11/16 Practice Updates | Page 4 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

11/16 Practice Updates

Branden Albert will be missing his third game of the season. Also missed Tennessee and Cincinnati games

Crappy, we lost both of those games handily. .
 
Armando Salguero ‏@ArmandoSalguero 5m5 minutes ago
Almost goes without saying (not really) but all Dolphins players are accounted for following the player's day off Tuesday.

Well I guess that's about the only good news for today's updates..:idk:

Armando Salguero ‏@ArmandoSalguero 2m2 minutes ago
Dolphins defensive line assistant Jim Washburn is not with the team now. Back with family for personal reasons.
 
hoops said:
Between this and the corner play dont be surprised if fortunes flip on us
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I believe that having Tunsil at LT will be a positive. If he can stay healthy and Urbik can do a passable job at LG... and IF Bushrod and Pouncey and James can be healthy... a couple big IFs, but this season has hung on paper-thin depth anyway.

LD
 
LDaniel7 said:
I believe that having Tunsil at LT will be a positive. If he can stay healthy and Urbik can do a passable job at LG... and IF Bushrod and Pouncey and James can be healthy... a couple big IFs, but this season has hung on paper-thin depth anyway.

LD
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I agree on tunsil but we are messing with chemistry now and theres no more depth
 
This is not looking good. Albert coming back this year is about 20% of him coming back. He's the most important player on that o-line imo. Anyone else gets hurt and we're playing our 7th best guy. I'm also getting the feeling that Xavier is not playing anymore this season which sucks for his development, not to mention we're not very good at corner to start with. Starting to wonder with our luck, do we just barely sneak in to the playoffs but are missing so many keys guys by the time we get there that we get blown away? It seems every year we win some games that didn't mean anything and lose drafting position. This time it seemed to be different but things are getting scary now.

Ozzy rules!!
 
Blackcreekbandit said:
My biggest question is why don't we try to plug in steen at guard? Isn't that his natural position?
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Steen is stout and moves OK, but his biggest limitation is his short arms. On the blindside, we have a rookie who is behind in reps and playing next to someone who he hasn't yet built chemistry. IMHO, Urbik gives more length to help with inside moves like the one Tunsil failed on in the San Diego game. Personally, I get why they keep the chemistry of an in-tact right side, but I would feel better with Bushrod at LG and Urbik at RG. Either way it's a bit of a gamble. I think Urbik is a more natural G than Steen.

IMHO, the coaching staff was spot on with getting Steen to become a C. That seems like a natural fit. But with Pouncey continuing to play as well as at any point in his career, Steen is firmly planted on the bench.

Call me crazy, but it almost seems as though Gase is rotating OL packages. I'm definitely seeing more than the starting 5 OL get snaps almost every game now. It's not all injury related either. I know it is standard for DL to get rotated to stay fresh--and Miami has always been good at having a deep DL to make that useful. But, I wonder if Gase is onto something with rotating OL packages for certain spots/parts of the game? If nothing else, it gives DC's a real headache trying to prepare for them and looking for tendencies out of these packages.

Also, I expect to see Sam Young in some elephant packages this week. Let's face it, with Donald and Quinn that Rams defense is lightning quick and fast as a cheetah ... so the obvious recipe is to run the J-Train down their throats directly at those quick and light DL and wear them down with a few extra elephants like Young as a TE and Gray as a FB and force those LB's to repeatedly stick their hats on the rampaging J-Train. If we do that ... I think the scoring floodgates open up in the 4th quarter and we dominate the end of the game. Urbik may be our most powerful guard, and Bushrod is playing well lately. There is a possible silver-lining to losing Albert for this particular game. Their offense shouldn't force us away from the run game either ... so as good as the Rams defense is, I expect Ajayi to have a big day.
 
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Sons Of Shula said:
There is actually little correlation concerning arm length in offensive line play, even when comparing drastic differences of 31"- 38". The feet are what truly counts and that's maybe why Steen plays center better in that it lends to less vertical movement.
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Respectfully disagree. While there can be an over-emphasis in it leading to people abandoning evaluation of other core metrics, like power, leverage and agility; it is clear that length is a very significant asset for pass protection, particularly at tackle.
 
Digital said:
Steen is stout and moves OK, but his biggest limitation is his short arms. On the blindside, we have a rookie who is behind in reps and playing next to someone who he hasn't yet built chemistry. IMHO, Urbik gives more length to help with inside moves like the one Tunsil failed on in the San Diego game. Personally, I get why they keep the chemistry of an in-tact right side, but I would feel better with Bushrod at LG and Urbik at RG. Either way it's a bit of a gamble. I think Urbik is a more natural G than Steen.

IMHO, the coaching staff was spot on with getting Steen to become a C. That seems like a natural fit. But with Pouncey continuing to play as well as at any point in his career, Steen is firmly planted on the bench.

