Ireland is in bargain mode, did we do enough in FA already?

If we stop now I am not really happy with our free agency performance. If we sign a good offensive tackle or a good cornerback I will be satisfied.

 

Obviously there is still holes, but the fact of the matter is that it's not possible to fill them all in free agency. Like it or not, the draft will be used to address several holes.

 

This thread borders on moronic…

other then singing 7 free agents we have done nothing… I mean how stupid does that sound?

 

Plus all the guys that are going to get cut after the draft… there is forever to go before the season gets going...

 

I actually jumped the gun. Padre wasn't complaining.

 

Right. Also let's all use some perspective for a second. No team is perfect and they ALL have holes. So while we certainly want to address as many as possible it isn't the end of the world if we go into the season without a perfect roster.

Baltimore won the Superbowl and their offensive line was unsettled until the postseason.

 

me too… I stopped reading…
lol

 

I do not agree with the premise that Ireland is in bargain mode now. We don't know all the circumstances around any offers made or not when it comes to free agents visiting now but not signed. So how can we know whether Ireland is just making low ball offers?

 

well it is what it is...padre has a knack for making strange assumptions and letting them all out

 

who is left? Tracy Porter, Asomugha...? it's slim pickings at this point, how Ireland could get to this point without signing a corner is beyond me, then again this is the same guy that waited until the 6th round to take a WR last April so I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. cuz right now we got "4s, 5s, and 6s" at CB

 

we've been active in FA, and I like almost all the moves, but we knew we'd have to sign a lot of players here because we had a ton of needs, which was compounded by the fact that we also had 12 free agents, 9-10 of them being starters or key guys. now we re-signed 3 of them before FA began, and you can't fill all your holes in March but in today's pass happy era you need to protect your QB so he can pass and you need to disrupt the opposing QB by pressuring him and defending his targets so I just wish we had addressed at least one of those 3 vital positions of OT, DE and CB by now.

 

Perhaps he was too busy signing Wallace, Keller, and Gibson to beef up the offense!... and Ellerbe & Wheeler to reface the linebacking corps!... so now we have to be pragmatic about the remaining available funds b/c we also need a tackle and could use another pass rusher, both more so than a corner.
Seriously, do you ever NOT complain? We could win a Super Bowl and you'd be saying "but Ireland's team only won by 2 points, blub blub blub!".

 

it sure looks like that the CB market is taking a hefty pay drop, so i guess we will be drafting the corners since he dosn't want to put money in the position, this after we drafted tavon austin at # 12 of course

 

You are now my favorite. Takes a man.

 

I have to say this is one of my all-time favorite posts. I love what was said and it was said well.

1. I totally agree with the Wallace issue. He obviously will be helpful addition but was grossly overvalued. Next year is a long way a way, but his nearly 18 mil cap hit in 2014 could cost the Dolphins the ability to keep both Soliai and Starks.

In fact it could even influence the way the Dolphins draft this year. I wouldn't be surprised if they draft a DT relatively high knowing that next year they will need a strong rotational player. I am praying for Kheeston Randall and Chas Alexich to step up.
I was very disappointed to see Dawan Edwards visiting the Dolphins. My guess is one of them walks next year maybe even both.

2.Ya, in my earlier mocks I had replacements being drafted this year for both Dansby and Burnett. I would have cut them next year for a far less dead money hit. If your draft picks looked good you didn't have to spend FA money at the LB position. The way it is now I am extremely concerned about these guys coverage skills. Are they both going to end up getting paid every down money and only be able to be on the field part time? I still want to draft Cooper Taylor and Travis Long to play LB for the Dolphins. I have 0 confidence in Trusnik,Spitler, and Kaddu. Hate to be negative but I have to say it again, I hate our LB depth. Please correct if I'm wrong.

