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3 top needs

Ronnieisabeast

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Let's say someone puts a gun to head and says you can only improve three dolphins positions this offseason. Which would you choose? For me it would have to be
1. Inside Linebacker- Although we have cetain needs that are probably more important to a football team (WR, 3-4 NT) our inside linebackers are just so bad they need to be improved. Akin and Crowder are average against the run( and even that's debatable), and awful in pass coverage. We need at least to find one starting inside linebacker, and I wouldn't even have a problem if we found another.
2.Wide Receiver- The lack of a wide reciever who streches the field puts a lot of pressure on our offense. Even when we were moving the ball this season, we made it look so diffucult. Another teams get chunks of yards off explosive wrs. We dont have that. When Ronnie went down, we had no explosive offensive players. To continuosly score points off long drives is just too diffucult. It is too easy to make one mistake and screw up the entire drive.
3. Free Safety- Fifteen, maybe even ten years ago I would have probably said nose tackle would be a bigger need. But its becoming a passing league, and if we get a bawl-hawking free safety with range we could have one heck of a secondary with Bell, Allen in slot, Smith, Davis. To find a true free safety is hard to find but I do think Earl Thomas can be that guy. (Maybe Antrel Rolle?)
 
1. NT - the key position of the 3-4 and also the hardest position to fill. Solai is a credible backup but not yet a credible starter and may be better suited in a 4-3. We currently have nobody else. I'd be looking for two new players - an experienced vet to start and another developmental project

2. OLB - next most important position. We have a serviceable backup in Anderson, a couple of intriguing yet raw prospects in Wake and Moses but no definite, legitimate starters

3. ILB - no question we are weak here. Crowder can barely run these days - I don't think he's got too many years left. Without him the defense tends to implode to the point where they struggle to even line up correctly. This position is probably easier to fill than the previous two though

Fill these gaps and everything else will fall into place. A strong front seven goes a long way towards hiding any weaknesses in the secondary. The offense should be pretty good as Henne develops. Upgrading WR would be nice but not essential. When we were getting in December it wasn't the WRs costing those games - in fact they were keeping us in those games
 
ILB, FS and NT.

A NT and ILB is a necessity for any form of 3-4. And as mentioned, a FS in a now-pass-happy League is a necessity, too.

By my count, G WILSON cost us 5-6 games singlehandedly/almost singlehandedly. THAT is our biggest weakness. ILB is a VERY close second. I'll never forget AYODELE chasing D CLARK for 80 yards. Nor will I forget that he can't defend the run very well, either. CROWDER, i/m/o, suffers BIGTIME as a result. And TORBOR was an OLB, and NOT AN ILB, w/the GIANTS: he's a "project", and still learning, so I give him some slack.

NT is a weakness only because of J FERGUSON's age and injury. It's strictly 3rd, as far as weaknesses go.

TE is i/m/o a bigger problem than not having a true #1 WR. But regardless, it isn't that big a concern. Last year, MIAMI put up a lot of points, largely behind an inexperienced QB. That will only get better, i/m/o. Just pray for good health, and let it go at that. As I see it, there's nothing wrong w/MIAMI's "O" that a healthy R BROWN and P COBBS, and a little more OL depth wouldn't cure "in a New York minute".
 
ILB, WR and OLB..... Lack of playmaking at WR has hogtied this offense all last season considering the amount of points defense was allowing. Miami desperately needs an ILB that can cover TE's and take CORRECT ANGLES towars the ballcarrier. Porter and JT are over-the-hill, and I don't think anyone would be comfortable with Wake and Charlie Anderson as starters together.
ALOT of options out there.... Does Miami sign Julius Peppers and Antonio Bryant, and draft Alabama MLB?? Or do they sign Dansby and Antonio Bryant, and draft Graham or USF outside LB (DE)??
 
1. NT - the key position of the 3-4 and also the hardest position to fill. Solai is a credible backup but not yet a credible starter and may be better suited in a 4-3. We currently have nobody else. I'd be looking for two new players - an experienced vet to start and another developmental project

2. OLB - next most important position. We have a serviceable backup in Anderson, a couple of intriguing yet raw prospects in Wake and Moses but no definite, legitimate starters

3. ILB - no question we are weak here. Crowder can barely run these days - I don't think he's got too many years left. Without him the defense tends to implode to the point where they struggle to even line up correctly. This position is probably easier to fill than the previous two though

Fill these gaps and everything else will fall into place. A strong front seven goes a long way towards hiding any weaknesses in the secondary. The offense should be pretty good as Henne develops. Upgrading WR would be nice but not essential. When we were getting in December it wasn't the WRs costing those games - in fact they were keeping us in those games
In a pass-happy league you ignore our problems passing on both offense and defense. I would have a problem with this. I just want to say one thing about olb as a need. I do believe that it is a need. But Wake and Taylor I think could be servicable next year. The reason why I list ILB, FS, WR as bigger needs is with Nolan's more aggressive, more unpredictable defense it puts less pressure on strictly olbs to get pressure (plus our 3-4 des are better at getting pressure than most esp. starks.)
 
With the league being a pass first league I would go WR. FS. And ILB and that is the order I would like to see
 
OLB, NT and ILB. OLB is critical. It is the need of this team right now. NT and ILB's are right behind.
 
1. Free Safety-If we took away all those big plays we had last year we would have gotten into the playoffs. Vontae and Sean are sure to improve, but not enough to make up for the lack of a true coverage safety.

2. Inside Linebacker-When you've got 2 guys at "tackling" positions that aren't very good at tackling, you are in trouble. Channing is a little better at tackling than ayodele, but gets hurt fairly often. Torbor is just average as well, and none of them pick the proper angles in pursuit...They seem to run straight to the sideline lol. and they are terrible at pass coverage...between the ilbs and the safetys we don't have anybody to cover an elite TE

3. Wide receiver-We need a number 1. Its as simple as that
 
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