I am just curious. Now that we have our # 1 receiver in Brandon Marshall, is there anyone out there who still thinks we was good without a # 1?
I always thought we could compete with what we had. I thought they were an underrated group. I remember debating that around draft time with those who were in the Dez Bryant camp. Getting Brandon Marshall though is huge for our team. He will make the other receivers better and make our offense better.
I think we are going to do very well with Marshall, however, I would still like to see some better speed to counter him on the opposite side...I don't believe that Hartline (who is now our fastest WR) has elite speed...that could come back to bite us later once they figure out how to cover Marshall...JMHO...
That is very interesting...has anyone ever truly covered Marshall? I mean he don't stay in the same place after he catches the ball.
The thing is, the Bronks had some other speed and receivers with Marshall. We have no other real speed, but we do have some decent receivers with Cammy, Hartline and Bess. But Marshall's game is underneath stuff that allows him to utilize his ability to break tackles and break out of coverage. That is also Bess and Cammy's game... Hartline is the only speed guy we have and he's not Eddie Royal or even Brandon Lloyd fast... We'll see, and you're right, he hasn't been contained in the last 4 yrs...hopefully that'll happen here as well. What we have to worry about is IF between Cammy, Hartline and Bess we can't spread the ball around some to keep the D's off of Marshall....I hate to say this, but I even wish we had Ginn around to at least make the D somewhat honest...
Well, Greg C will be one yr removed from his ACL, and BH did show nice mid level separation. And the Broncs did not approach the effectiveness of our running game though Tony Scheffler is a far better Receiver than anyone we have on the roster, unless Kory Sperry or "Stealth" Nalbone surprises everyone.
We were average w/o Marshall. With our schedule, that'd be good for about 6-8 wins. Marshall, among other additions, gives us a chance at 9-11. JMHO.
Well, maybe, the thing of it is the offense wasn't the problem last yr, it was the defense, and the D still has the most question marks. Not bashing BMarsh or saying that he shouldn't have been traded for, because he should have been as the Offense is much closer to being Playoff caliber than the "D" is, so if you can fix it with one move, you fix it.
This offense was screaming for a number one WR..... EVERY game there were big play possibilities being left on the field. This offense nor the team was going to take the next step without one.... very thankful this FO woke up to that fact. Sure beats the hell out of trying to build a Ravens 2000 defense because we couldn't get more than a half dozen TD's out of the WR unit.
Not good but average. Dink and dunk for the most part with the occasional deep threat. Marshall changes all of that. In doing so, the other WRs will have a chance to really shine. I do wish we could've seen what Ginn could do when he isn't the focal point of the offense (or at least the guy who had the best chance of making a play). Too late for that though
Good post. Something tells me that we won't have to worry about they could spread the field. Each one had their moments when then broke into the open field. When teams start focusing on Marshall, Henne needs only one to break open and before you could blink, they got 20+ yards or even a touchdown. Who would you want to stop if these three are on their game? Then if somehow Fasano steps up, we are going to be dangerous. Talk about picking your poison. Basically what I am saying is I believe this team could do some damage on defenses. I remember seeing a video someone made here on our wide receivers. We have a team full of playmakers catching the ball. If the timing is right, I don't see how we could lose. Sorry I got excited
You'd be singing a different tune if you saw him running from his truck ... Excellent post. And it's exactly what I've been saying. Brandon is not a deep threat that's not his game. We'll see if Hartline can pull off being the deep guy full time
Marshall is a special player, and I'm glad he plays for us. He gives us a YAC threat as well as a redzone target. He should be a ton of fun to watch, as well as the guy accross from him benefiting from single cov.
my thinking was WRs are the last piece of the puzzle. And it was perfectly alligned with the 2011 draft class which is loaded with WR talent and might have five WRs taken in the first round. I would have preferred keeping what we had for one more year and using the extra 2nd rounder on another linebacker like Worilds or Kindle. Next year we could have drafted jonathan baldwin, aj green, michael floyd or julio jones
We lost b/c we gave up to many big plays and we didn't make enough big plays. Nolan (and to a lesser extent Dansby) should help address the first and Marshall should help address the second. Without improving those two issues it didn't matter what else we did.
