Philbin seems to have confidence in Martin getting better this offseason and that makes me worry less about it.
His brother being a phins scout was brought up last year when we seemed to be hot&heavy for the guy. Obviously didn't sign him though.
Losing Long makes Winston a MUST get. Martin is a natural LT. We saw what happened with him last year at RT and we can't continue that way. Then again....he wasn't that good at LT either.
Hope they get it done. Not only because he should do ok for us at RT, but also because it means we don't HAVE to use high draft picks at OT, whether that's a direct pick or a trade. We'd still have the option to use a pick on one if they wanted, but anything that means we're not having to use pick(s) on a dire need is good in my book.
This is such a funny video. Can't stop watching. He gets obliterated. Really, Martin should have this playing on his big screen TV every morning when he gets up to go work out. And, it should be playing on TV monitors in the Dolphins weight-room. Just to motivate him. Seriously, he needs to see this over and over and get some fire in his belly (it would do it to me). I really hope they sign Winston. Very necessary deal. I expect them to bring in a LT in the draft - round 1 or 2, to compete. Though I so want Austin, they could even go OG (Cooper or Warmack) and then LT in round 2. Or I could also see them going after one of the top 3 LTs then OG in round 2-3. I didn't think Philbin was all that positive about either Martin or Jerry. He made the comment - "You can't just block 11 of 16 DEs" - which was a direct statement to Martin that he needs to improve.
I'm not saying it's likely at all, but the idea of drafting an OT to play LT crossed my mind as a possibility. I know many will say he lacks the strength and bulk to play OG effectively, but I don't think that is true in a ZBS. The guy Martin kinda reminds me of is Wade Smith, who "busted" here at LT due to supposedly being too weak and not physical enough. He's now a Pro Bowl OG in Houston's ZBS. And I think Martin is a better run blocker than pass blocker at this point.
I am still drafting a OT somewhere in the 2nd to 4th round range. I like the Armstead kid from Arkansas Pine Bluff as a development guy and I like Pugh from Syracuse as a swing kind of guy who could play guard and move to tackle if needed (has those t-rex arms and is better suited for guard).
Anyone you sign at this point is a gamble which is probably why they're looking at Branden Albert in trade. If you sign Sebastian Vollmer, the silver lining is that he can play either side. You know he can play right tackle and probably left tackle. They would probably have him play right tackle immediately while they see if Martin has what it takes to protect Ryan Tannehill's blind side, but if Martin disappoints, you've got a safety net. You can toss Vollmer to that side and have Martin move back over to the less important right side. But it's still a gamble, because Vollmer's back issues are scary. He's dealt with back issues since college. If you sign Eric Winston, the silver lining is you've got a really good right tackle. He knows the scheme and plays well in it. You've nailed that position down. But the gamble is in what it means for Jon Martin on the left side. There's no safety net. If he's getting Ryan Tannehill killed like he did a year ago, you have no real options. I suppose you could have Winston move over there and play a position he hasn't played in 8 years, and was never intended to play in the NFL (short arms)...but that doesn't seem like a good idea. If you are stuck with a guy who can't protect the franchise's blind side for a whole year, hopefully Ryan makes it out of the year healthy, but you never know. Then the following year, you've still got Eric Winston (presumably) on a longer term contract, so as you look for a better left tackle candidate, you're stuck trying to make things work with Jon Martin at guard instead of tackle. I'm all for that, as I've said several times in the past, but his star will have fallen quite a bit if you're stuck on that kind of Plan C.
Jonathan Martin needs work and a lot of it but people writing him off are absolutely being premature. Martin was a rookie for the 2012 but lets give him so slack and he was jumping from right tackle over to the left side. He is working to get stronger and he has an football IQ that is off the charts. He sure did a great job at keeping Andrew Luck clean at Stanford and while it's the college level the talent is certainly there. Eric Winston is a major upgrade at right tackle as he is clearly top three at the position in the league. He fits our zone scheme perfectly.
Honestly, I'm not trying to disparage Martin here because it's certainly within the realm of possibility he becomes a solid player. But IMO if Philbin (and Ireland) had little concern here they wouldn't have wasted time trying to re-sign Jake Long. Whether it's totally genuine or not, they're going to say they have confidence in Martin because he needs to know that.
I don't think anyone is writing Jonathan Martin off. Call me crazy but I think before you're entrusted with the franchise's blind side, you should actually show some competence in pass pro. You don't trust the blind side to blind faith.
Aldon set a record for most sacks in the first two seasons of his career, and so many like to point out the play of him bull rushing Martin for a sack as evidence that Martin never can or will be a good pass blocker.
I honestly don't see many people (at least on this board) writing him off. I think people are being cautionary to just assume he'll be the answer at LT.
That wasn't the first or last time Martin looked like he was on roller skates. It just seems like he lacks tenacity.
Nobody should be crowning Martin but he shouldn't be getting written off either. I can't imagine that he gets WORSE from year 1 to year 2, realistically the only question is whether he improves ENOUGH. And lets not dismiss the fact that his games at LT last year were post-rookie-wall as well.
IIRC, neither Ireland or Philbin has said that they have "let's-just-stick-him-on-the-island-confidence" in Martin. What I have heard more than intimated is that he needs to improve - a statement with which most everyone here would agree. I also think that the video of him being demolished by Aldon Smith last year was, IIRC, his second start at LT on the fly after trying to change to RT as a rookie. As one person said, that has happened to more than rookie LTs last year. Further, I have been around enough to see a whole lot of football players improve a whole lot between their rookie year and their second year. He needs to be in the weight room, running both sprints and laps, and watching tape. Let's see what happens when he gets in camp before throwing him on the rubbish heap. If we wind up having to keep a back in to help him against the better pass rushers, that has been done before with everyone from Norm Evans to Richmond Webb once in a while. This draft is supposed to be deep in the OL area.. Pick up a mid rounder with promise, and let them play off against each other this year, or next.
On the brighter side of this, Martin seems capable of improving and it puts Tyvon Austin back in the plans at #12....
Of the two Vollmer seems like the riskier option because of the injury. What if he gets hurt again and Martin doesn't develop as expected then your caught with a back-up plan at both tackle positions. At least with Winston you have solidified one of the positions.
They wanted him back only at their price. They did not raise the offer from the original and that shows that they were not crazy about bringing Long back. He has experience on the team and it would be a convenient way to solve our hole at OT, it is not necessarily that they wanted a LT because they don't believe Martin is ready. If that was the thought they would be meeting with a LT instead of Winston. Them meeting with Winston shows that they are ready and comfortable with Martin playing LT.
That's not entirely true. Depending on who he is lining up against they can shift protections to help him out some. If the other 4 spots on the line are solid they can be a little patient with him. I would like to hear a story about him really hitting the weights this offseason though...I don't want to hear any John Jerry stories there. They should also add a mid round tackle with the extra picks. Shore up the tackle spot a bit more, give someone to push Martin.