons, Watts
dbolt48 says:
May 1, 2017 at 3:19 pm
Anyone else under Tornado watch up in my neck of the woods?
Reply
Well, I might guess that EVERYONE in your neck of the woods was under the same watch….unless you have really pissed off God and he has a bulls-eye on your ass, and if that’s the case, you wouldn’t get a warning. 😉
They call him Lamin Barrow . . . Quite right!
LOL
I was responding to a specific post and said in my post “in the draft”. Anything else you all added to what I posted is YOUR opinion. As usual around here, people change the message and then bitch about that….not what was originally said.
I know you said draft, I added to how we addressed it in other ways. I will say this about Harris, he may not be the best at setting the edge at this time, but 34.5 tackles for loss in his career shows he’s getting into the backfield. That’s not counting his 18 sacks.
Just bustin’ balls
Joe SchadVerified account @schadjoe · 8m8 minutes ago
More
2017 Miami Dolphins: Vegas’ shockingly low over/under win total http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2017/05/02/2017-miami-dolphins-vegas-shockingly-low-overunder-win-total/ …
Anyone who is a betting person bet over. 🙂
Southpoint is a joke anyways, but it’s just a getting line, they start out low to get people to get, then adjust. Based on past history of teams similar to us, the next year after making the playoffs, they don’t do so well.
Throw a century on the over for me.
Bet not get
wyoming85 says:
May 2, 2017 at 12:21 pm
Never to early to start right Tim! 😉
2018
18: R1P18 CB MINKAH FITZPATRICK, ALABAMA
WTF!??? Fitzpatrick may be a good player, but you traded up all the way from #32 to get him? SHM!
the poll is strong for that (including guys like Mike E, Pig and I who voted Titans but would switch now) and who doesn’t want to see Rock mix with Jets fans?
Just in case I get a little drunk and forget…..I will have $3,000 in cash in my right shoe for bail money for this game….
LMAO — maybe we should put you in the middle of the section instead of in the first row. 🙂
Desmond E. King IIVerified account @blaqbadger14 · 5m5 minutes ago
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I’ll be rocking 36 like my big cousin @Tony_Lippett14 #Chargeup #Boltup
Cool! Didn’t know they were cousins.
Neither did I. It would have been nice to have cousins playing for us.
BALL HAWK!!!
Well we did draft a ballhawk in Tankersley. 9 INT and 20 PD in his last two seasons, didn’t play much as a freshman or sophomore.
Tim, someone here mentioned opposing QBs avoided Tankersley, but that’s not what I saw, nor what those stats suggest.
Harris’ tackles went up every year as did most of his stats. 19, 56 and 61. Those are pretty good numbers for an edge guy. Not sure he’s a liability in the run game other than he’s not a power guy on expected run downs. That’s fine, a lot of edge rushers aren’t strong in the run game.
He has a tough time shedding blocks in the run game, the 2 games I saw, one being Wisconsin totally destroyed him in the run game. Even TEs were kicking his ass.
Wisconsin is historically a physical run team. It happens, I said not strong on the edge, but finds his way into the backfield.
Harris has to work on parts of his game, everyone knows that. But so does every prospect.
Was already tipped it was coming……but now official. And leaves Landry as our only big-ticket young’un to sign next year.
“DAVIE (AP) — The Miami Dolphins have exercised a $9.3 million fifth-year option on offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James for 2018.”
Old news man. 🙂
Wouldn’t be surprised if we were working on an extension with Landry now even if just preliminary discussions.
Old man I am….was new news to me though, least the amount.
expect an extension before they actually have to pay him the 9.3 Mil next year.
It won’t matter where I sit, the stink of jets fans permeates the stadium and is unacceptable. “SIT THE FUCK DOWN AND SHUT UP!”
Good point on James. Both he and Landry’s deals could be set up to go high when we have more come off the books in a couple of years. That’s how teams balance these deals. The players get the guaranteed money but the team gets annual relief so they can carry it.
LOL — could get confusing with all the stand F ups and sit the F downs going around.
Steve, would you really like to see all 5 LBs in the game at the same time? If so how?
The cheats had some passing down formations in the past where they had 0 DL in the game, it was pretty interesting. 6 DBs, 5 LBs to answer your question
I gotcha. We did it too a few years back with the speed package – just two DL and 4 LBs.
Stanger – No seats for me. I’ll stay in the ones I’ve already paid for.
I get that you want to show them off and can’t blame you even if my guess is next year you will be sitting with the crew after meeting them plus what stubhub offers. Any idea of how many for the tailgate (and that number can be real loose)?
Lol….I don’t know about showing them off, although they are a lovely shade of aqua, but the bar is a lot closer. Figure at least 2, no more than 4 for the tailgate.
2 or 4 is just fine for the tailgate…….sorry you won’t be sitting with us, but then the bar will be real far away from our seats.
LOL @ Rock! You should bring all your shoes then
Stanger, I posted about the James 5th year two days ago then a few more people did. You’re too caught up in the fest. LOL
I saw that, just didn’t know it was official at that point or the amount. Thought it was just Mando saying it would get done with a lesser amount attached, but as life has proven over and over am both wrong all the time and my memory is really bad.
LOL, it’s all good.
Steve, Tankersley’s plays on the ball are definitive, it happened, you can’t really argue that. The QBs staying away from him is another thing I’m not sure about.
stangerx says:
May 2, 2017 at 3:54 pm
LOL — could get confusing with all the stand F ups and sit the F downs going around.
“No, not you! You stand up! YOU FUCK HEAD IN THE SNATCHEESE JERSEY SIT DOWN!”
“Shaking my head! Let’s go over this one more time for those who are slow (MikeE) you sit and do not make noise when our offense is on the field, unless they make a big play and then you cheer. YOU STAND THE FUCK UP AND MAKE NOISE WHEN OUR DEFENSE IS ON THE FIELD”
No shit, the ignorance of people at sporting events is baffling. Last Angels game I went to the dumb fucks are doing a wave when the opponents were hitting, I’m trying to get people to stop, but…same shit happens when home team is winning with 1 out to go.
When I was a kid in the OB, they knew when to cheer and when to shut the fuck up, opponents couldn’t score in the 4th going to the closed end.
3 Dolphins vets most impacted by rookies. All those guys leaving ESPN and they keep a guy like Walker that writes this kind of shit. Really Walker Phillips is being pushed by the 2 DTs we drafted? Or maybe we needed depth.
Man it’s a good thing we drafted Ford to push Landry……
Lol
He may as well have written that.
Walker either makes peanuts or is just insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The CEO making $200M per year doesn’t help things. I suspect the problem lies with ABC.
Rock
When do I stand up again?
June, the next time the Mets win a game😉
Expect the Mets to win 10 in a row now
Over/Under of days when Asiata and Suh get into it in camp?
The sooner the bettet, but the first time he knocks Suh on his ass we’ll know what the summer will look like. If it happens it will be day 1.