What is the Fins biggest weakness, going into this off season?

GM

 

We could use another pass rusher, our O-line could be tweaked to be better, and our CBs need an overall upgrade ...... but the most immediate impact will be made by improving our receiving corp. You could leave everything else the same as is, and only upgrade the receiving corp, and we would instantly win more games. You start there, and everything else is taken care of afterwards.

 

I was being tounge-in-cheek..sorta. Yes I'd fire myself first..hehe

 

All offensive skill positions.

 

Ah, it says Mr. Negative under your screen name.

To that, all I can say is, "Yay another one", with all the sarcasm I can muster.

 

WR and TE....need game changers. Someone(s) that a defense has to prepare for and take their best effort to control. We need to score points, I want defenses scared of my offense and want to know we can score from anywhere on the field at anytime.

 

I'd have to think an edge rusher. We need to offset the extra attention Wake gets by having someone opposite him that can dominate one on one situations. These players are harder to find IMO, and are much more expensive in FA as opposed to an equally contributing WR or TE.

Osi Umenuyra (sp?) has said his time is over in NY, but he is 30 or 31 years old, and could be a nice stop gap for us if we want to focus on WR/TE. If not, I have no problem taking an edge rusher with our first pick since this draft has plenty of 2nd and 3rd round WR options anyway.

 

IMO it's obviously our passing game. Not including the OC, there are three main parts to the passing game, QB, OL and receivers (WRs/TEs/RBs). I think our QB is in place and will continue to develop. He clearly has the physical and mental tools and seems to have the personality and drive to want to improve. Our OL could be better but it's not terrible. You can hide a ton of OL pass blocking deficiencies with a quick passing game and play makers catching passes. I like our receivers and Fasano. And I like Bush as a pass catcher. He became more effective late in the year as they opened up the play book more. But we don't have enough play makers in that group. I would say that our biggest weakness is play makers at WR and TE to complement the pieces we have. I think that if we had two more play makers, one at WR that threatened the deep outside and one at TE that threatened the seam, it would spread the D and make everything function better. It's not about having one great WR. It's about having a passing game that makes the D's job difficult. You have to have receivers that attack all areas of the field and a QB that that can read and anticipate those opportunities and has the physical skill to get the ball there. I think we have some of the pieces. I love how Hartline and Bess can grind out those possession catches that keep the chains moving. But if you lack the tools to spread the D out, then all you have is the grind. If you look at the great offenses in in modern NFL history, they all had strong elements to attack the whole field. I think that if we add the right couple of pieces we can have an offense whose overall production improves dramatically. It's not about making wholesale changes to any one unit. It's about adding the few pieces that round you out and make the product greater than the sum of the parts.

 

If I were the GM, yes, first order of business would be to absolutely fire myself. Whatever my thoughts on Jeff Ireland are, I would be an unmitigated disaster as GM as would anybody on this board.

That said, call me a broken record all you want, but I do think talent evaluation is Miami's biggest weakness and has been for over a decade.

Beyond that, I think most importantly pass catchers need to be upgraded. There are other holes for sure, but none so apparent as the weakness at WR and to a lesser extent, TE.

 

Another safety next to Jones.

 

Biggest weakness right now is the lack of a Brian Hartline under contract.

 

Personally, I think

WR
OL
TE
DE
DB

I don't think it makes sense to get another TE until the line is right. I think between Clay & Eggnog we have a receiving threat at the TE position, but the problem is the line needs help so most times Fasano and even the RB had to help block instead of being targets.

I think DE is always more important than DB, especially in Brady's division.

 

fixed

 

I think you have more faith in Clay/Eggnog than I do. I don't think they've shown enough for me to state, "we have a receiving threat at the TE position".

I agree that DE is more important than a DB. In terms of potential positional impact, I don't think it's even close.

 

Well, I was probably being overly positive....I think at this point the major problem has been their blocking and mixed with the oline issues requiring the TEs to block more, that has caused us to not see enough of them as targets to make a decision 100% either way.

 

I think that's part of it, but I also think that they haven't been consistent enough in making the adjustments. If it was just the blocking then there would have been at least a few more situations where we saw them used as receivers. IMO that's the biggest reason the coaches haven't used these guys more in the passing game. I think that a huge part of our system is RT making adjustments at the line or sight/route adjustments after the snap. I think they trust RT to make those, but not Clay/Eggnog. If the TE blows the adjustment then the QB risks an INT or getting killed. The fans would probably just blame the QB for being indecisive or wrong in his decision making or claim he was inaccurate (even if he put the ball exactly where it was supposed to go). I don't think they wanted to add that to RT's plate too often this season.

 

We have an impact player in Wake but we are not making the most of his talent and not taking full advantage of the prime of his career. A good pass rusher from the opposite side will take some pressure off of Wake and make it more difficult for opposing teams to design defenses against him. If we get a WR in free agency I think we should make a pass rusher a priority. One of the big reasons the Patriots beat the Dolphins not counting our offenses inability to score points was Tom Brady being too comfortable in the pocket. As good as Brady is, the best games the Dolphins have had against him were games that Miami took that comfort zone away from him.. Its hard to rattle Brady but when he gets sacked and hit a few times he can get rattled.

