1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Jamil Douglas v. Leonard Williams

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by keithjackson, May 22, 2015.

  1. keithjackson

    keithjackson Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    2,673
    4,445
    113
    Dec 1, 2007
    There has been recent discussion about how Jamil Douglas fared when directly lining up against USC's Leonard Williams. In 2014, Douglas lined up at left tackle, so the two didn't quite go head-to-head, and unfortunately that 2013 tape where Douglas did play LG is proving difficult to locate.

    However, Jamil's Offensive Line coach at ASU, Chris Thomsen, was recently on the Finsiders imparting his relevant knowledge on the rookie. http://www.miamidolphins.com/multimedia/audio/Research-Report-Jamil-Douglas/d66fe491-95a0-4565-90ca-d2aaa4d44bf2

    Three things from the interview have really stuck with me. First, regarding intangibles, he said Douglas started 40 games for ASU, and never once came out of a game and never once missed a practice. He ate lunch with him everyday and never ate an unhealthy thing. (My personal opinion is that Douglas acts the most professional of all our draft picks.) The second, is that the coach echoed the sentiments here that Douglas is truly a better movement guard than a massive blocker, and is more suited to a zone scheme, like we have in Miami. Third? His answer when directly asked how Douglas played against Williams when lined up at LG in 2013. Contrary to popular belief, Douglas more than held his own as ASU went on to win, 62-41. Find the highlights here:

    [video]http://pac-12.com/videos/highlights-arizona-state-football-races-past-usc-shootout[/video]

    Albeit just a few plays, Douglas definitely shows he belongs on the same field as Williams. Actually, if you believe the press from after the game, his less heralded unit out-played the new Jet.

    http://archive.azcentral.com/sports...tball-has-historic-night-in-win-over-usc.html

    Edit: Here is a cut-up of ASU's Marion Grice, who had four TDs in that game. It's probably easiest to just watch Douglas #74 at LG. Otherwise, pause the play and find Williams #94; he usually lines up over the RG, but moves around often, and you'll waste a lot of time looking for him.

    [video=youtube_share;-Pn5vRoTqIk]http://youtu.be/-Pn5vRoTqIk[/video]

    Off the bat, Leonard Williams looks like the best player on the field. This AFC East's DLine is better than the rest of the NFL combined.

    However, Jamil Douglas had a very good game. Going up against Williams ten or so times, Williams couldn't really produce anything. In fact, I didn't see Douglas give up any pressures to anyone, and had only one short-yardage fail. He is definitely not a big, powerful mauler, but he just gets the job done. I don't know what it means to be an especially, remarkably un-flashy OG, but if it means he can have two performances a year against Leonard Williams like he did in 2013 then sign me up, please.

    Two things I realized. There is a big difference between nimble and fast. At the second level, Douglas is uselessly slow unless the play is coming to him. However, he is so nimble on the LOS, whether slipping through two defenders or tiptoeing behind the center. Secondly, he seems very difficult for defenders to disengage from. They may overpower him, but he's not letting go.

    When asked, Coach Thomsen believed Jamil Douglas could be a rookie starter. I tend to agree. Heck, he has the potential to be our best OG as a rookie.

    Opinions?
     
  2. Itsdahumidity

    Itsdahumidity X gonna take it from ya

    2,073
    1,194
    113
    Dec 10, 2007
    excellent post. I have a strong feeling Jamil is going to win the job outright. He needs to clean up some things but after that sky's the limit.
    btw
    I think you meant to say the new stinkin jet or jest.
     
    CashInFist likes this.
  3. PerfectTeam

    PerfectTeam Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    2,631
    1,411
    113
    Nov 25, 2007
    Port St. Lucie, FL
    I wonder if we have some sort of connection with ASU because I believe we brought in Finkenberg as an UDFA last offseason. That is Adam Engroff's scouting territory I believe, whom I think is the best scout we have. This could be one he banged the table for.
     
  4. Bpk

    Bpk Premium Member Luxury Box

    - A lot of those pass-pro snaps he had no one to block, so I didn't get to see as much of him as I wanted to.
    - Saw about 5 snaps vs Williams. One time, on a run play, Williams got a lot of push on him. In pass-pro Jamil seemed to do okay.
    - Agree with him being nimble at the LOS. Past the LOS he seems to have trouble finding and getting to a person to lock onto at the second level.

