Sorry Dolphins fans, this Free Agency thing has left me deflated and disappointed. To be fair, Free Agency isn’t over yet, but up to this point, I haven’t seen anything that to make me feel optimistic about our chances for the playoffs this season. It’s not about grabbing big names, if you know me, I’m not that provincial, but I’m very uninspired with what I’ve seen from Chris Grier and Co. as so far. We re-signed a bunch of players, and I’m thrilled we got a contract done with DE Emmanuel Ogbah. He was an absolute necessity, a huge part of our defense and having him along with Jaelan Phillips should be an even more dangerous combo this season as Phillips learns and grows. After Ogbah though, I feel like we almost got complacent. Plus, Ogbah was here already, we just managed to retain him. So where are the upgrades we desperately needed?
We got some feel good re-signs like Elandon Roberts, Sam Eguavoen, Brennan Scarlett and Duke Riley, but if I sure wouldn’t have minded instead of re-signing every single LB that was on our roster that maybe subtract 2 or 3 or 4 of those guys and get Bobby Wagner. Wagner would be an immediate upgrade over any and every LB we re-signed. I want to elevate, not levitate. It’s not like we had the best defensive unit in the NFL and just had to keep it intact. Far from it. We were a decent defense, better than average, although right in the middle of points allowed. At the moment, Bobby Wagner is still available. He’s such a quality individual, he would have to be one of the captains, a guy teammates would look up to. He would make our defense better, and while #55 Baker had a fine season again last year, he’d be ever better with Wagner, everyone would.
Time for the meat and potatoes. Ah yes, the O-line. So far we have Connor Williams, who is a a talented yet flawed player, not too unlike 4/5 of our O-line before he got here. He’s further along than our current crop perhaps with the exception of RG Robert Hunt. He did have a propensity for flags last season and that needs to be fixed. He’s a very good run blocker and fits what we want to do here. I still feel like Austin Jackson and Liam Eichenberg will be our LT and RT respectively. Unless of course we sign Terron Armstead, but I don’t see that happening. I still feel like we need an upgrade on the interior, specifically C. It’s possible that upgrade come via the draft in Tyler Linderbaum, but would be willing to trade up to get him?
We had a bunch of re-signs for position players too, Preston Williams returns for a show me season. Former Dolphins (and 49ers) RB Raheem Mostert also returns. We gave former Cardinals RB Chase Edmonds a nice 2 year contract. He does however scream RUNNING BACK BY COMMITTEE, and that’s fine, but we seem to pine for an upgrade every single season but it never seems to come. Besides that, I feel the need to point out that we have been just atrocious in our record of free agent running back signings, beyond awful really. Jordan Howard, Matt Breida (He was a trade), and Malcolm Brown. The production of those 3 probably doesn’t add up to what Myles Gaskin gave us last season. Now to the WR’s. Cedrick Wilson. He could be a decent player but upgrade? I mean big upgrade? Wilson played primarily on the slot but can play outside as well. He had two 100 yard games, but take into account that Dak Prescott threw for 4449 yards last season, not impressive. He was #4 in targets last year, behind Cee Dee Lamb, Amari Cooper, and Michael Gallup. He finished the season with 602 yards and 6 TD’s on 45 receptions. Not bad, but like most of the signings except Ogbah and Gesicki, is not bad what our anemic offense needs? It’s true that this draft is chock full of WR talent, and one of them will undoubtedly be available at #29, but then you kiss Tyler Linderbaum goodbye. My point is, unless we fix either the WR situation in FA, or the O-line in FA, it’s going to be difficult to expect both of those to be addressed properly via the draft with our current draft position. Do we trade away future assets, or players in order to do that? It’s possible.
We definitely upgraded our backup QB situation signing QB Teddy Bridgewater. I always liked Bridgewater, he’s a gamer. He’ll be a good guy for Tua to lean on. I like the FB signing of Alec Ingold although he is coming off an ACL tear November 16, 2021. He’s a team captain and a guy that will be a spark in the offense. We also signed former 49ers WR Trent Sherfield who is mostly a ST’s player. Remember, we lost WR Mack Hollins to the Raiders. If you’re looking for positives, OG Connor Williams is a very strong run blocker. FB Alec Ingold is also a strong run blocker but again, we need to add more talent on the O-line and in the RB corps. Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed and Gerrid Doaks. Which one of these guys does the opposing defense worry about running the ball? I’d like one guy that the defense thinks about before the game “Man, I really hate tackling that due, he’s physical”. That guy isn’t on our roster.
