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Who actually fits our system

Some great few posts in there ck. This is going to be an interesting offseason, I just hope the picks / signings we make work well and fit what we need.
 
Getting back to the thread topic of fits for our system(s), I fully agree with Awsi Dooger when he says "legitimately great players" (emphasis on the full and specific meaning of that descriptor) will fit any system.

The problem is most of a draft you're probably not trying to get "legitimately great players". Maybe the top of the 1st round. The rest of the draft you don't have a ton of whacks at the bat to try and get a legitimately great player.

One assumption I've often seen put out there is that good is the enemy of great when it comes to draft picks. I don't agree. Terrible is the enemy of great. Bad is the enemy of great. Mediocre is the enemy of great. Often when I see General Managers or draft picks cited as examples of how drafting for "good" can be dangerous, we're talking about BAD PLAYERS. I mean Eddie Moore was a friggin' bad player. That wasn't "good is the enemy of great". That was a bad player, a bad eval. Let's not try and stretch that into our convenient narratives.

It's sort of like saying that going for Jamar Fletcher was trying to hit a single instead of a home run, then turning around and saying that going for Anquan Boldin in the 2nd round would've been swinging for the fences. Really? Because Jamar Fletcher and Anquan Boldin were basically the same player at different positions. Both College Football Hall of Fame types who were GREAT players (not good, GREAT) in college, but who had some measurables that didn't necessarily add up for pro translation. One of them went on to be a great pro. The other didn't.

I think the great players to come out of the draft beyond a certain point (e.g. top half of the 1st round) come out of all walks of life. All styles, all levels of competition, prototypes, etc. It's a little like hitting the lottery. And I've never seen any evidence that consistently hitting on good players that give you good contributions in your system(s), will actually decrease your chances of finding a great player. In fact it's probably the opposite.

I think we're quickly establishing a pretty good prototype on the defensive side of the ball for what they want particularly at corner and linebacker.

If a corner isn't at least six feet with good length in his arms, he probably need not apply to our Outside CB position. Perhaps he could work the Slot CB position, but not the outside.

At linebacker Chris Grier recently admitted that both he and Tannenbaum come from the Bill Parcells school of prototyping, and Tannenbaum threw in the old Parcells quote, "Don't take linebackers that drive Volkswagons." Add in Matt Burke's history particularly at the Mike linebacker spot where he enjoyed success with the likes of Stephen Tulloch (Tennessee originally, reunited in Detroit) and Rey Maualuga (Cincinnati), I think it could be a safe bet that Burke is the source of the talk about moving Kiko Alonso to Will and then finding a new Mike. So what does that mean they want at Mike? A lengthy hammer, I guess.

Defensive end is a bit harder to gauge. From a front office standpoint, and likely also from Jim Washburn's standpoint, it seemed like there was an emphasis on length and size with the additions of Mario Williams, Jason Jones. There was the announced intention of making Cam Wake a pass rush specialist. Andre Branch was Vance Joseph's guy but at 6'4" he fit well enough. But Vance kept saying publicly that he likes his defensive ends to look more like outside linebackers, which has not been Jim Washburn's M.O. during his career, nor does that philosophy seem very compatible with giving Mario Williams $8.5 million in 2016. Then partway through the season Mario Williams gets benched, as does Jason Jones, and Andre Branch and Cam Wake (two guys who "look like outside linebackers") got elevated. Vance once even went as far as expressing that one of Adam Gase's strong suits was his willingness to bench "established starters". And I've heard privately that Vance Joseph's personnel input basically batted a thousand this year.

So there may have been disagreements on defensive end, between Vance Joseph and several others. Does that persist now that Vance is gone? Maybe we're back to the same philosophies which saw us signing Mario Williams and Jason Jones. It's hard to say. We're gonna have to watch and find out.

But clearly they're going to want guys who can set the edge, re-trace like linebackers, convert speed-to-power, and stunt to the inside from a Wide rush position. Clearly the ability to get off the blocks matters to these guys, at both the defensive end and defensive tackle positions. No matter what those guys look like physically. They may be looking for a guy who has the versatility to go inside and help there. They may be looking for a guy who will be a Sam in base and can put his hand down and rush reliably well at will. Matt Burke once coached Julian Peterson in Detroit.