3. I actually had Brian Hartline mocked to the Dolphins when we drafted him. I didn't have him in the 4th round, but I really liked him as dark horse who was under-used in college. Yes, his contract was too much, and now I agree as well, Bess should be moved and a more explosive player added. I would love Tavon Austin to be a Dolphin and to play some snaps as a RB, not just a slot reciever; however, who is going to play LT?

4. Ya, this is just, doesn't work for me either. Yes, if Hartline is injured we will be awful glad we have him, but man, just seems like a lot of money when this draft is full of WR talent in the 3rd-5th round.

5. Yup, Keller is just O.K. Not at all the break away deep threat I saw Cook becoming, or the complete player that Bennett was looking like, but about the best we could do otherwise. If Eifert was a 4.5 guy maybe just draft him with the 12, but he has his own limitations. Colt Lyerla may be either ******ed or clinically insane, but if he gets any beter at playing football I may want to draft the guy in 2014 if he declares. Maybe he would challenge Cam Wake to a vertical leap contest.

6.LT is so very important. This is going to be such a gut wrenching decision to make. I know what I would do. I would get ruthless and clear the cap that I could and go radical on the OL without forgetting CB but it means risking not getting the pass rush help this defense needs.
I wanted Lawrence Sidbury bad. I really felt he was the dark horse pass rusher of this free agency. I could be wrong but it looks like Atlanta tried to hide him on the bottom of the roster last year in hopes of signing him on the cheap after they cut John Abraham. He had 4 sacks in 2011 in limited situational pass rushing and he looked good. In 2012 they hardly let him see the field. After FA began Sidbury and his agent made a public statement pretty much telling the Falcons that they could go screw themselves, Sidbury didn't appreciate being treated that way and there was no way they would consider signing with the Falcons.
Sidbury would have been a good backup speed rusher for Wake if he went down and he could have been put in on obvious throwing downs as well, and he was cheap. He had the fastest 40 dash amongst linemen at his combine. 4.52 I think.

Anyway, I would cut Carpenter(draft Dustin Hopkins) and Dmitri Patterson, and move Bess and John Jerry and I would even take a 6th or 7th for Daniel Thomas(wishful thinking). (I believe in Jonas Gray) That would leave the Dolphins with about 25 mil in cap even before the extra cap comes due June 1st from the Dansby and Burnett cuts. That is plenty to grab the best remaining OL,Antoine Winfield(PFF's #1 rated 2012 CB),and a pass rusher.
If the Dolphins are depending on Jonathan Martin for a lot, that disturbs me.

7. If it wasn't for the durability issues, I would offer Sam Shields a contract. He is de'am good IMO, but I balk at giving up the pick for the ? What if?...........Meh, 2nd thought, with Ireland's record on 2nd rounders, maybe I do offer Shields a contract.

8.I like signing Clemons to a 1 year cheap deal. He may yet be traded or relegated to spot duty by acquiring a better player.
I saw Phillip Thomas greatly improved his 40 time. I did like Eric Reid as well but it looks like the Dolphins will be going into the draft with needs, and Reid would have been a BPA guy.

9.I think the Moore thing is a big deal. 4 mil?? We could have signed Brandon Moore with that. Devlin has had time now to get ready, and there were some late round QB's I thought might make decent #3's. I suppose he could eventually be traded for value as well.

10. Ya, what happens if Wake goes on IR, we got nothing, really. There were some nice inexpensive situational pass rushers and backup type guys but they are gone now, and the high priced veterans remain.
I don't like this draft for pass rushers. I think the real successful 2 or 3 guys are hidden and won't emerge until later and God only knows who they really are. Maybe it really is Ansah,Werner, and Mingo, I have my doubts.
There are some mid to late round guys I like but nobody I would expect to come in day 1 and rip through OL's.

Yes, IMO, there is a lot more to be done in FA. I hate going into the draft every year with gaping holes. Hate it!
Everybody expects there to be some roster needs come draft time, but not these huge needs like OT's and starting caliber CB's and Pass rushers. Well, there is still time and cap(if they choose to clear it), to get more done.

