I know everyone, including myself, has their own idea as to what the Miami Dolphins should do in the 2023 NFL Draft. Armed with only 4 picks, none in RD 1, as the Miami Dolphins were punished for owner Steve Ross’ “tampering”, having discussions with QB Tom Brady and HC Sean Payton, while both were employed by other NFL teams. I think stuff like this happens all the time, but if somehow it comes out, then you have to pay for your indiscretions. This draft will not be a huge impact draft for our team, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find a couple of players who can make an impact this season and beyond.
I’ve been a fan of this team since the late 60’s, but I was a kid then and didn’t really comprehend the game. I’m still learning, and the game continues to evolve, mostly to enhance player safety and and to infuse as much offense as possible to recruit new viewers who don’t necessarily identify with the rules and strategy of gameplay, but love a high scoring affair. I recently read with much dismay that the “Roughing the QB” penalty that was up for potentially being a challengeable and reviewable penalty is now off the table, so the referees will continue to make a mockery and protect NFL QB’s at all costs, while NFL defenders are forced to play “patty cake” around opposing QB’s. Maybe they should just make a sack a two hand touch of the QB, so defenders won’t have to worry about actually tackling these 6′ – 6’5 200 – 250lb athletes and the 2 hand touch will keep the defenders from bringing them down. I think of the punishment QB’s used to endure, they were allowed to get hit at least 2 seconds after releasing the football with full force, and they were tackled as violently as any running back would be when they were in possession of the football.
This kind of brings me to my next thought. The NFL wants offense, that’s clear. As previously mentioned, I’ve been a fan since the late 60’s, and this could be one of the deepest rosters we’ve had here in Miami in it’s history. Our defense is very deep, and I feel our biggest holes or issues are on the offensive side of the ball. To me, TE and OL are still our biggest concerns. With TE’s Durham Smythe, Eric Saubert and Tanner Conner, we’re lacking a TE who is a true dual threat athlete, one that can win as an in-line blocking TE, and also be a reliable target in the passing game. Saubert is a an extra blocker at best, never having more than 15 receptions in any season. Smythe had a season high 34 catches in ’21 and fell to 15 last season. I get it, the offense runs through Tyreek Hill and Waddle, but if teams put extra personnel on those guys, someone else needs to step up. My first choice would be Georgia TE Darnell Washington. Of course, most importantly, he has to still be on the board in order for this to happen. Washington is a big bodied, shredded physical specimen who will block well in-line and also downfield. He has the speed to get downfield to help open holes for receivers and running backs. I also think his 6’7 frame will allow help him become a good receiving TE at some point. If Darnell Washington is there at #51, I hope we getter’ done!
At the moment, we have two very questionable spots on our offensive line. It seems as if our coaches are going to give LG Liam Eichenberg and RT Austin Jackson every chance to show they can start. I don’t like the idea of drafting a tackle, so i think our efforts would be better off concentrating on an interior offensive lineman, one that can play OG or C. Robert Hunt is one of our best linemen, and he has the frame, strength and athleticism to play outside at RT. There are a couple of interior guys who who might be able to help us. C/OG John Michael Schmitz and OG Steve Avila. Schmitz can play either center or G. Last season we brought in Connor Williams from the Cowboys and all he did was play EVERY-SINGLE-SNAP. He struggled with high snaps during the season, was our best C in quite some time. Schmitz could take over the C job and move Williams to OG, which could facilitate the move of Hunt to RT. Steve Avila is a big athlete who moves very well, and has the balance, power and athleticism to win and plays with some nasty. That could give that right side some serious nasty with Avila and Hunt. Nothing the Dolphins have said or done indicates that Hunt is moving to RT other than the fact we have only Austin Jackson currently our RT, and he’s started ZERO games there, and only played in 2 total games last season. Jackson is backed up by OT Geron Christian and OT Kion Smith. Not especially far fetched to think Hunt might move to RT, but we have to talent in place on the interior to allow that to happen.
Next year would probably be a better time to look for an OT if necessary, as we’ll finally have a first round pick and a 2nd, although we’ll be picking at 32. That’s the sacrifice you have to make when you win the Super Bowl, and that’s one I’m willing to make!
GO DOLPHINS!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
Son, its funny no good prospects will fall to us every year no matter where we’re picking. If we stay at #51 it’s only 50 before us and I’m sure it will be all OL and TE in a weak OL and TE draft. LOL
If we stay at #51 we take the best prospect that can make an impact this year. That’s where we’re at. We are in a good range for a prospect who falls for some reason.
I can see a CB, DT, RB, OL, TE, LB all fall to us at 51. Will just have to wait and see.
Same here. There will be plenty of options. This is not a top heavy draft with generational talents. QBs are a priority and then which guy do you like best. Of course there will be plenty of good players, even some great from this draft at some point down the road. I don’t see this draft defining our 2023 season.
Tim, I see the same thing.
What I see in Gibbs is a RB who has more speed and upside than both Ahmed and Gaskin. He reminds me of Waddle as a RB.
—————
He reminds me of Alvin Kamara.
I agree on Charbonnet also. It would be great to have them and get up to speed with the offense the first year. Mostert looked great last year, but how much longer does he really have. Those 2 on rookie deals would be nice!
I’m trying to look at it like McDaniel sees it. I don’t think TE unless you have a stud you can’t pass on is there, is what he’s looking for. His offense is about a lot of motion – keep opponents thinking what are they running? Fangio does the same thing on defense. Play speed is the key!
Sean Taylor God rest his soul would be 40 today.
He’d either already be in the Hall or about to be depending on how long he played. Great player and so sad. 👊
That was so sad. He was an elite talent.
Krishna and I have always had this debate about holes, voids, needs etc. LOL
With that kind of thinking in mind tell me what formation we can’t play with our current roster on both sides of the ball?
