IMO Soliai is playing hard b/c: he loves the success he's having; he loves being a part of this defense; and b/c he's grown up an realized what's important to him. I really don't feel money will change him one bit. This is one case where rewarding the player will be a VERY good thing IMO. He's been through enough crap (family stuff and all), so we'll get the most out of him by paying him major respect. Respect in this case is recognizing that he's busting his *** and we're rewarding him accordingly with a nice contract. I get the impression he'll want to earn every penny of it. And as far as I'm concerned, Paul is what makes this defense work. It all revolves around him IMO..... which I guess could be interpreted as our entire 2010 success revolves around Soliai since our defense is what's winning us games.
So is the only player who can take our defense to the next level, Mark Herzlich? Fixing our offense is great and all, but I'd like to know who we can draft or sign in FA who puts our D over the top to where it strikes fear in the rest of the league. I'm serious. That's the question we need to be asking b/c, if our D can take another step toward the clouds, then that's 1 less step that our offense needs to worry about. We're so close to being able to smack teams around and watch them make mistake after mistake on offense to where they shoot themselves in the foot for us. It has to be a MLB to replace Crowder, a Safety, or a CB. So who's the guy? (I think for insurance purposes we also need another big, agile DT to spell Soliai should Paul get hurt...... a guy who can replace a "traded" Odrick and rotate in with the rest of the bunch. Kendrick Ellis perhaps?)
Let the young secondary players grow up a little, they'll start catching balls. Let Koa Misi grow up a little, he'll make more impact plays. Keep Soliai and Wake around. Start figuring out what your plan B is when Yeremiah can't hack it anymore. Even Dansby has upside as I find big free agent acquisitions can take a year before they really take off. Yeah if you were to grab a Mark Herzlich, that would really round things out, as long as the coaching stays at this level, you'd probably have a D like the Steelers...just constantly good year in and year out. You have the nucleus.
After a handful of whiskeys wit eggnog, I hav my rough drunken offseason desires: FA: Mankins, Bradshaw (or DeAngelo), Mike Sims-Walker (this kid will make us forget Hartline was ever a #2, and Brandon & Henne will be MUCH appreciative. Side note: I actually do like Hartline believe it or not) -Trade back our 1st for an extra 2nd: TE- Kyle Rudolph (one of NFL's future great every down TEs & future upgrade to Fasano. He gets a couple years to groom w/o us taking any lumps at the position. Perfect!) -Trade our future 1st: C- Stephen Wisniewski -Trade Odrick for a high 2nd: ILB- Mark Herzlich (smart, passionate, playmaking, do-it-all ILB to replace Crowder and give us some extra turnovers) -Remaining 2nd: RB- DeMarco Murray or Ryan Williams (gives us big-play ability no matter what back is in the game) -3rd: NT/DT/DE- Kendrick Ellis (massive body whom we can move around the Dline and back up Soliai. Too important of a position to not have a safety net) -Trade Carey for a 3rd: RT (Matt Reynolds, Marcus Gilbert, or Chris Hairston. Garner can start till the rookie is ready. Long-Mankins-Wisniewski-Jerry-Garner/"rookie" look extremely promising for a long time.) 4th: WR- Greg Little (trade up into the 3rd if needed. This kid is gonna be a man among boys in the NFL in a few years and would eventually replace Marshall when his contract is done) 5th: pass rush specialist- Chris Carter (hard to argue with CK's personal favorite pass rusher. Carter's a natural.) We won't even need a 2011 draft b/c our team would be set outside of a SS to replace Bell. (I've always wondered when I'd use this smiley)
my thoughts too. Thanks Chris. It drives me nuts though to see these young kids dropping so many passes when I thought that this part of the game would come the easiest of everything.... especially with SS's background. We're never going to get many picks from Clemons, so I really hope these other guys can pull through...... either that or we eventually look for a Polamalu type SS who can grab some balls to make up for it like Boomer referenced.
There's an article out there saying that Carson Palmer is unwilling to take a pay cut and the Bengals may cut him because they don't want to pay his exorbitent 2011 salary (think it's $11+ million). So what if you were to pull in a Carson Palmer, hire John Ramsdell as your Offensive Coordinator, then draft someone like Ben Chappell to train on? Can't figure out why in blue hell Chappell isn't getting more credit from draft services at the moment.
There are a lot of issues with this. I think it's a bad assumption that Mike Sims-Walker will become a UFA. I don't like trading a future 1st for Wisniewski. I could deal with trading Odrick for Herzlich only if we manage to re-sign McDaniel and that's a big IF at the moment because he wants to be a starter somewhere, and even if we gave away Odrick he'd still have Randy Starks and Kendall Langford to contend with in Miami. I wouldn't think Ryan Williams would last to that later 2nd rounder but who knows. I don't like DeMarco Murray much. No way you can get Chris Carter in the 5th but if he does last that far, we'd better jump on it.
No one will have a D like the Steelers unless they keep their D Coord for years like they have. Thats why its so good. If we keep Nolan for 5 years I bet we become like them. If he leaves in a year or two, we won't.
