The Linebacker Situation

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.