Outside Linebacker:
Last season, Joey Porter had a career year, which is saying a lot by his standards. He singlehandedly provided the Dolphins with a pass rush, and proved that he can still play the Will at a very high level. On the strong side, Matt Roth transitioned to outside linebacker very well, and he physically abused tight ends all year long on 1st and 2nd down. In fact, he was second on the team in sacks despite not playing the nickel, which says a lot about his early down domination. Unfortunately, it also says a lot about Charlie Anderson and the other outside backers who replaced Roth in nickel situations. None of them made an impact rushing the passer, and nickel pass rush became a huge issue at times.
So, heading into the offseason, the picture at outside linebacker was clear. Joey Porter is set at the Will for another couple of years, and Roth is set at Sam except when extra defensive backs take the field. The obvious need was for a young pass rusher to spell Roth on 3rd downs this year, and to eventually replace Porter as the every down Will whenever the changing of the guard takes place.
Many expected Parcells and company to address this need in the draft, as the Tuna continues his perpetual search for the next Lawrence Taylor. However, the draft came and went without any action. What gives?
His name is Cameron Wake.
The former Nittany Lion was such a pass rushing standout in the CFL that he earned defensive player of the year honors in each of the last two seasons. At only 26, he has as much upside as any outside linebacker in the draft, and the Dolphins got him at the cost of zero draft picks and a 4 year contract averaging under $1 million per year. Humble, hungry, high motor, explosive, dominant: all of these words have been used to describe Wake. Without a doubt, this is a low risk, high reward, slam dunk deal for the Dolphins.
The hope is that the Dolphins hit on Wake and that he not only fills their glaring need this offseason, but that he stars on this defense for years. If he can pan out, the Dolphins should have a chance at achieving something really special.
Moreover, though last offseason I believed the Dolphins would improve drastically and I supported most of the moves that the Trifecta made, I did not agree with the decisions to part ways with Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas. In the case of Zach, who was had for a cheap one year contract by the Cowboys, I understood the argument to get younger, but I still believe that at the time it made more sense to keep him at a pay cut, and I believe that the Dolphins would've fared much better with him this past season at the linebacker position. Zach is still an excellent every down player with polished covering skills, and his presence would've enabled Channing Crowder to excel with no 3rd down responsibilities. Instead, the Dolphins gave Reggie Torbor a horrible $14 million contract and our inside linebackers struggled in coverage all year long. More on the inside linebackers later, but the point is that I believe letting Zach Thomas go was a mistake.
Likewise, I thought the Dolphins mishandled Jason Taylor as well. Yes, history vindicated Parcells and company because Taylor was injured for much of the year and had his worst NFL season, but I still feel that at the time the Dolphins made the wrong move. A healthy Taylor would have thrived last year if properly used opposite Joey Porter, but instead the Dolphins lacked any semblance of a complimentary pass rusher. Ultimately, we lost to a team in the playoffs that harassed our quarterback more than we did theirs. There is no way you could have known that the previously durable Taylor would've had an injury-riddled year, and so I still believe that the Dolphins should've hung on to the best defensive player in franchise history a year ago.
Nevertheless, a best case scenario worked out for the Dolphins brass, and suddenly the Dolphins pass rush has the potential to be scary in 2009. With the draft pick acquired in exchange for JT, the Dolphins picked up Pat White, a terrific addition on offense, and thanks in part to his injury, Taylor was released. Then, when it seemed inevitable that Taylor would end up with the Patriots, he spurned all other offers and told the Dolphins to name their price. I'm almost embarrassed that the Trifecta only gave him $1.1 million, but the bottom line is that Jason Taylor will be on the Miami Dolphins this year, and it wasn't so long ago that JT was the best defensive player in the league.
