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Tight Ends Group Pay Attention

FinAtic8480

FinAtic8480

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One of the only units on the Dolphins that has remained entirely intact from last season is the tight ends, and along with the offensive line this is another group that tends to not receive a lot of attention.

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Thanks to the arrival of wide receiver Brandon Marshall and the versatility of all four tight ends, their profile could be drastically raised.

Veteran Anthony Fasano is the established leader of the group, with Joey Haynos, Kory Sperry and John Nalbone feeding off of his energy and learning from his practice regimen. Each of them brings a little something different to the offense but they’re all asked to do a lot of different jobs. That’s how it’s always been in any system run by offensive coordinator Dan Henning, which is why Head Coach Tony Sparano considers tight end to be the second toughest position on the field behind quarterback.

“They have to do everything and they can’t be okay at it, they’ve got to be good at it,” Sparano said. “They have to be good protecting, they have to be good out of the backfield, they have to be good in the pass game and they have to be good in the run game. So they where a lot of hats, and I think from that standpoint there this group, we’re lucky they have some of that flexibility and they’re all very smart players.”

Nalbone and Sperry are both second-year players and Haynos is beginning his third season, so the fifth-year Fasano has embraced his role of being a mentor to the other three, while also focusing on taking his game to the next level. When he arrived in Miami before the 2008 season in a trade from Dallas, David Martin was the established veteran tight end and the two played off of each other very well. Fasano had the best season of his career, catching 34 passes for 454 yards and seven touchdowns.

Last season, Fasano got off to a slower start, but part of that had to do with his being asked to stay in more often in pass protection and as a run blocker. As the season progressed, the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Notre Dame graduate picked up a little steam and he finished with 31 catches for 339 yards and two touchdowns. Haynos added 19 receptions for 162 yards and two touchdowns in eight starts and Sperry caught three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown in his only start against Tampa Bay. Fasano believes Marshall’s presence could result in everyone’s numbers going up.

“On paper and theoretically I think it’s going to help open the middle of the field but we’ll see,” said Fasano, who played in more of a reserve role his first two years in Dallas. “I think every week our role’s going to change, but our role in this offense is trying to change and that’s a good thing because that means we’re protecting the quarterback and we’re allowed to work the middle of the field and have some mismatches. So us getting involved more in the passing game is a good thing for our offense.”

Sparano also expressed a notion that the opportunities for the tight ends will be better with Marshall in the lineup, but their role as multi-faceted pass blockers, run blockers and receivers will stay pretty much the same. Being as the tight ends do most of their work in the middle of the field that area is expected to open up more when opposing defenses shade their coverage in Marshall’s direction.

Depending on how the four tight ends develop throughout in training camp in terms of being able to define themselves more individually, Sparano can see certain situations based on those combinations where Fasano or any of the others could be utilized differently. Starting quarterback Chad Henne will be asked to spread the ball around when possible so that the defensive backs can’t focus solely on Marshall and his side of the field, and that’s where the tight ends can help.

“In our offense, the tight ends are expected to run block like a lineman, pass block like a tackle and run routes and catch like our receivers,” veteran quarterback Chad Pennington said. “So they’ve got the most difficult, well-rounded position. They’re asked to do everything, and a lot of pressure’s put on them. Anthony, he does and excellent job and we ask him to block Pro Bowl defensive ends in pass protection, we’re asking him in the run game to do a lot of different things, so a bulls eye’s on their back or sure.”

With Fasano leading the way, this group of tight ends seems eager to welcome the attention.

“We’re really close,” said Sperry, who said he no longer has to worry about the rookie jitters. “As soon as one’s in there we all watch to see what happens. When he comes out we have corrections and if he did good we’re always positive. It’s real nice and almost feels like a family in the tight end room.”
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http://www.miamidolphins.com/news/c...roup-pay-attention-sheets-injured-other-notes
 
I don't. Why should we? You can't make chicken salad out of chicken sh-t. The Dolphins didn't even make minor efforts to improve the position. That's fine, you can only do so many things in one off season, and plus keeping the status quo at least ensures that your quarterbacks have chemistry in place with known commodities, guys that you know can fit in the playbook in some way or other. But, you can't get improvement out of the position if you don't even try.

Next year will be all about the Tight End, Running Back, and perhaps Safety positions. Or at least it should be, provided that the other positions pan out the way we hope (which doesn't often happen).
 
He'd start for a lot of teams right now.

I still...I mean, I'd kill to have grabbed Dennis Pitta in the mid rounds right about now.
 
ckparrothead said:
He'd start for a lot of teams right now.

I still...I mean, I'd kill to have grabbed Dennis Pitta in the mid rounds right about now.
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He wasn't available at #119 (where we picked AJ Edds).
He got snatched up at #114, so we would've had to:
1) guess correctly that he was about to be taken just a few spots ahead of us; and
2) work a trade-up 6 or more spots (with a willing team) (which would've cost us a lower pick/player)

I'd love to have him also, but oh well......

Maybe we can get a stud (or near-stud) in the 2011 draft.
 
I can count half a dozen TE's in college that would start for Miami.... this really is a brutal group of TE's...

There's really no athletic ability and no upside with any of these guys... I like the idea of having two guys that are multi-faceted.. but if these guys haven't learned how valuable a mis-match at TE is as many times as they've been burned by one... you have to wonder..
 
Slim said:
I have this strong suspicion that Vern Davis will be a Fin next year.
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i don't. you prob wouldn't be saying that if we didnt draft vontae either. but if your right ill happily pay my dues to you
 
I think Vernon Davis will get a contract done with the 49ers. In fact I thought I'd heard not too long ago that they're well on their way to that already.
 
As for whether or not they appreciate the value of a good Tight End, I think Jeff Ireland does. He just pointed out during his interview the other day, you can only do so many things in one off season. It's easy to crticiize when we don't know what kind of internal guidelines Stephen Ross set on salary stuff, and how close up on those marks the Dolphins currently are...but I just take it from everything Ireland is saying, that they're going to target the position next year.
 
Ck I seen a post from you saying that the Dolphins kept in more Te's than any other offense besides Oakland...You said in that post that Henning does that?

How can your Te's shine if all they are doing is blocking?
 
ckparrothead said:
I don't. Why should we? You can't make chicken salad out of chicken sh-t. The Dolphins didn't even make minor efforts to improve the position. That's fine, you can only do so many things in one off season, and plus keeping the status quo at least ensures that your quarterbacks have chemistry in place with known commodities, guys that you know can fit in the playbook in some way or other. But, you can't get improvement out of the position if you don't even try.

Next year will be all about the Tight End, Running Back, and perhaps Safety positions. Or at least it should be, provided that the other positions pan out the way we hope (which doesn't often happen).
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Im glad we are seeing the same thing here. Ive been craving an athletic mis-match at TE for 2 years now. I realize thats not how they build their team, but if one doesnt come next year Im going to be pissed. I'm convinced one of the Phins TE's is actually a slug with legs and arms.............
 
Basically our TEs are jacks of all trades but not much masters of just one. They have to be diverse but no game changers among them. Fasano may hold his own in blocking but he will get by a premier DE. Haynos or Sperry may hold up a pass rush or open a hole to the outside but are they going to get open enough when called upon in the passing game? I understand the sum greater than the parts concept that the Fins are employing. But, eventually to go deep in the playoffs consistently we are going to need to upgrad the TE position(s).
 
I would like to see what Nalbone has to offer. I really don't think Haynos offers anything at the position and Sperry looked alright at times but he's small.
 
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