Some things I don't understand: our secondary is terrific. Yeah so they drop some picks but the thought of ripping it up? Madison had lots of picks and Surtain didn't but Surtain was by far the better player. Not sure why you think I don't like DeAndre McDaniel. I like hikm a lot but the injury has hurt him and his play, injury or not against Miami was horrific. No-one's trading Jared Odrick. Kyle Rudolph is slow, runs bad routes and I just cannot see the fuss over him. At all. And why are you playing Mark Herzlich at ILB?
I certainly was one of the first if not the first to talk about wanting MCD instead of Odrick , I see the talk has gone to possibly trading him . I certainly wouldn't be against that , but can't see it happening. Who is going to give up what he's worth after a series of leg injuries? Can't see anyone giving up a two , from there anything lower just probably isn't worth it right now. Worth more to Miami than he is to another team , i fear we bite the bullet and let next season play out with Odrick on the roster.
IMO it's disturbing that we have 30 dropped INTs which is the worst in the league, and it's not even close. I'll give them a year to see if they can rinse the bacon grease off their fingers, but if it doesn't happen, then I'm looking for an upgrade. It's a win-win. Either it's upgraded...... or we're left with what we currently have, only with greater depth. My bad about McDaniel. I thought you had mentioned something him being overrated. Apologies. I was extremely critical of Rudolph this year, too, until I realized he was playing all season on a bum hammy that finally separated from the bone. With Fasano here, Kyle would have time to develop before he's thrust into the #1 role IMO. I don't see much difference between he and Gronkowski. Plus he's white, so I don't see a problem with him learning the system. ....... If we re-sign McD, why would we not want to trade Odrick? Our Dline is outstanding without him. Does he not seem like a little overkill? You don't think Herzlich could play ILB in a 3-4, especially considering how much our Dline clogs up the run? I was thinking he could become a stud in the middle given a little time. You don't like the idea of Dansby and Herzlich together?
This draft has to be focused on fixing the offense. They need an offensive coordinator who can use Hartline, Bess, and Marshall. I wouldn't even rule out WR as an option but I don't think they want someone in the mold of Justin Blackmon, Jonathan Baldwin, or Julio Jones. I think they want a speedster like Ryan Broyles. In Round 1 it is doubtful. I expect them to draft two RB's. Mark Ingram would be excellent in Round 1; Ryan Williams, Noel Devine, Kendall Hunter, Mike Leshoure, LaMichael James, Shane Vareen, and Demarco Murray all could be options. I would LOVE to see Lance Kendricks or DJ Williams in the Aqua and Orange. The wild-card for me is a RIGHT Tackle. I think Vernon Carey could be moved inside or unfortantly released. If they make a push for a Carl Nicks or a Logan Mankins Careys' days as a Dolphin could be numbered
We will not be able to fix our QB issue via the draft. Andrew Luck, Cam Newton, Ryan Mallett, and even Jake Locker will be gone by the time we pick. Also, Nick Foles is a lock to return to Arizona. Pat Devlin will need time to develop and I am not fancy on Gabbert or Ponder. We are going to have to look at trade options (Kolb) or free agents (Palmer, McNabb). Another year under Henne and I think we can all agree that 8-8 is the best we can do.
Carey would have a $7 million cap hit if cut. I'm not sure they want to eat that kind of money. Also, I just don't see the need to open another hole on the offensive line when they've had this much trouble fixing the interior. They're probably going to go 8-8 this year with Henne against a tougher schedule, no running game, and some of the worst offensive gameplanning in football. Not saying Henne is the answer, but with a better system and more talent, they can be a playoff team with him at QB in the short term.
What do you guy's think about Mitch Mustain? He's pretty much an unknown commodity because of Barkley but was a top recruit. If we pick him up late and have coach Pennington develop him he may be a steal.
You know one thing that we haven't really discussed is if some stability is established in the front office, Miami perhaps could look in the direction of trading picks for future picks. I don't think Miami's needs are so egregious that they cannot fulfill most of these through lower level FA signings. I don't think it's worth picking a QB, RB, TE, WR, or OL out of the players available. On the other hand I do think you can pickup a decent RB in FA, a decent 2 TE, a speed WR, a veteran QB, and perhaps a G without spending a ridiculous sum (especially if you do it wisely). How do future quarterback classes look? Perhaps you trade this year's 1st for a 2nd plus next year 1st. Then with that second rounder you trade for a third rounder and next year second rounder. Sure you've traded down from a middle first round 1st rounder but you've got two 1sts and 2nd next year. You could float picks like New England does until a guy like an Andrew Luck comes available again. All you've really lost in all that is perhaps the difference between a Mark Ingram and a third round back (not the end of the world), but you've given yourself a shot in the future of finally getting that right guy and having the ammunition to go get him. New England has that kind of capability and it's because they're patient. They can do so and not risk losing out thinking this is the guy that will turn my luck around. Have some foresight Miami. Stop trying to force a rebuild, let it happen progressively.
Alen, were you talking up Matt Reynolds the other day? Looks terrific generally in pass pro but needs a LOT of work in the run game, especially straight ahead, in the weight room as he struggles to get any leg drive and he's pretty flabby in the midrift. I'd stay at BYU for his senior year.
