What did Barnwell predict for the Dolphins' record last year? His tone is arrogant and makes him sound like a self-proclaimed expert. He can write well and knows facts, but he lacks analytical skills. He sounds like he thinks he has a better handle than Adam Gase, who I, and many others, happen to believe is on his way to being an elite coach. Gase is smart, relates well to players, can lead, is a tactician, and is tough. He's the whole package. Yet, Barnwell writes in such an arrogant, dismissive tone about Miami's moves involving a coach who did extremely well and knows football beyond anything Barnwell can imagine.
Beyond that, Barnwell's analysis and apportionment to the resulting letter grade are lacking. Barnwell can regurgitate the transactions Miami made, but he doesn't see how it fits together. The Dolphins on defense lacked alpha males, leadership, and toughness. There's a reason why they targeted Timmons. Last year's linebackers were an abomination. But, what's worse, the Dolphins D laid down and showed no resilience the last couple of games. The Dolphins are paying Timmons for his presence and bringing toughness to the huddle. The Dolphins' run defense was awful last year, and physical, downhill linebacking was a crucial piece missing in hitting running lanes. You are acquiring players for certain ingredients which may not be found on a stat sheet but matter in W/L's.
I don't think the Dolphins overpaid Stills. We heard the numbers out there, and Miami got him at a reasonable price. Barnwell claims there were other speed receivers. Not really, though, at Stills' production and price point. Stills has rapport with Tannehill. You start screwing around with stuff like chemistry and you will get burned. These are subtle points and Gase gets that. And what Barnwell did not address, and what he apparently does not understand, is that Gase wants to send a message in his locker room. He wants his players to trust him and buy in. Other players see Stills gets paid, and it's positive motivation. Barnwell misses the point.
Regarding Kiko, he can be a lightening rod. There are times he gets bulldozed, and he's a bit light in the pants, which causes him to be injury prone. He's not a big, physical guy. But, he may benefit from the additions of McMillan and Timmons. He can move to a different spot where he may be able to make plays and take less of a pounding. The guy can make plays. He jumped that route beautifully against the Chargers and won the game for Miami against a very good quarterback. Frankly, having watched linebackers who couldn't make a play of their life depended on it for the better part of a decade, Kiko was a breath of fresh air.
Finally, Barnwell misses where Miami is. They have a number of ascending players who are coalescing. They have the best young coach in the game. The Dolphins have some guys who should be improving, and the offseason moves address problems from last year. I'd still like to get a physical, run stuffing D Tackle, but I don't think you will see that sad defense that we watched against NE and Pit late last year.
Will every move work out? I doubt it. As far as filling actual needs and plugging a leaky roster, I'm not sure anyone in the division did better. But, I don't see how you get D+ out of that