These two guy's have an interesting take on the Dolphin off season and the way that they are focusing their $$$ and their recruiting efforts.
An interesting take on Phin's "Money Ball" approach to offseason
- Thread starter Etuoo33
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Pretty good stuff, worth a listen.
WaddleWaddle
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PFF statistics aside, the Dolphins are building a defense that compliments their offense. Opponents may want to run on Miami, but if the Dolphins' Offense scores a couple of quick TD's the opponent will have to catch up before the Fins score more points. It is more important for a quick strike team to have an "anti-quick-strike" defense.
Agreed, our problem stopping teams was not with the run game , we couldn't stop the intermediate pass. Time after time we had a 3rd and medium and were beaten for a first down, wearing down the Defense which doesn't really have time to get to the QB. I blame Fangio's defensive philosophy and inflexibility for not going more with press coverage, thing's we had been successful with in previous years.
That has to be one of the best take. You are correct; if we score quick, it will negate some of the D weakness in the run game. However; 1 Dt selected in one of the 1st 2 rounds should be ideal to stop the run & bully the center as well so the QB cannot move up the pocket. Great offseason considering the cap situtation
Mello Yello
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The lack of a correlation between run defense and winning has long been known. It's not like anyone is shocked to see Miami let Wilkins walk at the number he signed for in LV.
Likewise, I don't think letting X go and replacing him with a capable starter is any sign that Miami is playing "moneyball." That's just solid business. Howard is old and washed up. Miami needs a starter and found a solid one, albeit a somewhat old one at 29yo.
To me, the guys doing the podcasting are reaching with the moneyball stuff. Nothing Miami's doing with replacing Wilkins/Howard is out of the ordinary or groundbreaking.
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The colts did the same thing with Manning, and bookend Defensive ends Freeny and Robert Mathis. Once they had lead and milked the clock with james, it was a model that sure worked for them.
Need to be careful with this. Many times "quick strike offenses" are defeated by teams that can run the ball and control the clock.
I do not think the dolphins are intentionally softening their run defense just shifting some of the cap spend from DL to LB and CB. It all makes sense to me given the numbers and players involved.
And let's not assume that Weaver can't use this personnel set to stop the run or whatever else he sees from the opponent. Adaptability should be the objective and i think this defense has gotten more adaptable while also more affordable--at least on paper in April.
And let's not assume that Weaver can't use this personnel set to stop the run or whatever else he sees from the opponent. Adaptability should be the objective and i think this defense has gotten more adaptable while also more affordable--at least on paper in April.
dolphinheel
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It’s how you beat both the Bills and the Chiefs.
The evolution of the NFL is lowering the physicality of the game in favor of safety. Most teams can no longer rely on a ground and pound attack as their bread and butter. Sure it can be unstoppable if the team can sustain it for 60 minutes, but a false start, holding call, TFL, sack, turnover, or big return can abruptly end control of the clock. Teams must then be able to compete with a high energy offense. Ownership wants to sell tickets and fans want to see exciting plays, so for a multitude of reasons (FF and gambling) the passing game looks like the future of football. Meanwhile many NCAA teams are doing the same things in their games which produces more young players with passing game/pass defense skills. In the future, teams will be building defenses which can bring pressure from anywhere which will require penetrating DTs, multi positional DL and rangier, faster, and more athletic LBs and DBs. That is why Wilkins was paid the big money. A pass rushing DT is becoming one of the most valuable players on a defense because the quickest, most disruptive, and dangerous pass rush is up the middle. And TFLs are nice too. So here I am again pounding the table for a pass rushing DT (or 2) high in the draft. Who will be the next Aaron Donald?
I’d say scoring a couple quick TDs against a good team would be a welcomed improvement. They started off hot at Buffalo, but the defense was invisible and Buffalo kept the pressure on, injured a few linemen, and all hell broke loose…but that is by far the best opening they had against a good team.
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I think I posted something along these lines. If not, I definitely thought it. Another thing the Dolphins are doing is finding value in market inefficiencies (what makes teams good the flies under the radar and doesn't get rewarded in big contracts as a result) and also replacing what they lost in the aggregate.
Two minor quibbles with what this guy was focused on, though. Wilkins' value wasn't as a run stuffer as much as a guy that was good against the run while also being able to collapse the front of the pocket -- QBs couldn't get comfortable and get good vision right in front because so often he beat the pass pro, and that directly impacts your coverage. The other thing where a guy like Van Ginkel gets missed is takeaways are such an important stat and he was very good at impacting field position and possessions because he had nine forced fumbles/fumble recoveries/interceptions in 70-some games (and I think he blocked a punt or two, as well). That's where you really miss him and X is that they could be beaten a few times and then erase the chance for the other team to even kick a field goal by creating a turnover.
Again, that's minor. They are going to go with a rotation on the line to try to offset what they are losing in Wilkins and they are focused more on getting better playmakers at LB. They're using metrics and finding hidden value. It's smart. They have players that are invaluable to success. They had to make some tough decisions about some good players in order to hold onto the must-haves. It seems like there's a plan here and that's encouraging.