Goalie
lmao, well that went wrong
I can see the Gibbs/Kamara comparison
I’m not sure I want to draft him but I wouldn’t shed a tear either – he would tear it up for us.
Not sure we need anything at this point
I would like some OL help but I view it as a safety net
And reaching for OL is always a mistake
Tight end would be great too – but we need the right TE to be there at 51
There will be a talented player there at one of those positions, we don’t need to reach. There’s no way that there isn’t a good prospect for us at #51, we just have to take the right one.
What’s up finch fuckers ? 🐕
Heyyy dog. Cute pup in the avi.
I’ve never liked doing this, but trading DOWN seems somewhat attractive this year, if we don’t see anyone we crave at 51 as the pick gets closer.
If we see some guys we’d like, but they’ll still be there in the 60s or low 70s, maybe we can get two picks for one.
That would give us the luxury of taking a developmental player or doubling up at a position, like 2 TEs to see which one makes it or 2 OGs … something like that.
It might also give us the opportunity to get a sleeper at EDGE to take a flyer on with a pick we don’t currently have.
Then we could get a midrange RB, TE, and EDGE all three.
That way, rolling the dice on those guys would not be a disaster if they don’t make it or are only ever “good” as in rotational.
But you can get a stud in the late 2nd or early 3rd round, if you get lucky in certain positions, such as RB, TE, and EDGE.
OT and QB tend to get picked over early.
All those playmakers will just keep coming if you just keep making space and time for them….our OL needs work, imo. Then, I can imagine at how good this O can be. Until then, I see the opposing Ds crashing through before anything gets started…yikes.
I think you are correct, I mean, there is evidence of that, but with our cap so tight and several big contracts coming up to deal with, and no 1st round draft pick, it’s hard to get an NFL starter at RT or even LG where we need the help.
I did not think last year was a terrible OL year.
It seemed worse because Tua got hurt,
but we only gave up 35 sacks,
which is just 2 per game.
This was a Top 10 number.
(9th fewest in the league)
And that was with major injuries at RT, LG, and Terron.
AND that was with sluggish Teddy back there for several games
and the 7th round rookie Skylar @ QB for whole games against the jest and jills
who are 2 very good sacking teams.
The Broncos gave up the most sacks
SIXTY-THREE!!!
and that was with Wilson @ QB,
who is supposed to be such a great scrambler.
We gave up 6 sacks against the Vikings (not a Tua game)
and 5 sacks against the Texans.
We did not take a sack at all against the Bears or Steelers.
We had 4 more games of only 1 sack given up.
Plus our 2 lead backs rushed for almost 5 yards a carry.
That is great OL play.
Get rid of Edmonds’s stats (we did) @ 2.9 ypc
and junk like Smythe’s sneaks,
and the whole team was over 4 and a half YPC.
Naples, I 100% agree with a trade down if the value isn’t there. Though, discussing with Tim last night, I feel that someone with good value and upside could and most likely will slide down to us. I just don’t want to see them reach too far for someone like they did with Hunter Long, traded up for even.
Quite a few of my mocks I have been trading down.
I would not trade down this far but it worked for 4 picks. lol
84. Joe Tippmann OC Wisconsin
87. Matthew Bergeron OT Syracuse
119. Sean Tucker RB Syracuse
158. Garrett Williams CB Syracuse
197. Brenton Strange TE Penn State
211. Cory Durden DT NC State
238. Charlie Thomas LB Georgia Tech
Space and time…we need that on the O.
The scheme vastly improved the spacing, but every one of our QBs got hurt multiple times. We had our 3rd string QB as our starter in the playoffs. Hmmm, starting QB or 5 yards per carry. This is not a good OL, imo.
Didn’t we have the one of the worst, top 10, offenses last year? It starts up front, imo. This O could be amazing with a decent OL.
I think the OL definitely showed improvement last year. I’d say overall they played ok. It was always gonna take a couple years to get the OL up to speed anyway. There still seemed to be a lot of procedural calls and mental mistakes that you really can’t have. I have no idea if that’s factually accurate but that’s what it felt like watching. I still want to see if Jackson can take the RT spot. If they feel Feeney can hold down the LG spot…our OL would be set. Having to sub so many guys over the year may have stunted your growth a little, but it also gives you great insight into your backups.
The OL was better, but then we brought in a stud at LT and a darn good at C. Doesn’t mean the rest of them improved. But showed we have some other guys who can at least stand in there. Good for depth.
Eric Fisher is kind of a mystery to me. I don’t really know if they see him as a legitimate starter at tackle or a vet backup/insurance. I haven’t seen him enough to know.
Eric Fisher is not currently on our roster.
I’m probably late to this party, but did y’all see that Gesicki’s contract with the Patsies* is 1 year for only $4.5M? He probably would have stayed with us for $5M, but we most obviously want a starting TE that can block, first and foremost.
No, that doesn’t mean we want a TE who is strictly a blocker and not a receiver: we want someone who can receive as well. Darnell Washington is the guy we want IF TE is high on our priority list in the Draft.
Now if Washington is already gone by the time we select @ 51, I think we’d sooner go BPA than take the next best TE (who can’t block). We’ll be able to get a blocking TE who can receive (just not nearly as good as Washington in both facets) later in the Draft (mid-late rounds), such as PSU’s Brenton Strange.
Strange doesn’t suck, but Washington is far and away more gifted and talented… hence the difference in their Draft grades.
So if Washington is off the board when we select, who are we likely to draft instead?
Oh yeah, Washington improves our O-Line with his blocking prowess (both run game and pass game) and is a legit receiving TE.
That’s called WINNING(!) on the Offensive side of the football.
He can be further protection for Tua, he can be an additional YPC for our RBs, and he can be the underneath receiver after ‘Reek and Waddle stretch the field.