    Expectations: I don't think the staff has him starting Day One. They are more comfortable with vets, imo. Jamil probably works his way in as injuries pop up.
    - Don't expect him to be as good on goalline as mid-field run plays, because he's not a bulldozing in-line blocker.
    - He's probably going to be better in pass pro than Dallas Thomas is. I like how he uses his hands.
    - Being between Albert and Pouncey would be perfect for a young guy like him, since they are both stable, experienced and good at their positions.

    Wonder how he'd do against the Bills line?
     
  5. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

    9,173
    2,398
    113
    Apr 20, 2009
    Tampa Area
    offensive line, 2015
    Albert-Douglas-Pouncey-Thomas-James
    the problem is resolved...
    looking to an outstanding 2015 season!
     
  6. Brasfin

    Brasfin Well-Known Member

    2,435
    1,672
    113
    Apr 27, 2013
    Brazil
    Think you meant Turner instead of Thomas...
     
  7. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

    72,252
    43,684
    113
    Nov 27, 2007
    my concern for Douglas is that all we need is average and if he is that and not all world, our fans will do that thing they do.
     
    Pandarilla likes this.
  8. Bpk

    Bpk Premium Member Luxury Box

    [video=youtube;fzllVlzzeuo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzllVlzzeuo[/video]
     
  9. jim1

    jim1 New Member

    5,902
    3,054
    0
    Jul 1, 2008
    ASU football notes: Why tackle Jamil Douglas is a freak


    NFL.com recently published its "Most freakish athletes in college football" list, a part of their 14 for '14 series. Included: Arizona State's Jamil Douglas.

    I contacted Shawn Griswold, ASU's head coach of sports performance, and asked about Douglas. He didn't hold back.

    "Jamil is a 303-pound guy and with his shirt off he looks like he's 265,'' Griswold said. "And he's so big, so long, so lean, but what's impressive is the things he does with those strength numbers. To clean 385 and be that tall, that's hard to do. The only other guy I've ever seen do that – and I wasn't his coach, he was at the University of Utah when I was at Utah State – was Jordan Gross, and he was a Top 10 draft pick and played (in the NFL) forever. And for Jamil, to bench 430 with those long arms, that's a long way to press a weight."

    http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...-why-tackle-jamil-douglas-is-a-freak/9883457/
     
  10. Eop05

    Eop05 Junior Member Club Member

    5,659
    5,268
    113
    Dec 8, 2007
    NJ
    Ju'Wuan James was pretty average his rookie season and I hardly saw any complaints about him. When he was average at RT, fans were actually exaggerating his level of play which is the exact opposite of what you're implying that they do.

    Our fans do the "thing they do" when we get epically bad performances along the OL ala Jon Martin and Dallas Thomas
     
    Fin4Ever likes this.
  11. Pandarilla

    Pandarilla Purist Emeritus

    14,282
    5,005
    113
    Sep 10, 2009
    Boone, NC
    And to think that Parker benches 370 with his long arms...Jeezus, I am excited to see Parker play.

    Douglas is also conditioned to go 80 plays a game. Gonna be interesting to see how dominant he can be if he ever gets that many plays a game.
     
    Fin4Ever, Clark Kent and CashInFist like this.
  12. cuchulainn

    cuchulainn Táin Bó Cúailnge Club Member

    23,698
    39,847
    113
    Sep 7, 2012
    Hattiesburg, MS

    [​IMG]
     
  13. Pandarilla

    Pandarilla Purist Emeritus

    14,282
    5,005
    113
    Sep 10, 2009
    Boone, NC
    The trench battles in the afc east will be epic...
     
    Fin4Ever and 77FinFan like this.
  14. CashInFist

    CashInFist Well-Known Member

    10,069
    2,624
    113
    Nov 30, 2007
    West Virginia
    Wow...I never knew that. That's amazing for a WR.
     
