So much drama surrounding the Dolphins Head Coach search, and also the with the philosophy of a rebuild here in Miami. First things first. Chris Grier, not Steve Ross will be choosing the new Head Coach. Grier is complete charge of football operations, and he’s the guy making the decisions. If you think Steve Ross will be meddling with the decision, that’s on you.
Is a rebuild such a bad thing? What really is a rebuild? I’d say there are probably a lot of different ways to rebuild something. If you replace the short block of an engine, that’s considered a rebuild, but the whole unit wasn’t rebuilt. I think for the Dolphins, what we’re going to do is not make the same mistakes we’ve made in the past few years. Flash back to 2015, when we signed Ndamukong Suh for a 6 YR $114M contract. Great player at a premium position, but we weren’t one player away, and honestly, Suh never flourished here. No more huge contracts for 1 player.
It’s more than just Suh though, it’s going for the quick fix. In 2017 when we lost Ryan Tannehill, we should have soldiered on with what we had, rather than pay Jay Cutler $10M. I wanted the quick fix, but it was selfish, and foolish, and it was a poor use of cap money. That’s what needs to change here. Getting rid of Mike Pouncey was a start in the right direction, and in the off season, the purge should continue. Robert Quinn ($12.9M), Andre Branch ($7M), Devante Parker ($9.4M) should all be purged. Cam Wake, who we all love shouldn’t even be considered for a re-sign. Let him go win a championship somewhere else.
Besides just outright cutting players, I think we should trade a couple of players. The most obvious one is Ryan Tannehill, and his market is completely undetermined. Not sure if we can recoup any more than a late round pick, like a 5th or later, but all it takes is one team that really wants him, and we can possibly do better. I know a couple of you here are tired of this one, but you guys aren’t focusing long term, you’re still fantasizing about success next season. I’d trade Reshad Jones for what I believe could be a 3rd RD pick to a team who needs that veteran presence and maybe is a player or 2 away from what they believe is a championship. It’s a minor cap savings, but we have 3 safeties in T.J. McDonald, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Reshad Jones, and T.J. won’t bring back the bounty of a 3rd RD pick. When you have numerous holes during a rebuild, you don’t keep a glut of talent at one position, it doesn’t make sense.
We’re trying to become a team that not only has a younger roster, but one that will have lots of cap space for flexibility. No more big FA contracts, and certainly no high priced FA contracts to older players. Quinn was a trade, but that 4th RD pick we gave to the Rams, plus the salary we had to pay Quinn was a loss for us. Maybe that’s part of the reason MTP is now banished from the kingdom.
As for the Head Coach, I don’t have a horse in this race. I like certain things about each of the candidates, but I don’t feel like any of them are the a clear cut choice. It’s probably silly to not want Brian Flores from the Patriots, but former Patriots coaches that left NE and became HC’s have had dreadful results. Romeo Crennel (28-55), Josh McDaniels (11-17), Matt Patricia (6-10), and Eric Mangini (33-47). Of course none of this means Brian Flores won’t succeed, but whatever qualifications any of those coaches had, the success of the New England Patriots is on the shoulders of Bill Belichick.
I love Darren Rizzi’s passion, fire, and respect the fact that his unit has been consistently very good. I don’t have a clue as to what his offensive and defensive philosophies are. They might be good ones, but we don’t know. Kris Richard was the defensive backs coach and then coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks for the “Legion of Boom” era. You have to love that. We don’t know what his plan is on offense, and we don’t know how he is at game planning and handling the entire roster. I feel that whatever HC we hire, it would be great if we could get some continuity going, but that requires patience. Would Ross accept 3 losing seasons and continue on for the sake of continuity?
Last night driving home, I was listening to Bill Polian, and unfortunately, just caught the tail end of the discussion, but what I did hear was Polian saying that teams like Dolphins, Bucs, Cardinals are in a pattern of failure, and are setting themselves up for such every time they make a coaching change. He’s right. We all hunger for it, yet each time we do it, it sets the team back a couple of years. The best teams like the Patriots, Steelers, Packers, Ravens have had the same Head Coach for 5 or more years, which keeps the same system in place, and allows a team to continue to build the roster with a particular style, rather than flushing players every few years that don’t match the new regimes style. Polian said what the Dolphins, Bucs are doing is a “Self fulfilling prophecy”. He’s right.
If we’re going to pick a Head Coach, I think we as fans have to try and be patient, but more importantly, Steve Ross does. He has to block out what the media wants, what the fans want, and just let the HC build something. In retrospect, I think we may have cut Gase too soon, although I didn’t like him, and hated the way he got along with players, maybe he deserved more time. Too late now, but hopefully this time, we don’t make that same mistake.
Finsmob Unleashed 
Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 13: Ferrell, Clelin, DE, Clemson (A+)
Round 2 Pick 13: Wilkins, Christian, DT, Clemson (A+)
Round 3 Pick 12: Love, Julian, CB, Notre Dame (A+)
Round 4 Pick 13: Hyatt, Mitch, OT, Clemson (A+)
Round 5 Pick 13: Bradbury, Garrett, C, North Carolina State (A+)
Round 6 Pick 13: Boyd, Kris, CB, Texas (A+)
Round 7 Pick 17: Alaka, Otaro, ILB, Texas AM (A+)
I like this one!
