What a miserable end to the Dolphins season! Actually what a miserable season. Hmmm…Let’s see if I can line up Buffalo in my sights….
Ehhh…Whats the point? It’s already a dump! There is nothing this astro cannon can do that they can’t do to themselves or haven’t done to themselves…
May as well start thinking about the NFL draft and get ready for 2018. And let’s start with the top – let’s start with the Heisman Trophy winner, Baker Mayfield.
Okay, settle down Tannehill lovers. I’m just looking at all options. Besides….we never draft the guys I look at anyway…so this is probably a blessing.
The Positives: If you don’t know about Mayfield by now – WAKE UP. There is a reason he won the the Heisman Trophy. He’s been dominating College Football this year and has Oklahoma competing for a National Championship (at the time this is written).
Just look at his numbers. Over 14,000 yards in four years (including his first year at Texas Tech), 129 Touchdowns and only 29 interceptions with a career passer rating of 176.00. Mayfield had 40 touchdowns in 2016 and 41 in 2017. Mayfield is probably the best Oklahoma QB since Sam Bradford and some experts since he is a better pro prospect.
He is 8th on NCAA all time passing yards and 6th in touchdowns. His 2017 QB rating is first in NCAA history surpassing his 2016 QB rating which is 2nd all-time.
We can go on forever about his stats – they are impressive. But beyond the numbers, Mayfield is confident and competitive and loved by his teammates.
Weaknesses: Okay…I know he’s smallish. He’s listed at 6’1 and might be even smaller. Although he has been durable at Oklahoma, some question whether at that size he can be that durable in the pros.
He’s not a great athlete either. He’s not a bad one – he’s just not going to make heads turn if/when he runs the 40 at the combine.
Oh – and then there is the attitude. He’s a crotch grabber…I guess Mayfield comes off a bit cocky. I’ve even seen him compared to Johnny Manziel. YUK!
The Alien Dust: He’s a gamble. What front office will take that gamble? There are many great college quarterbacks that don’t produce in the NFL. Mayfield is smallish and has that personality that gets under some human’s skin. But not this alien.
I actually love him. I think h has a chance of being a great NFL QB. His consistency in college should not be ignored. He’s a natural passer with great pocket presence and does a great job of improving when a play breaks down.
That confidence doesn’t bother me. This alien thinks a lot of humans may regret passing on Mayfie;ld. Currently I’m hearing he is the 4th ranked QB behind Rosen, Darnold and Allen – but this is a weird draft, and a QB like Mayfield of Jackson (Louisville) may not get selected as high as the other quarterbacks – but still have a better career. The QB prospect analysis always has had inconsistent results.
But the inability to predict success won’t stop this alien from comparing Mayfield to an alien weapon of destruction. Mayfield is the lethal Astro Cannon!
You can see his highlights here
Finsmob Unleashed 
Drake is the only guy we’ve got at rb unless you want to include De’Veon Smith and Perry. Do you go into a season with that or do you pick up someone in free agency or the draft? Do they re-sign Williams? Unlike last season, Williams is now a UFA and wasn’t happy with his salary last year. So he may not be back.
So our stable of running backs isn’t much to work with at this time. Maybe it could be but with two of the three guys being unproven at rb it would be tough to want to go into the season with this as the rb trio.
So, there’s not a ton to work with here either.
I think Williams will be back. They may let him test the open market but I don’t see him drawing a starter’s salary from another team. He has always been a role player. He has a definite role with this team so I think he will re-sign at a similar salary to what he is earning now.
M
Wow, that’s so weird, fans favoring the RB that’s actually on the team as opposed to the guy who isn’t. I can’t even begin to comprehend how that can happen. 🙂
See below…
Tim Knight says:
January 4, 2018 at 10:48 pm
As for this RB thing.
Ricky Williams – super talented but not all about football and conformity.
Ronnie Brown – always liked him and bought his jersey. I felt his upside was huge until he tore his knee in 07 while having a monster season. He never had that other something since then.
Reggie Bush – didn’t think he was #2 draft status and that was proven. Good shifty, explosive RB with durability issues and some questionable character issues. I don’t think he was a bad guy though.
Lamar Miller – always liked him, watched him get better and hit a wall once he moved onto HOU. Explosive RB not worth his contract as a feature back.
Jay Ajayi – burst onto the scene in his 2nd season, set and tied some records with game performances. Looked like a star but for some reason we traded him during the next season. I’m leaving it there.
Kenyan Drake – small body of work, a lot of big plays. Look it up. Much more well rounded than I initially thought he was. I see a big upside in him. He reminds me of Ahman Green.
————-
Here’s my take…
Ricky: the best RB we’ve had since Csonka. LOVE that cat and his story of redemption. One of my all-time favorite Phins.
Ronnie: the 3rd best RB we’ve ever had, had his best year and made the Pro-Bowl in ’08 (don’t know what you’re talking about with post-knee, Tim). Huge fan of his.
Reggie: Averaged 1,000 yards with us (only the 2nd and last to do so, after Lamar Smith). Averaged nearly 40 catches per season with us. Perhaps the most dynamic, all-around RB we’ve ever employed. He was very special when he was with us.
Lamar: One of the fastest RBs we’ve ever had, HR threat any time he touched the ball, young, and emerging while with us. Averaged just over 40 receptions with us. Nearly a Reggie Bush clone.
Ajayi: Began re-writing NFL record books while with us behind a pedestrian O-Line. ’16 team MVP who took us to the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade… ’nuff said.
Drake: young, emerging, and explosive RB. Get the O-Line fixed and he’ll be a beast.
All of these RBs were 5.0 YPC with us at some point except for Ajayi (4.9) and Ricky (4.8), and they all were game-changers… and they all were fan-favorites.
I can’t stand how quickly the fans turned on all these guys once they moved on. And in most cases, we became worse without them. My point stands: we have the most fickle fan-base in the NFL. And once we move on from Drake some day, fans will turn on him, too. Guaranteed.
M
The way I see it, if that player did anything detrimental to my team, for example, didn’t do his homework, disobeyed coaches, acted selfishly, I say FUCK HIM! I rooted for him while he was here, now he’s gone, I don’t give a rats ass how he does. That’s me, and you feel differently. That’s your prerogative. You want to love players on other teams, that works for you, but that doesn’t work for me at all. Just how I roll.
We absolutely don’t have the most fickle fanbase in the NFL and I haven’t seen anyone “turn” on any running back after they weren’t on the team. The problem is when we let someone on the team go, people show up to act like those players are irreplaceable, and for the most part history has shown they were not. We let Reggie Bush go and Miller more than adequately replaced him, Miller was gone and Ajayi did the same, now Jay is gone and Drake stepped in and did the same thing.
The truth of the matter is there are only a few even keel posters on this website and then there are people who let emotion come through their posts more than logic, but they wouldn’t be fans if they weren’t emotional. Every fan wants the new guy to succeed until he’s gone and doesn’t. It goes with any player or coach. You can’t forget that people are here for the Miami Dolphins first and foremost and if someone doesn’t play for the team then they probably aren’t going to be rooted for anymore. That’s just reality.
Preach it X!
The thing I wonder about hiring coaches you’ve worked with before is this, if you never worked with that person, would they be near the top of the list of people you want to interview? Would they be on the list at all? This is what worries me some, but like everyone else, just hoping for the best.
The tide will turn on Landry as well, I remember Lou saying trade Landry at the beginning of the year and everyone gasped at that idea.
now that it seems more like a reality that Landry wont be here we’ll see the old habits spark up again, “well he wasn’t that good” “he did this he did that”
cant wait LOL
+100000000000000000000000000
Probably right, because I root for the Dolphins, not the Landrys.
