I have been doing something many relatives have begged me to stop doing and that is thinking and after reading the afc stats we are next to last in scoring offense but this was from the newspaper so idont know how other sources rank us but if offense is near the bottom then somewhere long the way we need to get a superstar at wr and tightend. I will admitt Lamar Milller has shown me something but i dont know how to feel about the other running backs . three years ago I really thought Fasano had impressed me then his second year he struggled but I am a Fasano fan but the other tightends just dont impressed me. so what this team needs is . #1 2 more wrs with size and speed . look at San Fran , and Dallas . but what about the oline ? do we need another olineman in the draft or f/a ? if Reggie doesnt get the job done do we need another runningback ? as for Javorski Lane is he goingto be a bust or a stud ? on defense we need another safety and connerback . but the offense what does Miami really need toget us into the position of being a threat ?
We need to find "solutions" at: Guard Tight End Wide Receiver Halfback Defensive End Cornerback "Solutions" may or may not actually any specific acquisition or an acquisition at all. We may have "solved" safety this off-season with the play of Reshad Jones and Chris Clemons, for example.
I don't have any strong disagreement with that as a list of position priorities (in no specific order), but don't agree with the terms "need" or "solutions." No team has great players at every position. Everyone has weaknesses. I don't think Fasano or Bush need to be replaced (unless they leave as FAs). While there is room for improvement at CB, our pass defense has been pretty good (notwithstanding some people's insistence on looking only at passing yards allowed). If Smith leaves as a FA that may be another story, but . . .There is always room for more and better pass rushers, but we are still among the league leaders in sacks and I think Vernon has played well overall and has considerable potential for improvement. And Odrick is a quality run stopper. We could use an upgrade at WR, but I really don't see the WR corps as holding this team back. Guys are getting open, even downfield, and are generally catching the good passes thrown to them. At G, Jerry has made some significant strides and while there is still plenty of room for improvement, I wouldn't be a rush to replace him. Incognito hasn't played great this year, but was pretty solid the previous 2 years and is still perfectly capable of playing at that level. While some believe he is not suited to a zone blocking scheme, I don't think that is the problem. I think he just isn't playing as well as he was. It happens, but it doesn't mean it is irreversible.
I pretty much agree completely with all of that besides maybe Incognito. "Need" and "solutions" are not great phrases for it, but they're basically the areas of greatest scrutiny and grounds to consider for an upgrade. You always have holes, needs, and areas to improve, but the Dolphins are largely free of dumpster fires that threaten their ability to be a viable football team. Sure, but I don't think the Dolphins are likely to be players for any serious free agent acquisitions besides maybe Greg Jennings. They're going to pick and choose their own guys, and can probably get them all if they desire, and adding new players in free agency will probably be like this year where they pick up insurance for their own guys they aren't sure will make the jump.
I think upgrades at WR and TE would be a big boost. Don't agree with RB (Bush is decent and I think the rookies can improve there also). LG is also a need. I like the WR's we have but still think we need a guy who is better than any of the four that caught passes on Sunday. I like those 4 as support guys. Not saying we need a superstar; but definitely a better player there. A top level TE would be great for RT. I like the Fauria kid from UCLA but he has to improve his speed a bit. He would be a solid get in Rd. 2, imo. OG would be nice as well. And, can't disagree with another DE to improve pass rush though we have some solid DE's as is. We have to keep hold of Sean Smith. I like the improved play of the Safeties, but it's still early.
We need a 2nd damn tight end..now. If not Gronk, not D Allen, then maybe they make a run at Eifert in the twenties range...look into Jennings This offseason is gonna be fun, almost can't wait for combine/draft stuff... But I won't, not during a season like this.
Offensive Needs WR: We need another receiver to start opposite of Hartline. And honestly, I'm not convinced Brian Hartline is the answer at #2. After he exploded against Arizona it seemed everyone was drooling over him. Hasn't done much since then. Doesn't score TD's. Same for Bess. Doesn't score TD's. My solution has been to sign a FA and draft a WR next year for development. FA/Trade, Hartline, Bess, Wallace/Rookie. Would make for a solid WR core, I think. Tackle: I don't think Jake Long is worth the price of admission. Franchise and trade, move Martin back to LT, and get another RT. G: Our guards are serviceable, but we need upgrades to open up the running game on the inside. Imagine an explosive RB like Bush running through Miami's oline circa 2002. Oh Lawd.... TE: This is one a maybe. Would love to have a Gronk type of TE. Big, strong, athletic, great hands, great blocker, etc... Gronk's don't grow on trees though. Fasano is solid although not spectacular. If he's resigned, I'm OK with that. We're going to have to wait and see on Egnew. TBH, TE isn't likely to be a priority. Wouldn't be upset if we brought someone in... Needs on Defense DE: I'd to bring in a big time DE opposite Cam Wake. Imagine if JT (prime) had Cam Wake opposite of him? Would be an amazing mismatch for opposing teams. Would improve secondary too. Kill two birds with one stone. CB: Obviously need to replace Vontae. While most seem to think VD wasn't needed/isn't missed, I'm scared to see what happens when Miami plays a real QB (See ya soon Tom Brady). Carroll is OK. Marshall is... Well, hurt. His *** got beat by Santonio Holmes, which scares me going forward. Either way, I think another CB needs to be brought in. LB: Is misi a long term answer? What's the future of our other LB's? Safety: I want to see our safety's against big time QB's before I say it isn't a need. Jones is fine. Clemons, I'm not sold on.