That’s a great way to address the DL right away
Start writing your commencement speech — Based on all the A+ grades looks like you are that draft’s valedictorian.
So Flores was calling the D signals for New England and has been both their LB and S coach. And the Pats are the prime example of the 3 safety scheme. Last I checked we have 3 good to great safeties.
He also coached on offense and STs along the way. He’s been in NE for 14 years. Something from that dynasty had to rub off. I mean we all know it’s Belichick and Brady. The Pats are not an overly talented team but they are always well prepared. Do your job!
The scheme you play affects how you fill out your roster. Most teams play sone of both throughout a season but have one that is their base. You simply need more LBers and fewer DL in a 3/4.
Lou, the win now approach didn’t work for us so I think you’re going to get your wish in building the team the right way now. Flores has no pressure to win right away and he’ll get to build the team he prefers along with Grier. It’s a good situation for a young first time HC. He’ll inherit some good young talent to start with as well.
What will be different and fun for us fans this offseason is that pretty much every position except for safety will be on our radar early in the draft. Just take the best players and before you know it your roster is stacked.
I’d be cool with him in Miami. I always liked his philosophy on offense.
It looks Chiefs/Colts is going to be a snowy winter game in KC. This should be interesting being both teams are top offenses.
Supposed to snow in NE tomorrow too
Cool! Snow games are fun to watch.
Tim Knight says:
January 12, 2019 at 2:14 pm
I’d be cool with him in Miami. I always liked his philosophy on offense.
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Same here. I’ve always respected Kubiak and hope he’s our next OC.
Jake Rudock PS stats from this past season with the Lions.
12/19 84 YDS 0TD 0INT
23/30 171 YDS 1TD 0INT Rush TD 1YD
9/12 58 YDS 1TD 0INT
14/24 112 YDS 1TD 0INT
68.2 comp pct.
LOL….Mike, just had to say after talking on Twitter yesterday I had to grab some omme gang when I saw it today😂
Nice! That was Brian in NY’s stuff, he’s right near it
Good to see you dbolt and Mike how is Brian?
LOL….just remember you guys talking about it during the draft.
Tim – Haven’t spoken to him since the Fest, which is quite a while ago. I should hit him up, see how he is.
DBolt – Happy with Flores? Who would you like as OC and DC?
Flores seems like a really balanced guy and I love the fact he came in the scouting department.
OC, Is be fine w/ Caldwell.
DC, I’d like to see a John Fox or maybe Greg Schianno.
Interesting w/Schiano. I do want a veteran guy, let Flores do his job w/o being overburdened worrying about too many things.
Good to see you Tim👍
Greg Schianno did leave OSU for NFL opportunities so he’s available.
I know he left, just interesting that it’s the guy DBolt wants. I like Schiano, he may have been over his head as HC in the NFL, but I would like him as a DC
Not that it matters but he’s never been a DC at the NFL level. But having HC experience at both the college and NFL level is a plus.
Not that I truly want the guy, but rather it’s a guy who’d be familiar with any NE D scheme Flores might want to employ. I prefer seamless transitions as it helps in the teaching process if everyone is on the same page.
DBolt – Speaking of seams, you think we’ll see Gesicki get some action next season? WTF!
I’d think so. I think the OL & Wilson injuries hampered the TEs and WRs. I think Gesicki & Smythe will be fine long term though. They definitely need to be more involved and I think they will. If I’m Miami I’m targeting David Sills in the draft as a RZ target WR. You do that and you will have legit RZ threats and will ease coverage on both.
Steve Spagnuolo is out there too.
I’ve thought about that, but has he done much when he hasn’t had a shit ton of pass rushers in his team?
Not sure but I do know he’ll bring the blitz as he learned under Jim Johnson in Philly. The thing that’s appealing about him is he’s coached in big games.
No doubt….like I said so just don’t know his splits on his D when he’s had an amazing stable of rushers vs an avg stable of Rushers. I’d prefer someone who does more w/ less, but once again I can’t say what he’s done w/ less as I haven’t dived into that.
Gase was foolish to let Damien Williams walk.
Chiefs signed him on the cheap. If Gase was foolish then so were about every other team.
I believe he was a RFA, and we didn’t want to pay him the money it would cost. After releasing him, we could have brought him back on the cheap.
And I see the Chefs* only signed him for 500K less than it would have cost us to re-sign him on his RFA tender. Again, Gase was foolish.
Damien Williams was a UFA, he played 4 seasons with us.
The Chiefs signed him to an extension 2 years $8.1M.
Tim, your figures are wrong…
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/damien-williams-15723/
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001004709/article/damien-williams-signs-2year-chiefs-contract-extension
Interesting… I wonder who is right: Spotrac or the NFL report? I haven’t the answer!
M – I thought I heard them say during one of the last games the Chiefs played in the regular season that the Chiefs re-signed Damien Williams to a 2 YR extension.
Well if that’s the case (I see Tim’s link is dated late December this year), we were still foolish not to re-sign him on the cheap as the Chefs* had, on the initial 2018 contract.
It doesn’t really matter as we have Drake and Ballage which I think is a nice tandem.
They did, I saw the report too when it happened and it’s out there with a simple search.
Williams signed the extension.
The answer is no. LOL
I trust ya, bud! Hopefully that gets Spotrac to update matters.