Call me crazy, but it almost seems as though Gase is rotating OL packages. I'm definitely seeing more than the starting 5 OL get snaps almost every game now. It's not all injury related either. I know it is standard for DL to get rotated to stay fresh--and Miami has always been good at having a deep DL to make that useful. But, I wonder if Gase is onto something with rotating OL packages for certain spots/parts of the game? If nothing else, it gives DC's a real headache trying to prepare for them and looking for tendencies out of these packages.
Click to expand...

Pouncey was on the injury report also - hip. I took a little gulp when I saw that, especially with his prior hip problems. Steen may get some more reps at C before the season ends.
 
Danny said:
This is not looking good. Albert coming back this year is about 20% of him coming back. He's the most important player on that o-line imo. Anyone else gets hurt and we're playing our 7th best guy. I'm also getting the feeling that Xavier is not playing anymore this season which sucks for his development, not to mention we're not very good at corner to start with. Starting to wonder with our luck, do we just barely sneak in to the playoffs but are missing so many keys guys by the time we get there that we get blown away? It seems every year we win some games that didn't mean anything and lose drafting position. This time it seemed to be different but things are getting scary now.

Ozzy rules!!
Click to expand...

Well today my thoughts basically mirror yours. Let's see if the team can really step up, as Hoops said Gases job just got even harder.

We have to hope the rest of the OL can stay healthy, we're going to possibly have to finish the year with what we have playing at CB though.
 
Digital said:
Steen is stout and moves OK, but his biggest limitation is his short arms. On the blindside, we have a rookie who is behind in reps and playing next to someone who he hasn't yet built chemistry. IMHO, Urbik gives more length to help with inside moves like the one Tunsil failed on in the San Diego game. Personally, I get why they keep the chemistry of an in-tact right side, but I would feel better with Bushrod at LG and Urbik at RG. Either way it's a bit of a gamble. I think Urbik is a more natural G than Steen.

IMHO, the coaching staff was spot on with getting Steen to become a C. That seems like a natural fit. But with Pouncey continuing to play as well as at any point in his career, Steen is firmly planted on the bench.

Call me crazy, but it almost seems as though Gase is rotating OL packages. I'm definitely seeing more than the starting 5 OL get snaps almost every game now. It's not all injury related either. I know it is standard for DL to get rotated to stay fresh--and Miami has always been good at having a deep DL to make that useful. But, I wonder if Gase is onto something with rotating OL packages for certain spots/parts of the game? If nothing else, it gives DC's a real headache trying to prepare for them and looking for tendencies out of these packages.

Also, I expect to see Sam Young in some elephant packages this week. Let's face it, with Donald and Quinn that Rams defense is lightning quick and fast as a cheetah ... so the obvious recipe is to run the J-Train down their throats directly at those quick and light DL and wear them down with a few extra elephants like Young as a TE and Gray as a FB and force those LB's to repeatedly stick their hats on the rampaging J-Train. If we do that ... I think the scoring floodgates open up in the 4th quarter and we dominate the end of the game. Urbik may be our most powerful guard, and Bushrod is playing well lately. There is a possible silver-lining to losing Albert for this particular game. Their offense shouldn't force us away from the run game either ... so as good as the Rams defense is, I expect Ajayi to have a big day.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. Donald is 6'1 285, run at that all day long


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Digital said:
Respectfully disagree. While there can be an over-emphasis in it leading to people abandoning evaluation of other core metrics, like power, leverage and agility; it is clear that length is a very significant asset for pass protection, particularly at tackle.
Click to expand...

Technique is the most important aspect of blocking. Measurables be damned.

In blocking, arms are simply levers. The further away they are from your body the less stable you become b/c it displaces your center of mass. So regardless if you have a 32" or 36" arm length, if you're reaching you're going to get beat. Footwork is essential; proper base is key; angles achieve the assignment; leverage wins - always - even against bigger and stronger opponents. If the defender is away from you because you didnt apply the proper footwork and achieve your base, you're chasing him and the length of your arms mean nothing. Your upper limbs are not going to block him no matter your arm strength or length. Arm length is not an important asset.

In today's more popular vertical sets the offensive line is simply creating a deeper, narrower pocket compared to the shorter, wider pocket of dish sets. In vertical sets the guards set the "firmness" of the pocket, tackles set the length, and both are required to to perform two vertical kicks. The disadvantage to the tackles in vertical sets is that it creates more room between them and the defender leaving them susceptible to the bull rush. In order to defend the bull rush you again rely on technique and base by keeping both legs pumping. Arm length is irrelevant; they'll tear right thru you if you try to use your arms to stop them.

The one area where a lineman's arms are absolute necessary is the punch. But still in this regard you need to aggressively meet and close the gap between you and the defender which is a maximum of a few inches of distance, not feet. Otherwise you're reaching and again you'll be in error.

And you have to be extremely smart, too. There are plenty of talented, athletic, and positively combine-critiqued 300# lineman, but it's the 3#'s upstairs that separate them. And that pertains to a players technique and awareness, which again has nothing to do with arm length.
 
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