THE MUSIC FROM 2001 PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND
DAH – DAH
DAH – NAH!!!
I’m Back!!!!! You Earthlings were in for it. I had my planet destroyer blaster all targeted at your measly planet, ready to pull the trigger and then…
Then the Dolphins made a few changes and I got excited about the draft
So you live to fight another season I guess…
This season I have a bunch of new weapons like these Kurllian Daggers.
Swift as the wind but deadly!
Reminds me of Houston Defensive Tackle Ed Oliver
The Pros: Arguably Oliver has been the most dominant defensive player in College Football the last couple of years. He’s a disruptive defensive force who uses his agility to excel.
There will be quite a few Aaron Donald comparisons this offseason and although I don’t think there is a defensive tackle in that class this year, Ed Oliver is probably most deserving of that comparison. He’s a smaller quicker defensive tackle in the mold of Donald or if you want to go farther back John Randle.
Oliver fires off the ball with such explosiveness, he’s hard not to notice on the field. At Houston, a team not stacked with elite talent, Oliver constantly faced double and triple teams and was still able to hold his own.
Oliver had 13.5 sacks, 53 tackles for a loss and 192 total tackles in 3 years at Houston. He was their defense. In the pros, Oliver has the make up of the kind of defensive player is, a defense can build around.
The Cons: At 6-3, 292 pounds Oliver does not have the kind of size NFL scouts covet. But we’ve seen guys like Donald excel as a smaller interior defender. Don’t draft Oliver to be a space eater. He doesn’t do that. He aggressively penetrates.
Some people even think 290 is too heavy for him to utilize his quickness. The Houston Staff actually publicly stated that it as too heavy and wanted him around 275.
Oliver is probably not ideal in a 3-4 defense. He screams 3 technique in a 4-3.
The Alien Dust: Like I said – expect a lot of Aaron Donald comparisons. Its not just the size, it also that he didn’t go to a College Powerhouse. His combine will be interesting – chances are, his strength won’t be on par with Donald.
But Donald lives in the backfield. And his explosiveness off the ball is likely to cause havoc to other AFC East QBs if the Dolphins draft him.
If Oliver falls to 13, the Dolphins should run to the podium!
Oliver has the deadly agility of these daggers I use to brutalize lifeforms. Swift, sharp and deadly in the right circumstances. Oliver should shred the NFL.
Watch his Highlights Here:
Finsmob Unleashed 
Thanks Rock – I didn’t realize he was still under contract. I bet Flores wants to measure how much Rizzi is willing to work with him, or if he just wants his job.
https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/front-office-moves-dolphins-marvin-allen-general-manager
owe you a beer
Got any good recommendations?
Front Office Moves Announced, Marvin Allen Named Assistant GM
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins today announced a series of additions and promotions in their front office. Marvin Allen has joined the organization as an assistant general manager. The team also announced the following promotions: Ron Brockington to senior national scout, J.P. Correia to player personnel scout, Adam Engroff and Anthony Hunt to co-directors of player personnel, Brandon Shore to vice president of football administration and Matt Winston to assistant director of college scouting. All of these positions will report directly to general manager Chris Grier.
https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/front-office-moves-dolphins-marvin-allen-general-manager
Mike, agreed on the Pats defense and their team in general. They aren’t always loaded with talent but they are well coached and they do their jobs. Hopefully we’ll see some of that in Miami over the next few years.
That’s what we have to hope happens. Even if we get close to the Patriots, Belichick is a master at adjusting, so even we get close to them, he can still out maneuver us. Once Brady is gone, maybe things even out a bit.
I’m not even focusing on dethroning the Pats at this time. I just want to see a competitive well coached team where even average players play good, smart football. Even if our record isn’t very good for a couple of years, but the games are competitive and fun to watch as we build this thing.
Man some of those scouts have been with Miami forever! Anthony Hunt 25 years?? Damn!
What about his brother Mike?