Tim Knight says:
January 12, 2019 at 5:15 pm
It doesn’t really matter as we have Drake and Ballage which I think is a nice tandem.
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I disagree, based on my original post stating that Gase was foolish to let Damien walk. It would be pretty outstanding to have all of Drake, Damien, and Ballage!
And remember, Damien signed the contract extension in December, as you keenly pointed out. My point was that the Chefs* originally signed him this last offseason for just south of what his RFA contract was asking for.
But I’ll say this much… GRAND for Damien! I’m happy to see him earn that contract extension… just wish it had been with us!
I don’t care anymore about Gase and this past season. They’re both over. I’m a Damien Williams fan and I’m happy for him. He has a chance to go the Super Bowl as the KC beat down on Indy has begun.
We’re fine at RB. Both guys can take it to the house and they’re both good receivers.
As a big fan of Damien Williams too, that’s why I feel the way I do! 😀
But yes, it’s all water under the bridge at this point.
Remember too, even though Damien Williams did some nice things for us, he’s on the Chiefs offense.
Start writing your commencement speech — Based on all the A+ grades looks like you are that draft’s valedictorian.
————————————————————–
Stanger, no valedictorian for me. I got A+ on all my picks and “First Pick” gave me an overall grade of A- and was the 4th best draft. WTF? LOL
Might be like how kids these days can graduate with a 4.43 grade average. 🙂
The fact that Brian Flores had Greg Roman as a OC candidate is a good sign for the running game. He was Jim Harbaugh’s OC at Stanford and SF and they pounded the ball.
That being the case, gotta believe we’ll be focusing on upgrading the big uglies on the Offensive side of the ball.
And IF we’d land Gary Kubiak, ya know we’d be focusing on the run as well.
Yep and yup on both of your posts. While we search for a QB, build the trenches on both sides. You can always compete when you’re good up front.
Take ’em all, except Rizzi!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought the same thing.
Blocked punt for a TD was huge for Indy.
I cannot help but root for the Chefs*. Too many of their players are ones I wanted to draft vs the clear fact that Jim Irsay intentionally sucked for Luck, kicking Peyton Manning out the door.
Former NFL Hall of Fame inductee Andrew Luck drove the ball down the field well this past drive… only for their kicker to DOINK it off the upright.
I agree with OD! Ross has to go! Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck! FUCK! Fucking fucker! Fuck!
Same Q as to OD — how do you make that happen? For me it is what it is, and Ross did give us Fest shade.
The new owner is already in place in Bruce Beal Jr., a business partner and friend of Ross.
Ross would still have to die or turn over to Beal though. And Beal would have to want to buy the team, but have to figure the first refusal deal would not be in place unless he does want that.
And they didn’t even bring up that it was tipped. Making a 43 yard FG is harder than it seems.
—————————————————
By around 9:30, the last of 100 spots in Goose Island Beer Company’s field goal challenge had been claimed. All had come with the idea that they – former soccer players, out-of-shape middle-aged men, and everyone in between – could do what Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey couldn’t: Make a 43-yard field goal rather than double-doink it.
And they were wrong. Very wrong. At least 100 tried. Fighting snow and a headwind, every single one failed. And many did so in hilarious fashion.
I don’t expect many of the coaches from Gase to remain. Maybe 2-3. Once Flores hires his coordinators the trickle down starts as those two guys then bring in their asst. coaches they’re comfortable with in their systems.
Chiefs looking to end their 0-6 playoff drought at home and their 0-4 record all time against the Colts.
————–
Woooooooooooooooo!!!
Maybe take a look at how many 1st time HCs are in the playoffs.
9 of the 12 HCs in the playoffs are 1st time HCs.
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INCREDIBLE that we’re #5 on this list, after all of the ineptitude over the last two dozen years.
Almost makes you think we shouldn’t feel so sorry for ourselves. Lots of teams have had it worse.
We made the playoffs 9 times in those last two dozen years. Not saying that’s good, but when you add that to the early success and half of the 80’s and some early 90’s, it adds up.
Tim Knight says:
January 12, 2019 at 7:01 pm
9 of the 12 HCs in the playoffs are 1st time HCs.
————-
I hear that… and I’ll raise ya that both Tony Sparano and Adam Gase made the playoffs in their first seasons as first-time HCs for us…
Yeah. It’s not easy to win in this league. Certain things have to go right. Let’s hope we can build a winning culture from here. 🙂
That’s ALL I’m asking for as a fan our beloved team! 🙂
Just going to throw this out there. Andrew Luck looked like Tannehill in the 4th quarter of the Cincy game for most of the KC game. It happens. 😉
I thought that too.
The Chiefs have score 26 or more points in every game this season. That’s an NFL record.
And more comparisons to Dan Marino continue! LOVE IT!
All season I felt like Mahomes was having a Dan 1984 season. I love it too! Mahomes is so likable. I respect Andy Reid too. I’m rooting for KC to win it.
One thing we know for sure is that if Eric Bieniemy is our next HC that we won’t know that for at least another 9 days.
Why would Bieniemy be our next HC?
I mean, I guess things could change… but it’s all but official that Flores is our new HC, in case you hadn’t read.
So we have a new HC is anyone excited?
Only if we hire a good OC, Ken.
