Upgraded, Downgraded, Stayed the Same...You be the Judge! | Page 5 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Upgraded, Downgraded, Stayed the Same...You be the Judge!

djphinfan said:
I think from watching last years reps Liam is strictly left guard material. Right guard reps weren’t nearly as clean

So I would say he’s the backup there.
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Eich isn't in your projected starting lineup?
 
On paper, think your assessment is spot on. Maybe a downgrade at safety. If we're without Chubb and Philips and losing AVG and Baker, LB will be a downgrade.
 
Do we ever know until it matters? I think we lead the league in late-season debacles (exaggerating to clarify). This team can start 6-0 & history tells me to worry because, you know, December.😡

To play devils advocate, I'll be a pi$$y fan & say downgraded because anything other than critical attention to the OL was a terrible offseason for me.
 
Getting weaker on the LOS is usually not a recipe for winning... it's really a shame we lost both Hunt and Wilkins at the top of their respective careers. I think those losses will really matter. Until proven otherwise, I think we took a step backwards as a team.
 
To me, this is a major prove-it year for this team.

If Hill is really bought-in then we need him to be as motivated in '24 as he's been the last two years. If Waddle is truly a great WR worthy of having moved up to go and get, he needs to stay healthy and be just as involved as Hill, if only to take some more of the load. I'd like to see their targets move closer together.

If we're really talented in the backfield then let's get more physical and run the ball more consistently and let's make a point of doing it more in the 2nd half. Ideally, we want to be leaning on these RBs as we go into Nov, Dec and Jan. Why we're going pass-happy when the OL is struggling shows a general lack of commitment to a more physical style within this offense and it's a major red flag that what we're building may not actually be what we all want.

If Tua's really a franchise QB then let's see him legitimately carry the team and step up throughout the season, not just put up some spectacular numbers early on against the NFL's lesser teams. The modern NFL has no place for physically-limited, game-manager-only, system QBs. A franchise QB needs to be special or else that team needs to be looking elsewhere for a difference-maker. There are a lot of QBs who'd like a chance to operate a McDaniel-led offense with this kind of talent. I want to know that it's not being wasted on Tua.

Defensively, this is a tough one. We're going to be drafting a boundary CB, a DT and a S all at some point. We may already have that new Safety in Patrick McMorris, but he's unlikely to contribute much as a rookie. Either way, this secondary is going to change over the next few years. It needs to be understood very clearly >> Poyer and Fuller are not long-term solutions. They are stop-gaps who will only be around for 1-2 years at most while we find their replacements.

Meanwhile, on the DL we lack a proven DT to go alongside Seiler and we'll be scrambling to replace the production of a healthy Chubb and Phillips. This is all while we install a new system under the guidance of a young DC earning his stripes.

In short, this defense is a long-term project. Maybe we reach the Playoffs again? Maybe we can even compete for the AFC East Division? But no matter, this defense is going to be something that we go about building over the next couple seasons. It's not going to be something that is occasionally there to bail the offense out which has been the case for the last 4 straight years under Flores, Boyer and Fangio.
 
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marino13zach54 said:
Do we ever know until it matters? I think we lead the league in late-season debacles (exaggerating to clarify). This team can start 6-0 & history tells me to worry because, you know, December.😡

To play devils advocate, I'll be a pi$$y fan & say downgraded because anything other than critical attention to the OL was a terrible offseason for me.
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You mean you aren't already? - LOL
 
BigNastyFish said:
Getting weaker on the LOS is usually not a recipe for winning... it's really a shame we lost both Hunt and Wilkins at the top of their respective careers. I think those losses will really matter. Until proven otherwise, I think we took a step backwards as a team.
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Actually, we didn't so much as lose some good players as we were outbid for them. I would have said "we may have lost our edge", since we don't really know what these new guys will do.

Why not wait until the season begins before trying to assess these new guys talent. We can't even be sure the players we field are even on the team yet.
 
JamesWsenior said:
M
Mediocre when healthy against top teams? When were we healthy beyond week 5?
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You are incorrectly quoting me, the line was fairly mediocre when it was healthy and Tua did poorly against the better teams. Both are my concerns as the OL looks worse on paper and Tua has had the nice Baltimore comeback and the last drive against Dallas but has performed poorly overall these past two seasons against better teams.
 
Kendall Fuller is a significant upgrade and the best of the 4 Fuller bros who all matriculated at VA Tech under the great Frank Beamer. Kendall's last season with the Hokies was also Beamer's last season as head coach. He must have thought, no more Fuller bros I'm done with this coaching gig. 555.
Also, since there are 4 Fuller Bros, it reminds me of that song by the Bobby Fuller Four. I Fought the Law. lol
 
Mello Yello said:
To me, this is a major prove-it year for this team.

If Hill is really bought-in then we need him to be as motivated in '24 as he's been the last two years. If Waddle is truly a great WR worthy of having moved up to go and get, he needs to stay healthy and be just as involved as Hill, if only to take some more of the load. I'd like to see their targets move closer together.

If we're really talented in the backfield then let's get more physical and run the ball more consistently and let's make a point of doing it more in the 2nd half. Ideally, we want to be leaning on these RBs as we go into Nov, Dec and Jan. Why we're going pass-happy when the OL is struggling shows a general lack of commitment to a more physical style within this offense and it's a major red flag that what we're building may not actually be what we all want.

If Tua's really a franchise QB then let's see him legitimately carry the team and step up throughout the season, not just put up some spectacular numbers early on against the NFL's lesser teams. The modern NFL has no place for physically-limited, game-manager-only, system QBs. A franchise QB needs to be special or else that team needs to be looking elsewhere for a difference-maker. There are a lot of QBs who'd like a chance to operate a McDaniel-led offense with this kind of talent. I want to know that it's not being wasted on Tua.

Defensively, this is a tough one. We're going to be drafting a boundary CB, a DT and a S all at some point. We may already have that new Safety in Patrick McMorris, but he's unlikely to contribute much as a rookie. Either way, this secondary is going to change over the next few years. It needs to be understood very clearly >> Poyer and Fuller are not long-term solutions. They are stop-gaps who will only be around for 1-2 years at most while we find their replacements.

Meanwhile, on the DL we lack a proven DT to go alongside Seiler and we'll be scrambling to replace the production of a healthy Chubb and Phillips. This is all while we install a new system under the guidance of a young DC earning his stripes.

In short, this defense is a long-term project. Maybe we reach the Playoffs again? Maybe we can even compete for the AFC East Division? But no matter, this defense is going to be something that we go about building over the next couple seasons. It's not going to be something that is occasionally there to bail the offense out which has been the case for the last 4 straight years under Flores, Boyer and Fangio.
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Good post. I hope there's still another level in this group and it's a team that can go far in the postseason.

I feel like before injuries really decimated this roster, Miami had a chance. I know the narrative was that the Dolphins didn't match up with the better teams. But I do think a large part of that was due to injuries.

The season finale against Buffalo was a good example of that. With half the starters missing on defense, Miami still almost beat the Bills.

But have to find a way to move past the "almost" and get it done.
 
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