First I think we take one in the 6th even if over drafting to make sure they get their guy.
It will likely be Strange then someone like Durham.
Absolutely agreed.
I mean, I REALLY, REALLY agree with ya on this, man. No later than the 6th round, we’ll have drafted a TE.
We do have Lester Cotton on the roster,
who I thought did well for us,
considering he came in off the street and started at LG for us.
Eich will have major competition between Cotton and Feeney for the LG spot.
Oh, we got rid of Fisher? I had no idea. Lol
He got injured from what I remember.
Robert Hunt was the most penalized player on our team either offense or defense and yet many people consider him to be our best OL, or at least best blocker.
He had 9 penalties, incl. 4 False starts and 4 holding penalties.
Ouch! He’s gotta get coached out of those misdeeds… and he can be.
Conner Williams had something like 14 penalties against him in ’21 before we landed him last year. I think he did rather well last season for us in the penalty department without looking it up.
Out of how many snaps?
In his defense, Hunt did play a lot of snaps.
OL penalties:
Hunt 9 — 4 FS and 4 holds and 1 “other”
Williams 5 — 1 FS 1 hold 1 Unneccessary roughness and 2 “other”
Armstead 4 — 1 FS and 2 holds, 1 other
Eich 4 (in limited # of snaps) 2 False starts and 2 holds
Shell 4 — 3 FS and 1 other
Greg Little 3 — 2 FS and 1 other
Robt Jones had 2, both FS
That was it for the OL.
31 OL penalties on the year…less than 2 per game
I don’t think that is excessive.
Oh! So you answered my question above regarding Conner Williams. Yup, he went WAY down in penalties compared to ’21 with the Cowboys.
I think a lot of that had to do with his position change to Center.
Kohou had 7 penalties for a whopping 85 yards — 3 holds and 4 PI
Crossen had 5 for 84 yards — 1 hold, 3 PI, 1 Unneccesary roughness
X.Howard had 6, for only 29 yards though. (2 holds, 1 PI, 1 illegal contact, 1 offsides, and 1 uneccessary roughness)
Ingram had 5
Phillips and Tyreek Hill 4 each
Sherfield and Bridgewater had 3 each, but they’re gone.
Phillips and Wilkins each had 2 roughing the passer penalties,
at least some of which were BS.
Most of Kohou’s came later in the season. Not sure if he started to feel too full of himself or what. But he’s still a found gem for me from last season.
I think/hope we’ve done extensive homework/research on the recoveries of our injured CBs of last season, as this happens to be a very deep class of CBs… and I don’t expect Iggy to suddenly emerge at this point in time.
X and his chronic knees aren’t getting any younger, either.
Perhaps NOW is the time to draft X’s eventual replacement @ 51?
I don’t think it was knee issues last year but groin and hamstring issues. X has played in 47 games the last 3 seasons.
One under the radar wrinkle is that the FO resigned Lovett as a second FB,
They had kept him all last year even though he was hurt.
They might see him as a Taysom Hill type guy:
A secret weapon HBack / TE / FB / wildcat QB / RB inside the 5 yd line.
I think he was a college QB.
Of course he might just be a camp body to save wear and tear on Ingold.
Either way, I don’t think he is an in-line blocking TE or a seam threat TE.
Have a look at Trent Thompson, TE/FB, UTEP. I think he’s going to be an UDFA, but he’s really good.
I think they moved Williams to center because they did not think Deiter could play.
And he is gone now.
They had Eich for LG (or so they thought). Jones beat out Deiter for backup IOL.
YUP!
MF13
Do you not think Kohou is a potential starter to replace X?
We also have Needham and Trill Williams coming back.
I don’t know what to think of Igbinoghene.
Darth Kader (Kohou) is more of a nickel back, Naples… not so much a boundary CB to replace X.
Needham and Trill are coming back from significant injuries (hence my above post).
I’m not M13 but I think Kohou has the versatility/potential to play on the outside. I think Trill was really showing flashes on the outside as well. Hope he comes back 100%. I don’t have that confidence in Crossen though.
Still we won’t have a #1 type opposite Ramsey unless we draft or sign one when X is gone.
I think Kohou has the potential to be more than he is, to be sure. But currently, he’s one of the best and upcoming nickels in the game. I’d play him to his strengths at nickel. JMO.
We have 9 LB. We could carry one more. If he played ST.
ILB – Baker, Long, Riley, Tindall
OLB (EDGE) – Chubb, Phillips, van Ginkel, Reed, Goode
Rooting for Goode to contribute, but he might need to be upgraded.
If Washington is gone @ 51 and LB Drew Sanders is still there, come on down Drew Sanders. I’d carry one more LB for Drew Sanders!
I think I read where we have the most expensive CB room in the league.
If / when X is done, and I’m hoping we get another 3 years, maybe 4,
it would be good to draft a CB, so we get the benefit of a rookie contract,
especially if X’s knees fail this coming year.
And THAT is why I brought up that this is a really deep CB class. Perhaps the time is NOW to draft X’s replacement before his knees go out.
His knees haven’t been a problem for 3 years. He had surgery to correct the issue 3 years ago. It hasn’t been an issue. Last year was groin and hamstring issues. He has played 47 games the last 3 seasons.
MF13
I do think, with no stats in front of me to back it up,
that most of Kohou’s PIs came on downfield plays,
hence his high penalty yards against us.
So your point about him helping us more in the slot is a good one.
Plus he adds some nice hard-hitting run support in there.
^
Thank you!
Thy Knight (@ThyKnight3) says:
April 2, 2023 at 3:23 pm
His knees haven’t been a problem for 3 years. He had surgery to correct the issue 3 years ago. It hasn’t been an issue. Last year was groin and hamstring issues. He has played 47 games the last 3 seasons.