That’s what I thought. No one is excited
https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article224313950.html
Mando is in full blowhard mode
Here’s the thing, what HC candidate excited you? Nobody knows how any of this is going to go for all 8 teams who hired new HCs. As we rebuild the roster, Flores can learn on the job. Unless it’s a disaster, he’ll be expected to start winning in 2021. Buckle up folks, that’s what blow it up means. 😉
Tim,
I guarantee you Flores will say his goal is to win this season.
^^^^^^^^^^
Of course. No coach coaches to lose. It’s a stupid thing with tanking and all that nonsense.
The thing is when you strip the roster of high vet salaries you’re most likely going to go through a .500 or less season.
You always want your players to compete. But who are they?
I’m not impressed so far. Guy has moved around a LOT. Honestly, he looks like another Burke from that resume.
Patrick Graham was with NE from 09-15. Flores (04-present) knows him and likely respects him. They come from the same cloth. You would hire who you know and prefer too. LOL
Graham has extensive experience in the 3-4 DEF.
I think we’re gonna end up with a coaching staff made up of leftovers and whomever we can get. It’s not like Flores will have his pick of guys.
LOL
Tim,
I just love these platitudes. If it truly is “hard to win in this league”, then why can every single team win “any given Sunday”? Sounds like it’s pretty easy to win if any team can win any given Sunday. Lol
^silly
I just watched Lael Collins sack his own QB
Well it’s not a butt fumble!
I always kid with my wife that Ray Liotta is saying, My nose is now 13 times bigger than it was when I was young, so I tried Chantix to try and shrink it. Seriously, WTF happened to Liotta’s nose?
My guess is coke.
Rams take care of business.
You all realize Flores is not a given. Phins can’t officially make an offer nor can he accept until Pats are out of playoffs without risking a tampering penalty. He can still reject and we can still hire someone else so, until it actually happens, the Flores thing is mere speculation
Correct. Just sounds like a wink wink handshake done deal.
https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article224471515.html
Honestly, this is my biggest problem with Flores and probably a few of the other candidates. Limited amount of connections to top coaching talent. Bret isn’t a great coach. He’s been ok but was unable to adjust to the SEC and a loudmouth who couldn’t back up his arrogance. Graham also looks unimpressive. As Lou said, Flores isn’t a given and neither are the random rumors we’ve heard. I’ll just hope they are wrong.
2019 isn’t a win year. Don’t fret it. LOL
Looks like I didn’t miss any good games today.
RIP Kooch
They should change the playoff format, i think giving the #1 and #2 seed a bye is just too huge of an advantage, very unfair.
i wonder what the NFL record is for this? it has to be one sided. not only does the higher seed have to face the lower seed at their home the lower seed also gets a week rest.
it should be the lowest seed vs the highest seed in all formats and maybe give all teams a one week bye, then we will have the best 2 teams in the sb.
away teams are just 5-15 in the second round of the NFL Playoffs over the past five seasons
RIP KOOCH
Mike E. says:
January 12, 2019 at 10:21 pm
I always kid with my wife that Ray Liotta is saying, My nose is now 13 times bigger than it was when I was young, so I tried Chantix to try and shrink it. Seriously, WTF happened to Liotta’s nose?
Reply
Tim Knight says:
January 12, 2019 at 10:54 pm
My guess is coke.
_______________________________________
REALLY!, i’ll have to stop drinking that shit then
well if we’re going to hire Richard we should find out soon enough, if he isn’t named shortly you can bet Flores is the target.
I don’t agree with the idea that we’re not going to necessarily win as many games as we’ve been winning or we’re going to go 3-13 because we’re in a rebuild mode instead of a win-now mode. That argument doesn’t make sense.
You hire a good enough coaching staff and you build the team by bringing in top quality players and you can still win 7 or 8 games a season without signing these washed up has-beens from other teams to short-term contracts.
You get yourself a blue chip guy in the first on the defensive side of the ball and a young stud on the offensive line in this draft, which is very possible to do, and then go out next year and draft with the same mindset and this team will still be at least as competitive as it’s been the last two or three seasons.
I agree with that.
I think we have a lot of speed on offense and some really good young talent on defense.
We can compete.
Draft DT and DE, and we could be a surprise team. (by going 8-8-ish)
Two issues. 1) Unknown QB and unknown coaching staff
2) we must play a 2nd place schedule,
meaning we must play Indy away and LAC @ home as our extra games.
If this team wins 7 or 8 games next year we are still stuck in mediocrity and have very little chance of getting a franchise QB.
that doesn’t seem the path we are taking according to Ross
If you’re going to build this team thru the draft you need early picks, you need multiple 1st rnders, this is not a 1 year fix.
trade your number one pick this year for a later pick and a number 1 pick next year. build draft capital by doing it again next year, continue doing that until your team is loaded.
the worst case scenario this year is your team will suck, but that’s probably the case anyway no matter who you select with that #1 pick
with the great selection of DE and DT this year, no way I am giving up a chance to get the next Aaron Donald or von Miller though, followed by a starter in the DL also in the 2nd round.
If anything this might be a year to trade up a little to grab that guy in the first or that other guy in the 2nd. We don’t need picks in the 5th -7th. We have got lots of those guys.
NAIL on the head.
This is a smart draft strategy but some of that talent available at #13 this could be blue chip, 10 year players. I’m not sure we could or should pass on that caliber of player.