The fortuitous additions of Wake and Taylor could have a huge impact in 2009. Combined with the young defensive ends maturing in the system and an overauled secondary, including two safeties with the ability to blitz, the Dolphins pass rush has monster potential. I don't want to get ahead of myself, and obviously Chad Pennington needs to stay healthy, but these additions could make Miami a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
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Inside Backer:
While the offseason has ostensibly made outside linebacker a strength, the same cannot be said for the interior position. In fact, considering the upgrades made at basically every other position of need, inside linebacker might be the weakest on the team right now. If it is, however, that would be a good sign for Miami, because Channing Crowder was a solid player last season, and that would mean that every other unit would do at least as well as his. Still, when I consider the current and long-term health of this position, it is merely mediocre, its growth handcuffed by mistakes made last offseason.
Mistake number one, as I discussed above, was Zach Thomas. He was had by Dallas for a one year contract after the Dolphins didn't even give him the chance to renegotiate, and all he did was record 94 tackles for the 'Boys. Meanwhile, Channing Crowder, who would have excelled as the second inside linebacker on this team, was instead merely mediocre as the main guy, a below replacement coverage linebacker on 3rd down. Keeping Thomas would've enabled Crowder to star in his role, but instead he was meerly average, filling boots a size too large.
Mistake number two was the contract given to Reggie Torbor. Torbor, who projects as nothing more than a backup for the duration of his 4 year, 14 million dollar contract, is tieing up resources that should be going to an impact starter. If just 3 of his 14 million had gone to Thomas for example, the Dolphins would have a potent 1-2 punch at ILB plus room to groom a youngster. However, as it stands currently, Torbor's contract is wasting away behind the sufficiently average Akin Ayodele. I think the Dolphins realize that they made some mistakes last year, overspending on middling free agents like Torber, Wilford, and Charlie Anderson, but there is little that they can do about those contracts today.
So, where did all of this leave us heading into this offseason? With 2 average #2 ILBs and a free agent stud #2 ILB trapped in oversized, every down shoes. As far as the decision on Crowder went, there were really no good answers. Resign him to a long term deal and you are committing a lot of money to a guy who hasn't yet quite proven worth it as an every down linebacker. Let him go and you are even more screwed, with no hope at anybody who can orchestrate this defense on the roster. So, the Dolphins took the middle ground.
They signed Crowder to a 3 year deal, and the hope is now that he can shape up into a true star linebacker. If it works out, great. Ayodele will be solid behind him, and Crowder is the emotional type of leader you like on your team. However, the Dolphins have also hedged their bets a bit in case Crowder does not prove capable on every down. With only 3 years on the contract, you haven't commit too much money to him, and if need be you can draft and groom or simply pay somebody to replace him.
The Dolphins are fine enough at inside linebacker this year regardless, but there are some cracks in the foundation of how this unit was built. Let's hope that Crowder really turns it up, or else this will become a major position of need in 2010.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Defensive Line Situation
Note: I ran down the state of every offensive position before the draft. Now, I'm going to analyze each defensive position before signing off of man-o-dolphins indefinitely. More on that later...
Last year, one of the Dolphins main focuses was rebuilding the defensive line with an eye towards the future. They traded for Jason Ferguson to plug the nose for a few seasons, drafted two true 3-4 ends, Merling and Langford, and added another young end, Randy Starks, to compliment the rookies and holdover Vonnie Holliday.
The results were, overall, very successful. The Dolphins run defense was generally very stout, and the rookies developed nicely over the course of the season. However, this unit is not without issues.
At nose, Jason Ferguson is a tremendous 1st and 2nd down player, but there is little depth behind him. As it stands, Paul Soliai is the backup and future of the position, but it is unclear whether or not he is up to the task. The Dolphins surprised a lot of people by not drafting their "tackle of the future," but they really were in no position to, with greater needs and little value available when they picked.