-1000000000000000000000000000
I have had an opinion on Landry for a while now, he’s a great possession rec but he lacks separation speed, that said how much can you afford to pay a guy like that? 10 or 11 million per?
i would let him walk at that price.
when i base a players value to Miami I base it soley on what i see on the field, I could care less if he doesn’t do his homework or is argumentative, all i care about is what he does on the field.
that said i do believe we would have had a better record and may have made the playoffs if we didn’t give philly our RB.
but hey I guess Buffalo’s glad we made that move.
OK, so what did he do on the field this year, as long as that’s all you care about. If you’re going to go solely by his production, what did he do this year, and please don’t tell me were 4-2 when he played, because that’s nonsense.
How about 2-8 without him this year?
So now we can attribute records to RB’s? Are we 6-10 with Suh? Is that OK? I think it’s a major stretch to attribute wins and losses to a QB, but now you guys are doing it with a RB? Maybe that’s your problem latching on to players instead of the team. Now we’ve identified your issue.
keep Landry at 8 mil per year
I can’t wait until we part ways with Tannehill. All these Tannehomers will be like, “well, he wasn’t that good anyway”. It’s comical how some so-called fans are.
LMAO @ so-called. Are these players your friends or something?
No… “so-called” because they think he’s the shit now, but will change their tune after we part ways with him.
Remember this convo we’re having, Mike E. This is the type of stuff I’m trying to get ya to see.
Why is that wrong though? I can almost guarantee you I will be one of those people. Logically, I will try and downplay the value of a FORMER player when compared to a CURRENT player because I care about the team. Why should I root for Ajayi on the Eagles? Or Tannehill on the Colts if that’s where he ends up? I roort for and defend players when they’re on the Dolphins, because I care about the team. That’s why I’m here just about every day.
if i were Landry i would not want to play for Gase after his latest criticism, I would do my best to consider offers outside of Miami, Gase saying Landry was an embarrassment, what about Kenyan Drake wasn’t he embarrassing as well? hell he through a buffalo helmet! that was not only embarrassing it was childish. but yet no mention from Gase on Drake.
I believe the reason he made no mention of Drake is because Drake will be here next year.
So obviously Gase doesn’t believe Landry will continue as a dolphin so let’s stab him in the back publicly.
what Landry did in that scuffle may have not been a good idea, the thing is he’s in the heat of the battle, emotions are red hot and that should be considered when; what ever he did in that situation happened.
the more pressing issue is what Gase blurted out to the media about the ordeal, he didn’t have the players back and chose to let the whole world know?
this action hurts the team IMO.
VERY early 2018 NFL mock
1- Browns: QB Sam Darnold
2- Giants: QB Josh Rosen
3- Colts: DE Bradley Chubb?
4- Browns: RB Saquon Barkley
5- Broncos: QB Josh Allen?
6- stej: T Orlando Brown?
7- Bucs: RB Derrius Guice?
8- Bears: WR Courtland Sutton
9- 49ers: WR James Washington
10- Raiders: CB Josh Jackson
11- DOLPHINS: ?????
————————————————————————
If thats how it shakes out, i think im taking Minkah Fitzpatrick unless i get a really good offer on a trade back. He would certainly be a value pick at 11. He has position flexibilty to play S or CB for us. Its not a position of dire need for me but im adding that kind of talent if i can. Id also consider Arden Key DE from LSU, or Calvin Ridley of Alabama if we cant get Jarvis resigned, Quinten Nelson would be an option, or McGlinchey if we think James might be gone for an extended period of time. Roquan Smith i think fits our defense well enough to consider there as well. Since there are a cluster of players after Minkah that would fit us and i think help us, trading back 5 spots or so wouldn’t hurt us much at all and we would still walk away with a starter who contributes right off and likely for many years.
That was the longest post by SB7 EVAH!
Mike E. says:
January 5, 2018 at 9:37 am
So now we can attribute records to RB’s?
___________________________________________________
Yes let’s do that,
2nd and 6 is way better than 2nd and 13,
with Ajayi IMFHO we would have beat TB,Raiders,Buffalo, that may have been enough for us to make the playoffs.
The only reason you would ever do that is because it suits your argument. In reality world though, it’s ridiculous, because there’s a shit ton of reasons why teams win or lose games that impact the game more than 1 RB’s play.
Ajayi had more 2nd and 15’s because he ignored the hole up the middle for 3-4 yards and tried to hit a home run and bounce it to the outside and got taken down for a 5 yard loss. I remember that happening quite a bit this season.
I’ve got MAJOR appreciation for anybody who’s done something good for our beloved franchise. I don’t care if they’re wearing a different uniform today, I’ve got RESPECT for their efforts, hard work, and dedication to our team. I can’t pretend otherwise.
That doesn’t mean that I root for them when they play AGAINST us. I’m like a player’s old coach who congratulates them at mid-field after the game… “I MISS ya, man!!! How are ya doing?!! How’s the wife and kids doing?!! *HUGS*”.
I suppose that makes me different from most fans, but I’ve got RESPECT for our former guys… they aren’t suddenly chopped liver in my eyes, nor my enemy.
Mike E. says:
January 5, 2018 at 9:40 am
I roort for and defend players when they’re on the Dolphins, because I care about the team. That’s why I’m here just about every day.
_____________________________________________
and why are the players you don’t root for anymore not on the Dolphins? is it because of the back stabbing coach that you root for is still on the dolphins?
LOL! I’ll hate his ass when he leaves too, don’t worry. 🙂
Mike E. says:
January 5, 2018 at 9:45 am
The only reason you would ever do that is because it suits your argument. In reality world though, it’s ridiculous, because there’s a shit ton of reasons why teams win or lose games that impact the game more than 1 RB’s play.
_____________________________________________________
we’ve been over this Mike, I don’t care who runs the ball for Miami as long as they’re productive.
so let’s rehash this stat again to make it very clear why our running the ball and our former/present RB’s have a direct result in wins and losses.
any game we had 23 carries or more we won this year.
any game with less than 23 carries we lost.
if we don’t reach 23 carries per game that means that our RB was unproductive in that game.
While that may be entirely true and I pretty much agree with it, THAT isn’t up to the RB, that’s up to the HC and the game situations that dictate those things.
and 2nd an 13 would dictate the HC to pass and would also dictate the opposing D to play pass, while 2nd and 6 the playbook is wide open and it may dictate another run thus increasing the carries and also having the D on it’s heels.
I like this, we are finally making progress!
now if i can only get you to buy an Ajayi/Philly jersey.
M
I appreciate what the players did while they were here, but I don’t dwell on it. Like if Ajayi and the Eagles came to play the Dolphins at Hard Rock for a Fest game, I’d give him a standing O if they announced him, because I appreciate what he did as a Dolphins player. Then I’d root for us to knock him into next week.
Our best two players on offense last year were Ajayi and Landry, this coach trades Ajayi to Philly and is not publicly criticizing Landry.
I see a trend here
“now”
a 1 to 1 comparison shows a trend?
with he not i misread that…. i see it want a comparison now.
I see a trend too, be a pro or hit the door
I really dont see a problem with having players held accountable. If Landry keeps going the way he is going he is going to cost us games, we would have a expensive player that was always on suspension, etc. I know what your angling at but dude, you would have complete chaos and no control over your team if you allowed the players to run wild with destructive behavior. I have never see or heard of Gase having issues with passionate players and letting the players be themselves as long as the lines dont blur and those same players start spilling over and affecting team health. He isnt a Philbin micro manager, but he keeps control over his team and handles the issues that arise. Like i said im not a fan of how he has done everything but i see no harm in what he is did with Ajayi or how he is handling the Landry situation.
wasnt
if that’s the case why didn’t he throw Drakes name out as well?