————-
I’d never heard of his knees being operated on to correct the chronic issues. If that’s the case, GRAND!
Yes, X has played 47 games the last 3 seasons… and in many of them, he hasn’t been healthy. THAT’s the kind of thing that leads to groin and hamstring issues.
Lots of players get banged up. It’s not just X. The knee surgery Mostert had was the same one X had and he talked with X about how it went for him. I remember Mostert talking about that last offseason.
Our sketchiest position on defense is interior DL…
as backups we have only Jaylen Twyman and Josiah Bronson.
WHO?
I would draft that position at 51 before I’d take an iffy TE or a reach at OT or OG.
There are at least 3 really good ones who will fall to us at 51.
Mazi Smith, Siaki Ika, and Keeanu Benton can all play well in the NFL.
And there are 3 more good ones who will fall into the 3rd round.
It’s a position of need for us as well as a position that is undervalued in the draft.
It’s not like Raekwon has secured his spot in stone.
We at least need a high quality backup,
as Wilkins, Sieler, and Ogbah all play well at 5 tech but none is a NT.
I honestly don’t know Vic Fangio’s thoughts/preferences regarding the NT position.
Tim probably knows more than I.
I still see Davis being in the DL rotation this year.
I like Davis, but he needs to generate more push up the middle on passing plays. We still need a quality backup in side the DL.
Yeah I though Davis was going to become a more dominant player. But ever since he suffered that knee injury a couple of years ago it seems to have hampered his mobility a bit. He basically survives on his size and strength now. I agree we need depth at NT.
I don’t know the inside dope on X’s knees, but he seemed to have lost a step last year.
This is critical for an outside CB. He seemed to be trailing his man across the field.
In the past he got some of his INTs with his “make-up” speed,
closing the gap with the ball in the air, which allowed him to deke the QB into making a throw that X could make a play on.
I think he only had 2 picks last year. One of which was like fielding a punt. One was in the playoffs.
That’s not enough from your CB1.
^
X has certainly lost a step, and that sucks.
He played with hamstring and groin issues all season but played through it with the exception of 2 games. X was also the last guy running after Lamar Jackson on his 75 yard TD run. He got close enough to swipe at Jackson’s legs but that wasn’t enough. That was prior to his groin and hamstring issues.
As TKnight often says, teams run so much nickel and dime these days, that often they pull the NT and go with 2 DEs and a DT as the 3 in their 3-4. But Raekwon at NT and Wilkins at DE and Ogbah at DE is a rotation we also do run.
We lost John Jenkins in FA.
I’ve posted about this before that we’re going to see a lot of 4 man fronts in nickel with Chubb and Phillips on the edges standing up with two DTs inside – most likely a rotation of Wilkins, Ogbah and Sieler. Then 2 ILBs and 5 DBs.
The classic 2-2-2-5 defense!
Frankly, discussing our “needs” this off-season reveals what a loaded roster we do have.
When X Howard as a probowler is one of your concerns, you have got a good D.
If a backup NT is a possible draft choice in the 2nd or 3rd round,
you have got a really good D.
We just need to execute.
Exactly! I don’t think this draft is key to our season at all.
I pretty much agree, what with the exception of a ‘plug-n-play’ TE who can both block and receive.
I believe that TE ‘unlocks’ the outside runs for Mostert and Wilson, provides more protection for Tua, is more than adequate in the passing game as a receiver… and all the while, opposing Defenses don’t know if we’re running or passing.
Well Gesicki was a liability in blocking and Smythe and Saubert can block and catch a pass here and there. I’m not sure we view a top pass catching TE as a “have to have” in our offense.
Florio strikes again
https://athlonsports.com/nfl/lamar-jackson-career-over-ravens-mike-florio-nfl
Mr BS making up his own story again
From the article:
But Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk presented a potential outcome in a Thursday column that no one has been talking about: Jackson’s NFL career could be over.
Yeah, no one is talking about it because it is silly BS Click bait.
The Reds are tied for 1st in their division!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
…with everyone else in the division. 😦
Pro Bass Fishing?
I read somewhere that some DC for another team has said Fangio has bragged about a new D for us to run this year.
It’s a variation of TKnight’s above.
It’s a 2-2-2-1-1-1-2.
No kidding.
2 down linemen
2 standing OLB (EDGE rushers)
2 ILB
1 box safety
1 roverback (Jevon)
1 slot corner
and 2 outside CBs.
This is run on a 2-deep CORNERBACKS, quarters zone scheme with the CBs going matchup in the outside quarters and the rover and slot guys taking the inside 2 quarters.
Yeah but that’s not the new thing Fangio was talking about. He already ran this formation. He said he came up with a new coverage he’s looking forward to trying based on what he saw around the league that offenses were running.
I can hardly wait to see it on the field.
Smythe has been our best blocking TE almost since he got here. He is no slouch in that area. Now we added Saubert. I don’t see adding a rookie TE, no matter how good he is, improving us that much in the area of run blocking. Though Washington would be our #1 TE of the future but would have a lot to learn in year 1 to have a major impact.
That is why I am open to any stud who falls to us at #51. If it is not Washington, get a TE in the 6th.
We’re on the same page. The team did not make TE a major priority in FA so that made me change my focus.
Same here. We have 2 solid starters at TE. Just like other positions, we are just trying to improve/add depth to what we have and build for the future.
Draft the best player at 51.
Yep, upgrade your roster. If the value is there at a need position perfect!
Son, I heard Joey Votto may be with the team in as little as a week. He is still in his rehab assignment with their AAA team. He hit a HR on the very first pitch he saw (in a real game) since having shoulder surgery last year to deep right center.
Hope he stays healthy all season.
The reason I think we will be looking to draft a TE is because we only have 3 on the roster, and we definitely need 4 on the 53.