You have to go into a public place and yell his name to see if he’s there. LOL
LOL
Mike E. says:
January 29, 2019 at 1:41 pm
Got any good recommendations?
I recommend not drinking….It’s bad for your health. HA!
Next Fest I buy your choice.
I think it’s essential actually. 🙂
Happy Birthday Cam Wake!! 37 years old tomorrow!
Mike E — not all with you on the Pat’s D, but got me to look up. They were #21 yards allowed and #7 in points. Maybe bend and don’t break works in the right system…. or the right guy calling the scheme changes.
Their offense puts a lot of pressure on opposing offenses to keep up. The Pats defense rarely plays trailing in games so they can play aggressive and opportunistic.
Stanger – They shut down Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. They didn’t those guys beat them, and although KC scored 31, they couldn’t get the ball to their big playmakers. That takes a lot of discipline to shut those guys down. No freelancing, just sticking to the assignment
Never said the Pats D was bad. I’ll take the Rams over theirs though. Hard to complain about what has made the Pats like they are though, even if put more on O than D.
Danny Shelton played DE for the Patriots. 6’2 345 is a BIG DE.
Coffee boy?
LOL
It shows you how these coaching fraternities are revolving doors.
Was Burke with Schwartz in Detroit?
Yes, Burke was the LBs coach during Schwartz’s entire tenure as HC in DET.
My favorite first line of an article today: “Give Rob Gronkowski credit, the man can defend against retirement questions a lot better than he can defend against Miami receivers.”
FUPA
MIKE HUNT!
Has anyone seen Mike Hunt!?
Looks like Rizzi is out.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/01/29/dolphins-line-up-four-more-assistants/
13: R1P13
DL ED OLIVER
HOUSTON
48: R2P16
QB DREW LOCK
MISSOURI
78: R3P14
EDGE OSHANE XIMINES
OLD DOMINION
116: R4P14
G CONNOR MCGOVERN
PENN STATE
152: R5P13
EDGE JALEN JELKS
OREGON
190: R6P15
C ERIK MCCOY
TEXAS A&M
231: R7P15
G ALEX BARS
NOTRE DAME
Lock won’t be there in the 2nd, you know that Piggi
Donald had 20.5 sacks this year and Suh 4.5. How does that happen? Did Suh become a scheme guy rather than the point of a mix up attack? You’d think working with Donald would have set him free from double teams.
Tannehill’s fault
That’s too bad but not uncommon. Good luck Rizz!
How could you not want Rizzi unless Rizzi had something else in mind?
Stanger – Think of it this way . . . Rizzi interviewed for the HC job here, so you know that’s what he ultimately wants. Would you want a coach to be with the players he knows already, and is very well respected by those players hanging around? It’s not just that he might have his own agenda, but the players like Rizzi, so if things weren’t going well for Flores, Rizzi’s name would be coming up all the time to replace him.
Kind of what happened with Gregg Williams in CLE. Whichever guy out of the 2 (Kitchens and Williams) didn’t get the job, the other guy had to go, it just doesn’t work well.
^
It’s a good point Mike E. Even if would like to think Flores would take on Rizzi as a trusted partner instead. But maybe all the player calls for Rizz to be HC worked against him on that.
Rockphin says:
January 29, 2019 at 4:44 pm
MIKE HUNT!
Has anyone seen Mike Hunt!?
______________________________
yes, he’s hang’n with dick trickle.
LOL, good ol’ Dick Trickle. ESPN made him famous! 🙂
Tim Knight says:
January 29, 2019 at 6:30 pm
That’s too bad but not uncommon. Good luck Rizz!
————–
Yessir, good luck to Rizz. I’ve gotta think he’s one of the best positional coaches we’ve ever had. I can’t believe how he constantly churned out Ks and Ps as mere rooks year after year. I definitely respect that man.
Blocked punts, kicks, returns etc. He’s an excellent STs coach but I understand the circumstances.