My thinking is he doesn’t want Landry here, especially after the sideline argument whereas Drake will be here.
if you’re correct in your thinking then Drakes name should have been thrown out as well so that inconsistency is what i have a problem with.
BTW M13, its not about us turning on our RB once they leave. I loved Ricky, IMO he was one of the most exciting backs we have ever had, and since in mot an moldy oldie, he probably is the best RB i have ever seen on our team. I still bemoan the Sammy over Emmit smith draft decision, because Marino with Emmit would have been brutal, and likely meant Superbowls for Dan. I also think when Ajayi was at his best he reminded me a lot of Ricky with his running style. Now the problem is is Ricky had great field vision, and he also hit the hole he was assigned to. There were times when Ricky was behind an OL that wasnt spectacular, but the way he ran made up for it. Ajayi isnt Risky because he’s not a complete back, he isnt as developed as a runner as Ricky was by the time he came to us. What is worse, he wasnt listening, learning, and trying to perfect his game. Could he have been Ricky Williams for it, very likely, but he also didnt do his part to get there and Gase got tired of waiting for it.
You also stated above that he set records, he didn’t set any records, he tied one, and as has been pointed out, that was 4 total games he had more than 100 yards that year, 3 200 yard games, and then everything else was pretty mediocre at best. He averaged 2.5 YPC or less in like 4 games too, so dont you have to consider those failures with the selective successes ya’ll keep mentioning? I would have loved to kept him and continued on developing him and hoping he turned the corner, but Gase seems to have felt by his attitude that wasnt going to happen with us. Im happy he gets another chance elsewhere, i liked the guy, i liked the back, i just dont like a player, any player for that matter, that is detrimental to the team and unless proven that Gase is lying about that part, i have to feel that move was for the betterment of the team.
I also see you mentioned that behind a pedestrian OL, Ajayi did so well. Drake behind a makeshift OL, performed better than Ajayi with Ajayi having them at their top strength, so what does that say about Ajayi vs Drake? I personally just think this argument and the way it keeps being shifted around to keep asserting that Ajayi carried our team and Drake cant do that, etc is BS. Everything states that at least with this small sample size, Drake shows completely capable of filling Ajayi’s shoes. Keep in mind too, the small sample size im talking about is still bigger than the extremely small sample size of 4 games used to make Ajayi into a god-like back.
What is worse, he wasnt listening, learning, and trying to perfect his game.
________________________________________________________
How do you know this? is it because Gase said this? he also said Landry was an embarrassment to the team, is this correct as well?
Yeah that was pretty bad embarrassment that we saw that last game
I’m cofused??
If Drake is so good why did we only give him the ball 13 times?
Same reason they gave it to Ajayi 13 times or less. Running game cant be priority when you are behind on the scoreboard. Your assertion that us running the ball more makes us better isnt in question, just that with Ajayi we did it better than with Drake, and nothing you have said no matter how you have twisted it has overcome the evidence that you are wrong in that assertion.
we gave it to Ajayi 4 games out of the 6 more than 23 times
furthermore i’m not twisting anything, i’m not twisting the fact that Ajayi “wasnt listening, learning, and trying to perfect his game” .
that’s because i wasn’t there to know this first hand as some around here seem to have been.
Lou mentioned it last night, but here is more on the evil genius getting punked by Tom Boy and Kraft.
—————
Robert Kraft effectively forced Belichick to trade Garoppolo, whom the head coach and many others in the organization saw as the franchise’s quarterback of the future. Belichick reportedly left an hours-long meeting, during which Kraft issued the mandate, “furious and demoralized.”
ESPN connects the difference of opinion between Belichick and Kraft to a now-deep-seated rift between Belichick and Tom Brady. It details meetings between Brady and Kraft, and Brady and Belichick, to discuss another long-term contract for Brady. An October meeting between quarterback and head coach, who reportedly balked at a long-term extension, resulted in a “little blowup.”.
Kraft sided with Brady. Belichick obeyed orders and traded Garoppolo.
This is where Ross should be on high alert! get The Chick!
I’m hoping that is one of your sarcastic witty cracks. No way do we give in to the dark side of the force, as powerful as it may be.
LOL
I was going to make a comment about D’s shortest post ever, then he drops that bomb. Lol.
Oh come on now, you have to know if there is a short post, there has to be 2 long ones to make up for it.
OCRob, you basically said that we cant trust what Gase has said, but yet Gase is the only one to have offered any explaination as to what was said. So you are saying to me, i cant believe it just because Gase said it, but i can make up my own opinion on it with no evidence at all to support it, and just go with that. This makes more sense to you……how?
Ajayi “wasnt listening, learning, and trying to perfect his game” .
_____________________________________________________
how do you know this? is this statement based on what you read? it would appear as factual by you or are you twisting it to support your views on Drake?
Because Gase stated it…. He had a press conference and called him out for doing just those things…
I have 0 agenda towards Drake, i dont have twist anything to support my facts, there is evidence to support it, you….not so much
ocalarob says:
January 5, 2018 at 10:31 am
if that’s the case why didn’t he throw Drakes name out as well?
My thinking is he doesn’t want Landry here, especially after the sideline argument whereas Drake will be here.
if you’re correct in your thinking then Drakes name should have been thrown out as well so that inconsistency is what i have a problem with.
————————————————–
I have no problem with Drakes name being thrown in there. I think that Drake did stuff as a result of the fight breaking out and then him being shoved to the ground and number 56 belly flopping on him, but still his ejection and the embarrassment of him not staying in control of his emotions was just as bad. I will say though, its a little different position with a coach chastizing a guy who is supposed to be a leader of the team, a guy others follow, and young guy who is still just now learning to be a pro.There is more expectation from a guy in Landry’s position, though i would have personally mentioned this fact and still called out Drake.
well where i’m from i would have called them both out personally, not publicly!
You also dont live in the world of reporters asking you questions. The world where not answering is twisted and turned by them to make it as bad as possible and where at least misrepresenting an actual statement has repercussions. As a coach, you have to think of yourself as part of a publicly traded company, and those items of concern that can affect the value of your stock have to be reported and shown that they are being addressed. You dont live in his world, just like you dont know what Ajayi was doing behind closed doors. You are making statements based upon what you “think” really happened, im making my assertions off the things that have been reported by people involved to have happened. If you cant see the difference, then there is your problem.
I’m done with you dude, have a nice day
OCRob you are too far gone to debate Ajayi vs Drake, man. Its one of those times where i finally have that light-bulb go off and go….”oh reason is gone here, logical debates dont work anymore”. You continue to pine for Ajayi and say he is the best back ever, and Drake will never be more than a 3rd down back all you want. Hell, become and Eagles fan so you can continue to support your favorite player. I’ll just continue to watch and hope for Drake to continue his progression and that our team improves as a result of it.
I could care less about Ajayi, all i want is a productive RB and Drake isn’t that guy IMO,
I like Drake as well, i just don’t think he’s the answer at RB, and i make this conclusion from an eye test to his stats, and while he may have good stats, there’s one stat as to why i question his ability as a bread and butter back.
(his number of carries), if you look at that stat and look at his results and also look at the win loss in relation to that stat what it tells me is he is inconsistent on the tough yards and he leaves us in long down and distance thus forcing us to pass depriving him of running the ball and getting the carries..
D says:
with Ajayi we did it better than with Drake, and nothing you have said no matter how you have twisted it has overcome the evidence that you are wrong in that assertion.