On offense I'm not even really sure they have a "type". Adam Gase likes to throw everything at the opposing defense. We ended up using a lot of zone blocking because Jay Ajayi had so much success with it. But his history has not been to use zone blocking exclusively by any means. I think he's actually very demanding on his OLs because he asks them to execute a lot of different things and to always have in mind what the goal is on the different kinds of plays so that they can improvise at will.

I know that from a personnel standpoint Adam Gase puts a lot of store in physical benchmarks like lifting prowess, measures of explosiveness, measures of agility and speed, measures of length and size. He also equally puts a lot of store in how smart the players are, how quickly they can identify things, how well they're going to know the playbook and what they're trying to accomplish as a unit on each play. That may sound like he's just looking for the perfect offensive lineman. But the thing that is actually a trailing third in that profile...is technique. He doesn't care a ton if a guy has sloppy technique. He figures they'll teach him that, and as long as he's physically and mentally impressive, that's good enough.

I have been under the impression based on what I have heard, which is corroborated thus far with the fact they've re-signed MarQueis Gray but not necessarily prioritized Dion Sims, that they're looking for more of an in-line tight end. A true #1 guy with true versatility. Many people claim that the joker types are versatile but they're not really versatile unless they can be used in-line one down, an H-Back the next down, a slot WR the next down, and then perimeter slant the down after that. That's versatility. I think they covet the likes of Kyle Rudolph, Greg Olsen, guys like that. That's why when I hear this talk of David Njoku, I shy away from it a little. I love the player. I'm just not sure that's what they're looking for.

At quarterback I think it's pretty clear that Adam Gase hates the spread and he's not very into dual-threat quarterbacks. He wants guys that work the pocket, read the field, make good decisions and make good throws. He doesn't like the spread but he seems to accept that to some extent it is a fact of life in college to pro quarterback translation. There aren't a whole lot of Cooper Rushes out there. He was willing to take a shot on Brandon Doughty whose system had pro concepts in it and was kind of like half-spread. That said, based on things I've heard I think Adam Gase can also kind of show a few nepotistic tendencies, which honestly you did see in the Doughty pick since that was kind of a Dan Marino favorite. Gase has a relationship with Kliff Kingsbury, and if Kliff is really pushing Davis Webb or Patrick Mahomes, Adam may set aside some of the spread and/or dual-threat biases he inherited from his mentor Mike Martz and actually buy into a player his friend is selling.

Running back, there's no pinning that one down. Adam Gase is all over the board there. He just wants someone GOOD. Right now, and this may be temporary, I think he may be looking to use the position more in the passing game. Based on what I've heard. He's a little stuck in this regard as Jay Ajayi isn't very good in the passing game. But Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake are...

Trust me when I say that both Adam Gase and Clyde Christensen have been seeing what these smaller, super quick guys like Tyreek Hill are doing in the passing game...especially out of the backfield. It didn't work out with Jakeem Grant that way. They'll give him another crack at it. But they'll look to give him competition in the form of perhaps a Ryan Switzer, Trent Taylor, Kermit Whitfield, someone like that. They're going to take to the drawing board this off season and start drawing up those plays and implementing them into the CORE offense. And either Jakeem Grant is going to run them, or someone else is. Getting someone to compete with Grant that way is the best way to ensure that someone's there to do it one way or another.

You are on it, CK. Thanks for all the information.

Darn, I was hoping Willis would be there at #54. Sounds like that is doubtful. I still think Miami goes defensive end in the first and I wouldn't doubt if Branch is not resigned making that a bigger need. Willis could very well be the guy.

Don't know what that leaves at linebacker for round 2, but I think that will be a huge priority in free agency. The Dolphins need to find a starting linebacker in free agency IMO.