Yesterday I posed the comment that “If ROSS orders his GM to take a QB in round one, he’d better be VERY quick on his feet, given our shortcomings in the O-Line,” or something to that effect. Seems to me that only Kyler Murray has both the foot speed and the passing on the run acumen to fit the bill. Or, am I wrong? BTW, I’m NOT convinced that 5’9″ Murray can’t possibly succeed in the NFL, given the successes of 5’10” Russell Wilson and 5’10” Drew Brees, who, despite what various sources MAY claim, is NOT 6′ tall or 6’1″ tall. I had occasion to stand next to Brees one time in Texas and I can testify that, at 6 feet even, I was a good 2 inches taller than Mr. Brees. AND THAT WAS 10 years ago!!!
——————–
Some say “avoid QB’s this year and get the right QB next year.” Well, unless Miami has the worst or next to worst record in the NFL next season, there’s a very high probability that the guy we REALLY WANT (TUA???) will be off the board. I’ve always believed that, given the supreme importance of quarterbacking in the NFL, if YOU have an opportunity to grab “THE MAN,” you’d damn well better do it. Conversely, if the right guy is gone when we pick in April, I’d DEFINITELY get the best D-Lineman or O-Lineman available. In an ideal world, Miami would go stud QB round 1, then B.A.L. (best available lineman) in round 2 and round 3. I personally believe that’s unlikely to happen. But we can all dream, right??
——————
Round 4 could be the time to take the best available LB or DB or, perhaps, ANOTHER guy at the edge. Round 5 I’d reserve DEVIN SINGLETARY, who ONLY SCORES TOUCHDOWNS and who Mr. Spikes has assurfed me will be long gone by then.
—————-
But we can all dream, right???
Dare to dream! Positive dreaming keeps our spirits uplifted and makes for innovation. Anything can happen!
PS: It’s JMO that Singletary is going to skyrocket up the boards after the Combine and/or Pro Day. I could very well be wrong, but that’s just my take at the moment. We’ll see!
mf13ss says:
January 28, 2019 at 9:12 pm
D says:
January 28, 2019 at 2:07 pm
So by rumors we have:
————-
HC Brian Flores
DC Patrick Graham
OC Chad O’Shea
OLB Rob Leonard
DL Marion Hobby
OL Pat Flaherty
————
ST Danny Crossman
TE George Godsey
WR Karl Dorrell
DB Tony Oden
RB Eric Studesville
QB Jim Caldwell
Jim Caldwell asst. HC as well. That’s an experienced advisor role of the pitfalls etc., but coaching QBs has always been his specialty. Good veteran guidance for Flores.
Not all these coaches have been coordinators but most of them have a lot of experience as NFL coaches. We’ll see. It’s going to be a very different team.
I’m really liking what’s projected! And of course, we’ll see. 🙂
Mr. Campbell,
Do you notice Dane Brugler’s “#RB2” above? That means Singletary is his #2 rated RB in the entire 2019 Draft. Yeah, man… he’s not lasting to the 5th round!
I wouldn’t fret about Singletary being a small back. Remember… the HC and OC coming to Miami come from the land of little people making plays. LOL
Sucks to lose Rizzi. It’s too bad circumstance has created this inevitable scenario where he needs to move on from the Dolphins and the Dolphins need to let him go. He’s the best ST coordinator we’ve ever had. That unit has consistently made plays under his leadership, year in and year out.
From The Herald:
“Don’t underestimate the Rizzi loss. According to the Dolphins’ website, “since Rizzi was promoted to special teams coordinator in 2011, the Dolphins lead the NFL in punt blocks with 11 and are second with 22 overall blocks,” behind only Oakland’s 23.
And under Rizzi, the Dolphins were one of only two NFL teams in 2018 with both a punt return and a kickoff return for touchdowns.
The Dolphins had four successful onside kicks in 2017, believed to be the most in NFL history.
…
The Dolphins largely have deferred to Rizzi on draft decisions involving punters and kickers, and Rizzi made a smart choice by recommending Jason Sanders instead of other more highly touted kickers in last April’s draft.”
Rizzi is a great STs coach. I get why they parted ways though. Mike laid it out pretty well.
