I don’t know anything about him, but nfl.com said he was the top free agent this year. Also, he seems a little injury-prone, as he has missed at least six games in four of the last six seasons. However, a great acquisition and a major coup for the Dolphins.
30 years old, should play all five years of that contract. Great signing! This is absolutely huge for us! He was key for Drew Brees extending his career and staying upright. Lets' hope he does the same for Tua or Teddy. Also...Yes...Injuries are a concern as they are with every player, but with him we have some nice depth on the line now. Some young guys that can take a step back and possibly develop like Austin Jackson.
Wow. We are about to find out if Tua is the problem, folks. We'll have folks who knew Grier screwed up this offseason in hindsight, but I won't be one of them. Phins are nailing it and set up the draft to be a BPA affair for all picks. With a good draft and the development of a few players (Hunter Long, Lynn Bolden, Jr., Liam), it'll all come down to the coach and the QB.
Yeah, really. There should be no more excuses for Tua. We've spent on the O line, we've drafted year in and year out to help fix it. This really should be it. The draft is now Griers alone to screw up. There should be no more excuses for him either to be honest.
Cue pumpdogs saying this is the worst signing in franchise history and the Dolphins got worse with this move.
He's missed games, but he is a true elite at LT. We got much better today with this move, it's finally what we have been looking for, an actual fix to this issue. It looks like we now have the left side locked down unless they do something weird like stick Williams at RT. I'd still like to see us add another piece, and probably at center. Whether that comes via the draft or we try and drop more money on Tretter is anyone's guess. That said, Dieter does seem like a scheme fit, so maybe they do roll with him.
Ok now were talking and i just saw ESPN's mock draft and Miami's taking Linderbaum with their first pick...
Although I don't think they upgraded his passing targets enough, even the Tua supporters have to agree with this sentiment. He has to take a major jump next season or that's going to be it. They are setup next off-season to make a move for a quarterback.
I depends on the no-name receivers we signed. Maybe they're twitchy, get open fast kind of guys...I have no idea. But we don't need flashy, we have that in Waddle. So I'm glad we didn't chase more Ferraris when this team really just needs 2-3 Toyota Camrys.
Really disagree on this one. We have the best lineup on paper of Wideouts that we have had in a long time. We have two FULLBACKS and two Tightends now! We have a TON of blocking capabilities and receiving threats. If the defense can stay the course and be as good as the last 7 games and we have very few injuries I say we are going to be in the wildcard this year. Love the direction on offense. Tua will have to step up and I think he will. This will be his 3rd (2ns year was a starter and things will start to slow down once he gets the playbook down.)
I'm excited. Football is a dynamic game and one aspect of performance necessarily affects the other two. If we can field a top-12 offense, that puts our defense on the sidelines for extended time per game. Possessing the ball for an extra 2 minutes per game makes our defense a top-3 unit, IMO. I think we're capable of that.
My biggest problem I've had with the Tua situation is it's been near impossible to really get a read on whether the guy can play or not. I watched a season and a half of his play from Alabama (that was hard - Saban) and he lit it up while he was there. I have yet to see that guy in Miami. I agree 100%, there should be no excuses after this season. We will have a read on who he is. Or isn't.
I view college football as a pee wee league compared to the NFL. Vastly different players and offensive schemes for the most part. In the NFL there are very few people from college that make it into the pros. Your game has to evolve and you need more of a team around you. Tua has talent for sure, this year will be a BIG test for him. Hes going to make some new mistakes as he's learning a new offense again. Will it be a better fit? It has to IMHO if not TUA is not going to be around in 2 years.
I watched some more film on Armstead last night...not highlights but just a 10-15 minute few clips from random games over the past few years. This kid is an absolute mauler and everything you want a left tackle to be. Great in power run blocking with strength and agility off the charts for his size. Super competent in pass protection as well, sometimes blocking two different players at once and rag-dolling defenders with one arm. He has to be one of the most powerful, intimidating linemen I've seen at this level- puts someone like Jake Long in his prime to shame. Long was a complete stud, don't get me wrong, but this is like the Hulk version of that (Long is Banner, Armstead is the Hulk). It's hard to comprehend how complete of a player this guy is, and we're going to be running the ball to the left side of the field a whole lot this season. I know you guys have wanted a stud running back for awhile now, but you're about to see what an average running back looks like behind a dominant offensive line and the right scheme. It's going to be a night and day difference. This is my brand of football and I couldn't be more excited about what we're about to see- the story is not going to be "Tua" next season but the entire offense when we're not asking Tua to carry. Almost any QB would be able to thrive in this offense.
I think the other advantage to having this guy on the line isn't just the work he'll do himself but the help he can bring to the coaching of the line. Sometimes it's easier for the guy alongside you in the trench to get the point across than the guy shouting from the sideline.
I think only a few of us have realized how important RIGHT tackle is for our team. Left tackle always gets the attention because he protects the quarterbacks blind side however…with Tua being a lefty, his blind side is the RIGHT tackles responsibility.
He comes across as articulate, intelligent and knowledgeable about the game. I’m very impressed. I hope I am just as impressed, when I watch him blocking for Tua.
This is absolutely true...but I'm going to say something unpopular here. I think we'll be okay without bringing in a new RT. Eichenberg will make some major strides this season, plus we'll run the ball A LOT to the left.