I don’t believe that for a second. If you’re a 7 win team and you’re in the high teens in draft position you can trade up to get your guy if you want. Trading down for a lesser talent in the first rd in order to use a future first rd pick to trade up and get your guy doesn’t make sense.
You take the players who will help your team the most. You don’t pass up on a blue chip defensive lineman in the first rd this year to get a lesser talent in the first. More picks doesn’t mean anything if you don’t know how to assess the talent in the draft and you aren’t picking the right guys for your team.
Naples, exactly! AD was pick #13 and is probably the best defensive player in the NFL. He’s unbelievable and I think some of the talent this year is close to that level. That Clemson DL was unstoppable this year and almost all of them are in this draft.
Yes
We could have a shot at Christian Wilkins, Ed Oliver, Jeffrey Simmons or Rashan Gary at #13. Why would you trade down when one of those guys are staring you in the face? It would be 2010 all over again.
#67
He was one of the best
RIP Kuechenberg
So Rob, I get what you are saying, but what if we flip that and try to build the DL and OL this year since there is no really great QB coming out (assuming that is what they think, too)
Then we go for our new superstar the next year. (or shove it all back to go for Trevor)
I say do it like Rams and Eagles did it by trading away both 2020 and 2021 #1s to trade up and get that guy we want. If you get that true franchise QB, you can be where LA and Philly are now very quickly and not even care about not having a First Rounder for one year.
Yep. I think you use the next two drafts to build your team the right way. Get your blue chip talent on both lines in here and get this team solid and use FA sparingly for the time being. Be wise about the guys you bring in and if they’re just short-term guys then I wouldn’t start them just to win games.
If you’re drafting guys early then you let them play and develop and go thru the growing pains with them. Don’t be bringing in vets at those positions like we’ve been and have them standing on the sidelines because the vet gives you a better chance of winning games over the next two seasons.
You draft guys for a reason. Why do they have young talent at positions and never use them?
going from 13 to #1 will cost more than our pick this year and next, you don’t need a #13 pick to build the OL & DL, assuming we win 7 or 8 games next year as some have suggested puts us in a spot where we can’t go for our super star next year.
i agree build draft capitol for the next two seasons and target trevor in the 2021 draft
we picked Minkah last year, great player but if you had to do it all over and you traded back and this year you have 2 number 1s also the player you traded back for.
we were lucky to get Minkah, but would you trade Minkah right now for say a vander esch and a #1 this year, was Minkah that valuable?
I don’t think you could’ve gotten a #1 this year by doing that deal you mention.
why would you trade a guy you just used a first on? that doesn’t make any sense. you continue to develop him. he definitely helped our defense this season and he’s got a real shot at getting a lot better.
keep building on what we’ve got. why would you tear it down like that? I could see trading Reshad because he’s older and getting in some young talent back there or just going with McDonald and Fitz for now but trading a young guy like Fitz would be a terrible idea.
We get a blue chip DT in the first and let’s say we got either one of the better guards or centers in the second or even a guy like Ferguson at DE in the 2nd we’re going in the right direction. Then you continue to build on that.
And, if we have an honest quarterback competition maybe we’re better off there too rather than just handing a mediocre qb the job every year.
you’re missing the point, first of all there’s no way dallas would make that trade.
it’s a hypothetical theory that may have played out last year if we had that strategy,
so going forward it may be wise to move in that direction.
build draft capitol
Lou,
Im not an Oliver fan but salivate at the chance for Wilkins, Ferrell, or Simmons. I think Gary will definitely be gone but same for him.
There’s just so much talent on the d-line I even forgot about Ferrell. I’d like to see them go bigger at DE with a guy like Ferrell rather than drafting these speed rush guys like Harris. Harris would be great in a 3-4 as a pass rusher but was the wrong guy in a 4-3.
What about that big guy in the middle for Clemson who got suspended? 6’5 340
There’s your unblockable 1 tech right? Your NT when we go 3-4
weighs 340 and still has some quicks,
Dexter Lawrence, ranks No. 14 on Mel Kiper’s Big Board of the top 25 draft prospects. A starter since his true freshman season, Lawrence has been a force in the interior of the Tigers’ vaunted defensive line, earning All-ACC honors twice.
Lawrence’s departure means Clemson loses all four of its starting defensive linemen, as Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins and Austin Bryant are all seniors.
But there will be some tough questions for Lawrence to answer during the draft vetting process, as he was suspended for the College Football Playoff after testing positive for a banned substance in December.
During media day for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Lawrence said he didn’t know how the banned substance appeared in the drug test he took.
In oreder to be real good we need to first be real bad.
that’s just the way it is.
See Jon Gruden.
I think we’re going to be worse than 7-9 this coming season, probably 5-11. Don’t let these guys bully you! 😉
i’m the bully!
Remember, we’re going to have an extra 2020 3rd pick for Reshad, and a 4th RD pick for Tannehill. Maybe we can get another 4th RD pick for Alonso. That will give us some ammo in 2020. That’s 2020 vision right there!
not if we trade them,
I think Bellichick will have 7 dbs against SD to stop Rivers and make them beat him with the running game, just like he did to us in the first game this year.