_________________________________________
This convo started going downhill when you said i was twisting this.
it’s a fact jack!
Ajayi had way more 23 plus carries than Drake did this year and Ajayi only played 40% of the season where Drake played 100%.
so next time you accuse someone of “twisting the facts” you should try to be correct in your statements and also take a hard look in the mirror.
AKA: “Ajayi wasnt listening, learning, and trying to perfect his game”
Mike E. says:
January 5, 2018 at 9:55 am
M
I appreciate what the players did while they were here, but I don’t dwell on it. Like if Ajayi and the Eagles came to play the Dolphins at Hard Rock for a Fest game, I’d give him a standing O if they announced him, because I appreciate what he did as a Dolphins player. Then I’d root for us to knock him into next week.
————
I don’t dwell on it, I just have unwavering RESPECT. In the immortal words of the great Shock-G, “Once you pass through these doors, you’re always a part of the (my) family”… that pretty much sums up how I feel on this subject of our former, good players.
Good post, though! And I’d definitely stand by your side giving Ajayi a standing ovation… and I’d continue to stand by your side rooting for us to knock him into next week! HELL YEAH!!! I think we’re seeing eye-to-eye now! 🙂
Great, glad we’re on the same page, even if it’s in a different book 😉
LOL 😀
D,
To your 10:16 AM post, there’s too many things to reply to, LOL. I always take the bad with the good, and I’m as high on Drake as ANYONE can be.
In a nutshell: had our O-Line been properly addressed coming into the ’17 season, I have NO DOUBT that Ajayi would still be with us (not that it matters now)… we’d be WINNING, Cutler would have fared FAR better as a result, and there wouldn’t have been people getting into their feelings. WINNING prevents problems!
Now get this O-Line fixed properly for the ’18 season, and I predict Drake can go for 1,500+ rushing yards. And the fact of the matter: ALL of our RBs going back to Ricky have been running behind sub-par O-Lines. Any one of them could have been perennial Pro-Bowlers behind a decent O-Line. Instead, we got 1 Pro-Bowl out of Ricky (2002), Ronnie (2008), and Ajayi (2016). Could have been SO much more, man!
GET ME QUENTON NELSON and FRANK RAGNOW!!! 😀
M13, something like this as far as the draft?
Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 22 (BUF): Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame (A)
Round 1 Pick 24 (BUF): Roquan Smith, ILB, Georgia (A)
Round 2 Pick 11: Taven Bryan, DT, Florida (B+)
Round 3 Pick 11: Frank Ragnow, C/OG, Arkansas (B)
Round 4 Pick 11: Luke Falk, QB, Washington State (A+)
Round 4 Pick 32: Troy Fumagalli, TE, Wisconsin (A)
Round 6 Pick 11: Bo Scarbrough, RB, Alabama (A)
Round 7 Pick 7: Nick Washington, FS, Florida (C)
Round 7 Pick 11: Bentley Spain, OT, North Carolina (C+)
Don’t let all the Ajayi talk distract you from the fact that we haven’t been relevant since Jake Scott left.
Have actually been thinking that buying a jersey of an old school great would be great and take away the crash and burn aspect. Your old avi got me thinking Jake Scott would be a great one. Awesome player, Superbowl MVP and what a character. Plus I might end up being the only person in the stadium with a #13 w/o Marino on the back. Love that quirk.
he had issues with Shula and Joe Robbie for years after retirement.
Yes he did…..part of why he is a character. Check out this article by Hyde if you have the time.
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2006-11-19/sports/sfl-spjakescott19nov19_1_noonday-breeze-defensive-lineman-manny-fernandez-front-porch
Kool
stangerx says:
January 5, 2018 at 10:42 am
I’m hoping that is one of your sarcastic witty cracks. No way do we give in to the dark side of the force, as powerful as it may be.
_____________________________________________
well that’s the way football use to be, us against them to the death.
but what about getting Pennington from the hated Jets, Taylor going to the Jets,
look at our FO with the stink’n Mike Tannenbaum running it!
all that crap is out the window.
GET THE CHICK!
Ya don’t get to see very many O-Lineman highlights and most don’t enjoy watching game tape of O-Linemen… so check this out and appreciate it!
Frank Ragnow Pancake vs Kstate
That ‘pancake-ee’ was 6’3″, 290 pound DT Matt Seiwert. Ragnow can MOVE a DT with ease.
I would like to see us get that Georgia RB, seeing he may go early 2nd we may not have a shot at him.
I like Chubb a lot too
Let’s say we re-sign Ja’Wuan James on the relative cheap, and we all know Pouncey isn’t going anywhere, being he’s one of Gase’s ‘golden boys’…
TUNSIL- NELSON– POUNCEY- RAGNOW– JAMES
—LT———-LG————C————-RG———-RT—
It all starts up front in the trenches. Tannehill will be protected like never before, allowing him time to connect with his weapons. Drake will see the gaping holes and run rampant. Defenses will be forced to stack the box again, due to our overwhelming run-blocking ability.
Ragnow would be the heir to Pouncey at Center when the time comes.
Nelson helps both Tunsil and Pouncey. Ragnow helps both Pouncey and James. This is called… WINNING!!!
You want to keep pouncey?
I sort of assumed Ragnew would replace Pouncey of drafted
I tend to think Davis and Larsen are better than Pouncey at this point
mf13ss says:
January 5, 2018 at 11:48 am (Edit)
Let’s say we re-sign Ja’Wuan James on the relative cheap, and we all know Pouncey isn’t going anywhere, being he’s one of Gase’s ‘golden boys’…
Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 22 (BUF): Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame (A)
Round 1 Pick 24 (BUF): Roquan Smith, ILB, Georgia (A)
Round 2 Pick 11: Taven Bryan, DT, Florida (B+)
Round 3 Pick 11: Frank Ragnow, C/OG, Arkansas (B)
Round 4 Pick 11: Luke Falk, QB, Washington State (A+)
Round 4 Pick 32: Troy Fumagalli, TE, Wisconsin (A)
Round 6 Pick 11: Bo Scarbrough, RB, Alabama (A)
Round 7 Pick 7: Nick Washington, FS, Florida (C)
Round 7 Pick 11: Bentley Spain, OT, North Carolina (C+)
that draft is ridiculously good
I can’t imagine ending up with Falk, Fumagalli and Scarborough on Day 3
If that happen I will cook my own squiggly
Piggy you really have to keep Pouncey, you have no clue if Ragnow can take over right off. Pouncey has to hang around another year but we also have to be in the position to move on during the year next year in case of injury or next year in case of retirement or just time to transition. We cant afford to cut Pouncey right now. Thats way too optimistic thinking.
We need to invest early in that position maybe even twice early as i did in that mock, because the time is drawing end with Pouncey. His hips arent going to hold out to football like punishment for much longer.
He can barely handle a stair case much less a football game at this point
ocalarob says:
January 5, 2018 at 11:11 am
D says:
with Ajayi we did it better than with Drake, and nothing you have said no matter how you have twisted it has overcome the evidence that you are wrong in that assertion.
_________________________________________
This convo started going downhill when you said i was twisting this.
it’s a fact jack!
Ajayi had way more 23 plus carries than Drake did this year and Ajayi only played 40% of the season where Drake played 100%.
so next time you accuse someone of “twisting the facts” you should try to be correct in your statements and also take a hard look in the mirror.
AKA: “Ajayi wasnt listening, learning, and trying to perfect his game”
————————————————————–
You lost any credibility in this argument when you started with your “eye ball test”. I hear they are doing gene therapy as a cure to blindness now, you should go sign up early as a person of emergent need.
Man, you can’t move on from players no longer on the team without being labeled as something. I believe this subject has gone in too many directions and doesn’t need to be personal.