My opinion is that this was well-calculated by the Trifecta. The Dolphins are good enough at nose for one more year as long as Ferguson stays healthy, and like I said, nobody in the draft really presented an upgrade over Soliai (although I'm sure the staff would be ecstatic if undrafted rookie free agent Louis Ellis could suplant him). The Dolphins will play this year out at the status quo and then spend a high pick, likely their first rounder, on an elite nose tackle next year. There's really no sense in paying a first round pick to sit for a year anyway, so he will be forced to contribute immidiately, and I think this all makes for a sound philosophy considering the state of the Dolphins right now.
As for the end position, the Dolphins let go of Vonnie Holliday, who was a valuable member of the team last year. However, the reason they could do that was because they felt so confident in the youth at the position. To start, the Dolphins couldn't be happier with what they got from Kendall Langford. A starter throughout the season, he figures to start on this team for years to come. Phillip Merling also had a nice year, especially as he rounded into form late in the season. No play was bigger for the Fins than his interception return for a touchdown in Week 17 against the Jets. Randy Starks, on the other hand, was excellent in the early part of last year, but saw his play tail off down the stretch. Still, he figures to compete with Merling for the starting job opposite Langford, and all three will play significant roles in the rotation.
So, between Starks, Merling, and Langford, the Dolphins have three young players who will take care of the position for now and into the future. Thanks to last year's draft, defensive end is a strength, despite that Starks' contract is a bit bigger than was justified from his play. The only real question with this unit then becomes how they are featured in the nickel.
Nickel pass rush was a huge issue for the Dolphins last year. Much has been made about how Joey Porter was our only source of pressure, and rightfully so. Though responsibility is shared with the strongside backer position, the line needs to play a roll in pressuring the passer, especially on 3rd down.
Specifically, the Dolphins chose to reallign up front in nickel situations last year. The nose tackle would leave the game, and the ends would slide down to the inside. Additionally, the outside backers would drop down into three point stances and flank the oxymoronic interior ends as if they were normal 4-3 defensive ends. The results were putrid. In my opinion, this eliminated one of the great advantages of the 3-4, that the quarterback never knows where the pressure is coming from. However, this should all change this year.
With Jason Taylor and Cameron Wake joining the linebacking corps, Miami would do well to find ways to get both of them on the field on third down. As I see it, the easiest and most effective way to accomplish this would be by taking a lineman off of it. I think the Dolphins would be smart to play with only one true defensive lineman on the field, keeping a 3-4 look as opposed to a 4-3, to beef up the nickel pass rush.
Say Kendall Langford and Randy Starks end up starting and playing 1st and 2nd downs, as they figure to. The odd man out, in this case Merling, could simply sub in when the three starting defensive linemen leave on 3rd down and line up as the nose. This frees up Porter, Taylor, and Wake to all enter the game, and that should spell huge issues for opposing quarterbacks, who won't know where the pressure is coming from.
Moreover, whether or not the Dolphins adopt the aforementioned system to help fix the nickel pass rush, the defensive ends need to play a bigger role in harrasssing the Mark Sanchezes and Tom Bradys of the world. Besides that and drafting a top tier nose next year, the defensive line is a position of strength for now and beyond for the Miami Dolphins.
Last year, one of the Dolphins main focuses was rebuilding the defensive line with an eye towards the future. They traded for Jason Ferguson to plug the nose for a few seasons, drafted two true 3-4 ends, Merling and Langford, and added another young end, Randy Starks, to compliment the rookies and holdover Vonnie Holliday.
The results were, overall, very successful. The Dolphins run defense was generally very stout, and the rookies developed nicely over the course of the season. However, this unit is not without issues.
At nose, Jason Ferguson is a tremendous 1st and 2nd down player, but there is little depth behind him. As it stands, Paul Soliai is the backup and future of the position, but it is unclear whether or not he is up to the task. The Dolphins surprised a lot of people by not drafting their "tackle of the future," but they really were in no position to, with greater needs and little value available when they picked.