If you subtract the re-signs, you have to be underwhelmed by what we’ve done. I like the Connor Williams signings and while I have a La’el Collins chiffon robe that has never been worn, I don’t think I’ll get that opportunity. He’s probably going to the Bengals to win. Speaking of winning, the Bills signed Von Miller to a monster 6 year contract. Think we need to fix the O-line? Let’s just play in fantasy land for a moment and say La’el Collins doesn’t feel the love ($$$) from the Bengals and we somehow snatch him up. My guess would be the O-line would be as such:
LT Austin Jackson
LG Connor Williams
C Michael Deiter (Or Tyler Linderbaum?)
RG Michael Hunt
RT La’el Collins
That wouldn’t be bad, especially if you sub Linderbaum for Deiter. Back to the defense for a second. Now that we have every single LB we had last season after re-signing THREE, how about getting Bobby Wagner?
LDE Emmanuel Ogbah
NT Raekwon Davis
RE Christian Wilkins
WLB Andrew Van Ginkel
LILB Bobby Wagner
RILB Jerome Baker
SOLB Jaelan Phillips
CB Xavien Howard
CB Byron Jones
S Jevon Holland
S Brandon Jones
Doesn’t that look, and feel good? Seriously, give Bobby a nice front loaded contract and if his play declines after a couple of years, it won’t hurt at that time. It’s NOT about making a splash, that would legitimately be a big upgrade on defense. He’s such a smart, instinctive player and a high character, high motor individual. I would really like that.
Now for the bad? news . . . The WR corps.
DeVante Parker, Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson, Lynn Bowden Jr., Allen Hurns, Preston Williams, Trent Sherfield, River Cracraft, Cody Core and DeVonte Dedmon. Isaiah Ford is a Free Agent. Can you ever really expect DeVante Parker to play healthy for a full season? NO! I love to watch Parker when he’s healthy, he’s a game changer. Maybe that happens 5 or 6 games a season. Will Allen Hurns survive cutdowns? Probably not. Preston Williams is a DeVante Parker in clone healthwise, he can’t stay healthy either. In other words, it’s Waddle, Wilson and who????? I feel like our 1st and 2nd RD picks have to be used on C/WR/RB. But that’s THREE! We only have 2. Say we traded one of our future 1st RD picks from 2023, where we have two. We pick up Tyler Linderbaum at 29, then trade up to the next spot and take Jameson Williams and then with our next pick we take either Kenneth Walker or Breece Hall. Now you’re talking, right?! Don’t bet on it. There’s still a chance to improve this team, Free Agent C’s J.C. Tretter and Bradley Bozeman are available. Bobby Wagner is also out there. Make us smile, make us better!
#stangerstrong
GO DOLPHINS!!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
On Eich, can someone tell me if most of his sacks allowed/pressures came early in the season and he got better towards the end? Thanks.
He did grade better in the 2nd half. The 1st half of the season the entire team was off as well all know.
I’m wondering then if he will turn out to be reasonable RT then. He was tossed to the wolves in his debut year. Hope he does.
He along with Jackson, Deiter and Kindley will be given opportunities to find a spot with the new coaching staff. Not sure which ones will stick but I don’t think it will be all of them. I think Hunt will be part of the OL this year at either RG or move back to RT. Eich could end up at RG in that scenario.
Hunt is a more mobile player so I think he makes a better OG. I don’t think Eich can pull as well as Hunt can. If they do move Hunt to OT I would think seriously about moving Dieter to RG and look for a OC. Those 2 young OTs can develop as BUs. Kindly doesn’t fir the scheme.
at this point, I’d just draft the punter Araiza with our first pick, if they think he can hold for PKs.
102.Damone Clark LB LSU
125.Jeffrey Gunter EDGE Coastal Carolina
158.James Empey OC BYU
224.Matt Araiza P San Diego State
247.Bamidele Olaseni OT Utah
It certainly cuts down on the mock draft time frame!
That’s an excellent draft.
Looking forward to this coming season. Cancel the draft cos we have no picks in the top 100, cancel pre-season, the regular season and the play-offs cos the Fins are the best the AFC has to offer. Nominate an opponent from the NFC and start the SB already!
Go Fins
LOL
noooo
I want it to go slowly so that I can savor victory after victory.
I was looking at the draft profiles for Liam Eichenberg, Austin Jackson and Robert Hunt. Going by what they say, it seems like either Hunt or Jackson would be best at RT, while Eichenberg might be best suited on the interior because of his short arms. It’s going to be interesting to watch that competition because despite how they played for our team, all 3 of these guys are good players, they just have to figure out who works best and where.
One thing we must do for sure is get another LT ready in case Armstead gets hurt, so we don’t lose every game while he is out.
Jackson seems to be the most light on his feet, a more natural tackle for our new system than either of the others.
I’m not sure Eich has ever played OG or if he can. But what you say about his profile is true.