Shut up you cotton headed ninny muggins
Tim is a jerk
Gruden is getting a 10 year deal with the raiders
10 Years!
What? That’s crazy. What if he retires after 2 years, they owe him for 8 more?
In case you didn’t know Itnused to be illegal in Oregon to pump your own gas (old law) and they just repealed it
So people are learning…lol
https://twitter.com/1sarahrose/status/948993641028161536
It was like that in Jersey the last time I was there , but that was over 15 years ago.
Who scooped who
WTF is going on here? No wonder he decided to get back into coaching.
So one year of Gruden is worth one year of Cutler. 🙂
That’s CRAZY $$$ for Gruden! I wonder how much of that $100M Tony Dungy’s going to get. IMO, Dungy should get 90% of it, Gruden 10% of it… just sayin’…
I know what you mean but Dungy had nothing to do with what Gruden did with the Raiders. Without the tuck rule the Raiders might have gotten to the SB. The Raiders team Gruden left also made it to the SB when he beat them as Bucs HC. Remember people speculating he knew everything they were doing. He did have quite a bit of success despite some bad and mediocre seasons in Tampa.
Food The invitation-only party, which will run 2 to 8 p.m., will take place in a private residence. The invites are limited to 50 guests.and an open bar are included.
Guests are “welcome to BYOW.” (Bring your own weed, for the uninitiated.) You can also snap a photo with Williams at the party.Tickets cost $250 and you must be at least 21 years old.
LOL
We got ourselves a new OC.
————————————-
“Coach Adam Gase has reassigned offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen and hired former Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains as the new coordinator. The coach let senior offensive assistant Dave DeGuglielmo’s contract expire and he won’t be brought back, as Jeremiah Washburn was hired as the offensive line coach on Thursday.
Today is only the fifth day since the Dolphins 2017 season ended and Gase has already taken a hammer to his offensive staff.”
And then Mando goes on a full on rant about the O.
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article193106724.html
Think about this
The Raiders will receive 750 million from the city of Las Vegas to finance a stadium
And now they are going to pay Gruden 100m to a sign a deal which odds indicate he will not see through
Least the money doesn’t come off their salary cap….and it is a good way to make a splash. And I do like Gruden, but also interesting that his career record is 95-81. That’s not all that impressive.
That is a lot of money for a coach. Its a good thing they dont have the coaching staff as part of the salary cap for teams or they would have to cut players to afford that cap hit.
SB – I have a funny story about gas, New Jersey etc . . .
My son called us in the middle of the night a few months ago when he was on his way to school driving back. His car started making terrible noises, and the car wouldn’t go past 35 MPH. He was just out of New Jersey, in Yonkers actually. He had pulled into a gas station and parked in a spot. We drove there, and we find my son, and his car, and we needed to have his car towed back to the repair, but I wasn’t going to do that until the next day. So I see this man pumping gas, and being from NJ, I thought he worked at the station. So I walk over to him, and of course, he’s an Indian gentleman, not native American, but from India, and I start telling him my son’s car is parked in that spot, it’s disabled, and I would have it towed away the next day, probably some time in the morning, is it OK if I leave my car there? After my entire story, he says “Dude, I don’t work here, I’m just filling up my car”. I must have turned redder than red, I felt like such an ass. It’s funny though.
LOL
I have a funny story about gas, pull my finger and ill tell you about it
LOL Mike E — you’d have to tell me why you still can’t pump your own gas in NJ. Maybe Tony Soprano and the unions have something to do with it. 🙂
I don’t mind not doing it especially during this time of year.
I would bet Gruden will be done after 3 years, if he even makes it that far
If he wins a SB he could retire and maybe that’s all the Raiders care about.
This is it. Our new OC better make this offense a highway to the danger zone instead of getting footloose or he won’t be singing, “I’m Alright”.
If he was here from ’84 -’99, he could have done Danny’s song
You are just “Messina” with us
Good one!
I just realized how much Mark Davis looks like Rocky Dennis from the movie “Mask”. Eerily similar.
LOL… and he’s been getting the same haircut since he was 3.
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Wyoming QB Josh Allen is going to accept invite to Reese’s Senior Bowl after graduating as 4th year junior. Elevates magnitude of Sr Bowl week. Expect announcement today.
Good
I want to see him with better talent around him!
Stanger
When I first moved to Jersey from Brooklyn, it used to drive me crazy that I had to wait for the attendant to pump my gas. Like everything else, you get used to it.
If it is the only way to get gas then it is. CT turned to self serve in like the 80’s. At first there were self-serve and served pumps (that were like 4 cents more per gallon). All the served options were gone within a few years. Market at work.
Yeah, I remember it was like that in NY too
On a positive note with the two coaches we hired in Loggains OC and Washburn OL they worked together this season with the Bears so there is some chemistry already there and now here. 🙂
Now go ahead and tear it apart about how much they suck. LOL
Sounds like Jackson is coming out?
He announced he is
http://mentalfloss.com/article/74549/why-cant-you-pump-your-own-gas-new-jersey
Some of this is funny.
Bottom line on this is that folks in NJ can’t figure out to turn off their car and not smoke while filling up like folks in the other 49 states are capable of. 🙂
I do it all the time but my hands don’t smell like gasoline. 😉
The Search for Franchise Players in the 2018 NFL Draft Class
https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/10/24/2018-nfl-draft-top-prospects-bradley-chubb-minkah-fitzpatrick-derwin-james-arden-key-quenton-nelson
Did you guys read the ESPN story about Brady – belicheat – Kraft fight
People are speculating that this may be there last year together
Love triangle?
Brady won….and am glad he did. Be interesting to see if he signs a long–term contract. He is 40 and now they have no heir apparent. I’d look for them to QB in the draft though.
If I were Kraft I would cling to belicheat
It it looks like belicheat might be OUT
Adam Beasley @AdamHBeasley
Steep fines from Sunday’s game: Landry was fined $48,620 and Drake was fined $12,154, both for unsportsmanlike conduct.
That’s a chunk for Landry! Wow!
Mama’s gotta rolling bowl!!
how does a grown man cut his hair like that
He travels extensively to get that hair cut
SO, ABOUT THE HAIR It’s a bowl cut, yes, in the Roman centurion mold, but it’s much, much more. The reddish-blond bangs, each strand the exact same length, the geometrically precise feathering over the ears — not so much a haircut as a feat of engineering.
In perfect Davis family fashion, it’s a middle finger to convention. Davis travels to Palm Desert to get it cut, just as he traveled to Chico from Oakland to visit a preferred barber long after he left college at Chico State. “I think he’s had three barbers since college,” Branch says. “If he likes something, he stays loyal.”
He’s aware of the public fascination with his hair. Damn straight he is. When news stories relating to the team are emailed to him, Davis, Badain says, has been known to respond by writing, “The comments on this one are all about my hair.”
Has anyone ever suggested an alternative?
“Every day,” Branch says. “Every day. That’s the No. 1 topic.”
And Davis’ response?
“He ain’t changing it,” Branch says. “When people say something, he just laughs. The more they tell him, the more he’s going to keep it. If they back off and don’t say anything, he might change it.”
I got that from this article
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/13735322/are-mark-davis-raiders-leaving-oakland
The guy is a full blown weirdo
He brings a fanny pack and a 2003 Nokia to P.F. Chang’s to do business even though he’s worth 500 million dollars
Mark Davis put the gun in your mouth now you big weirdo
I told old you guys that’s a creepy family when his father was alive when I did all those Lane Kiffins blood odyssey’s – what a creepy family!
The change is coming.
