Finsmob Unleashed

So many moves have been made, and in general, the prevailing thought at this time is that the Dolphins are in a good place. We’ve left behind the ugliness of the split between the Miami Dolphins and former Head Coach Brian Flores and the accusations levied against owner Stephen Ross. I feel like all that ugliness has been left behind, and the negative slant that was hanging on the Dolphins organization has craftily been removed and replaced by a hefty dose of optimism. 3 months and change have passed since Brian Flores was let go and to me it’s startling how much this Dolphins front office has done to change the entire appearance of our team, and organization as well. I feel a sense that the Dolphins are in good hands, both with GM Chris Grier and his Head Coach Mike McDaniel. Sure, they used a fair amount of media clips to pump up new HC Mike McDaniel and his crucial impending relationship with QB Tua Tagovailoa. They seem to have finally committed to the young QB who has always deserved that from the get-go yet for some reason the Dolphins brass chose not to. I believe that the new tact will enable Tua to be better at his job, of course in addition to all the new faces who will now be wearing aqua, white and orange. The entire dynamic of the team has changed, and will likely continue to change until the season begins. As my last article said, they’re all in, and there will be additional pieces, possibly importance pieces that will be added to give this team what it needs to compete with the likes of many improved AFC teams such as the Bills, Raiders, Broncos, Colts and others.

Looking at the roster now, it seems so much more complete, the gaping holes are now gone. I still believe they’re not finished with the O-line and help may come still from free agency or via the draft, or even after June 1st cuts. The good thing is we aren’t desperate now at any position on the line. We have our LT and LG and probably our RG, and possibly our center too in 4th year C Michael Deiter. We’ve all discussed C prospect Tyler Linderbaum who is the top C prospect in the ’22 NFL Draft. I think the key issue is does the FO see Linderbaum as an immediate upgrade to our current C? If not, we may look elsewhere for a C or just stay with Deiter. Keep in perspective the O-line is a unit, and when everyone else around you is better, you’re better too.

As of now, the Dolphins first draft pick will be late RD 3, pick #102. That pick can still net a starter, or we may choose to use either a player or players, or future and current draft capital to move up to acquire a special player. The latter would not surprise me considering we’re now operating in a window of time where we have in order to be competitive. That window can always change, but right now it looks to be a 2 year window, which in turn would lead me to believe we’re looking for players to make an impact now, not 3 years from now. While some of us think C is the big issue, Naples wisely pointed out our depth at DE is thin. We re-signed Emmanuel Ogbah which was critical, but there’s really no one behind him at this time. Zach Seiler was a great pickup but he plays on the other side. Daeshon Hall who has played a total of 75 snaps at DE in 3 seasons is what we got. I think Naples has an excellent point that if Ogbah goes down, we’re in trouble. I love CB Nik Needham, but I’m not sure I’d want Needham to be starting if either X or Jones went down. We do have reclamation project #9 in Noah Igbinoghene as well, but he hasn’t given any indication he’s ready for prime time yet either. Do we finally draft a RB? It’s been a while since we invested early on a ballcarrier, Kalen Ballage was a 4th RD pick in ’18, (#131). We took newly acquired RB Chase Edmonds’ RB mate in ARZ Kenyan Drake in RD 3 (#76) in 2016. There’s no immediate need for a RB unless they wanted a bigger back, and don’t feel that last year’s 7th RD pick Gerrid Doaks is the answer. We have a lot of lightning in our RB stable but no thunder.

The new look Miami offense is no doubt more impressive than what it was a month ago. The O-line has been addressed and now we have one of the most dynamic WR’s in the sport. Tyreek does it all, and don’t for a moment underestimate his potential as a return man on special teams. He will be getting lots of touches in this offense, some behind the LOS or at the LOS and hopefully a bunch downfield as well. No matter what though, Hill is a player that requires the other teams full attention, he must be accounted for each and every play. Having a player like that makes things easier for guys like Jaylen Waddle, who received plenty of attention last season, and rightfully so. Add in Cedrick Wilson and a few of the guys in the backfield who will be used as receivers out of the backfield or on the LOS such as Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert and Myles Gaskin. I just can’t help thinking this will not be the stagnant, toothless offense we watched all too many times last season. Hey! We actually added a FB too! FB Alec Ingold will bring some physicality to the offense as well.

On the defensive side of the ball we did all we could to bring it all back intact, and succeeded. We will have all our starters and many of the same depth players as well throughout the defense. This was a good defense, maybe even just below a great defense that unfortunately had to carry the team on many occasions. A better offensive output this season I believe will lead to better things out of our defense. If the offense can run more plays and put a lot more points on the board weekly, our defense will have the advantage of the opposing offense being on their heels a bit trying to keep up. That usually allows for a more aggressive defense, and we’re a pretty aggressive unit anyway. We should also continue to see growth for 2 budding stars in DE/OLB Jaelan Phillips and S Jevon Holland. Safety Brandon Jones is another. DE Christian Wilkins made the leap to a high level last season. No Dolphins defender had as well rounded a season as Wilkins, contributing 89 combined tackles, 4.5 sacks, 13 QB hits, leading the team with 10 TFL, 1 FF and 1 FR. That’s NFL elite right there. #55, Jerome Baker had another great season leading the team with 92 tackles. Unfortunately, Bobby Wagner who had nearly twice that many tackles and would have looked great in aqua and orange is headed to the LA Rams and another chance at a SB berth in the NFC. I don’t honestly know if we were interested in Wagner, but I was!

I guess if you want to look for a glaring hole, look no further than P, because we don’t have one. Last year’s punter Michael Palardy was here on a 1 year deal so we’ll be looking. Some here have already fallen in love with P prospect Matt Araiza, the highest rated special teamer in the draft at 6.09. I can only imagine young Stanger dreaming of his favorite new player! Penn St. Punter Jordan Stout is right behind Araiza at 5.99. It’s possible we use a pick on a P, or we may just fill that spot in FA. Palardy remains unsigned after an uneven year last year.

#stangerstrong

GO DOLPHINS!!!