  15. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

    27,364
    31,261
    113
    Apr 6, 2008
    Agreed. People don't tend to notice OL play unless it's extremely good or extremely bad. James was merely competent, but compared to watching Martin or Thomas he seemed great. Really all you need from an OL is competent play across the board. Make contact with the right guy and maintain contact without looking like you're on skates for a couple of seconds. If you can do that most of the time then your QB can probably get through a couple of reads and your back can get past the line.
     
  16. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    111,651
    67,546
    113
    Dec 20, 2007
    he was top 5 in reps at 225 at the combine...this with top 5 arm length as well..he's strong.
     
    Fin4Ever, Clark Kent and CashInFist like this.
  17. Clark Kent

    Clark Kent Fighter of the Nightman

    8,560
    4,133
    113
    May 9, 2008
    That's pretty amazing. As DJ pointed out, with his arm length, that is some serious strength. Long arms make for bad bench levers. Jason Taylor was very similar, despite his skinny appearance and long arms, he was as strong as an ox. I believe he referred to himself as having ant strength. One of the bigger criticisms of Parker's was that he needed to add bulk to beat physical corners, but that doesn't appear to be necessary.
     
  18. DolphinGreg

    DolphinGreg Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    5,227
    6,527
    113
    Dec 7, 2014
    Am I the only one that isn't impressed? This pick is really a head-scratcher for me, particularly knowing that Douglas was the only offensive lineman Miami drafted. I get that this guy is another physical specimen but I don't see the football talent and ability to believe he'll be on the team in 5 years, let alone be a real contributor.

    To me eyes, there are as many bad plays as good plays (if not more) in that footage. He's completely lost in blocking at the second level and he doesn't seem to have the strength to hold off blockers long enough to support a pocket-based NFL QB. Add to that, he's dreadfully slow getting down-field, he's blown of the line on several plays down near the goal-line and usually seems to have help when he does block well. Anytime he's stuck between the bodies, whether it's down-field or behind the LoS, he just looks lost. That's hardly what I'd like to see in a Guard. I just don't see any authority in how the guy plays so I wonder if this pick wasn't just about his physical attributes?

    Since first watching this footage on draft day, I still cannot figure out why Miami drafted Douglas when the need seemed so much more pressing. Douglas is a long shot that needs a lot of refinement and work to be a legitimate NFL player and even then I'm not sure he's starter material.

    I'll be really impressed if this pick works out because the bad plays scare me a lot more than the good plays make me confident.
     
  19. Fin4Ever

    Fin4Ever Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    9,297
    2,738
    113
    Aug 26, 2014
    Vero Beach, FL
    I don't know Greg, I see some good qualities and have heard some good things as well. I guess that I CHOOSE to not be so negative about a player on May 25th,2015.....Lastly,many had Douglas predicted to the Dolphins with their 4th round picks up to a few weeks before the draft and several of our draft guru's on the site(way to go club) posted links of him. Where were you? LOL..:up:
     
  20. DolphinGreg

    DolphinGreg Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    5,227
    6,527
    113
    Dec 7, 2014
    Yeah, idk...he's obviously a good kid and a physical specimen to behold but as I said, this is a football contest, nothing more.

    Tons of folks know more than I do in scouting players so I'll choose to root for the kid based on him being a Dolphin and hope it's true what they say. I'm not a negative guy, I'm just not very fun. My goal is to get to the heart of "how do we get better?" Those aren't often positive conversations because they involve identifying weaknesses and being honest.

    There's no sense in celebrating unless you've arrived at some destination worthy of celebration. Drafting a developmental OG in the 4th round isn't worthy of celebration, point blank.

    Obviously I want him to be successful, no question there.
     
  21. Fin4Ever

    Fin4Ever Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    9,297
    2,738
    113
    Aug 26, 2014
    Vero Beach, FL
    I understand exactly where you are at and I agree with allot. Since I have been a fan since inception I have see us win a Super Bowl (2). So I desperately want some more plus I would like to see our younger fans get a Super Bowl as well. I think we have more talent now than we have had in a long time and 1 more draft and we should be solid blth first and second string. I just hope that our coach has grown in the off season and learns how to manage. time outs.Have a good one.
     

Share This Page