What's your take on how the team can better match-up with New England? I've thrown that out there quite a bit, but haven't received much feedback....maybe because no NFL team has really figured it out. Specifically, what type of players would you look at to get better match-ups? Ultimately, that will determine if Miami can take that next step from a fringe playoff team to a super bowl contender.
 
This was not just a NE thing but we have to get players that can match up with their short-area quickness players in the middle of the field, on pick routes, and in spaces where their players have a three-way go. I was sad to see that Bobby McCain really was not up to that task this year, as it looked like this might be his year to step up. There were certain situations where he was consistently beaten.

One weapon I would like to have on defense is a smaller, ultra quick corner with closing speed and ball skills. Someone like Aarion Penton of Missouri, Corn Elder of Miami, or Damontae Kazee of San Diego State. Chidobe Awuzie may also fit here.

You'd also like to have a bigger, lengthier, more physical player that can play in the middle on nickel. This is where a Jabrill Peppers could potentially slide in. You hope that this sort of player can help you against tight ends. I haven't really seen anyone other than Peppers I like for this role, perhaps Obi Melifonwu, I've no idea.

And then you'd like to have someone bigger in the mold of a Sam linebacker, but not necessarily an on the line Sam. This has to be someone comfortable coming up in a run supporting role, running out to cover tight ends or H-backs, maybe even laying a hand down and rushing the passer a little bit. Personally I'd like to bring Karlos Dansby back to town to fill this role, or perhaps Sio Moore. Draft prospects that may fit include Tyus Bowser, perhaps Takkarist McKinley although I hear there's a torn labrum there that teams may not like. Some may like Haason Reddick for this although I wonder if he's lengthy enough for it. I'd consider Ryan Anderson or T.J. Watt for this role. Alex Anzalone could be a natural fit.

Another thing Miami needs to do most likely is move Kiko Alonso to Will backer where he probably always should have been for us, and then bring in a Mike linebacker that can be a physical hammer at the line of scrimmage, be relied on to chase backs out to the flats, and murder receivers that try and cross the short shallows. Jarrad Davis is a natural fit for this if you're looking at the Draft. But in free agency I would take a long look at A.J. Klein. He's ready for this. The Dolphins will take a look at Lawrence Timmons. It's only fair. Because of Frank Bush, they may look at Zach Brown which would be interesting.

Middle pressure is and has always been the way to go against New England, although it's nice when Cameron Wake can dominate them. Calais Campbell was elite last year. People need to stop being so afraid of age if the tape is still good. The difference between Campbell and a Mario Williams is that Williams's tape in 2015 was awful and we all just sort of excused it as a system/interest thing when in fact it was his body having broken down. Campbell was elite and I use that term advisedly. If he comes at a price tag anywhere south of 8 digits per annum, he's an absolute steal. If you're scared off by that, focus on re-uniting Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. By now Fairley really knows how to get it done especially in this style, and he was very good last year.

I'm not down on Jordan Phillips at all. I like the path he's on. He's grown from 2015 to 2016 and in 2016 he had a highlight reel that would make you think All Pro. But this style of defense is DEMANDING on the DLs and you had better have a healthy rotation. Last year we'd sub in the backup DLs for whole drives and the opposing offense would march all the way down the field on those drives, basically nullifying three drives' worth of good work by our starting unit. And then the starting unit would be our there just too many snaps, getting winded. It's not good for this style. You need to get some others in that rotation that can do damage.

At defensive end I'm running out of free agent options. Chandler Jones will be franchise tagged, at worst. Jason Pierre-Paul has priced himself (publicly) at a contract at least as good as Olivier Vernon's. I love Pierre-Paul, but no. The Packers aren't nuts enough to let Nick Perry walk and I have a feeling Melvin Ingram is just trying to use other teams for leverage to get his money out of the Chargers. Pretty exhaustive film study on those DEs tells me that anyone else they go after, they might as well just re-sign Andre Branch. Then again I hear Andre Branch wants north of $8 million a year with $25 million guaranteed and SCREW THAT. This is a deep DE draft and Jim Washburn has a history of turning physically gifted underachievers into productive players. Time to use that a little bit. Maybe a Cornelius Washington on the cheap. If his price tag doesn't go up, I'd look at Jack Crawford. I mentioned how well Jordan Willis fits this defense and compared him to a Jack Crawford at the least. Crawford himself is a guy we could use in this style with Washburn coaching.

