http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolp...ary-guyton-agrees-to-terms-with-dolphins.html Not sure he was the best out of the four we brought in for a look see but they must see something they like
Numbers wise I believe he was the best of the four. All of them came into the league in 2008. Guyton was an UDFA and the only one above 107 tackles in 4 years with 229. Groves and Goff had 107 while Kehl had 106. This is IMO, the type of support signings we need. Too much times previous we've signed guys like Alama-Francis hoping they could contribute without getting much. Guyton is a low-cost, moderate production type of player. We're probably going to see more guys like this on the defensive side of the ball assuming Philbin wants to make a real transition to a strong offensive team. It leaves a lot of resources on the table for the offense, but gives us moderate production. In the NFL today, you don't necessarily need good D. You just need your D to be good enough. While teams like the Steelers and Ravens make their bones with great Defenses, on the flip side you have teams like the Packers starting Erik Walden (yes that one), the Colts previous starting guys like Jacob Lacey, and the Lions starting a Division I secondary. EDIT: To sort of drive home my point, based on PPG, the Dolphins had the number 6 defense while the Patriots and Giants were 15 and 25 respectively. Conversely, the Dolphins had the 22nd offense in PPG while the Patriots and Giants were 2nd and 8th respectively.
He wasn't very good in New England last season. Probably coming in as a special teams player with experience.
Compared to his 85-tackle season, did it look to have anything to do with the Patriots's changing defense style (assuming it wasn't overblown by the media how much things they tweaked).
It was a bit overblown, but no I don't think so. From what I saw, he flat out got beat numerous times in coverage, which is said to be his designated role.
I agree. The fact that he was not part of the roster during the playoffs, while he was healthy, tells me all I need to know in regards to his overall ability. Bill Belichick obviously didn't have much faith in Guyton once the playoffs began. I am not a Misi fan but I certainly don't see Guyton as an upgrade over Misi. As you stated, Guyton will probably end up as a special teams player this coming season.
Isn't he really fast? If he can fly down and hit someone on punt team and kickoff team then it's a good signing IMO.
Belichick didn't have confidence enough in Guyton to use him on special teams in the playoffs. Instead Belichick had a healthy Guyton placed on the inactive roster for the playoffs. My view is that if Guyton wasn't good enough to play for the Patriots during the playoffs when he was healthy, he certainly won't be an upgrade for the Dolphins at the LB position or on special teams. Just because someone is fast doesn't mean they are effective in the NFL.