What position groups are you excited about and nervous about?

IMO Tannehill gets extended half way through the season. Sooner if the team starts with a bang.

 

Yeah, unless he just implodes, he's going to be the QB of this team for the next decade. And that's good because it allows us to focus on building the rest of the team to win that elusive trophy (worst possible thing in the modern NFL is to have a persistent QB problem!).

 

The goal is supposedly to get him extended before Week 1.

But if that doesn't happen he'll be playing for that payday.

 

Do you really see the Dolphins drafting in the mid-1st round in any scenario where they've decided to give up on Ryan Tannehill?

 

I don't see them replacing Tannehill even if we draft early as long as he plays well (team could still bomb). So, I'm not asking based on what I think is likely, just wondering what the prospects are like where we usually pick. Let me just ask it more simply: are there any really good QB prospects in next year's draft?

 

It also depends on the contract. Even if he does sign one before week 1, if it is one that is like Colin or Andy, he will be playing for that payday year in and year out.

 

The guard situation is very troubling. I like Turner, and I liked the Douglas pick...but assuming both will play well is a stretch. We're not even sure of Douglas can beat out Dallas Thomas..which is a scary thought.

The only bright side is that Pouncey at guard was pretty bad, and Colledge was flat horrendous..with satele being poor as well. The hope is Pouncey plays at a high level at center. Then you just hope the guards can be serviceable. I mean they could certainly be worse than last year...but I think there's a good chance for improvement. Might not be huge..but I think we do improve.

 

Why is it a stretch?

 

Two mid round picks who have yet to do anything in the NFL? How often do those guys pan out statistically?... not very often.

Like I said, I like both of those players. I actually really like Turner...but statistically counting on both of them to play well, as in better than league average is just not likely. I hope they do..but I'd bet it against it.

I think a realistic yet positive outlook would be Turner plays at around a league average or slightly above his first year playing and Douglas is below average but not a complete disaster like Colledge.

 

This board is really conditioned to think our draft picks will suck.

 

Speaking of positions to be confident about...

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...rom-sean-payton-evaluators-marlins-canes.html

Interesting comments from Sean Payton on Kenny Stills, who I consider to be Miami's best wide receiver this year.

Also some interesting thoughts from Chris Chambers on why the WR unit had to be blown up:

I agree with Chambers 100 percent on them needing to blow up the receivers unit and install more young players that would naturally defer more to Ryan Tannehill. Greg Jennings will be the veteran, and I think he will set a good example. There will be times he feels comfortable enough in his experience and what he's accomplished in his career to have his own opinion but I think what is important is that you don't have multiple guys like that because that's how you really end up setting a tone in the room.

 

One is a rookie 4th rounder. This has nothing to do with conditioning or optimism or pessimism. This has everything to do with normal handicapping. You don't handicap 4th round rookie starters to play well.

The other is a 3rd rounder in his second year, who played 17 snaps a year ago, all of them at right tackle. You will not find many if any people on this board that were higher than I was on Billy Turner coming out of North Dakota State. But this is about handicapping and he has some definite red flags working against him. For one he was a left tackle all through college and the Dolphins have him pegged at right guard. And he hasn't been working at right guard all this time, either. He has practiced and/or played at left tackle, left guard, right guard and right tackle as they attempted to make up their mind about where he was going to play. So not only is he making the transition from long term tackle to guard, he's also making the transition from long term left side now to right side, and they didn't have him do that decisively so he hasn't necessarily logged the year's worth of practice time in that transition that you would like, and then you add on top of it his transitioning from FCS football to NFL football. You're asking a lot.

From a handicapper's perspective I would be very surprised if a legitimate and objective case could be made for another NFL team's guard situation being worse than Miami's. That does not mean it will work out like that. They play the game for a reason. But that's where the odds lay.

 

Don't worry jw, I think we will be fine at LB as we really have some quality talent coming into camp..I think our LB group impresses this year.