So let's say you head into this cutting Mario Williams, Earl Mitchell, Dion Jordan, Koa Misi. You move Kiko Alonso to Will. You let Michael Thomas and Spencer Paysinger walk. You let Andre Branch walk, which hurts but he's asking too much.

Pick up DE Jack Crawford, LB A.J. Klein, and LB Karlos Dansby from the T.J. Maxx. Pick up DT Calais Campbell or Nick Fairley from Macy's. Grab Jabrill Peppers when he falls to pick #22. Draft Aarion Penton perhaps with one of the 5th round picks. Pick up Tanoh Kpassagnon, Jordan Willis, Dawuane Smoot, or Trey Hendrickson at pick #98. Pick up a T.J. Watt, Ryan Anderson, Takkarist McKinley, or Tyus Bowser at pick #54.

That still leaves you the ability to pick up some guard help in free agency. You have to throw out the feelers and see which of Larry Warford, Chance Warmack, Kevin Zeitler, Ron Leary, or T.J. Lang are actually interested in leaving their team. You take whichever one of those you can get.

I really think they may focus on getting Dion Sims back once he realizes teams aren't interested in paying him.

Real question is whether you kept Byron Maxwell or dumped him and then went balls-deep trying to get Trumaine Johnson, whom I know they love. That's sort of a pay-as-you-go swap to consider.

Also a question whether you dumped Branden Albert or Mike Pouncey. Hopefully not. You can pick up guys like Baylor OC Kyle Fuller and Virginia Tech OL Jonathan McLaughlin later in the draft, keeping hold of guys like Kraig Urbik and Sam Young, an you'll be fine once you account for the addition of Warford/Leary/Zeitler/Lang/Warmack.

You'll want to get Kenny Stills back. You'll also want to pick up someone like Ryan Switzer, Kermit Whitfield, Trent Traylor, or Isaiah McKenzie.

Just some thoughts.
 
Soooo on board with a Dansby reunion, especially at Sam. Fairley is an interesting target, there is continuity with Suh, who knows what his asking price is. I'm ready to move on from Earl Mitchell, he was a solid player for us initially, but it's time to move on. I was thinking of Peko as a two-gap stuffer who can free up Suh a little more hopefully. I also agree on having that quick aggressive corner and someone who can hit and shore up the underneath routes; a player like Matt Elam could be an option there. Sean Spence didn't have so bad of a year with Tennessee, 54tckl 3sks.
 
But clearly they're going to want guys who can set the edge, re-trace like linebackers, convert speed-to-power, and stunt to the inside from a Wide rush position.

This is where you have a flashing neon sign that says "Taco Charlton" in my opinion. He's the type of guy that you want to stunt and exchange to reap the most benefit. He's not going to beat tackles in the NFL to the outside with any consistency, which is why he'll likely never be a double-digit sack artist threat if he has to rely on beating tackles in the NFL on the edge. However, he is the type that needs to reach his 3rd step before contact is made and utilizing a pass rush move (in his case the spin move) and he can do that lined up in a wider 9 technique. Furthermore, as I mentioned previously, he excels at doing things that force the action but don't always show up on the stat sheet.

Carl Lawson is another one in addition to Jordan Willis. Both just without the overall length that Charlton has.
 
