If you put a gun to my head and asked which was better... Howard for 5 or Gordon for 8 ( Million per year ) I would take Gordon. Now that being said I am not going to be overly critical. 1. We do not know if Gordon wanted to come to Miami 2. Gordon's asking price may have been higher a week ago... He sees other players sign and he then reluctantly agrees to take the 8 million a year. When we made our deal Howard likely was the best option.
I'd take Gordon every day of the week over Howard. That said, I trust Flores and the FO and they must have seen something in Howard. He had a couple of decent games for Phily last year but he's always struck me as average. Mind you, there are some that would argue the same about Gordon.
I agree with ya'll. However, I think Howard, and the rookie RB we will most likely draft, can get it done. He may not have breakaway speed, but as long as we continually move the sticks, I will be happy. Grind it out and wear 'em down works for me.
One thing I do like about Howard... Other than the stinger injury he had to his shoulder he has been mostly healthy and productive in the NFL... He is a guy who has not had major ankle and or knee problems. If the O line can be league average Howard will give us more than 4 yards per carry... That may not seem orgasmic or revolutionary or anything. Consider that last year we had a running back that averaged under 2 yards a carry and the leading rusher on the team was the 37 year old QB So adding a Running back that gains 4 yards a carry instead of 1.8... It moves chains.. Chews clock... Put points on the board... rests the defense. Howard is going to mean a lot to this team... and with the improvements we have made on defense, and special teams... This team before the draft is a team that can win more than 8 games already. I know it is early for predictions... If we have a great draft I see the Dolphins making the playoffs.
I think OL is more important. Kenyan Drake averaged 3.7 y/a with us and 5.2 y/a with the Cards, and it isn’t as if the Cardinals OL is great. Get the OL fixed, and then see what the RBs we have can do. edit to add: He average 1.8 yards before contact with the fins and 3.2 with the cards, so the difference in yards per attempt is essentially the difference in OL blocking.
We all agree that the line was bad... But Ballage was also straight up garbage.... He averaged 2 yards less a carry than Drake. We have already made a minor upgrade at center with Karras... and we added a heck of a player with Flowers. Deiter showed improvement last year as a rookie. I think we all agree that a tackle is coming in the draft. Maybe another center as well.
When I watch Howard, I don't see a RB who is sudden. There could be a huge hole and I doubt he could take it to the house. That said, if he makes the team, I see him more as a role player in games where we need to grind it out. Having Roberts as a lead blocker is going to help with that, too. Smashmouth, baby, smashmouth!
Sure it is exciting to see a RB take it to the house... I will settle for a running game that produces 4 yards a carry this season. Baby Steps...
You want a RB that can take it to the house? Then just hope we draft Jonathan Taylor, JT is the fastest premier RB in the draft and a potential future HOF.
everyone is a potential future hall of famer at this point. (o; Taylor looks good... I hope we draft Dillon... It is a pretty deep pool for Running backs... One can be acquired with a third or fourth round pick
I like Howard... I have no real complaint with him... We did not overpay him.. He is young and has been durable. That said I think Gordon is a better overall player. The difference in salary is minimal... Which is why I said looking back at it now... Because we have the money to spend... I would have preferred Gordon. But this is a minor issue. Overall I think they have done an amazing job so far to fill holes and improve the football team.
Honestly, about 70% of running the ball is the line creating holes and the back hitting the right ones. We need to create push regardless of who is getting the handoff.
Alex Not sure it is 70%.... but you make a decent point. We all saw that Ballage is absolutely terrible at finding the hole or running with a plan... The guy has zero vision.... The O line was bad... He made it worse.
To be honest I dont know that is an exact % either haha it just felt in the range of acceptable. Obviously more talent = more big plays. That cant be questioned, but if you're looking for a solid run game, a line that basically gives you the first 2 to 3 yards is a big asset.
I think one of Howard's greatest strengths and advantage over Gordon is in short yardage. He has converted at an almost 75% rate for his career. He isn't really a take it to the house threat, but he's been very good at getting those 10 yard runs. I never expected to land our franchise RB (by my definition: the guy who is an all-around back who would be our workhorse for the next 4 or 5 years) in this FA. I do think there's a chance we could find that RB in the draft. So what I wanted was a consistent, durable veteran back that would be both a bridge and a mentor for our draft acquisition as well as depth going forward. I also think that if we hit on our draft back that Howard would be a more likely committee and/or depth guy this year and beyond. IMO Gordon is a slightly better all around back. But I didn't want to pay anybody (of the backs available) more than $7 mil/per. I had said over a month ago that I liked Gordon in the $4-$7 mil/per range but not higher than that. So while I like Gordon slightly better, I like Howard for us at $5 more than Gordon at $8.
Rafael Nice point you made... Thank you. Converting 75% of the time... Something this offense desperately needs.
Especially since I am guessing our offense won't be the massive air attack where we consistently outscore the other team. We will probably pass more than run, but it doesn't hurt having the ability to just keep moving the sticks (Howard, Fitz, and rookie RB) and wear their butts down. It is an advantage in our Florida heat, and when we make the playoffs ().
Surfs The AFC east is wide open. The Jets are not a great team... Buffalo is a good team... Allen has not lived upto the Hype. The Pats are a mess. With a solid draft the Dolphins have a shot to win this division.