The Dolphins OL

Thanks captain obvious (@joesched).

Technique is great. Achievement is better. At least the mind set is correct.

The run blocking of the group leaves a lot to be desired. IT wasn't awful (like last season), but it wasn't good either. I don't know if a "pass" is in order considering not a single one of the players have played together before and this being the first game, but it is an area they have ti improve to have this "power rushing team" Flores seems to desire. With that said, there was a lot of encouraging moments...they seem to pass block well and Kindley looks like the guard we have wanted for years. Someone posted on twitter a play where he took Wise 8 plus yards downfield. Years and years of shitty line drafts to maybe have two decent to good players out of the same draft is nuts. Granted, one game, but it was encouraging. Add Creed Humphries to that mix next year and you could have a dominate unit.

"Finatik wrote:

Thanks captain obvious (@joesched).

Technique is great. Achievement is better. At least the mind set is correct.

Seriously that tweet by joe schad .. i want my 1.5 seconds back, thats how bad that was.

Lol and in other news scientists discover it's not good to stop breathing, and that water is in fact wet. That tweet is comedy gold.

"Vertical Limit wrote:

Seriously that tweet by joe schad .. i want my 1.5 seconds back, thats how bad that was.

I thought it was hilarious.

I loved Joe Schad’s tweet. Pointing in a not too subtle way that Omar Kelly is a fool

“Austin Jackson is gonna be a star left tackle”

“Solomon Kindley will not be far behind and will be better than 2nd round pick Robert Hunt”

Gonna stick to my predraft projections.

"djphinfan wrote:

“Austin Jackson is gonna be a star left tackle”

“Solomon Kindley will not be far behind and will be better than 2nd round pick Robert Hunt”

Gonna stick to my predraft projections.

Would be great to see us finally have some drafted OL talent work out. If Hunt can step into a starting role later in the season or next year that would be nice, but 2-3 is pretty good.

I feel the same way about the OL that I feel about the rest of the team: You can't add so many new pieces and forego the opportunities to sharpen chemistry in exhibition games and expect the team to play well from the beginning. Offensive lines need to not only hone their own technique, they need to learn to play with and trust the guys next to them. And that's especially true with two rookies. We'll take our lumps early, but 2020 should be a year where we should expect steady improvement more than we expect the team to win the division. Or even most of its games.

Its going to take time to get there. We can't get too frustrated when they have down games. But I liked Jackson and Kindley a lot coming into the draft, and they held their own in Week 1. We need them to do all they can the rest of this year next to Flowers, and then hopefully we can add a top center and maybe a RT next draft.

I think this young line gets a pass for the majority of the season due to COVID, no pre-season, limited camp, etc. With that said though, they did have very good pass blocking and a few nice holes in the run game....week one was an excellent baseline to start the season with and build on. NE has a great defense plus they cheat (holding), so the competition should only get weaker from here on out.

If they can keep the Pats to one sack with Fitz's old legs, then Tua should have a fairly clean pocket by this time next season.

I think they maul the Bills this week. They're a bunch of pussies.

Kindley is continuing to show why he won the starting job. Ed Oliver is a damn good DT, and one of the most gifted coming out of college in the last couple of years...

Seriously, when was the last time we had two starting quality guards at the same time? Its a welcome change.

"ConvenientTruth wrote:

Dolphins rookie RG Solomon Kindley hooking & hip-tossing Oliver 👀 #torque pic.twitter.com/fVrWNpqhQf

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) September 23, 2020

Kindley is continuing to show why he won the starting job. Ed Oliver is a damn good DT, and one of the most gifted coming out of college in the last couple of years...

That's the kind of stuff you show to the whole team in the film room if you want to get this team charged up for Thursday. Tell them to go out there and play like him.

"The Guy wrote:

That's the kind of stuff you show to the whole team in the film room if you want to get this team charged up for Thursday. Tell them to go out there and play like him.

The team has lacked the level of attitude and nastiness across the front for a long time.

While the guy gets his hands on the ball (great play), I still love that Kindley put the dude in the ground...as the tweet indicates...punish jumpers.

The great part about Kindley, is he is still very raw as a players...there are still a ton of missteps and awkward technique, if he can get those areas cleaned up, he is going to be a damn fine OG. He is already incredibly effective and a physical presence...

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

Its going to take time to get there. We can't get too frustrated when they have down games. But I liked Jackson and Kindley a lot coming into the draft, and they held their own in Week 1. We need them to do all they can the rest of this year next to Flowers, and then hopefully we can add a top center and maybe a RT next draft.

Don't dismiss Hunt either - he was a bit more raw but has the physical tools. Wouldn't be surprised to see him later in the season perhaps.

Kindley tossing people around is nice to see. We needed a big, mean guy to move the LOS and get DTs going backward.

"texanphinatic wrote:

Don't dismiss Hunt either - he was a bit more raw but has the physical tools. Wouldn't be surprised to see him later in the season perhaps.

Kindley tossing people around is nice to see. We needed a big, mean guy to move the LOS and get DTs going backward.

I'm not going to count on anything from Hunt until I see him playing well out there. Until then, my expectations aren't high.

For the past 10+ years, you guys have asked me what to look for in linemen and I've never once said great technique- my answer has always been guys that stay low with active footwork, a mean streak and just physical toughness. Our line is not where it needs to be but I absolutely love the aggressiveness that we're seeing so far...we can definitely build around these kids while they get up to speed in the years ahead.

They'll only get better with continuity and we're already seeing some stuff that we haven't had in a while...like folks getting pancaked at the 2nd level. Whenever a LB has to take a step back or to the side, that means the line has already won since they're inserting their wills and holes are opening naturally. We will eventually have a great all-around line and I think we already have that foundation on the roster. No idea who coaching line this year but that dude deserves some praise as well!

"Unlucky 13 wrote:

I'm not going to count on anything from Hunt until I see him playing well out there. Until then, my expectations aren't high.

Fair not to count on him, but I wouldn't count him out either. Regardless, 2 out of 3 ain't bad as the legend goes. :up:

"texanphinatic wrote:

Fair not to count on him, but I wouldn't count him out either. Regardless, 2 out of 3 ain't bad as the legend goes. :up:

That is a good take from all of this. The Dolphins were smart to double/triple down of the OL in this draft. Jackson, barely a year removed from the bone marrow (helping his sister) has a lot of growth. Obviously he needs to get stronger, but those sweet feet...he just glides. it is a beautiful thing. Also, being the 3rd youngest player in the league, he still has a few years of maturity.