And TEs, especially young hungry ones, make good ST players.
We also utilize a FB more than most teams so that’s part of it too. Ingold lined up at FB and H-back. H-back can be played by a FB or TE. Basically it’s lining up off the LOS behind the G and T so you can block an inside or outside play. I’m confident MM knows what he needs.
Thy Knight (@ThyKnight3) says:
April 2, 2023 at 4:34 pm (Edit)
We’re on the same page. The team did not make TE a major priority in FA so that made me change my focus.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You can look at this two ways.
1. We’re set at TE
2. We will draft a TE.
I choose 2, especially if Darnell Washington is sitting there at #51. Maybe even if he’s there a couple of spots earlier, I’d move up. I don’t expect to get a lot out of this draft, so getting one solid player works for me.
I’m not against drafting a TE even at #51 if that’s the guy they like. I’m just saying it doesn’t seem to be a major priority and I don’t think our season depends on it. I think we’ll be a contender without our entire draft. But we do have our 4 picks and we can upgrade the depth on the roster at the least.
I agree with Mike E that they are aiming at the draft to get a TE.
They DID sign one in FA in Saubert, without spending a lot of money, because they don’t have a lot of money.
Saubert is 10 pounds heavier than Smythe and a little shorter, so he’s somewhat bulkier.
Man if they could draft Washington he’d be a plug and play TE1B.
Most TEs take a long time to learn to play in the NFL,
because it is a complex position.
But a guy like Washington has the type of physical traits to contribute right away,
at least on a limited package, with Smythe or Saubert running the complicated part.
He’s 269 pounds and like 6% body fat from what I could see,
and faster than Smythe or Saubert.
Plus he played at Georgia, which ran an NFL style offensive scheme.
I think most of us here would all be happy with Washington at TE but most don’t think he’ll fall that far. I could see him going late 1st to the 40’s. A TE who is almost like a tackle eligible every down but actually is a TE, is an attractive prospect for most teams.
I don’t care what O you run, I pine for a decent TE….lol. I love that position and its range.
As for a receiving TE I wouldn’t count out Tanner Conner who I can see also playing some H-back. He had a good preseason made the 53 man and then had some knee issues that cut down his playing time.
I have high hopes on Tanner Connor. Let’s not forget his athletic ability where at his pro day at 232 pounds ran a 4.37 40 and had a 39.5 vertical. If he can put it all together by improving his route running and understanding defenses/coverages, this kid could end up being a weapon. I am sure after one year in the NFL he has put on some more muscle mass and still runs in the low 4.4’s.
He made the team as a UDFA rookie that’s why I say don’t sleep on him. I’m sure he’s grinding to take it to the next level in his 2nd season.
I think MM likes the FB/H-back position in his offense. We use a lot of motion and move guys around in similar formations. The formations look the same but we do different things out of them. 21 and 11 are the base formations we use. Both can transform into empty backfield spread. You have to have speed to challenge a defense with that. It’s all about trying to create space against mismatches. They can’t cover all of us. Tua will get them the ball.
On offense right now, I think our main 11 personnel will be:
QB Tua
RB Mostert
WR Hill
WR Waddle
WR Berrios
TE Smythe
Lots of speed and quickness at RB and WR. Chunk yardage and to the house potential on any play.
That would be one hell of a flag football team right there. lol
Lol…yeah where you can’t hit the QB.
Good point, lol
We ran this with Gesicki or Sherfield as the 3rd WR last year. They’re both gone. Berrios is more of a Welker with more speed being coached by Welker. 🙂
Still need OL 😡👿
Why?
Because we suck at RT and LG
We added Feeney
My bad Feeney not Freeney. He’s been a durable player for 6 seasons and has started a lot of games. You don’t start 64 games if you suck. For some reason the Jets made him a backup the last 2 years. He started 57 games for the Chargers rookie through 4th year as a 3rd round pick.
Fuck you Rock. You just cost me $70 for Madden on the PS5!
😂 same…except I got the all-madden edition which is 70% off, so only $30.
What!?! MFers….
Ezukanma needs to take the next step. He’s similar to Sherfield but a little bigger. He’s a physical WR with good speed to be a YAC guy. If he emerges we get scary. 🙂
I would not be surprised if our OL started the season:
LT Armstead
LG Freeney
C Williams
RG Hunt
RT Not on the roster yet
I’d be looking into Taylor Lewan and seeing if he’s into playing RT and a possible swing back to LT due to injury.
I wondered that also early on, but then I read this from Lewan, “To me, honestly, I never thought anything of it because I know I’m not a right tackle” “I’m a left tackle”.
That was years ago though and after 2 ACL surgeries in the last 3 years, maybe he is willing to switch.
I feel like buyer beware with him with the serious injuries of late and will still command a price.
Bring back Shell and draft one.
There were other team fans sites asking the same thing if their team should bring in Lewan to take their RT spot and this was brought up, Raiders and 49er’s.
Maybe that explains why he’s still available.
bailbondmike says:
April 2, 2023 at 8:32 pm (Edit)
We added Feeney
———————
Not blown away by that
He’s started more games than Eichenberg. 😉
Check this shit out, Fangio been bragging about his new D scheme
That would be great, but nowhere does it actually say that Naggy knows anything about the “new defense” let alone that he is “stunned” by it…..
That being said I hope we get the 50% of Fangio when he is a top 10 coordinator and not the 50% when he was a bottom 10 coordinator.
He’s a free agent I believe?
I don’t remember what his story was????????
He’s transformed his body and is trying to get back in the league. I wish him well. Will we be the team to give him that shot, we shall see?
Surprised no one has signed him yet just to get a good look at him in the offseason. Most teams have 20+ roster spots to fill.
I see him as a after the draft type of signing.