Know what? For once I have faith that whatever players we have, our coaches are good enough to turn into a good team. We have lots of draft picks and lots of cap space and a great coaching staff. Greatness ahead.
IMO the biggest "needs" are in the areas of pass rush and offensive play makers. I see those as areas where you can almost never have too many. Our pass rush has been effective but it feels somewhat manufactured. There will be times when a team forces us to be more vanilla and for those situations it would be nice to have another stud pass rusher opposite Wake. As for offensive play makers, our offense thrives on RT having multiple options and then choosing the right one based on what the defense shows. That is why Philbin probably prefers to have many good receivers (ie. can beat one on one coverage and make the catch) to having the alpha guy who you force the ball into. That doesn't mean it isn't nice to have a great WR, but in our system you don't seek that at the expense of having four or five good targets. The salary cap often forces you to chose one path or the other. I would like to add at least a couple of guys that could fit the "good target" bill. My preference would be to add a seam threat TE and another WR to the mix. Egnew or Clay may still find their legs and I believe Matthews has the skills to be very good, but I'd still like to double up in case those guys don't develop. I feel that the development of Wilson and Carroll have lessened the need for CBs. I like to have multiple good ones so more is better, but I feel comfortable that we have at least three so the need isn't as pressing as I felt it was earlier. I'd still probably target at least one in FA or the top three rounds. I still would like a better play maker at S than Clemons. CC has played well, but I see some room for upgrade there. If the draft presents an opportunity to provide that upgrade then that wouldn't be a bad choice. I really love watching Elam (UF) play. He seems to have a real knack for making plays. I'd be tempted to use one of our 2nd rounders on him. After those positions I'd list OL. This could move up if we lose Long of course. In general I prefer to use later picks on Gs, but that depends on the talent pool. So pending FA and the rest of the season, I would guess that positionally we'll target DE, WR, TE, CB, S and OL in the top four rounds although obviously if a great talent at another position falls to you, you take him. I'd like to get the DE with the first, but I'm guessing that the best guys will be long gone by the time we're up. I think that WR or CB will like be the BPA in the second half of the first.
How do you feel about R. Marshall at safety, which is supposed to be his natural position? Cause I've been thinking if we get a CB, then we could fill two spots with one pick essentially.
Honestly, I didn't watch him play S enough to have my own opinion on him. All I know is based on what CK told us. If CK's assessment is accurate, then moving him to S and getting a CB makes sense (from what I'm hearing there should be some good CBs in the late first and second). But if Elam or another S is better than Marshall then I'd prefer to have the better player a S. I think that S is more of an impact position in today's NFL. I'd rather have a couple of really good play makers at S, Smith at CB and then several good CBs who can tackle consistently and have enough ball skills to make a few plays ( you can find those guys in the mid-level of FA and in the fourth round or so of the draft).
hopefully next year we have 2 new starting WRs. Hartline can walk, he's replaceable. i guess we can keep Fasano but i certainly wouldn't lose any sleep if we let him leave, either way we need a more athletic TE.
Holy cow, are pigs flying? LBsF responded to a "what the Dolphins need thread" without first yelling "a new GM!"?? I think I need to sit down for a second. Can someone quickly hand me some smelling sal... Hey, what happened?! Where am I? I just had the craziest dream y'all.
lol..well although i still feel that Ireland didn't deserve to be retained this past offseason, and i still feel that there are upgrades out there, i can't complain much right now, we're in the playoff hunt and his draft picks are starting to develop and come into their own, guys like jones, chris clemons, who i've always liked despite everyone else demanding an upgrade at FS, olivier vernon, a pick i loved being a canes fan myself, jimmy wilson, even the guys who looked terrible at times like Jon Martin and John Jerry are starting to contribute. and then of course you have Tannehill and Pouncey who are looking like cornerstones of the team. however, i do feel that this offense can never become great and will always be limited unless we upgrade the skill positions, and i dont think many would disagree with me, however there might be disagreements on how significant the upgrades need to be. personally i feel that this entire WR corps needs to be revamped, not only do i want to sign a starting WR in free agency but I also want to take one high in the draft, with our first pick even (i'm drooling over Tennessee's Justin Hunter's potential). i mean who are the long term weapons for Tannehill? Bess, maybe Rishard Mathews...who else? and im not even that sure of Mathews. i don't want Hartline as a starting WR next year, he's simply too limited. the TE position is tricky because Egnew has the physical ability but we have to yet to see ANYTHING from him this season so i dont know how confident i'd be going into next season with him as our main receiving TE threat. as for running back, Bush can walk, I'm of the opinion that Lamar Miller is capable of providing everything Bush provides, i also think Miller has better vision and he's more explosive. we might need to replace Thomas if he can't fix these fumbling issues.
We might be better served to target our pass rushers in the draft and then pick up a solid WR in free agency; due to rookie WR's usually taking time to develop. However, we're not deficient enough in any area to reach in the first for any one position. I still say we move up to take best pass rusher available, but I like how Ireland has loaded next year's draft. It allows for a lot of maneuverability.
We need a new Water Boy, that guy is slow to react and has fumbled the water tray a couple of times. I know he doesn't effect our salary cap but I would hate to have someone get dehydrated and fall out. He's also been running his mouth to the opposing teams water boy before game time, giving the opposing water boy incentive to do well during game conditions!