We pick at #13, right? That won’t change in round 1, right? Lawrence, Wilkins, Raekwon Davis, Jerry Tillery, Zach Allen, Montez Sweat will all be there then.
That’s a sweet spot. That is currently where Will Grier in round 2 sits. (OMG that’s so tempting)
would you trade the 13 overall for sweat and a late 1st rnder next year?
because he’s slated to go mid 20s
Why would a playoff team trade up from 26 to 13? Who would they want so badly at #13 that they would give up two first round picks for him?
you can always find a team willing to trade up, when that #13 pick rolls around, and the comish is announcing #12, that pick is very valuable at that point.
a playoff team would be the first to want to trade up because they have all the pieces and that luxury pick could put them over the top.
I think Raekwon Davis said he’s staying in school
He might, but he is still listed on draft boards today.
naplesfan2010 says:
January 13, 2019 at 11:06 am
I don’t think you could’ve gotten a #1 this year by doing that deal you mention.
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maybe not but you certainly may have gotten a 2nd and more,
maybe trading from 11 to the mid to late 20s net you a 1st next year
In the 3rd round at our spot are both the starting C and OG from both wisconsin and NC state, all 4 will likely become NFL starters at a spot we need. And Tre LaMarr will be there too at that Big Thumper MLB spot if we need another 3-4 ILB
Instead of Grier @ 45 we could look at getting that other starter at CB like Trayvon Mullen or ND’s Julian Love if you like him better.
Lou,
It’s the best draft I can remember for DL talent in ages. You could make a case for 3 Clemson DL being 1st rounders and then add Bosa, Q. Williams,Simmons, Gary, Polite, and Oliver and it’s utterly ridiculous. Clelin is my favorite though and heres a nice article of him vs the top OL talent in this draft, J. Williams of Bama.
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/nfl-draft-2019-inside-the-battle-between-clemsons-clelin-ferrell-alabamas-jonah-williams/
Bosa and Q will be gone before us for sure, but Gary might slide down to 11.
depending on QB mania
Would you trade up 2 spots for him?
I’d only trade up for Haskins the QB.
I’m not a big fan of Polite in a 4-3. Again, I think we need to get away from these speed rushers if we’re staying in a 4-3 scheme. Polite would be great if we’re going 3-4 but I wouldn’t touch him in a 4-3 because he’ll never set the edge.
At 6’2″ 245 there’s little room to add mass and he’s even on the short side for a defensive end. I’d like my DE’s to be a bit taller and bigger. At 6’4″ Sweat has some room to grow and so does Ferguson at 6’5″
But, yeah, the defensive side of the ball is loaded in this draft and we’re going to get a blue chip guy there in the first rd if we’re smart about it. Like Grier says, trust the process.
I don’t like Polite either but someone will. I consider the DTs to be a better class this year than DE. I’m not completely against going OL or another position but believe there is a better chance of finding an elite DT at #13 than any other position.
I agree. we’ve got a definite shot at a blue chip guy on the defensive side of the ball in the first. We should also have a really good shot at a guard or center in the 2nd rd as well.
you have to think future, sure it would suck giving up our #13 to go back to the late 20s, but next year when we have a #3 and a #15
………..you guys will be licking your chops!
doesn’t work that way. nobody is giving us their pick in the 20’s this year plus a first in next year’s draft for our #13. Not happening.
thing about Ferrell is he is something of a late bloomer…he has more upside than achievement thus far…he will get much stronger in the NFL weight room as he grows into his body.
I haven’t read the article yet, but it seemed that Ferrell learned during the game and improved against that top LT as the game progressed.
I just don’t like the idea of accumulating draft picks. Nobody can predict the future. When you’ve got a chance to improve your team because of the talent that’s there in the draft you take it. You don’t defer to another year where the talent might not be as great. You don’t know who’s going to be out there two years from now.
I do like accumulating draft picks though. Main reason is you normally get a good deal from orgs who are in the “win now” mode, whether cause they see the ring or their FO is on the hot seat. The evil genius fleeced teams like that for many years.
If you’re a team that can afford to do it because you’ve got a pretty good team already and it’s not the greatest year for talent in a draft then you can see doing something like that.
However, when you have holes on your team that need to be filled and there’s a lot of talent in the draft that can help your team you don’t accumulate picks for the future. That’s just piss poor management. Can you imagine sitting there at #13 in the war room with two or three of those guys staring you in the face and everyone’s like “okay, which one we taking? Probably can’t go wrong with either of them” and saying “nope, I’m going to trade back and take a lesser talent because I want to accumulate draft picks for the future”.
By taking a blue chip defender at #13 you ARE building for the future. That is what I think isn’t hitting home.
Obviously depends on who you can get at the time, but you don’t have to be a good team to do it. You’ve put out the Browns a time or two…. look at how many picks they got. And that team is looking on the serious upswing now. If we are truly going to rebuild, just find it hard to see that not a possible way to go. And whatever picks you get will be there in one or two years…. not like 2030.
I agree except for late round picks. Usually, those end up as ST guys and you find good substitutes for that with undrafted guys. I’m sure it’s hard to get rid of the late round guys but I’d always be looking for ways to get rid of those picks if possible.
The Patriots finished with their worst regular-season record since 2009. They were 11-5. Must be nice to be a Pats fan…. and heard SPECTRE has great benefits too. 🙂
I like Joe Rose……………..because he was a Phin, but his constant pounding the idea that you can find offensive linemen in any rd just gets on my nerves. It’s not true.