It’s also important to realize that better talent on the roster just makes things better for everyone. Our WR corps just improved exponentially. Everyone just got better because Tyreek Hill is so damn good and he must be accounted for at all times. I would think Jaylen Waddle, Ced Wilson, DeVante Parker and especially Gesicki are jumping up and down happy now. They should all have better years, more YPR, more TD’s. It’s gonna be fun to watch!
If we can get 60 “real” offensive plays per game (the average), then we divide those exactly in half, that will give us 30 passing plays.
There will be 5 available then to the 6 receivers if distributed evenly to Hill, Waddle, Wilson, Parker, the TEs, and the RBs. I would say give Hill and Waddle 6 each and Wilson and Parker 4. Just as a general guideline.
I am wondering if there is now a role for Bowden?
Feel like Bowden just got pushed back on the depth chart. He’s a tough guy to figure out as to how he’s going to be sued. We have all those RB’s now, and even Tyreek Hill who can run those end arounds and jet sweeps. Mostert and Hill are both much faster on those type of plays. Ced Wilson is a better slot receiver. He’s going to have to fight hard to get playing time. Maybe he’s a gadget guy for us, like a Jim Jensen. Gonna be hard for him to see a lot of touches.
Don’t forget we have several wide receivers who can’t stay healthy, so I’m sure if he’s healthy there will eventually be a role for him.
Eich graded better in the second half because Tua was playing more and getting the ball out quicker, masking Eich and the rest of the o-line. People say we can’t truly grade Tua behind this o-line, but it’s actually the opposite.
None of that matters now anyway, because we have more talent on this team and different coaches. So the guys who were starters last year have to earn their spots and then we can evaluate them under the new regime.
^ Exactly! I love to point out to people who aren’t fans (and especially ones who are who can’t see the light) of our team how much better Tua was than Brissett at not taking sacks and getting the ball out. Of course this led to folks saying Tua has no arm because he was throwing the ball after a second or second and a half and throwing quick 5-10 yard passes, but Brissett would have been on his ass .5 sec later getting sacked. Brissett’s sacks numbers are so much higher and then people will say that Brissett sucks. Well, he looked pretty good when he was the Colts.
LOL – I don’t want Bowden to get sued. 😀
I think we know some lawyers if he does
Woke up this morning and first thing that crossed my mind was: ‘hey, the Dolphins are making an EFFORT to win’ … it went a long way to ease my month-long funk from A’s cycling back in to rebuild without ever making an honest effort to ‘go for it’.
Raven’s center Bozeman signed one year deal with Carolina for $2.8m. He ranked to 7 in both pass and rush blocking. That looked like a good target for our center position. It has me wondering what Fins are thinking about center …
If we get solid upgrade at center, I’m ok with starting the season with Hunt at RG and Eich at RT. Get them settled and focus on working as a unit with everyone in place.
2.8 mil? hurts to see that’s all it took
Wow, ouch! We could have got him easy for that.
Were we planning to draft a Center before the Tyreek trade took away a bunch of our picks? not that I’m complaining …
Agree with SB7 that Eich’s improvement in his grades was more about Tua than any improvement in Eich’s game
Lol, whatever fits your narrative
Why is that narrative.? That is an observation which is different than narrative
An observation that’s fits your narrative, that Eichenberg sucks
Do you not feel that way?
I don’t really look at it that way. I feel that way because that is what I have observed. I don’t select observations that fit my narrative. My narrative or whatever you wish to call is formed by what I have observed
There’s film study out there that shoes changes to Eichenberg’s play, things he didn’t do in the first half
Watched some years back, the last time we drafted an RT in the first, his play was very good comparatively vs other rookie OL
OL is a tough position for rookies, think the guy going into year 2 will advance more than a 3rd year guy
I agree. He got practiced all over the line leading up to the season. Then, during the season he played RT, got moved to LG and moved to LT as a ROOKIE. How the F is he supposed to settle in on the OL and get better at one position. Eich was failed by a failed coaching staff.
Patience is a dirty word to a lot of Dolphins fans
The thing about Eichenberg, Jackson. Kindly, Hunt and even deiter, is there won’t be the same kind of pressure to get it right away like there has been
That’s the real benefit to signing vet OL, no matter where they okay or how often they been injured
We needed vets on the OL and we got to good ones….maybe we will get a center
A few of us have been saying that for months, don’t draft OL, sign them – bring in some vets to help the young guys
We will make something out of 7-8 talented guys and end up with good depth too
I disagree. I think the pressure is to get it right right now. The team is all in on trying to win now. Their play has to step up now or else we will fall short again
They might not even start Ken
The team has pressure to win, it’s not solely on the OL
For the last few years we tHrew the young guys in the fire
Sometimes throwing guys in the fire works
If you are ready to accept the inevitable failure that goes along with it
Those days are over now
There are vets on the OL
Maybe being thrown to the fire makes those young OL better now, but it’s not all on Draftees now. We don’t have to force game tIme for Jackson like we did last year bc who else is there
As it stands now unless anything changes 2 of those 3 are starting. That is simply not good enough based on their past performance. We still need to add more OL imo
If Tua goes 27-33 or 27-31 next season, throwing to guys like Hill, he’s going to break 300 yards regularly
I think it’s a make or break year for Tua
And I will probably be more critical in year 3 tHan ever – that’s when I turn The corner
But the reality is Tua doesn’t really have to change what he’s doing.
