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Raekwon McMillan/Jerome Baker

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by Colmax, Apr 27, 2019.

  1. Colmax

    Colmax Well-Known Member

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    Without even having had a game, we know that Miami will likely be running a very similar scheme to what New England has had in the past.

    I bring up these two young LBers because they may not necessarily fit the scheme, where this scheme places a premium on the archetypal size, etc. Do they fit?

    I don’t post here a bunch, so this might have already been mulled over. The reason I bring this up is because in a recent presser, Flores was asked about both LBers and he seemed to have some pause about answering it; then fluffed it up with, “good player, strong, good leader” type comments. He especially had a tough time coming up with anything specific when mentioning Baker.

    Do these players fit the prototypical scheme that Miami will likely run?
     
  2. Maybe it doesnt have anything to with scheme, but that neither one has done anything remarkable and one of them is one more knee from being out of the league and looked like he was playing in sand-boots for 3/4 of the year last year.

    Neither one of them have earned anything, flashed all that much, and Flores doesn't have anything invested in them. I like his lukewarm reaction to them, it should signal to them they better start getting it more right, or they will be shipped out with the rest of the rotten wood here.

    Or maybe it is just that Flores [is scared] anytime he is in front of a camera, which given his oratory skills, I cannot blame him. But I suspect he is a no nonsense dude who isn't going to shower praise on two average talents that will likely be rolled out of here over the next two years.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 28, 2019
  3. Colmax

    Colmax Well-Known Member

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    After initially taking the position, he seemed a little nervous during pressers (to be expected). He is becoming more comfortable, and was very comfortable in this particular presser. But when asked specifically about the LBers, there was some hesitation. It was interesting. That’s why I posed the question.

    Would you elaborate what you meant by his “oratory skills”?
     
  4. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    You should read more on McMillan if you think he hasn't accomplished anything or showed no promise. You are showing serious ignorance.
     
  5. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I completely agree, and I'll add that Baker consistently improved throughout the year. Maybe Baker isn't a 3-down LB in the new scheme but he definitely provides value with his speed, agility and instincts.
     
    AGuyNamedAlex likes this.
  6. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I like Jerome Baker a lot. He's a player that I would like to build around long term. However, people who know more than I do have said that he might be on the bench, even in favor of Alonso, due to the schemes that our new coaches are likely to run. i would personally argue that he's likely one of the three or four most talented players in our front seven, and I want to see him on the field as much as possible.

    I like McMillan a lot too, and everyone seems to say that he's very safe, and a good fit with the new coaches and schemes.
     
  7. Disgustipate

    Disgustipate Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Raekwon McMillan is a pretty easy and clean fit. The Patriots love guys like that(and were in on McMillan when he was coming out). They keep taking these big, strong run defenses and let them act as free defenders between the tackles. McMillan is an outstanding player at knowing how to read the run and when to come downhill and fill a gap and timing it so he hits the guy at the LOS without getting tangled up by blockers:



    The new defense is a bit different in that he won't have a specific gap like he did in Matt Burke's defense- there will usually be a guy two-gapping to let him roam the middle. It's a bit of a change, but with his instincts and skills it might free him up to make even more of an impact.

    Jerome Baker I'm a little less sure about. The Patriots have over the years occasionally used their two gappers to free up a guy who is more of a sideline to sideline chase player(Jerod Mayo most notably), so I thought that Baker would allow them to play with their run fits(and run schemes where they try and encourage ball-carriers to run off-tackle instead of funneling them inside)... but they don't seem to like him that much. Keeping Kiko Alonso(who was at his best as a free defender in Mike Pettine's defense) was a pretty big red flag, becaise otherwise I'd have expected him to be cut for sure.

    I think that the Dolphins will also be in the market for a Jamie Collins type player- someone who can flex between ILB and 3-4 OLB. That's basically all of the Patriots linebackers at this point, but the Dolphins really need one to be able to shift their defense in some of the ways that they do- between a normal Nickel 4-man front and the 3-3 Bear fronts that they run. Andrew Van Ginkel looks like he's probably a stab at a developmental prospect in this area, but he's a bit of a longshot for a key consideration.
     
    Nappy Roots, djphinfan and Unlucky 13 like this.
  8. Disgustipate

    Disgustipate Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    It's also worth considering that in the short-term, the Dolphins might look more like the Green Bay Packers under Mike Pettine than the Patriots. The Dolphins DC, Patrick Graham spent a year as Mike Pettine's run game coordinator, and I think it makes sense until the Dolphins get an ILB/Edge or a Trey Flowers kind of player for them to look more like Green Bay.

    Here's a post I made on how Green Bay does things:

    https://thephins.com/threads/mike-pettine-packers-influence-on-the-dolphins-defense.94203/
     
    djphinfan and Unlucky 13 like this.
  9. It brings pleasure reading many of the big-brain takes on here. It confirms that most of you suffer from dunning-Kruger and have 0 football knowledge. Please continue to regale me with your hot-takes on why Raekwon McDumpty is a good LB.
     
  10. mlb1399

    mlb1399 Well-Known Member

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    So you’re saying that people on a casual fan board aren’t experts and are occasionally wrong just like the professionals are. Brilliant!
     
    Silverphin likes this.

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