I agree with him to a point. You really need three strong guys on your line and that’s usually a pick in the first few rounds. KC is rolling with a later round guy starting though. You can have a couple lower round OL if you have a great OL coach. It makes it a lot harder on these young QBs so I would try to have at least 3 guys in the first 3 rounds and optimally 4 of yours guys from there.
I really think OL is one of the positions where coaching makes the biggest difference. These guys come out from college unprepared for the modern NFL and the reduced practices really hurt their chances to hit the ground running.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25749961/miami-dolphins-considering-rebuild-eye-heralded-qbs-2020-draft-class
professorloumiamidolphinsblog says:
January 13, 2019 at 11:47 am
I just don’t like the idea of accumulating draft picks. Nobody can predict the future
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well we haven’t been accumulating draft picks….how’s that working for you???
well, let me answer your question with a question? if you’re saying the ppl making the decisions aren’t doing a good enough job of picking the talent then what does accumulating draft picks for the future really accomplish?
All it does is give them more ammunition to make more shitty picks.
Nope, when you’ve got a draft like there is this year with the talent that’s available you take the guys who are there that will help your team. Build your team with talent. It takes 11 guys on offense and 11 guys on defense to win games. As we found out with Suh, one guy isn’t going to make that much of a difference by himself. It’s a collection of players at different positions all doing their jobs together that win games.
Do your job as scouts and as GM and properly evaluate the talent that’s out there and how it fits what you’re trying to accomplish and get the players you need to make your team better. That’s how you build a team. There’s teams that are in the 20’s every year and they win consistently because they have a strong organization. You win consistently by making the right decisions; not by tanking to try and get higher in the 1st rd.
If we are looking for the franchise in 2020 then we are going serious rebuild. Also makes the chances greater that Tanny is our starter in 2019.
no it doesn’t because if you’re serious about a rebuild and didn’t like what Gase was doing with his “win-now” mentality then you’re not keeping a guy around just to get you a better shot at winning a couple extra games.
if tannehill isn’t in the future plans it only makes sense they’d cut him loose now, whether it be by trade or just straight cut, and move on.
2020 is next year.
Naples — and looking for a QB in 2020 who we still have to get ready after that, means yeah it is a rebuild.
I’m excited for a new year with a new HC and if Flores IS the guy I do like the fact that he’s not being heralded as either an offensive or defensive genius but is being put out as more of a leader; as a head coach.
I’m much more comfortable with a guy who will be a leader as a head coach than a guy who is great at either side of the ball. Gase might have been one of the brightest offensive minds out there. Maybe he is. But, him being an offensive genius didn’t translate well to him being a great or even good head coach.
If Flores is a strong head coach, a guy who holds people accountable and doesn’t back down and also holds his coaches accountable to do their jobs and also lets the people making the personnel decisions do their jobs then we could have a better formula than we’ve had in a long time.
Going to be interesting to see who is added to the staff.
seriously, if you’re a GM and it’s your job to make the team into the best team you can and you’ve got a shot at adding some real talent to the roster and you pass for the future you’re going to have a real tough time selling the fan base on that shit.
I sure as hell wouldn’t be happy with another Earl Thomas sitting there for the taking and pass on him to get someone not nearly as good just to accumulate draft picks. What exactly does that accomplish? You just took another player who won’t help your team as much just to try and get a player in the future who will help your team more. Insanity.
Odrick and Misi together never came close to Earl Thomas.
but they certainly did to Ryan Matthews, the player that was traded for them
Getting two grade B+ guys instead of one A+ guy just means you have two weak spots you still must someday soon upgrade. And you did not get the guy who will make you a playoff winner.
exactly, like when you pick two DTs in the 6th rd and think they are good enough to start for your team.
Didn’t we already try that?
professorloumiamidolphinsblog says:
January 13, 2019 at 12:16 pm
well, let me answer your question with a question? if you’re saying the ppl making the decisions aren’t doing a good enough job of picking the talent then what does accumulating draft picks for the future really accomplish?
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I never said that “the ppl making decisions aren’t doing a good job”,
you’re drifting again
when you read… there’s this little thing that is quite crucial,
it’s called comprehension.
It’s a critical part in any discussion
The ppl making the decisions do not have enough ammo to turn this team around, you have to build your ammo.
another thing is the serendipity that what is so good about this draft aligns perfectly with what we need most.
If this draft were great at WR or RB or even TE or S, I’d not be so sure of what to do.
But we badly need edge setting pass rushers and run-stuffing middle pressure guys. That is what this draft has to offer. DTs and DEs.
There’s an old saying in the real estate market, you buy in a buyers market and you sell in a sellers market.
all drafts are great in some areas and not so great in others.
what if you like where you live? or get a job transfer and must move?
Then whether it is a buyer or a seller market matters little.
Pure rules rarely purely apply.
your scenario doesn’t apply,
i’m talking investment to make money, or in this case investment to make a team good.
when teams draft a player they are looking for riches
exactly right. if it were strong at positions we don’t need then you could see trading back and setting yourself up for the future while still trying to get the best bang for your buck in the current draft.
this draft is just too good from a talent perspective for what we need to play games. doing it right means you get the players you need when they’re there. Meanwhile, teams around you are building their teams and you’re not getting any better.