I like the penton stuff...small fiesty slot corner in the mold of tavon young only smaller and you cant get away with him on the boundary in a pinch...kazee showed too well to make it to round 5 although id love to have that kid too in the slot elders transition from off is just way too slow im not a fan...theres a hiccup in his game

Bowser is basically a poor mans hasaan reddick without the win edge pass rush potential...i dont like that value at 54...i dont like aj klein for the mike either i dont think he moves the needle and i also think when we move kiko outside his carry coverage play is gonna show up more

I do believe miami is high on jordan willis thats the ideal scheme fit...doesnt have wow you explosion and burst tools...gets off the ball well first 3 steps are ok i dont think hes a one trick pony not sure where that came from although i do think his speed to power is probably his best weapon...not a lot of run the arc true juice

Anzalone to me looks like day 3 depth potential to miami maybe even comp 3 although theres some holes in his game too id view that as depth with potential to start...jarrad davis fits the scheme and gives the gap fill and poa play even if his instincts at lb are very very average and there doesnt seem to be a lot of upside with them...

Take a late round chance on eric saubert if you dont have a seam tight end prior he uses his head well in his routes and sets guys up hes a project no doubt but theres a little bit of the kc tight end in his game with his route running and his fluidity of movement and change of speeds in his routes...hes got the size too that many in this class lack

Im on board with nick fairley i think that would be money well spent

Anzalone doesnt give you much on the edge as a pass rusher...kinda be wasting downs there...

That money is nuts on andre branch...see ya

ryan switzer as comp for jakeem drop the rock grant please and thank you
 
This is where you have a flashing neon sign that says "Taco Charlton" in my opinion. He's the type of guy that you want to stunt and exchange to reap the most benefit. He's not going to beat tackles in the NFL to the outside with any consistency, which is why he'll likely never be a double-digit sack artist threat if he has to rely on beating tackles in the NFL on the edge. However, he is the type that needs to reach his 3rd step before contact is made and utilizing a pass rush move (in his case the spin move) and he can do that lined up in a wider 9 technique. Furthermore, as I mentioned previously, he excels at doing things that force the action but don't always show up on the stat sheet.

Carl Lawson is another one in addition to Jordan Willis. Both just without the overall length that Charlton has.

I agree that Taco is a fit on that basis. The one nit I have with him is I don't really like his ability to be get low, redirect and retrace out to the ball after the initial rush. I love what he showed overall against Florida State and Ohio State, but when you account for the fact he wasn't showing those things earlier in the season, and then you see him having trouble retracing even when the film was good...that's what might ultimately see me coming off him.

He is a fit that way. I'm a little concerned his retrace ability isn't up to par with what we needed and the reason we came off Mario Williams and Jason Jones and went back to Andre Branch and Cam Wake. But his ability to shut down the edge with his length would be better so it's a give and take that way. Maybe hard coaching on young legs would do the trick.
 
So you guys agree with me on Willis then? :lol:

I don't see it with him or taco. I'd take walker all day and twice on Sunday in the first over both of them. They don't anything in particular to impress me enough to justify a high pick ... and I see both of their combines being underwhelming. Cleveland is a dumpster fire but those 2nd and 3rd round picks last draft will be paying off for them for years. That's how you do it.

I've noticed anzalone keeps coming up when no one wanted to talk to me about him during the season. It looked like he was trying to get hurt when he broke his arm. What did he think would happen there? That kind of stuff scares the hell out of me with injury prone guys. Makes you think they won't ever shake it. He can play though. I don't know if I'd think about him until the 5th though ... maybe 4th ... ideally 6th or 7th ... this team will need high round picks to be dependable.

I noticed corner has been forgotten ... there might be some really good value there at 22. Have to hit with that pick.
 
So you guys agree with me on Willis then? :lol:

I don't see it with him or taco. I'd take walker all day and twice on Sunday in the first over both of them. They don't anything in particular to impress me enough to justify a high pick ... and I see both of their combines being underwhelming. Cleveland is a dumpster fire but those 2nd and 3rd round picks last draft will be paying off for them for years. That's how you do it.

I've noticed anzalone keeps coming up when no one wanted to talk to me about him during the season. It looked like he was trying to get hurt when he broke his arm. What did he think would happen there? That kind of stuff scares the hell out of me with injury prone guys. Makes you think they won't ever shake it. He can play though. I don't know if I'd think about him until the 5th though ... maybe 4th ... ideally 6th or 7th ... this team will need high round picks to be dependable.