I'm not near as rah! rah! as some people but I'm not too disillusioned either.

There is one guy in this year's draft I would refer to as the key. Dolphins must draft Cooper Taylor, Richmond. If this is the only guy from my mock that they draft I will still be happy, but that's another story.

 

When you acknowledge what has actually taken place.......The cutting of starters Dansby and Burnett, the loss of starters Bush,Long,Smith,Fasano,and the attrition of other less significant FA's, and the franchising of Starks.............

Signing 7 FA's really isn't a big deal; in fact, it could be argued that no headway has actually been made.

I would like to declare our offense is better, but, is it? The OL is going to determine that in the end.

I think the defense is in trouble if the CB and pass rush issues aren't addressed, and our LB depth is abyssmal.

For those who believe the draft is the answer, I would say yes, the answer to the future, but how many rookies played major roles for the Ravens and the 49 ers last year?

I love this thread, and I think it is very pertinent, and yes, Ireland needs to start actually signing a CB,an OL, a pass rusher, instead of low balling until all the talent is gone.

 

basically...these crucial units are not areas of the team that you should all of a sudden get cheap with.

 

Hall signed with the Lions

 

Exactly! It sounds like some people have never been through an offseason before? CB has become as fungible as the RB position. There will be zone CBs available after the draft and during camp. There's plenty of time yet people want to complain about the GM b/c he didn't fill every hole in the first two weeks. Fans panic b/c they want to fill a position hole with " a name", but for a zone CB you mostly just need smart enough players who are good tacklers. If we have a decent pass rush then most any smart, good tackling CB will look like a star. Then some foolish team will overpay for that name and we'll hear the same fans panicking again.

 

I don't know that I would call our pass rush decent. It is mediocre at best and way too dependent on Cam Wake for my taste.

Smart, good tackling CB's aren't that common. If you find one you should keep him if possible. Vontae was very smart and an excellent tackler but I guess he had some other problems.

I just couldn't disagree more with this school of thought that you can find adequate RB's and CB's just floating around.

It's the same as any other position. You have to have greatness in at least some positions to succeed. There are some serious difference makers amongst the RB's and CB's in this league.

Antoine Winfield is the best nickel CB in the NFL by far. Ya, he may only have a year or two left, but I would sign him to a 1 or 2 year contract in a heartbeat.

 

You are right, we do need greatness in some positions, but none of those positions are CB or RB. You do not need greatness at RB or CB to be a Super Bowl team anymore.

That is specifically because of the rule changes that make passing easier. By having those changes it makes the CB's job too difficult thereby lessening its importance and making passing more efficient than running thereby lessening RB's importance.

 

Getting Dumervil would be very, very nice

 

I have questions about our pass rush as well and I know that going into the offseason the team had improving it as one of their priorities. I don't think it's a coincidence that we signed two of the best blitzing LBs in the league right off the bat in FA and that we're still looking at pass rushing DEs.

As for greatness at some positions, I absolutely agree. A few years back a poster put together a correlation between SB teams and what positions they had probowl players at. QB was obviously at the top of the list, but surprisingly the other positions were less expected. IIRC they were WR, S and C. There is no pass rusher position per say. Some teams use DL while others use LBs, so the pass rusher/SB correlation wasn't made in that post. But I would say that the importance of having pass rushers is obvious too anybody who has watched the game develop. CB however, has lost importance. Other than Revis, I can't think of another CB who has been considered the shut down type for more than a year or two. Guys like Nmandi and Champ signed big contracts and their new teams had lower ranked pass defenses the following year. In fact, I can't recall a single instance of a team signing the top CB and having heir pass D improve the following year. It happens all the time with Ss, but not CBs. IMO it's b/c the rules have neutered the position. Almost nobody shuts down passing game from the CB position. The best you can hope for is that consistent tackling limits gains and the pass rush disrupts enough to get off the field on third down.