Those high completion games are going to be higher scoring games when there’s a stronger runner game and game breaking talent on the field
For the record, I don’t think Eichenberg sucks. He’s young and was poorly coached. However, the fact remains that Tua’s play and quick throws helped his grades get better more than his self-improvement. One doesn’t exclude another.
We keep saying they were poorly coached but yet last year’s OL coach was retained albeit in a diminished role but still coaching the IL. I don’t think their play was all as a result of poor coaching
The coaching just wasn’t OL coaching
It’s the entire vision which was often hapless under Flores
Somebody up top in the coaching room made the decision that we would be fine starting Jackson at LT and Jessie Davis at RT and it was like feeding raw meat to alligators by tHe 2nd game of the season when Tua got hurt
Ken says:
March 24, 2022 at 11:02 am (Edit)
As it stands now unless anything changes 2 of those 3 are starting. That is simply not good enough based on their past performance. We still need to add more OL imo
****
Ken there is no perfect OL
You re going to be on a never ending mission if you are looking for that
Its less about individual performances – It’s really about 5 guys working together
Last year we had 5 youngs guys thrown into the fire
We even regressed from 2020 without flowers and karras
By adding armstead and Collins, we are night and day from where we were in 2021
At a minimum probably back to where we were in 2020 and looking up
That’s the difference
We can always get better at each position
but last year we asked 5 inexperienced guys to work together and it was a disaster
When I talk about the coaching as a major contributor to the OL failings
It probably was not the highly drafted talent that caused an abysmal 2021 performance
I get we have improved our OL and no OL is perfect but relying on Jackson or Eich to protect Tua’s blindside is not adequate never mind perfection. It is a gaping weakness that can be exploited by other teams
Every team has weaknesses
The key is giving a defense less opportunities to exploit them and the difference is a coaching
We should have Tua dropping back desperate to covert 3rd and 4th downs as often as we did last year
They also coached poorly in terms of in game playcalling
The Tua injury where Davis was more bullfighter than barricade was a 4th down play
I don’t remember what the first 3 playcalls were that lead to a 4th and 2 pass attempt but I bet there was a first down draw play 💩
There’s a lot of way the coaching hurt The OL
BBM
True words re Eich. Let him and Jackson fight early, make a decision and let the winner stay there during TC. Have your starting 5 firing by pre season.
They might of kept Pepi LePew but he is not in charge of anything.
Certainly not the playcalling
What I read somewhere was that there were two problems with our OL coaching.
One was the play calling or more like the play designing, the who blocks whom and where they intend to push them and what to do against stunts and extra rushers etc. etc.
It’s a huge over simplification, but with Flores doing nothing for the offense, the OC guys used very generic formations and designs and threw it all on the players to make it work.
It didn’t work.
especially early in the year. As Tua got more aware of what he had to do to not get killed back there, and the OL learned better what to do (all on their own pretty much), it did get better, thus the winning streak.
We all saw numerous times, however, when there was really no way for a certain play to be successful the way they had it drawn up, and the OL guys just plowed ahead or kicked back into their pass sets in the most elementary ways.
Bingo!
Everything’s coming up roses
Gotta help pay for the new hires by getting rid of the old hires.
Do you guys remember 2 years ago when you all kept talking about how good our rookie OL played, and I kept saying that they really didn’t play that well? And now…you’re all saying how horrible those same OL looked this last year and claim they suck? Is it possible that maybe they weren’t as good as you thought they were 2 years ago, and they weren’t as bad as you think they were last year?
***
Is it even possible that maybe it really does take a few years for young OL to actually learn how to play and develop and evaluating them after 1 year or even 2 years is simply premature? Especially in this day and age where college really doesn’t prepare OL to play in the NFL, and guys are coming out too early and still woefully unprepared?
***
Or, we can all just keep being hostages to our incessant need for immediate gratification and keep throwing away players after a year or two. That always works so well. SMH.
who is you guys?