LOL!! I got mine for $9.99 in the bargain bin!! LOL
Just an FYI so you don’t smash the controller. Madden Tua CANNOT make the outside throws. Save yourself the aggravation and the pick sixes and don’t try them.
It’s what I get for landing a PS5 console.
I’ve noticed all my games cost about $10 more on the PS5, but I also always get digital copies instead of discs, and I’ll pay the xtra for that because it’s a pain to have to constantly change out discs (1st world problem, lol).
I love the PS5. he load times are non-existent, and it has a ton of space without having to use external storage.
Me too on the digital downloads.
Cedrick Wilson has 5m guaranteed left on his contract and 2m in signing bonus money, so 7m in dead money.
We might keep him this year, we’d only be saving 1m overall off of the cap, could be a June 1st cut, but I don’t see it happening
And no one is trading for him
I wonder about these national guys
Miami Dolphins
Four picks beginning with No. 51 overall
Team needs: DL, OG, WR, TE, RB, LB
CBS Sports
WR in no way will we pick one, RB would be a luxury pick, LB a luxury pick, no way, unless someone they love falls like Charbonnet
Oh, and no RT listed
Team needs- WR? That has to be a mistake and they meant to put in RT.
We’re up to 6
https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-power-rankings-2023-free-agency-dolphins-packers-chiefs
Going to training camp practice last year was pretty exciting, with the new HC coming in and Hill
This year with Fangio and Ramsey would be even better, if they’d show something new, but pretty sure the new stuff is just for inside the facility practices, with super double security
Miami has signed their best TE to a contract extension.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins today announced they have signed tight end Durham Smythe to a contract extension through the 2025 season.
two-year extension worth $7.75 million with $5.5 million fully guaranteed, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reports, per a source. The deal, which has a max value of $8.75 million, includes a raise to $4.5 million in 2023, per Pelissero.
—————
Interesting they gave him a pay raise for 2023 when we are short on funds. At least until June.
Me thinks a Wilkins extension is coming soon that will clear some cap this year.
His cap hit was already 4.2 this year so not much of an impact.
Idiots on ESPN are still talking up Jackson to Miami. SMH f’ing morons
https://dolphinstalk.com/2023/04/espn-still-talking-about-lamar-jackson-to-miami/
“I don’t understand them at all. Getting Lamar would be an instant upgrade for that offense”
No dumb ass, Lamar Jackson is most assuredly a downgrade from Tua in this offensive system.
Nebraska DE Garrett Nelson and Bowling Green DT Karl Brooks are scheduled to visit with the Miami Dolphins this week.
DT Karl Brooks, 6’3’’ WEIGHT 303 lbs. 2022 had 29 tackles with 13 TFL and 10 sacks.
Top Reasons to Buy In:
Highly-productive sack artist with great production the last two years
Heavy hands and power to collapse blockers and play on the plus side of the line of scrimmage
High-effort player from snap to whistle
Pleasant variety as a pass rusher to attack and adjust mid-rush
Top Reasons For Concern:
Body type is unorthodox and length to stack and extend is in question
Illustrates some tightness through his frame, limiting his projection to corner and flatten against NFL blockers
Run-defending skills are very boom or bust
DE Garrett Nelson, 6’3″ 245lbs. 2022 had 41 tackles, 8 TFL and 5.5 sacks. His father was a 2-time All American wrestler at Nebraska.
Scheme tendencies: Zone-heavy system (Cover 3, quarters, etc.)
Pros: First-Team All-Try-Hard honors from me, the motor here doesn’t stop. His game is easy to like and he showcases a high football IQ, reacting to blocks naturally and understanding flow to carry him to the football. That IQ helps explain the productive season Nelson put on display, as does his effort to push and finish his rallies at the football as a hustle defender.
Cons: While the effort blows you away, you do wish there were more raw traits to work with. Garrett Nelson is a bit of a hybrid type and while I do think he has sufficient athleticism, he doesn’t have a dynamic first step or steep angles in his lower half to bend and flatten effectively and challenge the quarterback off the edge without help from interior push on the line. I don’t think he has great natural length either.
So basically these are 2 late round prospects they are looking at or potential UDFA.
DT Karl Brooks
Edge Garrett Nelson another AVG???
I think they will be scary good!
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/the-miami-dolphins-edge-group-could-be-scary-good-in-2023/ar-AA19nJPL?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=b9fccb331f3b4dd28b93dbeb9bc60eb7&ei=30
Have you guys ever heard of a pick two?
I just experienced my first one on madden
Douche bag went for two and I intercepted it and ran it back all the way and they gave me two points
Yes I believe we had one of those a few years ago
I still lost to the punk by 36 points but I enjoyed that moment at least.
These creeps that play online get one or two plays that they find are hard to stop and just hurry up that play again and again. What fun is that? And going for two on every score is just dickish.
Thy Knight (@ThyKnight3) says:
April 2, 2023 at 4:11 pm
Well Gesicki was a liability in blocking and Smythe and Saubert can block and catch a pass here and there. I’m not sure we view a top pass catching TE as a “have to have” in our offense.
—————
But then ya have Darnell Washington, who can do it ALL… played in the SEC for Georgia.
Washington dramatically changes the dynamics of our Offense: he helps our RBs in run-blocking, he protects Tua in pass-blocking [plus helps the Tackle he’s playing next to (hello, Austin Jackson)], and is also a threat to catch the ball with his speed and 11″ hands (and 6’7″ height).
Personally, I’m getting close to wanting to trade up for him if need be… and I’m about to bang the table for him.
YES, I’m prepared for Washington to go before we select @ 51… but with the way our Offense is designed, I think he’d be a homerun selection for us.
BB Mike and I both concur that if Washington isn’t there for us @ 51 (should he have been our priority selection), go BPA, and we’ll get our TE in the 6th round.