 

LUC...

 

I agree with you 100% on Billy Turner and it is what I have been saying since he was drafted..He should have been put in at LT when Albert went down..I honestly think he would have played OK at..Dallas Thomas does not have much upside it appears but I don't think he was horrible at LG....I think he plays over Colledge..but I think wrong..my biggest question though is why is Billy Turner not playing LG? I know that I do not know what the coaches know but it just seemed obvious to me..or if they did not want Turner at LT..Play Fox there..

 

Excited about the DL. Nervous about the DBs.

 

lol..grimes in decline mode..come on man.

 

I dunno, do you think most starting OL players were drafted in the first round?

We've seen enough good things with Turner (for example) to think he can make it. Do we know for sure? No, but that doesn't mean its automatically negative.

Simple fact of the matter is that most of our fear/nervousness is based on the failure of previous teams. There's A LOT of new talent on this team, I don't get applying the shortcomings of previous teams to these guys.

 

Excited: QB, WR, and DL
Nervous: OL, LB, and DB

 

No most aren't first rounders...but how many guys drafted in the mid rounds never amount to anything. It's not just the dolphins..it's just a statistical fact that most mid round guys won't be league average starters...and that's for any team not just the Fins.

Im hopeful of course they both play at a high level. But really as long as they aren't disasters I think we can win with them.

side note: I definitely agree with the talent infusion. This is the most talented dolphins team we have had in a long time. I'm very excited. I think Suhs impact will be a lot greater than some expect

 

We should have traded up in the 4th round with one of our 5th round pick to draft Bryce Petty. There. I said it again. LOL

 

Interesting that PFF mocked drafted Zach Vigil as an early 3rd round pick and Mike Hull as a late 3rd round pick. Something to feel good about, regarding the LB corps.

p.s. Also for fun, they had Ajayi and Lippett mocked in round 3 too.

 

I nearly fell out of my chair when we drafted Tony Lippett. True story. Ask my son. LOL

 

petty should beat our gene pretty soon.

 

For a team with no picks in the third round, we did very well with third-round picks.

 

Huh?

 

Lol in 17 snaps?

 

Go F**k yourself. Seriously. Because I doubt anybody else would.

 

Well I suppose 4th round isn't bad value for Bryce Petty but I'm not sure he's a quarterback that will ever do anything.

I would have taken a chance on Brett Hundley though. I know there are problems but 5th round for that skill set? That's pretty good.

 

It'll take a couple of years for him do develop on the bench, but I think he'll be special. I have a talent for judging QB's. Not every position. But, I haven't been wrong yet with QBs. Ryan Mallett is still undecided, lol.

 

Yeah, good QB value late in that draft. I found it wierd we skipped it. How long Is Moore going to stick around, and are we really looking at Freeman as the future? Hundley, or your boy Cato would have seemed like great value to me. QBs have to develop, it would have seemed like a great time to get Moores replacement.

 

We didn't have very many picks this year TT. Not much room to move around.

 

I was hoping for a low-round QB pickup too...but I can't complain about who we got.

Moore is COMPLETELY happy holding the clipboard and raking in the cash...at least that's how it seems to me, particularly with him re-doing his contract and taking a cut. But he'll need to be replaced at some point.

On the OP:

Excited - Receiving group.
Nervous - Guards.

 

Hell yeah he is. Wouldn't you be? LOL

 

Excited about WR, RB, QB, and DL. Nervous about the rest to varying degrees.

 

Plus 91 snaps in preseason where he was rated our 2nd best run blocker.

 

I want tbaum to make a trade with Tn for Zack Mettenberger..this kid has it man !

 

Personally I'm excited about DL and WRs and concerned about the Gs and and Ss.

I think the DL can potentially be the best in the league. I think it's made up of two guys who are top 5 at their position in the league (Suh and Wake) and several solid to good players as well as a rookie with promising talent. I think we've needed that space eater since letting go of Soliai and that Phillips should at worst be a space eater.