My opinion is that this was well-calculated by the Trifecta. The Dolphins are good enough at nose for one more year as long as Ferguson stays healthy, and like I said, nobody in the draft really presented an upgrade over Soliai (although I'm sure the staff would be ecstatic if undrafted rookie free agent Louis Ellis could suplant him). The Dolphins will play this year out at the status quo and then spend a high pick, likely their first rounder, on an elite nose tackle next year. There's really no sense in paying a first round pick to sit for a year anyway, so he will be forced to contribute immidiately, and I think this all makes for a sound philosophy considering the state of the Dolphins right now.
As for the end position, the Dolphins let go of Vonnie Holliday, who was a valuable member of the team last year. However, the reason they could do that was because they felt so confident in the youth at the position. To start, the Dolphins couldn't be happier with what they got from Kendall Langford. A starter throughout the season, he figures to start on this team for years to come. Phillip Merling also had a nice year, especially as he rounded into form late in the season. No play was bigger for the Fins than his interception return for a touchdown in Week 17 against the Jets. Randy Starks, on the other hand, was excellent in the early part of last year, but saw his play tail off down the stretch. Still, he figures to compete with Merling for the starting job opposite Langford, and all three will play significant roles in the rotation.
So, between Starks, Merling, and Langford, the Dolphins have three young players who will take care of the position for now and into the future. Thanks to last year's draft, defensive end is a strength, despite that Starks' contract is a bit bigger than was justified from his play. The only real question with this unit then becomes how they are featured in the nickel.
Nickel pass rush was a huge issue for the Dolphins last year. Much has been made about how Joey Porter was our only source of pressure, and rightfully so. Though responsibility is shared with the strongside backer position, the line needs to play a roll in pressuring the passer, especially on 3rd down.
Specifically, the Dolphins chose to reallign up front in nickel situations last year. The nose tackle would leave the game, and the ends would slide down to the inside. Additionally, the outside backers would drop down into three point stances and flank the oxymoronic interior ends as if they were normal 4-3 defensive ends. The results were putrid. In my opinion, this eliminated one of the great advantages of the 3-4, that the quarterback never knows where the pressure is coming from. However, this should all change this year.
With Jason Taylor and Cameron Wake joining the linebacking corps, Miami would do well to find ways to get both of them on the field on third down. As I see it, the easiest and most effective way to accomplish this would be by taking a lineman off of it. I think the Dolphins would be smart to play with only one true defensive lineman on the field, keeping a 3-4 look as opposed to a 4-3, to beef up the nickel pass rush.
Say Kendall Langford and Randy Starks end up starting and playing 1st and 2nd downs, as they figure to. The odd man out, in this case Merling, could simply sub in when the three starting defensive linemen leave on 3rd down and line up as the nose. This frees up Porter, Taylor, and Wake to all enter the game, and that should spell huge issues for opposing quarterbacks, who won't know where the pressure is coming from.
Moreover, whether or not the Dolphins adopt the aforementioned system to help fix the nickel pass rush, the defensive ends need to play a bigger role in harrasssing the Mark Sanchezes and Tom Bradys of the world. Besides that and drafting a top tier nose next year, the defensive line is a position of strength for now and beyond for the Miami Dolphins.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Miami Dolphins' Randy Starks arrested on South Beach
Story
It's worth noting that Starks denies basically all allegations except having an overstuffed car filled with nine people (not thirteen as the cop alleges). However, if Starks is guilty here, this could mean big problems for the Fins D-line. Holliday was available to be let go because of our perceived depth at end, but without Starks it would all but disappear.
It's worth noting that Starks denies basically all allegations except having an overstuffed car filled with nine people (not thirteen as the cop alleges). However, if Starks is guilty here, this could mean big problems for the Fins D-line. Holliday was available to be let go because of our perceived depth at end, but without Starks it would all but disappear.