Yeah, Mike stated it perfectly. Like I said, it sucks circumstance has forced it.
keep in mind the official results of the NFL Combine had Brees at a tad above 6′, 213lbs and Wilson at 5’11 and 204. Wilson is a bit heavier now than he was then.
There is no precedent for a guy who just barely hits 5’9″ and 190lbs playing qb. Despite his ability at the college level the pro game is completely different. At 5’9″ could he consistently find throwing lanes or is he going to be getting a lot of balls batted down? You can say he had a huge line in college and got it done but he didn’t have guys in his face like he will have at the next level.
IMO, Murray shouldn’t be taken before the 3rd rd, just like Wilson, but some NFL GM who thinks he knows better than anyone else will probably be taking him in the 1st. Good luck to that team.
To add to my comment on Murray above, if you remember Pat White playing for West Virginia, he was an unbelievable talent. He didn’t throw that much but when he ran the ball you couldn’t touch him. And I mean, you couldn’t touch him.
Once Pat White made the decision to run with the ball the guys on defense better hold onto their jock straps because he was just lights out. One hit in the NFL and his career was over. And Pat White was 6′ 197lbs.
If we are doing this right and we’re really looking at a rebuild I’m good with not doing well in yr 1 or yr 2 in order to get the team to the point where we need it. We may not even be completely where we want to be in year 3 and even that is okay as long as they keep their focus on building the team the right way and stop bringing in all the stopgap players they signed in the past.
To me, even if we’re not winning a lot of games it wouldn’t matter if you could see that they’re taking the right approach to building the team and getting it solid for the long haul. Let’s stop trying to win 8 or 9 games every year and start competing consistently for the division and championships.
I’m good with a solid 3 yr rebuild plan where in yr 4 and beyond we become a team to reckon with, a team that is in the conversation each and every year because we’ve finally got the right formula and don’t waiver from the “process”.
My hope is Grier knows what he “must do” and does it rather than doing what is popular and then the team continues to wallow in mediocrity.
I cant fathom this NE DC coming in here, taking control and be ok with tanking.
you can bet this coach is in win now mode and so will all his players be.
the only thing that can hold them back is being stingy with the salary cap on the FA market.
seems everytime we get a new HC we are starting over…doing this “the right way” we have refreshed…..
i’m not buying into it anymore
Rob, even though the guy in charge has been with the Dolphins 18 years, you know he is going to work with Flores to bring in “their guys”. So there will be player turnover just like with every other regime change.
I think the word Tanking has been bandied around too much. No player or coach is going to game plan for 16 games hoping to lose for better draft position.
I think it will be more along the lines of what you suggest. NO high end FA’s, try to build through the draft and bring in younger less expensive FA to fill the holes and let the chips fall.
They most certainly will be trying to win games when they are out there on Sundays.
^
ALSO, I believe the whole “wallowing in mediocrity” because we are always a middle of the pack team is complete and utter bullshit. We are not stuck in mediocrity because we are always drafting in the middle of the rounds. That is horse shit. Before you reply, STOP. You are wrong.
Good teams constantly draft after us in every round and they continue to be good teams. It’s all about the management. which, with a home grown, promoted from the ranks GM does not give me the warm and fuzzy feeling that Grier will succeed.
Who from the outside would give you that warm and fuzzy feeling?
The first guy who showed up to his interview with a Tannehill jersey on…
Well let’s see, we stopped winning when we didn’t have a good Quarterback. This shouldn’t be too hard to figure out the problem. Hmmm
freak’n cold here…44 degrees!
played forest lake yesterday, nice course
There’s and old saying mediocrity breeds mediocrity, but i do agree with you Rock, it’s the FO and coaches that separate the good teams from the bad
NEW BLOG UP!
Tim Knight says:
January 30, 2019 at 8:48 am
Who from the outside would give you that warm and fuzzy feeling?
Reply
Well, anyone I came up with would be conjecture. But someone who came from a successful program would be preferred.