The wrs have a good mix of talent and appear to have the right attitude. I think that Landry, Stills, Parker and Jennings should all excel in the short to intermediate ranges where Tannehill is at his best. I think Stills we be an upgrade on deep passes over Wallace. Not in terms of pure speed, but in terms of tracking passes. I don't imagine he'll run as many deep routes as Wallace, but I expect that we'll complete a higher percentage. I also see Parker as big addition to our redzone offense. (I like Matthews as well, but don't expect he'll be with the team at the beginning of the season).

I was never going to feel good about the G situation regardless of who we drafted. I was never going to feel confident that a rookie was going to be the answer this year. Especially in this draft where I wasn't thrilled with the top of the OL draft outside of Scherrf. If we can land Mathis, who just seems like an ideal fit in terms of scheme and talent, then that will change. I would feel pretty good about 4/5 of the line and it's easy enough to protect one G position as long as he's not a turnstile. I also like the odds of one of Turner, Douglas, either of the two vets or even Thomas being capable of playing at least average at G.

I debated whether or not to say safety or secondary when naming the other area I was concerned about. I actually see plenty of bodies at CB with enough ability to man the spots opposite Grimes and the slot. There's always the concern that Grimes will get injured or that he'll just fall of the cliff due to his age. I'm not to worried about him falling of the cliff this year. Injury is always a concern, but I don't know that it would have been realistic or the best use of resources try to add another potential #1 CB this year. (Although I was hoping we'd take a flyer on Ifo as potential #1 CB down the line). Overall I think we have two guys in the secondary (Jones and Grimes) who are arguably top 5 at their position. I think that's as much top end talent as you could reasonably expect to allocate/have in a unit. In the salary cap era you have to fill out the remainder of the secondary with solid to good players. I think we have that.

The S position, on the other hand, is one of the keys to our defense. I thought our defensive meltdown last year was most correlated with Delmas' injury. I read that Grantland article that attributed the meltdown to less pass rush in general and Vernon in particular, but I disagree. Vernon was never a speed guy who got quick pressure. He's a grinder. A significant percentage of his sacks and pressures could be considered coverage sacks. IMO we got less pass rush pressure b/c our secondary was in disarray after Delmas went down. Delmas was the guy who got everybody into position. Once he was injured, they were out of position far too often. I think that communicator is the key to our secondary. Unfortunately, Delmas is an injury risk. I had been hoping to sign Stevie Brown. I thought he would provide a veteran presence and insurance against another Delmas injury. I did like the Thompson pick. I thought he was the right fit for this secondary, but he's obviously a rookie and it's tough put a ton of eggs in that basket. Now I really like Michael Thomas. He probably should be at that point where the coaching staff trusts him enough to be the back-up to Delmas and start should the injury bug strike. However, for that to happen they probably need to put him at S from the beginning of camp and leave him there. I don't have a ton of faith in the coaching staff to do that.

One unit I didn't list was RB. I love Miller as a complementary back, but we couldn't run when we needed to last season when he was the guy we were relying on. People could point to all the stats they want about his efficiency, but the fact of the matter is that when the defense was expecting run, we couldn't run. Part of that is on the OL, but it's also on the RB. Your RB has to be able to make someone miss or break a tackle on his own at least some of the time. Miller simply doesn't do that often enough. IMO improvement of the run game was the biggest key to our season on the offensive side of the ball. I thought it was bigger than adding a WR or any other single position in the draft. The Ajayi pick is what stopped me from including this unit on the concerned list. I wanted Gordon and I thought that Gordon and Gurley were a step above any other option. But absent the injury concern I had Ajayi (and Josh Robinson) at the top of the next tier. I can't speak to medical side, so much depends on the quality of the medical assessment, but if they're right then he was a huge pick. If they're wrong then add this to the units I'm concerned about.