“both concur”… sorry, that was redundant.
IF we re-sign Brandon Shell, I’d feel a lot more comfortable drafting Blake Freeland @ 84. The thing with Freeland is, he’s going to be a project and not a “plug-n-play” player. What’s more, he’d be drafted to be a future TACKLE, not an IOL (Guard) at 6’8″. Something to think about.
Don’t know why, but PFF does NOT LIKE Utah’s Braeden Daniels… they have him ranked as the #100 Tackle in all of CFB last season. So much for PFF!
Check it out… over the last 3 seasons at Utah, Daniels has logged 2,059 snaps. What has he given up? A total of 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, and 28 QB hurries… that’s next level AWESOME!!!
Daniels is positional versatile (Tackle and Guard) and has the sweet feet we’re looking for in our outside-zone blocking scheme.
Some may say I’m over-drafting him, but I’m taking him in the 3rd round.
For those of you who would very much like to see us address our O-Line (Old Dolfan, Ken, and Krishna come to mind), y’all should like this…
R2P20 (51): Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
R3P21 (84): Braeden Daniels, T/G, Utah
And BELIEVE ME, I’m still so F’n miffed that we don’t have a 1st round pick this year!!! 😡
To reiterate… in the event that Darnell Washington is already off the board, I’d go BPA (yes, that means even if it’s a Defensive player). We’ll get our blocking/receiving TE later (6th round, barring a trade down/trade up).
I am good with that
If anyone might have an idea how to fix this issue – Tim was logging into the site using Twitter, not WordPress. For some reason, it won’t allow him that choice anymore.
Any ideas??? His WordPress login was the original issue of why he couldn’t log in, so that’s off the table.
Guess the three dots in the bottom right don’t work? He may have to open a new wordpress account. Probably need to start a new email account for that.
I guess he may have to resort to creating another account using a different email. Not really that difficult, but a bit of a pain.
Sounds like it.
I hope Idaho has the death penalty
They do and recently have added firing squad.
Here is a 7th round or potential UDFA to keep an eye on.
FB/HB/TE Griffin Hebert, 6’1 239 from Louisiana Tech. Played mainly FB/HB last season. Ran a 4.58, 39.5 vertical, 10.2 broad and also scored outstanding on his agility scores at his pro day. A former WR with great hands. Had 99 receptions for 1532 yards, over 15 yards per and 14 TD’s in his college career.
I use WordPress to log on and I’m not having issues
Colon pokey may if he sees this?
At least he’ll be well dressed.
https://twitter.com/IrradiatedMouse/status/1641770179343392769
And ditto on the WordPress which is ok
Potential UDFA to bring in OT Jake Witt, Northern Michigan just based on his pro day scores. Former basketball player turned TE turned OT, 6’7 302 was said to run a sub 4.8 training for his pro day and ran an actual 4.89 at his pro day with a 37″ vertical, 10’3 broad and really quick agility scores, 4.62-second short shuttle and 7.44-second three-cone.
Wonder if he can still play some TE. lol
Forgot to add his 1.71 10 yard.
His Combine/Pro Day scores rank him #11 all time since 1987.
For OL
7th round or UDFA OT Henry Byrd, 6’5 310 from Princeton. They say he is very strong and athletic, 4.67-second short shuttle and 32 bench reps. Most athletic OL coming out of the Ivy League. Likely to be moved to OG by a team but can play both.
Herd,
Wow, the firing squad? That’s great. Hopefully this trial is quick and they wipe that excrement from the face of the planet as quickly as possible.
I’m amazed at the things I know without googling. Things I need to know for work? Forget about it. 😂
LOL
Mandatory appeals with years and years of delay
Yeah, I know. That is the system.
Was hoping we would look at a local WR product from Div II University of West Florida here in Pensacola. Watched him play here. WR David Durden is 6’1 203, 4.46 40, 37″ vert, 10’7 broad. He had caught 54 passes for 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior. He’s not so much under the radar anymore as I saw on the local news he has a top 30 visit with the Chargers and already met with the Broncos.
I just imagined a new sitcom where colonpokey plays a Jack Tripper type character who has two raccoons as roommates…
All kinds of zany adventures!
The landlord is Mr. Groper
So much better than Tua 🤡 🤡
Best Alabama QB in the NFL…
making a move for Jackson?
I’m going to shoe-horn Jackson into every team other than the Dolphins until he is gone.
Jackson would fit perfectly with the Pets and the offense they want to run.
I’d say belicheat is pissed at him and they’d go with Zappe
Found another LB I like who may or may not get drafted.
LB Trevor Nowaske, 6’2 237, Saginaw Valley State. He’s super athletic, ran a 4.50-second 40-yard dash, 4.26-second short shuttle, 6.75-second three-cone and 10’2 broad. He had 98 tackles, 4 INT’s and 7 PD’s last year.
Cav, who are you rooting for to get the death penalty? The woman who is accused of killing her kids or the guy who stabbed the students in their sleep?
Oh shyte, that guy is in Idaho too? Both then! She really pisses me off beyond belief though.
Her own effing kids, and this wasn’t some tragic postpartum thing, she is just a vile, evil putrescence that needs to be removed.
The guy who killed the college kids is evil too, just a garden variety psychopath that needs to be removed like a weed.
Steve, I think the Pets go with Zappe as well. I don’t see them giving Jackson 250m guaranteed plus giving up the picks to get him.
I’m not sure the Ravens would trade him there anyway.
It’s not really in Belicheats DNA to give high compensation and high salary, I highly doubt they go after Jackson
In other years, when we were void of talent and had lots lof draft picks, we were hoping to get 4 very good players/starters from the draft
What would you be happy with from this draft?
Would you trade out of 51, maybe with KC and get their 2nd and 3rd
Would you just hope for 1 quality starter?