Well I didn’t personally cite you but I generally agree with you that you have to develop and OL not just plug in holes
I pick B. The hostage one. 😉
I don’t know about you guys but I am looking forward to our 1st downs being a variety of plays instead of about 80% a draw play out of the shotgun
I’m so happy we have a coach that doesn’t view the run game as a way to keep the defense honest and instead views it as a productive part of the offense and approaches the run game witH innovation
The narrative from the national media about Tua needing to deliver is wrong
Tua needs to be as efficient as he has been
When we run a real play on first down instead of the same tired play over and over again
And we set up 2nd and 4 and 2nd and 3
And then we put the ball in 🐆 or 🐧 hands, it doesn’t really matter where they catch the ball – they are a threat to break one every play
That’s not to say we can’t or won’t go downfield
But I don’t think our bread and butter will be old Al Davis get the ball 40 yards down field offense
The speed will get open quick
Our QB will get tHe ball out quick and accurately
And we won’t be trying to get 7 or 8 yards every 3rd down bc we didn’t waste early downs keeping the defense honest on draw plays to gaskin
So look – we need dramatically better OL play
But entire offense is a vision and needs to work like a well oiled machine
And often times last year, we were putting peanut butter in the machine
That’s what the Niners did with Jimmy Garoppolo. So safe to say it is the plan for Tua as well. And what Tua has been doing fits right with it.
I was saying we should build a West Coast offense around Tua since year one. Was picturing the greatest show on turf, but San Fran is actually on the West Coast. 🙂
The other problem was in actually teaching the OL technique, especially their hand placement, to defeat sophisticated pass rushers, as well as the proper footwork to keep their shoulders square and not give rushers the advantage of having to attack only one shoulder. etc. etc. again this is over-simplified.
The difference between the NFL pass rusher and a NCAA guy is huge, hence the term “rookie mistake,” which we saw over and over, because we did not just have one rookie, we had 4 plus a talent starved Jesse Davis.
I mean these guys came from Big Time programs, and are high draft picks, so it’s not like they were high school boys. And their pedigree and talent did allow them to learn what did not work during the losing streak.
Having to change to the way Brissett plays and back to Tua threw the OL off even more.
But that’s what you guys are referring to when you say they needed some vet leadership in the OL room. Someone to just tell them what works in the NFL, so they did not need 8 games to figure it all out the slow painful way.
And when you move a LT Jackson to LG, you are making him a rookie all over gain. Many of the painful lessons he learned the first year don’t apply at the new position.
And you move your RT to RG, Hunt is a rookie again. And you move a RG Dieter to the OL leader Center position, you are making him a rookie all over again.
And when you the coaches switch the real rookie Eich all over the line during TC before putting him at LT in front of the best EDGE guy on every team … you the coaches have thoroughly confused all 4 men. JEEZ, that is classic Chaos.
sb7,
Sorry if you weren’t one of those folks, but it was a pretty universal sentiment around here after Jackson, Hunt and Kindley’s rookie season that they all played well. I gave up contradicting the multitude of comments because it was pointless. It was a general comment, but if you weren’t in that group, my apologies. My point wasn’t to call folks out, it was to point out that young OL need time to develop and judging them after a year or two can be difficult. Even vet OL can have up and down years.
Down year happen, but it all those regressed guys in year 2 when they should have been hitting their stride. That was weird and made it hard not to look at the coaching.
I can’t believe we released Jesse Davis. Do you guys understand just how expensive it is to install new turnstiles? I hope Ross has the checkbook out.
I liked Jesse Davis. His ideal role was first OL guy in after a non- C went down. Can’t blame him for year after year looking better than the guys who were supposed to start on top of that.
LOL
I think they’d have to replace those anyway cuz the screw threads were stripped from spinning free like a fishing reel for an hour ever Sunday.
LOL, excellent point. I guess you gotta pay the price sooner or later.
Jesse Davis played hard. I’m sad he got cut, but he never got beyond that first sub level of talent.
I don’t want my team suffering from his play quality any more. He made a lot of money. He’ll be ok.
The Flying Pig says:
March 24, 2022 at 11:45 am
Every team has weaknesses
The key is giving a defense less opportunities to exploit them and the difference is a coaching
We should have Tua dropping back desperate to covert 3rd and 4th downs as often as we did last year
____________________________________________________________________________
^
One of the main aspects of good coaching is to gameplan to hide your deficiencies and exploit your opponents. Every team has them as the porcine Samurai points out!
Awesome!
Everybody thinks Jaylen “waddles” like a Penguin. Why not a duck? I’d take the duck in a foot race.