Miami Dolphins extend CB Will Allen's contract
VIEW SUN-SENTINEL ARTICLE
Also, as ProFootballTalk points out, this deal isn't nearly as fiscally irresponsible as meets the eye. Essentially, the Dolphins gave their best corner two guaranteed years at $5 million and change, over which time he should continue to perform as an elite corner, and they have what amounts to a club option on a 3rd year. In fact, this deal makes a lot of sense to me.
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PFT article below:
$12.2 Million In New Money For Will Allen
Posted by Mike Florio on May 27, 2009, 9:50 a.m.
Also, as ProFootballTalk points out, this deal isn't nearly as fiscally irresponsible as meets the eye. Essentially, the Dolphins gave their best corner two guaranteed years at $5 million and change, over which time he should continue to perform as an elite corner, and they have what amounts to a club option on a 3rd year. In fact, this deal makes a lot of sense to me.
_________________________________________________________________
PFT article below:
$12.2 Million In New Money For Will Allen
Posted by Mike Florio on May 27, 2009, 9:50 a.m.
Even spread over three years, a $16 million contract with more than $10 million guaranteed looks on the surface to be excessive for Dolphins cornerback Will Allen — especially in light of the “English Muffin under high heat” imitation he pulled during last year’s playoff loss to the Ravens.
We’ve tracked down the details, and in context the deal seems to be more in line with Allen’s skill and age.
The 2001 first-rounder will indeed receive more than $10 million guaranted on his new contract. But it comes in the form of a guaranteed base salary of $4 million in 2009, a guaranteed base salary of $5.2 million in 2010, and a signing bonus of $1.5 million.
Allen already was due to make $4 million this year, but the payment wouldn’t have been guaranteed until the start of the regular season (due to the “termination pay” rules of the CBA).
Under the new contract, Allen also is scheduled to earn a base salary of $5.5 million in 2011.
So it’s a $12.2 million in new money, $6.7 million of which is guaranteed.
Recent Dolphins News
It's been a while since I've posted anything Dolphins on this site. So I'm gonna get cracking on the recent stories of interest (in other words, if you wanted to read about Plexiglass coming to the Fins, go back to ESPN.com):
Dolphins' Ernest Wilford embraces experiment as tight end/H-back
Very interesting...more cleverness from the coaching staff for a guy who had no chance of making the team as a receiver.Friday, May 22, 2009
Shocking
Ex-Chargers QB Leaf indicted on drug charges
"The indictment said Leaf presented an incomplete medical history to several physicians between January 2008 and September 2008 to get or try to obtain the painkiller Hydrocodone."
What would Ryan Leaf need painkillers for??
"The indictment said Leaf presented an incomplete medical history to several physicians between January 2008 and September 2008 to get or try to obtain the painkiller Hydrocodone."
What would Ryan Leaf need painkillers for??
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Sports news/commentary
Gruden joins 'Monday Night Football'
Gotta love Kornheiser. Everybody was excited when he first joined MNF, but even he agreed that it never really worked. Now, not only am I excited about PTI's possible return to prominence, but I think the Monday Night booth has potential to be its best in years.
Jaws is hands down the best analyst in football right now, so good that a two man booth with he and the consumate professional Tirico alone would've made for a great team. However, Gruden is the perfect final piece. He is a smart, interesting football insider coming off an extremely successful tenure with the Bucs, but since he is new to the booth, we shouldn't have to worry about him talking too much. I look forward to Tirico providing the glue while Jaws and Gruden combine for interesting analysis and debate. Finally, ESPN makes a decision benefiting the intelligent fan.
Sources: Wall picks Kentucky
Wall, the top rated point guard coming out of high school is a ridiculous athlete, and this decision has huge ramifications on the entire college basketball landscape. I don't know what kind of recruiting Callipari does, but wow that guy must be persuasive. Kentucky is already a national contender, months into his tenure there. For the sake of college basketball, I really hope that there is no foul play involved.
Source: Favre doesn't want surgery
Whether or not Favre has surgery, whether or not he joins the Vikings, whether or not he is obviously just waiting for offseason workouts to pass before signing, everybody short of Tony Dungy is tired of this story (yeah...Dungy is that patient).