I noticed corner has been forgotten ... there might be some really good value there at 22. Have to hit with that pick.


You're absolutely right about that, although it's not really the point of the conversation. Of course I'd take Demarcus Walker over either of 'em in the 1st round. We were talking more just in general in regards to Charlton or Willis in the 2nd or 3rd round as specific players that fit the style of front the coach was describing. At least I was anyway. Particularly if they decide to go in a different direction other than DE with their 1st round pick.

You're also correct that a team like Miami has to hit with that 1st round pick. Demarcus Walker is the guy that I've always felt strongly about in regards to Miami selecting at #22. That's probably who it would be if I was picking. All I'd need to see him do is confirm it at the combine. It's him or O.J. Howard.
 
A.J. Klein really has really good tape at MLB in place of Luke Kuechly this season, and would be an excellent fit for Matt Burke.

The man has been stuck behind two of the top 10 linebackers in the league for his entire career. That's been bad for him in terms of how much he's played. But it's been excellent for him in terms of his development. Watch his Oakland game in Week 12 in place of Kuechly. He was ridiculous. The communication with Davis and the rest of the defense, the pre-snap recognition, aggressiveness, the way he relates to receivers in zone, you can see Kuechly and Davis have rubbed off on him tremendously. And he was ALWAYS good, going back to Iowa State when he was the hammer next to Jake Knott who was the coverage specialist. I used to love watching those two go at it on that same defense with David Sims and Leonard Johnson.

You've just got to know what he's not, which is a Tampa Two MLB. You probably don't want him running 40 yards down the middle of the field in man coverage with a wide receive like Michael Crabtree. Or if that happens once, you get it fixed so that they can't find it the second time around. This will not really a problem in Matt Burke's defense. It's not as if you had Rey Maualuga or Stephen Tulloch being asked to do that consistently.

Neither Alex Anzalone, Karlos Dansby, nor Sio Moore would be the type of Sam that you have sticking their hand down and rushing the passer. I thought saying, "maybe even laying a hand down and rushing the passer a little bit" (maybe being the operative word) would imply that some of these guys could perhaps be looked at doing that, and some of them would not. Karlos, Snorsio, and Alex do not fall into the category of the maybe. Tyus Bowser, Ryan Anderson, T.J. Watt, and Takkarist McKinley fall into that category.

As for Tyus Bowser as a poor man's Haason Reddick, it sort of depends on what you mean.

Haason Reddick is probably going to find his best fit in the NFL as another one of these "running backer" types, a stacked linebacker. Maybe even a Will backer. Something like a Jamie Collins. He's a corner convert who pass rushes like a corner. If he's not beating you around the edge or to the inside with pure speed and very little contact it's hard for him to win. I've watched Kophi Amichia and several other not-NFL tackles just consistently shut him down in pass rush too much and at his size that's a big concern as he's only 6'1" and 237 lbs. And it's not like his 6'4.5" wingspan or 32" arms are anything special either. The problem is when these guys who won't play in the NFL are able to shut him down, they make it look kind of easy to do it. I like the player a lot. The reason he's a fit in Miami is because they probably want their Sam to be a stacked player, and one day due to his corner experience you may even see Reddick become a very interesting coverage player. In the mean time he's so athletic you can have him blitzing from all over. But is he an edge rusher? Probably not.

Back to Tyus Bowser, he actually can pass rush with his hand down. He did it at the Senior Bowl. There were a few snaps where he beat tackles and got to the passer. If you go back to his Houston tape, on a PER SNAP basis, this guy's pass rush production may have been the best in the country. He only played in essentially 7 games this year, as he was injured I believe pretty early in the Texas State game and went on to miss the next 5 games. He's an inch taller than Reddick, each arm an inch longer, wingspan about 1.5 inches longer. More importantly he's a more natural pass rusher on film. He doesn't have to just run around blocks, which works if you're a blitzer and they don't always see you coming, but doesn't work as much when you're down and blockers are gearing up to block you.