Ducks aren’t as fast in water?
stanger,
Some of us talked even in the PS about how lost the OL looked, and I think we saw that continue throughout most of the season. The OL actually looked better in the last quarter of the season. What I saw was guys who were making tons of mental mistakes. Guys who simply looked like they really weren’t sure of what the hell they were doing or that there was something going on behind the scenes that was affecting how guys were performing on the field. I think as we learned about what was going on behind the scenes over the year, we got a better picture of just how screwed up things were.
***
I still think guys like Jackson and Kindley have technique issues, but I also think we saw young guys who really needed good coaching and direction who weren’t getting it. If there’s discord among the coaches, there’s no way you can have continuity among the players….just no way. More than just players being bad, that’s what I saw. It sounds like Flores basically gave the finger to the offense. In hindsight, maybe he named 2 OC because he simply didn’t give a shit and figured it didn’t matter. I can’t really believe any coach would do this, but it sure looks like he set up the offense to fail…consciously or unconsciously. At the very least, it sure doesn’t look like he did much to help them.
I hope you are 100% right cause the best reason for us that the young guys (except Hunt) went bad is coaching.
For Kindley though, doesn’t really matter to me whether it is technique or not. Big old mound him just won’t fit in a sprint every other play outside zone system. So unless he shows up looking like the after pic in a Jenny Craig commercial….
I’d have kept Davis as a utility backup…which is what he should have always been. He can play every position but center which made him very valuable, but he was overpaid for a backup. It’s not his fault they made him a starter. He played hard and was reportedly a good leader. Best of luck to him.
I can’t dump on the Co-cos all that much given they were doing the best they could with the inexperience they had. That goes for inexperience in running an offense/calling plays and inexperience with the players themselves. I feel overall they did a decent job once the season got underway save for the Titans game.
If we had more talent and experience, they wouldn’t have looked as bad. Does anyone remember how awful the offensive play calling was in the AFC divisional rounds between any of the teams? I bet you don’t because talent was able to succeed despite it, but the play calling was abysmal, especially in key situations.
We’ll definitely see better play calling this year and we have the improved talent to go with it.
WRs?
Why QBs get the big money and the chicks.
Pretty much
The Vince Mcmahon memes always crack me up
stanger,
I would agree on Kindley. But, he was seen by some as a relatively mobile LG coming out of college. I always thought he was a better fit at RG, but that distinction is minimized in a zone scheme. But, if he gets his ass in the training room, controls his weight and works on his technique issues MAYBE they see something to work with as a backup. I’m keeping an open mind, but he’s gotta prove he can be trusted. I just don’t see him beating out Williams or Hunt.
His first year he was the diamond found in the rough and now we have so many “ifs” about him as to whether even a worthwhile back-up. A statement in of itself.
But guess the answer to this is now 7 may be taken to the house,
————————————
“Tagovailoa threw a lot of short passes in 2021, as his average intended air yards per attempt checked in at a mere seven.
Seven.
That was good for the fourth-lowest among qualified NFL passers”
AND, who was 9th lowest at 7.3 (not much difference) intended air yards per attempt?
Patrick Mahomes
Who was 12th lowest at 7.5?
Jimmy G of 49er’s
That makes a case for an offense designed for YAC and players to get it. Hopefully we have the guy to design it and the YAC players now.
nice stats for perspective!!
I think Jesse Davis is a good dude. He was genuinely upset when he got Tua hurt, and I think that’s someone who cares about his teammates and his job. It’s not his fault he’s not a starter level talent.
I wish him well, but I’m glad the team has moved on, whether to save money or because we feel we’ve upgraded our depth. Either way is a good thing IMO.
Chris Grier’s birthday today. Hope MM bought him a superyacht or something?
I think bringing in Terron will allow one of either Jackson or Eichenberg to be the swing tackle, along of course with BBM’s Larnel Coleman and I guess Robert Jones too.
^ 😉
And both Eich and Jackson can fill in at G as well. One of them will be the new Jesse Davis.
I Like it that our players seem to be as excited as we are!
So go back a month ago. Pretty much a consensus on the board that we’d have a run-heavy O like the Niners do. One that went 2 WR’s or even one except when it was a 3rd down and get situation. Having that FB in limits how many wideouts (including long striding slot one Gesicki).
Now we just signed Tyreek Freaking Hill. And obviously he and Waddle are our best skill players on O.
What will the run/pass propensities be. Is tiger McDaniel gonna change his stripes?
I think that was a small consensus not “pretty much” consensus. There was a large number of us that said that McDaniel adjusts the scheme to fit the talent he has (for example keeping Gesicki, not finding the next Deebo, etc.). I think the stripes for McDaniel is that he the maximizes talent that he has available. Sure he’s part of that Shanahan coaching tree, but even the Shanahan tree is part of the Bill Wash WCO tree that looks different. His offense isn’t set it stone, trying to force square pegs into round holes.