But the thing that bothers me most is the big deal about his "injury" last year. A partially torn biceps tendon is a NON-ISSUE. The tendon that Favre tore is completely unneccesary, so much so that the easiest way to fix it is...completing the rupture! There is no structural damage to the body, and the pain that Favre might be presently feeling would be vanquished completely. John Elway won the Superbowl without that tendon!
Any excuses Favre has from last season that have to do with this injury are laughable. If he is still feeling pain from his performance, that is a different issue, but I really don't want to hear about this tendon anymore.
And if you must know, as much as I would love to see the Jets get even more screwed over by this whole ordeal, I really hope Favre doesn't join the Vikings. He may not realize it, but doing so would tarnish his Packer legacy, and that's just not right for football.
Gotta love Kornheiser. Everybody was excited when he first joined MNF, but even he agreed that it never really worked. Now, not only am I excited about PTI's possible return to prominence, but I think the Monday Night booth has potential to be its best in years.
Jaws is hands down the best analyst in football right now, so good that a two man booth with he and the consumate professional Tirico alone would've made for a great team. However, Gruden is the perfect final piece. He is a smart, interesting football insider coming off an extremely successful tenure with the Bucs, but since he is new to the booth, we shouldn't have to worry about him talking too much. I look forward to Tirico providing the glue while Jaws and Gruden combine for interesting analysis and debate. Finally, ESPN makes a decision benefiting the intelligent fan.
Sources: Wall picks Kentucky
Wall, the top rated point guard coming out of high school is a ridiculous athlete, and this decision has huge ramifications on the entire college basketball landscape. I don't know what kind of recruiting Callipari does, but wow that guy must be persuasive. Kentucky is already a national contender, months into his tenure there. For the sake of college basketball, I really hope that there is no foul play involved.
Source: Favre doesn't want surgery
Whether or not Favre has surgery, whether or not he joins the Vikings, whether or not he is obviously just waiting for offseason workouts to pass before signing, everybody short of Tony Dungy is tired of this story (yeah...Dungy is that patient).
But the thing that bothers me most is the big deal about his "injury" last year. A partially torn biceps tendon is a NON-ISSUE. The tendon that Favre tore is completely unneccesary, so much so that the easiest way to fix it is...completing the rupture! There is no structural damage to the body, and the pain that Favre might be presently feeling would be vanquished completely. John Elway won the Superbowl without that tendon!
Any excuses Favre has from last season that have to do with this injury are laughable. If he is still feeling pain from his performance, that is a different issue, but I really don't want to hear about this tendon anymore.
And if you must know, as much as I would love to see the Jets get even more screwed over by this whole ordeal, I really hope Favre doesn't join the Vikings. He may not realize it, but doing so would tarnish his Packer legacy, and that's just not right for football.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Big Daddy Drew Rant
F-CK YOU, BRETT FAVRE
The greatest thing about Big Daddy Drew, and really all the guys at Kissing Suzy Kolber, is that as profane and hilarious they are, they always manage to keep their credibility, even in a rant like this. Even though it looks like Favre is staying retired for now, BDD's commentary was spot-on as usual. And did I mention hilarious...
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
I wish John Beck all the best...
Former Miami Dolphins QB John Beck signs with Ravens
...but not with Cam CameronFriday, May 1, 2009
Rey Maualuga grinding on Erin Andrews...
Hilarious. Never saw this before, but just stumbled upon it. Kinda makes me wish the Fins drafted him...
Bad Jason Taylor news...
Patriots have strong interest in Jason Taylor; Miami Dolphins not serious
In other news, Dolphins Stadium apparently might be renamed LandShark Stadium, at least for the time being. Stephen Ross is very serious about selling the naming rights, and it seems that a short term deal may be in place with Jimmy Buffet and company.
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