I like Winfield, although I didn't watch him much last year. If his price is reasonable enough, he would be a good pick up. Bu if it doesn't I still believe we'll be fine on D as long as we get enough pass rush.

 

The secondary remains suspect. An annual tradition.

I think Ireland is higher on Vernon than many of us are, so pass rush may not be as big a deal in his mind.

 

42 sacks last year good for 7th overall, not to bad considering we only have wake

 

42 sacks is not mediocre at best. THe pass rush will also be better with the addition of DE and Wheeler both of whom are better blitzers then Dansby and KB. The school of thought that this is just an expensive swap of linebackers is also incorrect. The Dolphins got younger and faster at the position without much risk. Dansby and KB are both getting towards the end of their careers and waiting until next year is just kicking the can down the road.

Vontae was an immature punk who didnt take his craft seriously. You are never going to win anything with players that are not willing to go the extra mile to be the best they can be. I mean why would you want a guy on your team that is showing up to practice drunk/hung over? Getting rid of Vontae was the right move… getting a 2nd round pick for him was a steal.

The Dolphins upgraded the RB position when they let Bush walk and by proxy gave the starting job to Miller. Miller is going to be a great RB… the guy is light years ahead of Bush and you will see that this year. They do need a back up RB as Thomas sucks donkey D. As for the CB position I believe that is going to be addressed in the draft. Lastly, the free agent season is 11 days old… there is still a lot of time to address many of the teams needs

 

Agree completely.

I would like to also throw this out there in regards to Vontae, that no one has really talked about:

Trading Vontae after continually coming to camp lazy and stupid, should pay huge dividends with the rest of the team keeping their sh|t together during the offseason and TC. What should be lost on no one on the team or that watched HK last year is, that foolishness will not be tolerated no matter how high you were drafted or how good you may play. Its no surprise that even though our record was a poor 7-9 we are being taken more seriously throughout last season and this offseason so far.

Trading Vontae was the football equivalent of putting a head on pike out front of the gates.

 

I have mixed feelings with your evaluation of what the Fins have done so ar.

1. Did they over pay for Wallace? Yes, I think they did but I think it was a move they had to make. Wallace is an outstanding player and his presence will make his fellow receivers better. So when I weigh it all out I am on board with this move.

2. I dont see any risk at all in the swap out of the linebackers, as a matter of fact I love the moves. We got rid of two aging beat up players for two players that are entering their prime.

3. Not a fan of Hartline at all, paying him 6 mil per is a bad move IMO.

4. Gibson? the guy goes against everything the Fins should be doing. We should be trying to speed up the WR position instead we sign a guy that plays like he running around with an anchor around his legs? Hate the move.

5. We agree on Keller

6. Totally disagree with Long, Long has been living off his name for a couple years now. I the Fins let him walk it is because IMO they feel they can get out of Martin what they got out of Long last year. Long is not a 9 mil per player… not even close. I would like to see the Fins sign Vollmer but you have to wonder about his health. Has he even gotten a sniff from anyone yet?

7. Would love Grimes… I think the draft is where they go after that...

8. I am in the minority here when I say that I dont have a huge problem with CC. He is not a super star but I think he is serviceable. This is a position I could see them addressing with one of the top 5 picks.

9. MM deal covers their butts… they have no other realistic backup options at this point. I think part of that money was also paid to keep him from the Jets.

10. Our pass rush is going to be better because of the linebackers they Fins signed. On top of that it wasnt like the Fins didnt have a pass rush last year. I would love to add another pass rusher just like everyone else but I dont think it is the need the some people make it out to be.

 

classic addition by subtraction

 

Reading what CK wrote made me think a bit about the moves and that i felt simular to his concerns...then I guess rationalizing maybe..lol but there has been this growing perception that Miami isnt a place that FA's wanted to sign with. i scoffed at that for a while until it continually came up on sports talk. So maybe paying more to get talent to Miami is the goal as well as the obvious (winning). Maybe its not so much over paying as much as investing in repairing a bruised reputaion..just a thought.