Spector is one of my favorite all time weirdos
Lamar Jackson would scare me a bit. A running QB who seems to have accuracy issues.
He’s smallish too
Immense talent though
I hate writing guys off – but he scares me as well
Piggy, you like murderer weirdos?
I have an all time list of weirdos for entertainment purposes
Spector and Davis are in the list
LOL
What exactly is the rift about with Kraft, Belichick and Brady?
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/hotread180105/beginning-end-new-england-patriots-robert-kraft-tom-brady-bill-belichick-internal-power-struggle
I read it and its not the bombshell they are selling it to be IMO
but I guess its possible that Belicheat is done with the patriots
Lots of drama, I stopped reading.
Some details above in a 10:19 am post, but bottom line is that the hooded one saw Garoppolo as his QB of the future and Brady did not…..and Kraft went with Brady.
And the patriots released a joint statement to call the article bulls hit
The fact that they even put that out shows that there was at least some fire behind the smoke.
They are pretty good about keeping things professional
But when their season is over I bet it boils over
Brady got what he wanted….which was not having a legit QB at the ready looking over his shoulder. For sure the evil one ain’t happy, but then his coaching lifespan is still longer than Brady’s behind center. We’ll see if this leads to a Housewives thing.
Not very high on Bo Scarbrough. He needs a hole created by the OL to get going, then he is hard to bring down. Otherwiise, he gets gang tackled for minimal or no gain. He would be labeled a bust behind our OL then flourish elsewhere. LOL
D says:
January 5, 2018 at 12:21 pm
ocalarob says:
January 5, 2018 at 11:11 am
You lost any credibility in this argument when you started with your “eye ball test”. I hear they are doing gene therapy as a cure to blindness now, you should go sign up early as a person of emergent need.
___________________________________________
A TROLL, (/troʊl, trɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting quarrels or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response.
Gotta love this headline from the PBP: “What-if game: With healthy Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins may have gone 10-6”
Includes how in the article.
http://dailydolphin.blog.mypalmbeachpost.com/2018/01/05/what-if-game-with-healthy-ryan-tannehill-miami-dolphins-may-have-gone-10-6/
never happen. he’s not a difference maker
I do think the 10-6 a stretch, but I figure we would have been 8-8 with him. You think we were better off with Cutler?
We wouldn’t have gone through the conditioning and learning curve we did with Cutler so yes I do think it would have been a better season but not sure how many more wins. Some games would probably not have been so ugly with the lack of scoring.
If you want a big back, one that no one is talking about is Oregon’s RB Royce Freeman. He is a 5’11 231 pound bruiser. Four year career – 5,621 yards 60 TD’s, 79 rec for 814 yards 4 TD’s. Projected to also run a sub 4.5 40.
He may be a second or third round pick, that would be a great pick up!
I know they’re not bruiser backs but I’d rather go with Kerryon Johnson and Ralph Webb.
Kerryon – You will always remember
Kerryon – Nothing equals the splendor
Lol
BailBondMike says:
January 5, 2018 at 5:54 pm
If you want a big back, one that no one is talking about is Oregon’s RB Royce Freeman…
———
*COUGH, COUGH* 🙂
My Second 2018 Mock Draft (1/1/2018)
R1- Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
R2- Mike Gesicke, TE, PSU
R3- Frank Ragnow, C/G, Arkansas
R4a- Marcus Davenport, DE, Texas-San Antonio
R4b- Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon
R5- STEPHONE ANTHONY
R6- Skai Moore, OLB, South Carolina
R7a- Logan Woodside, QB, Toledo
R7b- (from Tampa Bay)- Christian Campbell, CB, PSU
FA: Tahir Whitehead, SAM, Detroit, OR Nigel Bradham, WILL, Philadelphia
We targeted Tahir Whitehead in 2016 and I know some people here called him nothing special. He won’t be as cheap this time around.
I know what you are saying Lou. I was mentioning Freeman because some were talking about Scarborough because of his size. I would much rather have Freeman than Scarborough. There are quite a few good backs in this draft who I would be happy with, but IMO only one elite RB.
We need a good complimentary back to Drake preferably a guy who can get some of those tough yards and spell Drake.
I like Royce too from what I’ve seen
Nice to have options
M13, Oh Damn, sorry brother. I should have known/missed that, LOL.
That draft is killer, BTW!!!!
Thank you, SIR! I appreciate that. And I’ve gotta tell ya, you and I seem to share a brain when it comes to college talent. We like the same types of players and for the same reasons. RESPECT to you, Brother!
BB Mike,
Something I really like about Royce besides his size? He’s a pretty decent receiver… ya know Gase is going to love that.
wouldn’t mind us taking a shot at this guy:
Tim Knight says:
January 5, 2018 at 7:53 pm
We targeted Tahir Whitehead in 2016 and I know some people here called him nothing special. He won’t be as cheap this time around.
———-
I asked Spotrac what Whitehead’s market might be…
Rigel Spikes
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@spotrac Roughly speaking, what would Detroit Lions LB Tahir Whitehead’s market value be, should he end up hitting FA?
Spotrac
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Replying to @MF13SS
Dont’a Hightower’s 4 year $35.5M deal w/ the #Patriots is a decent baseline for Whitehead.
So if we sign Whitehead to be Timmons’ replacement, we’re looking at roughly $9M/year. I was hoping that he could be had closer to $6-7M/year… we’ll see. He’d be a solid SAM for us, but I’m not sure I’d be willing to spend $9M/year for him unless we clear out MAJOR cap space (it’s been talked about recently).
And IF we do clear out MAJOR cap space, remember that under the latest CBA all teams must spend a minimal of I think it’s 90% of the new cap number. This being the case, we just might sign a couple of higher-priced FAs to reach that 90% threshold. That, and Tannenbaum won’t be able to resist $pending $$$.
If we were to go o-line with a guy like Nelson in the first, assuming we’ve even got a shot at him I’d like to see us take a shot at Tremaine Edumds (Ferrell’s son) or Lorenzo Carter.
Edmunds
Edmunds or Carter would be nice selections if we want to address LB early.
I wouldn’t target a LB at that price in FA. I’d go the young route. Anthony gets the first shot at the SLB, McMillan MLB, Alonzo WLB with Allen backing up maybe all. Add an athletic LB in the draft is the route I’d take.
I think I’m with ya here, though we’ve already got a lot of young talent at the LB position. Prof Lou listed two above who would be nice draftees as well (Edmunds and Carter).
That’s how the Steelers do it as you know. Homegrown, let em go, more waiting in the wings. Why keep rolling that way now, is that the key to the SB? I don’t think so. Just the way I’d approach it.
Meant why not keep rolling that way. Doh!!
M13, what do you expect Tannenbaum to do with the salary cap, not spend? I don’t think he’s done anything outrageous in Miami yet fans keep bringing it up like he has or they’re expecting it. You’re not the only one who says this stuff by the way. The media does it too.
The FO has managed the cap during his tenure, has not traded away high draft picks and we’ve always had 7 or more draft picks all 3 seasons and we have 8 this year. Let’s see what we look like heading into FA. It’s very early and a lot of moves have to be made besides the FAs we already know. Why look for the negative with the guy?
I’m not really looking for the negative in Tannenbaum… he just likes to $pend on FAs. And in the example I gave above, he would have no choice if we clear MAJOR cap space. Gotta spend 90% of the new cap number. This would bode well for me if I really want Whitehead that badly. I’d actually call that looking for the positive! 🙂
Nothing real big since Suh. Some money spent on within which is their philosophy and I respect that. Most teams with a lot of cap space are not very good. Until it breaks up a good thing I’m not going to worry about it. And we’re not quite a good thing right now. I’m going to focus on 2018 as it is right now and that good things can and will happen. 🙂
Tim Knight says:
January 5, 2018 at 8:39 pm
…Add an athletic LB in the draft is the route I’d take.