Minority or majority there was some kind of consensus…. was just setting up the Q (and fine with either).
A difference in this case is that McDaniel got to bring in all that new talent (a FB, two fast RBs, a G outside zone ready, Cedrick Wilson). Seemed to be chosen for the San Fran scheme, except you are right Gesicki. And none of them said would not be just as run-heavy.
Then came Tareek. It’s not that he doesn’t fit the scheme (does in spades), but we paid a real bunch for one of the best wideouts in the league. And now talent-wise seems him combined with Waddle is our strongest aspect. So yeah thinking we might not be as run-heavy as before.
I wish I could find the film on it. There was a play early last season where the guards each pulled. In opposite directions, ran into each other behind the center and both fell down… Keystone Cops style.
THAT is not being prepared. It’s not the player sucks, it is on coaching IMO. (up to a point) I agree that the guys started looking better as the season progressed. I disagree with Ken that they just suck and we are doomed if we don’t find someone to replace Eich or Jackson. They both can and probably will get better.
It wasn’t just that Tua got the ball out. They performed better as the season went on.
PFF pointed it out over the season too. (I know, pff…..)
No one said it was “just that Tua got the ball out”, we said it played a bigger factor than individual improvement.
And that it the point I disagree with. I think their individual improvement showed, not just that Tua go the ball out faster.
The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior applies very well to talent assessment
I agree. I read somewhere that the OL coach just wasn’t ready and needed to learn how to coach. That’s what happens when no one wants to coach for the HC honestly. They switched positions, couldn’t teach well, and had a bad offense last year. No wonder these kids couldn’t adjust well. It’s amazing how well Tua adjusted. I think McD has a lot of retarining to do with some of these guys.
Nine of the criminal complaints against Watson were resolved, but there was another one in another county.
“The specific complaint is related to an allegation that Watson ejaculated on the arm of a massage therapist during a session.” He is a gunslinger after all. Maybe he was just off on his aim.
What was he aiming for?
Could have been something that got him in more trouble and the arm chip blocked him like a RB in pass pro.
he has a serious PE problem if he jizzed from just a message!
I wish I could find it now, but someone put out a tweet last week saying not to sleep on @66up_next.
I had to google who that was and it is Solomon Kindley, who supposedly is working his ass off this off season, has a chip on his shoulder and is going to come ready to win a starting job.
Now, it’s March and training camp is months away, but I liked reading that.
Seems only possible starting job he could have is if they switch Hunt to RT or he is transitioning to C.
Tua to Cheetah, but the Cheetah catches it and takes it to the house.
Craig Mack the sour grapes Jet’s fan.
Well shit!
yeah, he wasted those 2020 picks.
Stanger,
I’m hoping we’ll look more like the 80’s forty niner offense than the 9ers of the last 4 years, and not just in success during the postseason.
I think we’re going to see Tua under center a lot more in this offense. That can help disguise run/pass.
I would be ecstatic with that!
Boy, I tell ya’ll, this Hill trade has really screwed up my Mock drafts!
R3 P38 LB Leo Chenal – Wisconsin
R4 P20 RB James Cook – Georgia
R5 P15 C Alec Lindstrom – Boston College
R7 P3 OT Jalen McKenzie – USC
R7 P26 P Matt Araiza – San Diego State
None of those players will be available when you got them
LOL, well then….others will be.
Like I know WTF I’m talking about anyway . . . lol
SB7 posted a tweet above, and the guy Craig Mack says something about our WR’s having to come back 10 yards to get the ball from weak arm Tua. Sometimes I wish I was on twitter. His QB is Zach Wilson. He shouldn’t be throwing stones. LOL him in his little glass hut.
This weak arm crap has spread like a virus through all facets of the NFL, from commentators to talk show hosts to Dolphins fans to fans of other teams. I hope dispels all that shite, I really do.
Haters are always going to hate because they themselves will never be great.
The weak arm thing is so ignorant.
If we take a punter in the 5th round I will lose my shit.
Reppin!
Mike E. says:
March 24, 2022 at 3:01 pm
Like I know WTF I’m talking about anyway . . . lol
——————————————-
I’m glad YOU said it! 😉
Yep, but I know more than you you silly! lol
Man, I didn’t refresh in time and missed it. Guess I can read about it later.
Hills hasn’t started yet
LOL “My agent wanted me to kiss him in the mouth”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/report-eagles-among-teams-interested-in-devante-parker-trade-update/ar-AAVq1jU
“The Who? the Jets? Nah man, I always knew I was going to be a Dolphin.”
The Cheetah looking forward to blocking Jerome Baker in practice….
If we take a punter in the 5th round I will lose my shit.