What’s the mentality, “yeah, we’re not getting better now but just wait until we move up and get that qb”? Doesn’t make sense. So, you still can’t stop the run, stop teams from scoring and can’t run the ball but that ONE guy will make it all right.
The 3rd and 4th rounds will thus have really good OGs and Centers left over from the glut of DL going earlier. So we could get 2 DL and 2 OL and have all 4 of them be starters for us almost immediately. (in 2 yrs) which we need as our FA LG and C are elders coming off injuries and our RG is a UDFA. Surely a 3rd rnd OG can be found that is better than a UDFA OG. Move Davis to depth and he’s great.
naplesfan2010 says:
January 13, 2019 at 12:40 pm
Odrick and Misi together never came close to Earl Thomas.
Reply
ocalarob says:
January 13, 2019 at 12:52 pm
but they certainly did to Ryan Matthews, the player that was traded for them
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not too mention those picks all came in the same draft, i’m talking next year picks for this year, which is more valuable due to the time.
when you’re building a team you don’t pass on the talent that is there now for the talent that MAY be there in the future because you can’t predict the future. If you’ve got a shot at really good players who can help your team you take it.
You don’t defer to the future. You talk real estate. I’ll give you better example. Future value of money. Money is worth less in the future than it is today because of inflation. Future draft picks are the same thing. Future draft picks are worth less than current picks.
You just don’t pass up on talent. You’ve got to be building so when you’ve got a guy you want at a position like qb you’ve got talent around him to help him out rather than having a shit team and now you’ve got to take three years of his rookie contract to try and get talent around him.
And
2020 is just next year!
exactly, not that far away, so why wouldn’t you use your #13 this year to build equity in just 12 months?
trading back and aquiring future picks for future drafts is the way to build a team.
we’ve been selecting our picks every year and where has that gotten us?
On “The NFL Today”, JLC reported (LOL) that the Jags are moving on from Blake Bortles. He mentioned that they might trade for Joe Flacco or Ryan Tannehill. Take it for what it’s worth, coming from JLC.
12 San Diego Chargers Ryan Mathews RB Fresno State
13 Philadelphia Eagles Brandon Graham DE Michigan
14 Seattle Seahawks Earl Thomas FS Texas
15 New York Giants Jason Pierre-Paul DE South Florida
16 Tennessee Titans Derrick Morgan DE Georgia Tech
17 San Francisco 49ers Mike Iupati G Idaho
18 Pittsburgh Steelers Maurkice Pouncey C Florida
19 Atlanta Falcons Sean Weatherspoon OLB Missouri
20 Houston Texans Kareem Jackson CB Alabama
21 Cincinnati Bengals Jermaine Gresham TE Oklahoma
22 Denver Broncos Demaryius Thomas WR Georgia Tech
23 Green Bay Packers Bryan Bulaga T Iowa
24 Dallas Cowboys Dez Bryant WR Oklahoma State
25 Denver Broncos Tim Tebow QB Florida
26 Arizona Cardinals Dan Williams DT Tennessee
27 New England Patriots Devin McCourty CB Rutgers
28 Miami Dolphins Jared Odrick DE Penn State
Almost that entire list had a better career than both Odrick or Matthews
with the great selection of DE and DT this year, no way I am giving up a chance to get the next Aaron Donald or von Miller though, followed by a starter in the DL also in the 2nd round.
You can trade back and still get an Aaron Rogers or Dan Marino. We actually could have with Rogers. Ronnie Brown…….
It starts with good management.
Good teams consistently pick at the end of every round and still g t good players.
Neither Rodgers nor Marino (nor their 2019 clones) are available in this draft.
If he were, i would sell the farm and draft him.
Management cannot manufacture talent; it can only reach for pale copies.
I agree
The Steelers are a good example of drafting good in the middle or end of the draft
If I recall, we traded out of #12, right?
I see 9 guys who had better careers than Odrick and Misi that we could’ve taken at #12, without counting Mathews at all. That trade down was a disaster for us.
Not as bad as going up to get Dion Fuckface, but still.
Let’s go Chargers
HELL YEAH!!!
Look at Oakland, they are qcquiring picks, they have 3 #1s this year, do you think they will use those 3 picks or trade one of them for future consideration?
they have 2 #1s next year.
that’s how you build a team.
like my mother used to tell me when I was a kid “I don’t care what the other kids are doing. I only care about what you are doing”.
I can care less about the Raiders. If we build it right it doesn’t matter what they do.
Do you see anyone on our roster that will land us a 1st in 2019 or 2020
I hope Tannehill has some value based on being a vet QB
But other than that, I don’t think we have the pieces Oakland had
And they still have Carr
we don’t have anyone but we do have a couple guys in Tannehill and Jones we should trade now and try and get some value for them. just like when you trade in an automobile before the trade value becomes nothing.
let’s take what we can get, go with TJ and Minkah at S this year and just go from there.
ocalarob says:
January 13, 2019 at 12:45 pm
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I never said that “the ppl making decisions aren’t doing a good job”,
you’re drifting again
when you read… there’s this little thing that is quite crucial,
it’s called comprehension.
It’s a critical part in any discussion
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Rob,
we’re all having a good debate about this. don’t take it to another level.