———-
I’m VERY with ya about adding an ATHLETIC LB (ball-hawking would be my preference). Skai Moore, LB, South Carolina, is a guy I’ve been watching since 2015 (he missed all of 2016 with an injury). He’s a damn good coverage LB with ball skills (14 career INTs, all playing LB). He’ll need to add some weight for the NFL (218 pounds), but I’d call him an athletic LB who’s been averaging 100 tackles a season over his last 3 years. Current late-round projection.
I’ve heard we’re in the market for a safety and it might be to have a center field type so Jones and McDonald can play closer to the LOS and flip flop safety/nickel LB. They can both do the same things. Jones is a step above at this point but McDonald is younger with upside. This might be a really good way to go about playing nickel already in the house. Maybe a top quality safety who can cover ground is what makes it work.
WHY didn’t we sign my man Desmond King last season?!! 😥
Not “sign”… DRAFT my man Desmond King last season?!!
Dude, can you look at stuff in the present without bringing up not landing your heart throbs? LOL
I want to underscore ONCE AGAIN why I’m interested in Tahir Whitehead, among other reasons. He’s BEEN PLAYING in Detroit’s ‘wide-9′ Defense since he was drafted and knows what he’s supposed to do. Whitehead has PLAYED with Suh in front of him from 2012-14. Jim Washburn was WITH Whitehead from 2012-15.
Whitehead is also a 3-down LB who’s been serving as the Lions’ dime LB this season: he’s fluent in speaking both MIKE and SAM. It almost makes too much sense to sign him to replace Timmons… IF the price is right, of course. Connect the dots…
That’s why we tried to sign him in 2016. Burke coached him his first two seasons 2012 and 13. This target makes total sense. Not sure I would spend like that at LB based on other nickel I’ve been talking about, but the connection is there.
If we were to hire Fangio and go back to a 3-4 the wide 9 gets scrapped.
CB Howard, Tank, McCain, Lippett
S Jones, McDonald, ?
Best LB in nickel/dime
I see the potential here. Score some points offense and the pressure and back end defense goes up.
Another thing is Alonso will be in his 6th season with some up and downs in his career – great early start, a season ending knee injury and being traded twice. His best seasons could be ahead of him. He’ll be 28 in August.
Alonso (28 on 08/14/18), McMillan (23 on 11/17/18), Anthony (26 on 7/28/18), Allen (25 on 8/29/18).
Great Heat Knicks overtime game, Beasly’s playing very good for them.
The Knicks can’t win on the road, and they will be on the road a lot in the next month. They will end up way below .500 at the end of the season. Beasley has been playing really well the last few games. I wonder what the deal is with Willy Hernangomez. He looked like he was developing last season, but now he hardly plays now They decided to give Kyle O’Quinn most of his minutes. I think maybe because he’s so young, but O’Quinn, while I like him, isn’t really part of the future here, Hernangomez might be.
OQuinn looks like a load on D, not sure about his scoring ability, that center Kantor is playing great porzingis came on strong at the end, Jacks is great, not sure who hit that 3 to send it to OT I was pissed, shades of Alan Houston!
it was a great game.
I think they’ll get better and may contend for a playoff spot.
when will they get Hardaway back?
Doug McDermott hit the 3
Hardaway is going to miss a lot of the season. I think the original prognosis was 6-8 weeks, but NY talk radio thinks it’s going to be more than that
I’m fluent in speaking MIKE, but not SAM
hemangomez looks like a jr porzingis
Did I see a Jarrett Jack is great in there? He’s just a veteran presence at PG, but he doesn’t give the Knicks much at this point of his career
He kept them in that game last night
M13, after living in Charleston, SC for 15 years I have come to follow the Gamecocks and I like Skai Moore a lot but not sure if he would be the same LB at 20 lbs heavier. He is an OLB and it would be interesting what kind of packages you run with him in there. I like ILB Tegray Scales out of IU but feel he is a bit small at 6’0″ 230 for ILB. I don’t know could be wrong, many of these stellar ILB’s coming out are not your prototypical size anymore. Reuben Foster last year and Roquan Smith this year come to mind as both under 230 lbs. Most all of the ILB’s in this draft are between 225 and 235. Any of the bigger (240 or more) ILB’s project to run slow 40 times. Only exception is Malik Jefferson who at 6’2″ 240 might run under a 4.7 at MLB. This is all in reference to ILB’s, BTW. At, OLB, I really like Lorenzo Carter at 6’5″ 243 and expected to run a sub 4.7 40. I think if he put on more weight, he could turn into a good 4-3 DE or just be like an OLB/DE hybrid type player at his current weight.
I lived in Charleston in the 70’s as a kid, then moved back there in the 80’s and again in early 90’s. We used to drive up to Columbia and go to 5 point after Gamecock games and see Hootie and the Blowfish for a $5 cover before they made it big. Man, did they draw in the drunk hotties after a game. Oh, the memories, LOL!
We have most of what we need to run a 3-4 right now. Harris could be a pass rushing OLB. Suh could play one end with Phillips in the middle. Don’t know if Branch could play the other end at his size but maybe he could or maybe he could play OLB on the other side.
Then we’ve got two LB’s in McMillan and Anthony who could play inside. If we can get someone like Lorenzo Carter he could be a pass rushing OLB on the other side. That kind of leaves Branch up in the air and creates a need for another DE opposite Suh but we’re pretty close.
That’s counting too much on Phillips. Besides him, there’s not a prototypical sized NT on our roster, though Earl Williams played the nose at about 300 lbs for Houston. What about Alonso? I think he’s too small to play 3-4 OLB
Phillips played NT at Oklahoma in their 3-4 and did well. That’s one of the biggest reasons I wanted him is because of going from a 3-4 to a 4-3 he would be taking on doubles as much and would do better.
yeah, I don’t think Alonso could play 3-4 OLB either. He would need to play inside and be in a rotation with McMillan or Anthony. Personally, I’d rather have both of those guys inside than Kiko. I’ve never been a big fan of his from the time he was at Oregon.
North Dakota State and James Madison at noon today for the FCS Championship today.
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That parade is a joke don’t call yourself a true browns fan if you go to that thing! Going 0-16 was embarrassing enough as a player. That is like adding fuel to the fire and it is completely wrong!
What parade?
they’re having a parade to celebrate the Browns season. can you believe it?
don’t get me wrong with my posts from above either. i’m not speculating we’re going to go with a 3-4 or hire Fangio, just saying we’ve got most of the pieces to do so if we wish.
“Tis the offseason…..and I at least am happy that this team has few true “needs.” Not that we couldn’t upgrade talent in a lot of spots. Only true needs for me are OG and TE. If we don’t keep/re-sign Williams. Hayes or James — RB, DE or OT could be added to that list but leaving them off for now.
And am not even going to put LB or WR into need if we cut Timmons or don’t come to terms with Landry. Yes we could use more, but McMillian will be back and Anthony seems to have enough at LB. At WR, gotta like what Grant has shown and that would just be the 3rd slot with whatever Carroo has in there as well.
Even if see the need for more playmakers, actually liking the depth on this team.
I think one of the biggest problems with this team is the leadership at the top seems to look at things the same way but there’s definite needs on this team and you can’t deny it. They go into every season thinking things are going to be okay and we’re good at all of the positions but other than last season’s 10-6 finish there’s little to show they’ve been correct in that assessment.
This team is void of talent in a lot of areas.