The problem with Tyus Bowser from Miami's standpoint is probably that he's a more classic on the line Sam linebacker, and Miami may be looking for more of a stacked Sam. So Haason Reddick may actually be the better fit for us, provided you think he can stay on the field in nickel and play some coverage.

Anyway, I'm just tossing out some names to think about. It's not as if we have enough information yet to throw on gold stamps and say this is what the Dolphins need to do each step of the way I have the answer. We have no clue if these guys will be available here or there in the draft, we don't know if certain players never even make it to market in free agency, and for all we know Andre Branch could submit his ludicrous demands to teams, be met with pure ridicule, and come back to Miami with his tail tucked between his legs.
 
You're absolutely right about that, although it's not really the point of the conversation. Of course I'd take Demarcus Walker over either of 'em in the 1st round. We were talking more just in general in regards to Charlton or Willis in the 2nd or 3rd round as specific players that fit the style of front the coach was describing. At least I was anyway. Particularly if they decide to go in a different direction other than DE with their 1st round pick.

You're also correct that a team like Miami has to hit with that 1st round pick. Demarcus Walker is the guy that I've always felt strongly about in regards to Miami selecting at #22. That's probably who it would be if I was picking. All I'd need to see him do is confirm it at the combine. It's him or O.J. Howard.

I have come to appreciate Walker, especially later in the year. As you say with Taco, Walker does a lot of little things. He was done a disservice from a signaling perspective with how he was used, but he helped the defense win.

He reminds me a whole lot of Frank Clark. Perhaps just a touch less explosive. Is that what you see?
 
i saw enough bad tackle play at the senior bowl where I was glad I wasn't in the tackle market at least presently...the interior play I was impressed with but the tackle play was pretty ugh...some upside for sure but some guys not ready and lots of em

i guess the question becomes is Miami gonna rely on the de's as the sub package rushers again like they did last year or was that more about having to work with the personnel they had in house then and wanting more a 2 down strong and sub edge rusher type

the problem with trying to acquire that is the ones that carry the size and ability to play off the los on early downs and not be eye sores AND also win vs tackles on the edge in the sub even in a wide 9 are very rare and by and large aren't sitting around at pick 22 unless they got serious red flags for one thing or another

anyways what i saw of klein with kuechly out while a better fit for his game than being outside which he has been in the past i don't think gets Miami to where we want to be...i think it's more about settling and I'm not sure he has the true range for it every down...the panthers have no choice though but to let him go...they have to see if the Washington kid can play shaq Thompson even if the off the los stuff is still very much more athlete than instincts at lb
 
One approach that would probably work well for Miami would be to draft Haason Reddick at pick #54 if he were to get there, and then to also sign A.J. Klein.

That would give them three good stack linebackers to play behind their Wide-9.

They would need to load up the DL with good players. I'm not sure Miami is in for specialists unless it's one of their linebackers having a unique ability to put his hand down and rush the passer. I think they wanted to get away from that specialist approach and that is part of why they made Cam Wake an every down rotator instead of just a third down rotator.

So what they need are a bunch of interchangeable defensive linemen rather than specialized ones. If they need specialization, they can get that by virtue of position switches, e.g. having Calais Campbell move out defensive end or when they were having Mario Williams move inside to defensive tackle, or like I said if they have a stacked Sam that really can put his hand down and rush (e.g. Takk McKinley). If they had a Jabrill Peppers they could achieve specialization by just moving him around to different assignments.

That's not to say zero specialization. You will have different personnel packages. I imagine the winner of the Aarion Penton/Chidobe Awuzie/Damontae Kazee/Corn Elder/Bobby McCain battle being a specialized sub-package player. In some of the scenarios described above A.J. Klein would be a specialized sub-package player, or Haason Reddick could be a specialized sub-package rotator if Klein is outplaying him.
 
I'd be worried about the range and cover with klein and kiko as my starting nickel/sub backers assuming Reddick would be rushing on the edge in the sub...I'd also be worried about Reddick holding up vs tackles on the edge at that size and weight...they gonna take him for a ride if they can lock out

anyways I know this is just spit balling
 
A.J. Klein really has really good tape at MLB in place of Luke Kuechly this season, and would be an excellent fit for Matt Burke.