We have a 2nd rd pick, a 3rd, a 6th , and a 7th.
I think if we get one quality starter, it’s a solid draft. Two would be excellent.
With only two decent draft picks, as long as we get a quality player, I don’t really care if we move up or move back (just don’t use any future picks.).
I’m with you on the quality starters, I would be ok with trading a 2024 non first for Darnell Washington though
Cav, Mike E and whomever else has read “The Diamond Throne” by Eddings; did you find it peculiar how many times Eddings uses the word peculiar? I am only like 20 pages in and already 25 things have been peculiar…. It is starting to bother me. LOL
Been ages since I read it, so I don’t remember those details. Although, you bringing it up makes me want to give it a read again.
I’ll probably start it up after I finish Asmiov’s Foundation series.
Been a long time since I read that. Maybe I’ll re-read after I’m done with the Mongoliad.
Eddings always had something in his books he fixated on. In the WoT it was his gushing over the superiority of the female characters. Was like the dude had just got laid for the first time.
You’re thinking of Jordan with WoT. Eddings is the Belgariad.
Yes, you are correct.
Still a valid point on Jordan though, lol.
I would be on board with trading #51 and WR Cedric Wilson to move up and get Washington but not any extra draft picks.
Agree…but that would take team with a pick at the right spot and also a need at WR3.
True but this WR class is not that deep.
I support the death penalty in both those cases but the firing squad is too good for them. I think the guy should be stabbed multiple times in his sleep but not killed and left to bleed to death.
I think the woman should be killed by someone made up to look like her mother.
old testament, that sounds good to me
In 2024 I think we have picks in rounds 1. 2. 5. 6. 7
This makes trading a future pick more difficult.
That is right.
What happened to our 3rd and 4th rounders?
Traded one away, lost one for “tampering”
Lmao @ Mr Groper
Womp Womp
https://twitter.com/theflyingpig44/status/1643325977890631686?s=21
TWO RACCOONS!!??
[video src="https://thechive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/WTF-04_04_23-GIF-21-hedhogs.mp4" /]
freaking chive don’t like us sharing.
I went to see the Dungeons and Dragons movie Sunday night. It was pretty good. A little too cheeseball, but I enjoyed it. There were a lot of jokes and then a lot of stuff that would only be funny to someone who played the game like us true dorks did.
I am a dork
I know, we have met remember…..
HA!!! LOL
I worried about checking treasure chests for traps at one point.
They didn’t check for one trap!! 😆
Effin nerds !
yeah, yeah Hulk smash puny comedian. Whatever.
🥎
My favorite part of any marvel movie is when hulk takes Loki by the ankles and smashes him about like a rug and walks away saying “puny god”
Rock,
I saw the D&D movie. It was okay. I really wish they’d make a D&D movie that is serious and not made for kids or a pseudo comedy. They tried to plug D&D tropes into the movie but they are also just kinda cheesy. Good movie, but it could have been so much better. Putting an owl bear and a displacer beast in your movie might make D&D dorks happy, but it doesn’t make it a good movie. Lol
***
I wish they’d make one like Jackson made LotR movies. Those were dramas/action movies that threw in tons of LotR touch points without making them cheesy…mostly.
+10000000000
I completely agree with everything you said
Or a TV series on HBO sit in Waterdeep or Balders gate. The storylines are freaking endless but they always put some woke ass Tard in charge.
Dragonlance books would be a great trilogy of movies
Two years ago who would have ever thought Smythe was the TE we kept?
Ahem….
Guess that means you. But were you expecting him to be a #1 TE?
ORob
I said he would be the starter and get more snaps
Well then I was right with you as well. Never thought Gesicki could block well enough to be in the baseline running scheme. But you get my point.
I know, right?
and gave a raise to!!!
I was listening to this podcast interview with MM yesterday and it’s mentioned that he doesn’t drink and has been sober for however long, paraphrasing/going from memory. Yes, I can’t remember from just yesterday. But the point, I don’t recall hearing anything about that before. It doesn’t make any difference to me, just was something new. Good for him!
In the same interview he’s talking about what they did last year, free agency and draft and mentioned something about how others were saying need OL and he was no, we need playmakers-skill position players. So if any of you want to blame anyone for the OL last year, there’s your man.
That was awesome! Thank you….
He really is so far beyond 39 yo….
Hey I think I’m back on. 🙂
Yes 👏 👏 👏
Were you out?
Mike E posted last night that the knight couldn’ log on and asked for Suggestions
For some reason I couldn’t login yesterday.
Ken, I always preferred forgotten realms over dragonlance Hickman and Weiss we’re good writers But I thought they were too many dragons if that makes any sense? Cheapened them in a way
I loved the Dragonlance books but I was not crazy about the campaign setting. For actual play I preferred Forgotten Realms
Smythe was our starting TE last year, and he will be this too.
Mmmmmm hmmmmmmm
People on here chastised me for saying it before it happened
Not me, I liked Smythe since he was a rookie. He’s not going to put up big receiving numbers but he plays a lot of roles at TE and H-back. He’s a solid all around TE who isn’t a powerful blocker but he’s a good blocking technician.
Rock/Cav – Once Upon get better with the Madden controls we can go head to head. I’m still playing the rookie level but I’m killing my opponents. Went 35-0 on the Jets in their house. In the first half playing 6 minute quarters.
Once I get…
I’m only on PS4 I don’t think we can go head to head but they can
Ooh, that might be fun. I haven’t played Madden in like 2 decades, so I am really really bad, lol.
Also the step from rookie to pro and pro to all madden are big steps
Rock – I am sure the steps up are yuge! Right now I’m still figuring out which WR I’m throwing to, much less what kind of pass.
Dragonlance would be a great series to bring to film. That was the first fantasy series I ever read
It’s a shame so many of those books are out of print.