The "deep threat" WR is overrated for our offense. I say this because we were a ball control offense and I believe we will continue to be, yet we will now do it with the ability to get those 15-20 yard plays on a more regular basis. On many occasions last season we had a problem getting the "chunk" yardage. Marshall is the perfect "chunk" yardage receiver. Add in that we have a crop of great hands around him, and we can put together the perfect ball control offense, which is what we need to win. Picture us coming out, and putting together drives that eat the clock with a mix of power running and mid-range passes. We will wear down defenses and have the ability now to get those 2nd/3rd and 7+ situations which we struggled with last season. Now comes the 3rd Quarter and we have been eating the clock, punching the opposition in the face with Ronnie and Ricky, and we control the mid-range passing game. Teams get tired, they make a risky adjustment or bad decision, and we can take a shot down field against CBs that have been getting worked in the short/mid game all day so they step-up to quick and get beat. At this point, we won't need great speed to accomplish a long-ball strike. Now it is late in the game, the defense is tired and we can continue to wear them down along with the clock with the short/mid game. Marshall fits this team so well with a power mentality, and wearing down defenses. This is the center of our offense and the key to winning and beating good teams. How do we beat the "superior" passing teams? We keep the ball out of their hands, and we don't do this by looking to go downfield more than a few times a game. We don't need great speed to strike deep. The "deep threat" WR is overrated in our system. he wouldn't fit well, and we really don't need one.
I do understand people saying this but the guy was just a stiff. He was good for a few plays a season... We need reliable! Taurus Johnson, Roberto Wallace, who knows, we might have a budding speedster on the roster already.
I am definitely not an expert in this area, but I am finally glad that we have a number one receiver. I know that many people talk about our lack of elite speed, but when he played for the broncos, they did not have our running game. No longer will teams be able to just stack the box and try to stop the running game. They cannot focus on our receivers and ignore the running game, because we will destroy them in that area. IMHO we became a more balanced and dangerous team, that now has to be played much more straight up. Last year, we did leave many plays on the field offense wise, but we gave up way to much in the defensive area. We shall see what this year brings, but I think our defense will be much improved and our offense as well.
Our offense scored enough in many games last year that if our D hadn't given it all back, we'd have beaten both SB teams. Marshall and the improved OL should make us even more dangerous. Mike Nolan and even just a slightly better defense should put us over the top and into the playoffs. Yes though, we really needed Air Marshall, and with our smash mouth possession game I don't think a speedy WR is a true necessity for us now with Air Marshall on this team.
simply put ... no our offense is now more 'reliably' explosive ... and our defense can't help but improve ... no worse than 10 wins this year ... a hot 2d half of the season leading deep into the playoffs ....
Royal was pretty close to invisible last year with the exception of a couple games. Lloyd was a total non-factor. Neither of them were opening things up for Marshall.
Marshall adds a new diminsion to our offense, a real threat to opposing defenses and an excellent target for a young QB developing his game. The other receivers are a great compliment to Marshall, especially with our running backs receiving skills. All we need now is for a TE to step up and be a dangerous threat. I thought our receivers were okay but they didn't instill fear in the opposing defense the way a receiver with Brandon Marshall's abilities will. If RB and RW can stay healthy this will be a multi-faceted offense and very dangerous.
No Regrets from me, Marshall was actually my favorite receiver in the NFL, so i was crazy excited to hear he would be wearing aqua and orange. Man i even had him on both my fantasy teams last year lol! If people dont like the decision, i dont care. I think he will add a whole new dynamic to the team, hes gonna free up coverage for our other receivers and keep teams from stacking the box on ronnie and ricky. i cant wait for the season to start! Go Phins!!!
I was on board with the acquisition of Marshall. I still don't think a "#1 Wide Receiver," I hate that term by the way, is required to win in the NFL though.
I was happy they traded for Marshall, I just wasn't really happy about the absolute petulance going on over it. People acted like children over not having a flashy #1 receiver. Someone actually said that the Dolphins wouldn't pick one up because the FO/Coaches weren't smart enough to handle the modern game. Honest to goodness.
yeah anyone who thinks we would do alright without Marshall is on crack and need their fandom questioned. Marshall's strength is the underneath routs which is perfect for the wildcat. I believe half of his TD's will come from the Wildcat. Marshall will open the field for the other recievers mainly Bess and Cammy. I believe Marshall fits our system better than Boldin, T.O., Holmes, Bryant, and any other WR FA's in this years class. 12-4 or 13-3 easy
What is it about Brandon Marshall that has fans on this board asking in not one thread, not two threads, but three separate threads, "Would we have been fine without him?" Is it really just interesting debate during the offseason? Or are there some fans on this board who never really wanted Brandon Marshall to be a Dolphin and want to continue to argue the point that we didn't need him? I'm not sure, but I can't wait for the season to start, because this question is tired out. #1 WR was a position of need for years and now we got one.