Boomer- I am not a fan of Matt Reynolds. His feet seem to be stuck in quick sand and I don't think he is strong at the point of attack. It seems like you and that guy Chris are the draft experts here. I think Reynolds grades out to a Round 3 prospect at best.
I really appreciate the work you and Chris put forth. It;s like having Mel Kiper on the boards. Makes me glad that I found this website. I want your opinion on a player whom I tihnk fits our scheme well. Orlando Franklin from Miami. Everyone seems to think we are going to get Logan Mankins but it's not definite. I think Franklin has the size and power to be the next Larry Allen. What are your thoughts on him...
I've had Orlando Franklin as the top rated Guard on my board since we did our Draft coverage for the Sun Sentinel last year. I think he's terrific and he provides versatility because you know what, he looked better at Left Tackle this year than a lot of the Left Tackle prospects I see being rated highly. He's got a naturalness to his movement and power, I just can't imagine him failing.
I agree 100%. Plus he has the size that fits our scheme. Could you imagine an Offensive Line that consists og Jake Long, Vernon Carey, Richie Incognito, John Jerry, and Orlando Franklin?
I'd switch out Carey and Franklin. I think putting Carey at LG and Franklin at RT is kind of the definition of counter-intuitive tinkering. Carey's been a RT for so long, and he's a good one when healthy. Franklin's been on the left side so long. Play the players where they're comfortable playing, if they're good players you'll be happy with the results.
And I'm not sure I am buying this Richie Incognito at Center experiment. His shotgun snaps are consistently bad. He doesn't fire out to the next level. John Jerry is going to also have to prove next training camp that he belongs on the offensive line because, to date, he does not. Incognito is a natural RG. That's what he wants to play and it's where he's most comfortable. Have it so that John Jerry has to beat Richie Incognito if he wants the job. It's not like Incognito is a Jahri Evans or anything. If Jerry is worth his salt then he'll beat Richie eventually. If Miami could get a good pulling Left Guard and a Center that has a little motor to him, they'd be a lot better off.
You know what Stretch, I'd like to see him up against a real player, a Bowers or a Clayborn, because he has good feet and pretty good balance. But my concern is his lack of strength, as I said. I want to see what happens when an Adrian Clayborn is bullrushing him with that excellent technique and strength. How would he hold up? As a run blocker, he uses good feet to wall off and get an end turned so that a back runs past him untouched. But he very much struggles when the back has to run into the hole created because he gets stoned at the POA. He can't get any push, even on full extenssion and has no leg drive at all.
That's very kind of you. Franklin is a fundamentally sound player who could play inside or out. I know Chris is a huge fan of his and has been for a while so I might defer the full answer to him.
I dunno, I thought he did a pretty decent job against two big units in Suh and Williams. He needed to work harder at the 2nd level, but the push he created made the OL look like an arrowhead consistently because he was getting a step or 2 ahead of the guards. For me, neither McQuistan or Jerry are starters to this point and Jerry was awful yesterday. Given how little experience Richie has with snapping, an offseason of doing that is going to help, especially when you consider the big guys playing DT or NT that we face. He may be 'best suited' to playing RG but he's not a great mover in space. Good centers are usually harder to find than good guards. He's the best center on our roster and if Nate Garner gets back into the mix and we add a couple of players via FA and the draft, then we're looking brighter already.
I think our offensive line is set at the ends with Carey and Long. Keeping Incognito could come cheap and let's say you keep him and sign an Logan Mankins. Then April in Round 3 you snag a player like John Moffitt. A line that consists of.. Long/Mankins/Moffitt/Incognito/Carey with Nate Garner, Lydon Murtha, and John Jerry providing depth is pretty dog gone good for my money.
Boomer is not alone in his assessment of Ingonito's play Sunday. At 6-foot-3 and 324 pounds, Incognito is a little thicker than Berger (6-5, 315) and that makes him a bit more suitable to handle the heavier nose tackles. Detroit’s Ndamukong Suh, the leading candidate for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, was pretty much neutralized by Incognito for the most of the afternoon. http://www.miamidolphins.com/news/incognito-could-be-future-center-miami
Incognito wouldn't be expensive to retain by any means. I must say I think a lot of people are writing off John Jerry way too soon. The guy is a rookie and needs to development. If can buy into the off-season program and dedicate himself to getting stronger I think this guy is going to be a damn good Right Guard. If we retain Carey I see Left Guard as the obvious hole and Logan Mankins fills it. A line of Long, Mankins, Incognito, Jerry, and Carey is very good. Draft some people for depth but Rouns 1,3,4 can be dedicated to QB, RB, Speed WR or Vertical TE
Jery may indeed turn out to be starter material , however he hasn't shown that we should expect that from him imo. He is an overage player and has looked lost at times , for his size he also , to me , plays soft. So I HOPE he develops , I am not counting on it though.
Brandon Heath of Louisville. 4-3 WLB with terrific instincts, stes the edge, hard hitter, can run the arc on passing downs from a stand up end spot, will drop in coverage, can pursue across the field. Liked him earlier in the season, loved him against Southern.