The man has been stuck behind two of the top 10 linebackers in the league for his entire career. That's been bad for him in terms of how much he's played. But it's been excellent for him in terms of his development. Watch his Oakland game in Week 12 in place of Kuechly. He was ridiculous. The communication with Davis and the rest of the defense, the pre-snap recognition, aggressiveness, the way he relates to receivers in zone, you can see Kuechly and Davis have rubbed off on him tremendously. And he was ALWAYS good, going back to Iowa State when he was the hammer next to Jake Knott who was the coverage specialist. I used to love watching those two go at it on that same defense with David Sims and Leonard Johnson.

You've just got to know what he's not, which is a Tampa Two MLB. You probably don't want him running 40 yards down the middle of the field in man coverage with a wide receive like Michael Crabtree. Or if that happens once, you get it fixed so that they can't find it the second time around. This will not really a problem in Matt Burke's defense. It's not as if you had Rey Maualuga or Stephen Tulloch being asked to do that consistently.

Neither Alex Anzalone, Karlos Dansby, nor Sio Moore would be the type of Sam that you have sticking their hand down and rushing the passer. I thought saying, "maybe even laying a hand down and rushing the passer a little bit" (maybe being the operative word) would imply that some of these guys could perhaps be looked at doing that, and some of them would not. Karlos, Snorsio, and Alex do not fall into the category of the maybe. Tyus Bowser, Ryan Anderson, T.J. Watt, and Takkarist McKinley fall into that category.

As for Tyus Bowser as a poor man's Haason Reddick, it sort of depends on what you mean.

Haason Reddick is probably going to find his best fit in the NFL as another one of these "running backer" types, a stacked linebacker. Maybe even a Will backer. Something like a Jamie Collins. He's a corner convert who pass rushes like a corner. If he's not beating you around the edge or to the inside with pure speed and very little contact it's hard for him to win. I've watched Kophi Amichia and several other not-NFL tackles just consistently shut him down in pass rush too much and at his size that's a big concern as he's only 6'1" and 237 lbs. And it's not like his 6'4.5" wingspan or 32" arms are anything special either. The problem is when these guys who won't play in the NFL are able to shut him down, they make it look kind of easy to do it. I like the player a lot. The reason he's a fit in Miami is because they probably want their Sam to be a stacked player, and one day due to his corner experience you may even see Reddick become a very interesting coverage player. In the mean time he's so athletic you can have him blitzing from all over. But is he an edge rusher? Probably not.

Back to Tyus Bowser, he actually can pass rush with his hand down. He did it at the Senior Bowl. There were a few snaps where he beat tackles and got to the passer. If you go back to his Houston tape, on a PER SNAP basis, this guy's pass rush production may have been the best in the country. He only played in essentially 7 games this year, as he was injured I believe pretty early in the Texas State game and went on to miss the next 5 games. He's an inch taller than Reddick, each arm an inch longer, wingspan about 1.5 inches longer. More importantly he's a more natural pass rusher on film. He doesn't have to just run around blocks, which works if you're a blitzer and they don't always see you coming, but doesn't work as much when you're down and blockers are gearing up to block you.

The problem with Tyus Bowser from Miami's standpoint is probably that he's a more classic on the line Sam linebacker, and Miami may be looking for more of a stacked Sam. So Haason Reddick may actually be the better fit for us, provided you think he can stay on the field in nickel and play some coverage.

Anyway, I'm just tossing out some names to think about. It's not as if we have enough information yet to throw on gold stamps and say this is what the Dolphins need to do each step of the way I have the answer. We have no clue if these guys will be available here or there in the draft, we don't know if certain players never even make it to market in free agency, and for all we know Andre Branch could submit his ludicrous demands to teams, be met with pure ridicule, and come back to Miami with his tail tucked between his legs.

Reddick does have 32+" arms and 10+" hands. Enjoying these posts - just wanted to off that detail.
 
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