————————
Love Araiza but we can get PSU punter Stout in the 7th who, despite all Araiza’s 80+ punts, Stout led with the best average hang time of 5 seconds.
Crazy that Hill’s cap hit is only 6.4 mil this year. Which is 2.3 mil less than Parker’s cap hit.
Bout time they figured out how to write a 2022 contract
😆
JB
LMAO
102. Leo Chenal LB Wisconsin
125. Braxton Jones OT Southern Utah
158. Zach Tom OC/OT/OG Wake Forest
224. Josh Jobe CB Alabama
247. Matt Araiza P San Diego State
The Chiefs used Hill on jet sweeps and would expect more of the same with us. I think Waddle will get those opportunities too. It’s going to be fun. 🙂
Absolutely!
3.65m under the cap, includes Hill and Davis is gone, still need to account for Armstead
Parker’s 5.4m dead money could be absorbed by trading with Eagles, hopefully a 2nd or maybe a 3rd, wouldn’t take anything less
I always forget how completely awful the local beat writers are until I watch one of these press conferences.
Now the new track is it’s all on Tua, all the pressure is on Tua. If the Dolphins aren’t in the playoffs and win it’s because of Tua. There are no other factors involved. No excuses. I hate the media, they suck balls.
All QBs have pressure to win but for Tua it’s even higher from the media for some reason.
If we make the playoffs this year but don’t go very far, the new narrative will be Tua can’t get them over the hump.
I liked what Armstead said about trying to get Drew Brees connected with Tua.
SAME! I really enjoyed Terron’s intro presser. He seems to be a natural leader.
They don’t even have to be local anymore to still be Dicks!!!!!!
They’ll miss each other equally, KC struggled at times, when missing weapons and Tyreek is going to miss Mahomes ad lib style
Not to say he won’t be productive, but it won’t be like KC, nor do we need him to be
As good as Mahomes is, I think he ad libs too often. He puts himself in situations where he can get himself injured.
Do you know what this is really funny
Valdes-Scantling is leaving the packers with a career high of 38 catches….catching passes from Aaron Rogers
So yes the Dolphins don’t have Patrick Mahomes, but Valdes-Scantling did have Aaron Rogers and caught 38 passes in his best year….eh….to replace Hill’s 111 catches last year
The chiefs should’t miss a beat. Only about 70 catches or so….
Good analysis Ben
Randy, I don’t think many of us thought our rookie OL guys were all that good collectively in 2020. But individually they all showed some promise. Last year we saw some setbacks. Let’s hope they can improve this year.
They will. Terron said they will.
Well they definitely need more of a vet presence. They’re all going to be coached differently together so hopefully they get to another level.
Here you go Wyoming
Sorry but if I left Miami for Boston, I’d be angry and pissed all the time too. Poor Ben…poor analysis from a lifetime of bad choices.
He’s probability had his fill of Lawbstah rolls and Matt Damon festivals by now
LOL!
Trying to blow up this guy’s rumor spreading
What do you guys think?
Tyreek Hill:
“It’s like they said with the Rams: ‘Eff them picks, man.’ Eff them picks at the end of the day,” Hill said of Miami’s trade to bring him to South Florida. “Bringing (tackle) Terron (Armstead) in, they definitely want to put all the right pieces around the quarterback because the quarterback is the most important player on the field. Having myself, Terron and a few more other pieces that were already here, like you definitely can tell that the owner wants to win, coach (Mike) McDaniel, (general manager) Chris Grier, all of those guys want to win. We’re all looking forward to the challenge, to the journey and I can’t wait to work.”
Here you go guys
All of our problems are solved now
Also in a related story, the blog’s collective response
lol
Roflmao
I’ve heard them try starting that misnomer!
I don’t think I like it! Too Seattle!
I’m just impressed with the 40 times
Lol
Now we need to make holes fore that speed. Running full speed into a 300 pound lineman’s back doesn’t work.
We signed a fullback or 2
Who’s got 300# DB’s????
Sorry your just talking about 1 out of the 3
So what’s new? 😂
We’re going to trade up for a new QB next year! 😉
Bryce Young
Weak arm 😒
Trade for Mahomes next year
Mahomes has a weak arm
Ross probably told Grier that Goodell couldn’t take away the picks if we don’t have them anymore.
I can picture that lol
Interesting
This is the guy we should spend our first round pick on
So Jesse Davis was released yesterday. That one move alone says this coaching staff gets it.
Was it wrong of me to laugh when I read this Brian?
Also, you just have to love Armstead rocking the Marino throwback jersey at his introductory press conference. What a way to further endear himself to the fans.
I pretended it was Jake Scott the whole time.
LOL
Finally JD is gone. New coaches understand.
LMAO @ UK.
how do you pronounce Mostert?
Grey Poupon??????