Lou — don’t think the leadership will change this offseason, but am curious as to to what are those “lot of areas” where we are “void of talent.” If you are GM what would your game plan be?
Hey BBM
I didn’t know you lived in Charleston back then. So did I!
And I went to the same high school as Darius Rucker.
And when i went to Carolina, I lived in 5 Points.
wow small world
Lou — I was very impressed (or depressed) by Ishmael’s play in the Clemson game. i think he was the reason we lost that game.
I didn’t see the game but a guy who contests every 50/50 and comes down with the majority of them would be an asset on any offense. I guess he played well vs Clemson. lol
Naples, what a small world. I started high school at Bonds-Wilson HS in North Charleston with former NFL RB now career rapist, David Meggett. I graduated HS and stationed at Naval Hospital Charleston twice after HS which when I used to go to the Gamecock games.
Cool!
professorloumiamidolphinsblog says:
January 6, 2018 at 12:40 pm
I think one of the biggest problems with this team is the leadership at the top seems to look at things the same way but there’s definite needs on this team and you can’t deny it. They go into every season thinking things are going to be okay and we’re good at all of the positions but other than last season’s 10-6 finish there’s little to show they’ve been correct in that assessment.
This team is void of talent in a lot of areas.
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I agree with most of this post other than this team is void of talent. they’re all NFL talent, otherwise they would not have made the team, have you heard the expression he can beat his’n with your’n? i’m sure you have.
The difference in winning and losing NFL teams starts with the owner and trickles down to the coaches and that’s where it stops.
Ross keeps hiring inexperienced, emotional and immature coaches, this team does not have a winning philosophy, they don’t know how to win and frustration leads to emotions.
All Ross is doing is wasting his time, Gase needs to go and Ross needs to find a veteran winning coach if he ever wants to contend.
2018 will be the same ole shit
I don’t think we’ll be switching to a 3-4. I don’t think Burke will be fired. He can learn from his 1st year as a DC just like other young coaches. You can’t go around firing everyone all the time. Constant change is not always the answer and it surely hasn’t worked for us. Stay the course, make some adjustments and keep working to get better. The 2018 season will tell us more about the current regime and players moving forward.
Maybe they get Joseph back and demote Burke?
Joseph is the HC in Denver.
if i were the calling the shots i would focus my efforts on the OL run blocking and a big low to the ground RB, my OC would be required to run a minimum of 20 plays, the score doesn’t matter to me because i know that if i don’t run 20 times or more no matter what i do i can’t win, so at the very least my OL get’s experience in run blocking, and my RB gains experience as well.
I would have rather had Gray running the ball on 1st down than anyone on the team, at least i would know that he’s going to gain yardage consistently.
Rob, you might get your wish with the running game. Gase hired a new OC and OL coach from CHI and OC Loggains reportedly has a rep for a balanced attack. Washburn was here in 2016 as an asst. OL coach and the idea might have been for him to develop under Foerster and then be promoted down the line as the OL coach. But that all changed when he was offered the OL coach job in CHI. But now that the CHI staff was fired, the door opened for him to be OL coach here. Sometimes timing is everything.
Our biggest weakness this season was on offense and it’s the first thing Gase addressed days after the season ended. We get Tannehill back and I’m sure there are going to be other changes at QB as well as throughout the offense this offseason.
As for our defense they are built to play with a lead and attack but our offense hasn’t done their part as Gase has said many times. Say what you want about Gase but he’s not happy with his own offense and he isn’t rolling with the status quo.
Here’s one for MF. James Madison qb is a transfer from Lackawanna Jr College.
to add to that, he went to Delaware Valley High School.
When the team has to keep filling in holes with short-term, stop-gap type players who are at the end of their careers and are no longer capable of getting the job done then, yes, the team lacks talent.
What would be my course of action? BUILD a team. Start now. Don’t wait and keep brining in stop-gap guys to try and win now and build a team.
If I’m signing FA’s the first guys I’m looking at are guys who still are young enough and good enough to help the team. So I’m not signing an offensive guard who is too old to get it done anymore. Same thing with any other position.
You don’t look at something and say “we’re good there” and ignore it. Turn it into a strength of the team. So what if we’ve got McMillan, Kiko and Anthony at LB. So what if Allen looked good in the games he played. Turn it into a strength.
So what if Wake and Hayes is back on one end and you’ve got Branch and Harris on the other side. Turn it into a strength.
You have Drake at rb and possibly Williams comes back. Turn it into a strength. There’s a lot of good running backs in this year’s draft.
We had one good year mixed in with how many bad seasons and we’re good with talent. I don’t understand how anyone could look at this team and say that.
That’s what I’ve been saying. Build on what’s good and change what isn’t. I think we can and will do that.
And stay at #11 and take a player that has the potential to help your team. None of this shit of getting cute and thinking you know better than anyone else by trading down to get more picks and picking a lesser talent. If the talent evaluation on this team was that much better than anyone else we would have seen it by now but it isn’t.
Only fans are suggesting trading down because they love them more picks this time of year. You’re not hearing that from the FO but you wouldn’t hear that from them anyway. Also for the record the last time we traded down was in 2010 and the last time we traded up was in 2013 both under Ireland so there is no track record of the current regime doing this.
No there’s no track record from the current regime but I’m saying that isn’t something I would do. You’re building a team, you’re taking the best players you can for the team, not taking as many as you can.
Lou — who said we were good with talent? I said we were good with depth, and there is a big difference there.
What I see is a lack of talent….playmaking talent. That is what makes teams real competitors. Suh and Jones are our confirmed playmakers for next year. Landry too if we get him back. Think that about it, even if Howard, TJ and Drake look promising. Stills and Tunsil have the potential.
And yeah it would be great to add playmakers to units that are just sorta average, but only so many draft choices and money to play with. Almost all of us thought we needed more on the OL going into this season…..but they went strong D and look at what happened. Not like the guys in Davie didn’t know our Gs were lacking.
Make me GM, give me the top 5 draft choices and $100 mil in cap and guarantee I do better than the front office. But as is, tradeoffs have to be made.
Tim Knight says:
January 6, 2018 at 2:33 pm
I don’t think we’ll be switching to a 3-4. I don’t think Burke will be fired. He can learn from his 1st year as a DC just like other young coaches. You can’t go around firing everyone all the time. Constant change is not always the answer and it surely hasn’t worked for us. Stay the course, make some adjustments and keep working to get better. The 2018 season will tell us more about the current regime and players moving forward.
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This is where I don’t agree. We have a shot at someone like Fangio we should have been going after him with guns a blazin and doing what we could to get him in here. If Burke is going to learn let him learn under one of the guys who has been a defensive coordinator for a number of years and has a track record. When you’ve got a chance at a major upgrade at a position like DC then you take it. You don’t just hope Burke gets it in his 2nd season.
Well I don’t think Burke was bad so there’s that. You can’t leave out what I said before because this was the team’s plan.
“As for our defense they are built to play with a lead and attack but our offense hasn’t done their part as Gase has said many times. ”
We played from behind just about every game this year. The offense got off to slow starts every week sometimes not scoring until the 2nd half. That’s tough on a defense and that has to change. The offense is the key for me in turning things around, not a new DC.
None of that matters. The only thing that matters is results. You don’t think Burke did that bad of a job? Wow.
No I don’t. The defense kept us in games most of the season while the offense scored a sub par amount of points all year. The offense also gave up points on TOs and missed out on points with their mistakes. Our TOP wasn’t good, we lost the field position game and scored less than 20 points 9 times and just 20 twice. Not going to win like that.
I think you’re thinking about last season. The defense kept us in a lot of games last year. Not this year.