 

Still need to address the offensive line. We have no right tackle, our right guard is still a question and the left tackle could be a boom or bust. Heading into the draft with no right tackle and a question at right guard almost forces us too draft for need because we are not wining more than 7 games with Garner and Jerry making up the right side.

Corner is also a major question.

Pass rusher is a question

Free safety is a question.

Running back has too be concidered one as well.

If we walk up too the podium NEEDING a corner, NEEDING a right tackle, relying strictly on John Jerry, no added depth at the edge and only Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas at running back I would consider the offseason up too that point as a "B-". If Ireland adds a quality corner or right tackle before the draft the offseason gets a "B+". If he adds both he gets an "A".

There are still far too many holes on this team to be holding a coronation for Jeff Ireland.

 

Garner is a stop gap, depth scrub. Cam Wake is one of the best 3 in the league but he needs help. Clemons is passable (he's my whipping boy) but a playoff team does not have "passable", they have a playmaker.

The offensive line is my biggest concern and it's not even close.

 

In 2012, Jenkins was 2nd out of 115 among corners in coverage snaps per target, with 8.3, This means the man he was covering was thrown at once every 8.3 snaps. In snaps per reception he was 11th at 13.1. Also pretty good. He made the Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2009, but has fell off since then. He was a very well regarded corner at one time, and maybe worth a bargain contract gamble.
In 2011, he was 19th out of 111 corners in snaps per reception with 13.3. He was 30th in snaps per target at 6.9.

 

IMO, you're too harsh on Clemons. He was the 11th best safety out of 91, in coverage snaps per target, and he was 17th in coverage snaps per reception. Both better than Reshad Jones, who was 50th and 33rd respectively.

 

I'm on board with wanting the Dolphins to sign Grimes, because, like you, I do think he's the best of the bunch that are left, and I'd also like to take CB off the team's "glaring hole" list. But I do think it comes with heavy risks, especially in the short term.

Not to go off too personal, but I ruptured my Achilles playing basketball about four years ago. "Like two ends of a mop," my surgeon told me after repairing the Achilles. However, I was back playing basketball competitively in about six to seven months afterward. The ability I lost, though, for a lack of a better word, was "explosion". And that didn't really come back (it never came all the way back, but most of it did) until I'd say a year to a year-and-a-half after the original injury. Now, I was over forty when the rupture happened, and people heal at different rates. I would think the younger a person is, the faster they might heal, but that's conjecture on my part. Still, Achilles injuries are painful and require a lot of therapy and discipline (to do therapy on your own) to heal properly. There's also a confidence factor that you mentally have to overcome when returning to action (i.e. is my tendon going to pop again when I make this next cut? or this next one? or how about this one? Etc.) until you're finally reassured.

The reason I mention any of this is if we did sign Grimes - and again, I'm hoping for it - I think there might be some pains in his first year back, and maybe a lot of hand-wringing from fans without a lot of patience for a healing injury when out, in, and come-back patterns are being completed in front of your defensive back. Losing explosion, I would think, would have a critically detrimental effect for a cornerback breaking on balls. Instinct helps, but these are split seconds we're talking about. A year or so after the injury, maybe by the end of the Dolphins' next season, Grimes will probably be as right again as he'll ever be. But that's a season where he really wasn't at full speed for most of it. And what would we be offering, a one year "prove it" deal? That seems like not a great deal for either party involved. If the Dolphins sign Grimes, I want it to be at least a two-year deal, so we at least have one year of Grimes at his best.

The team does need a CB, imo, so that we can go into the draft without that being a glaring need. Grimes is the one I want most of those left, but I do think, if we sign him, we'll have to live for a lot of the year without him playing at his best. Just my opinion.