 

I definitely want Jennings here too, but if he demands a monster contract, are we content if the team blows a giant chunk of salary cap to get him?
I'd be willing to give him a contract that's big, like one we gave Dansby, but if he wants Calvin Johnson or Fitzy money, then he can go elsewhere. really hoping his injury plagued season drops his price to the appropriate level

 

All of the above; therefore best free agent available in any of the above; then BPA in the draft in any of the above as he comes up in the draft order.

 

You'd have to be able to see the future before it happens not to say quarterback, IMO.

The fact that no one has mentioned it as problematic that it isn't listed in the poll I think says something about 1) how (mistakenly) confident people are in their ability to see the future in that regard, or 2) how strong their hope is, to the extent that it clouds their ability to appraise the team completely accurately.

 

The easy fix is to upgrade the WR corp (that includes a TE too). The second improvement is to add a stud DE. With only those two changes, plus Tannehill getting better in his second season, we win another 2-3 games in 2013. If we could improve our takeaway number, we win 4-5 more games. Finally we need to upgrade the OL by getting a better RT/RG.

Sign Wallace or Jennings in free agency, draft the best DE left at #12, then trade back up into the late first round with a second and third rounder to get the best RT/RG left. I would trade up in the second round with our second and fourth round picks to get the best WR left, then try and get CB depth in the third.

Actually, depending on what Hartline wants? I'd look at letting him go and trying to get Bowe AND Jennings. I need a WR that can get me TDs, not just yards.

 

...or it says that we are certainly not in the market for a starting QB this coming off season.

It also is an indicator that your previous analysis has been far from objective.

 

I understand we do need another pass rusher to compliment Cameron Wake, but thats not our biggest need. Why would we use our top pick on a pass rusher if we finished 7th in the league in sacks? We have Vernon who could possibly grow into a bigger role in terms of pass rush. If he doesnt turn out to be that great of a pass rusher next season, then address that need in the next draft. We lack playmakers and thats what we really need to adress with not only our first round pick, but maybe even our first couple picks.

 

I don't think it should be a priority, but I'd hope they wouldn't avoid taking a QB they like if one is available.

 

Ah OK. My mistake. I just saw the question at the top of the thread and didn't see the first post until now.

 

Quoted for truth

 

It all depends.....like fixed through the draft or FA??

Biggest weakness in WR, but I wouldn't address that through the draft...WR in the first round has high bust potential....

I am buying WR's, thats right plural......I would LOVE to get my hands on Wallace, and Amendola......

Then go defense through the draft.....if Mingo is there at 12, I snatch him.....

because putting pressure on the QB is right there as a huge need.....and they dont do it....

Another name to keep in mind is Chris Johnson, his roster bonus is up early Feb, so if Tenn cuts him, try and get him too....

CJ would be a perfect fit in this offense and is a stellar upgrade over Reggie....

 

I call bull****.

1. I find it hard to believe you didn't read the OP but read every other post so you could say no one else posted QB.
2. I find it hard to believe that after reading the title, you think QB is currently our biggest need this off season.

 

The title says "weakness," not need.

And I have the OP on ignore, so his post was blocked until I clicked the link to view it after reading your post.

Still in doubt?

 

B/c that's the talent that's available in this draft. It would be a mistake to reach for a need when the talent available doesn't offer that opportunity. I listed receiver as our biggest need, but would target a pass rusher with #12.

 

Yes.

I think its insane you think there's a difference between biggest need and biggest weakness in regards to a football team. So insane, I'm quite sure in my original assessment.

 

Well like you said:

 

I'm not sure how you reach this conclusion. There should be a difference between need and weakness, because not every position carries the same value. Certainly a punter or ST gunner could be a big weakness, but that doesn't make it the biggest need.

I think theres a strong case for addressing the QB position until you are sure you have an elite QB. Even if you have an elite QB, its still a position that should receive attention.

 

That really does not make any sense in context with the present position of the team and the league. Unless one of the top five quarterbacks were to come open (which itself would generate some rather intense scrutiny) there is no one in free agency or in the draft at this point that would be a significant improvement over Tannehill. Further, he is under contract and finishing his first year. To say that one season of a rookie quarterback is a definitive point at which a decision should be made about his further retention is a whole lot more than premature. In fact, it would seem to me to be approaching over reaching irresponsibility organizationally. There are other positions which at this point need addressing while the evaluation of the present quarterback continues in his SECOND Year.

IOW

You don't teach a dog to do new tricks by shooting it the first time a mistake is made.

 

Biggest need and biggest weakness are the same thing. Which is what i said.

 

No they aren't. After the 2011 season, QB was not our biggest weakness, but it was our biggest need.

 

Because of the relationship between QB play and winning, when you're coming off a season in which your QB rating was below 80, it's your biggest weakness, i.e., the biggest thing between where you are now and winning consistently.

Whether it's addressed as a big "need" or not, via the allocation of huge resources, depends on other factors. I think you have to give Tannehill one more full year as a starter before you can reach that conclusion, personally.