ciscoholgate
Winning is a Habit
First I have to say I've been a long time reader of this forum, but I just recently began to post. This is my first thread so go easy. My take on Parcell's direction for 2008 and beyond...
2007 Defense:
Parcels and Co. looked to improve this unit first as apparent by his free agent additions. The 2007 Dolphins D has to be one of the worst in franchise history, if not the worst. Traylor was too old, Roth played all season with a groin injury and looked horrible, Holliday missed significant time with an injury, and we had Fifta playing significant time down the line with many players out due to injury (or fighting with Cam Camoron). I thought this DL would have been one of the strengths in 2007, but it turned out to be one of the biggest weaknesses.
The LB corp was the best spot of the D last season, but weren't exceptional. I thought Crowder did about the best he could do filling in for Zach. He missed a lot of tackles and assignments and I do not think he is going to be much better than an average starter. Taylor had a solid season, but had no help around him. Joey Porter started to play a lot better as the season went on. I think he needs to sustain the level of okay he showed the end of 2007 to live up to his big contract.
The secondary was just horrible and part of it was due to injuries. I don't even want to talk about it because they were that bad.
Dom Capers was really inconsistent with his play calling. It seemed like all season he was trying something different to see what worked. I'm glad he is gone because he switched from Saban's scheme in 2006 to his own in 2007 and had disasterous results.
A look at 2008 Defense:
The DT instantly got better with more depth added. Ferguson, if healthy will be a strong presence in our 3-4 scheme as a NT (I'm assuming Parcells goes with a 3-4). Randy Starks was signed and would likely compete for a DE spot in the 3-4 with Roth or Wright. Holliday could possibly start on the other DE spot. Depth was added to a once thin crew. IMO Roth could really a very good starter in this league. I saw him play a lot in college and I liked what I saw. I think this is his year to prove himself on this team or he will not be here beyond 2008.
LB added depth as well, but not real good players. Torber was a nice pick-up and could possibly start as an ILB. We still have Porter, Taylor (for now), and Crowder who are the likely starters.
I think Allen will hold down one starting CB spot, but it looks like the other is up for grabs. Lehan was decent, but not starting material. I think Parcells and Co. look to the draft with one of our first three picks to try and find the starter on the other side. If not look for Parcells "guy" Nathan Jones to be the frontrunner on the other side. If Bell can comeback at 100% he could be a good starting Safety. Jason Allen finally got playing time last season and wasn't half bad. Look for Allen, Daniels, or possibly a draft pick to compete for the other Safety spot. Courtney Bryan, Tuff Harris, and Renaldo hill are all decent backups.
I for one am happy that Capers is gone, but I am still very optimistic about the defensive side of the ball. We've added depth, so injuries shouldn't be a big concern.
2007 Offense:
Offense wasn't much better than defense, but Ronnie Brown looked good before he got hurt. RB is the deepest position on our team if Ronnie and Rickie can returm healthy. RB is not a problem and I look for the Phins to also look at ways to get Lorenzo the ball.
Lemon played good at some times and bad at others. Beck played like a rookie and Trent was a waste of a draft pick. QB was a major reason for this team only winning one game last season.
The OL was solid last year. Carey played well in both the run and pass game, Satele was a great pick in the second round last year and could possibly be a multiple Pro Bowler. Hadnot was strong in the run game, but weak in the pass game, same goes for Shelton. Lewinski was average and replacable.
WR play was ineffective last season. Chambers was traded, but was playing above average before he departed. Ginn showed some promise towards the end of the year, but not much else beyond that. TE play in the pass game was almost non-existent.
2008 Offense:
I am very excited to see if Ronnie can come back at 100%. If he can look out. The guy is a beast. Beck could possibly be the starter, but so can McCown and possibly Matt Ryan. If you have multiple guys that could be a starter on your team at QB, it doesn;t llok good. I really like Beck and I hope he can win the starter role and improve his play from 2007. Ginn has a lot of spped and really played solid for a rookie. He has the tools to be a star and hopefully he can deliver. Wiliford was a good addition to the pass game and Smiley helped fill a hole in our OL with the loss of both Smiley and Shelton.
Final Thoughts:
I think we are really in a good position having the first overall pick in the draft. We can try and trade down, which is not likely, or we can go with Chris Long, Jake Long, or possibly Matt Ryan. I think these are the three top candidates for our first pick. Recent history shows that a QB going in the top 3 since 2000 has been a real crap shoot. Here is a breakdown of the top three picks in the drafts since 2000 to 2005.
Since 2000 to 2005:
QB - 6 taken, at least 4 can be labeled as 'busts'. Eli and Carson are the only two on that list that I would want on my team.
DE - 2 taken, 1 bust, 1 All Pro.
OT - 2 taken, 1 bust, 1 Pro Bowler.
Overall the "hit" ration is 4:6. If you don't count QBs it is 2:2. I for one think that Jake Long and Chris Long will both be excellent players and multiple Pro Bowlers, but if I had to chose one it would have to be Chris Long. This kid has a great motor, is a great off the field as well and can be the new leader of the Phins after JT is gone. Matt Ryan is really a crap shoot. I am just really high on Beck, so my decision may be swayed because of that.
I think Parcells has this team going in the right direction. Sign role players in Free Agency without breaking the bank, and build through the draft. I think picking up more pickd from now until the draft should be a top priorety. We could still be a few more years away from the playoff, but I can dream...GO PHINS!
2007 Defense:
Parcels and Co. looked to improve this unit first as apparent by his free agent additions. The 2007 Dolphins D has to be one of the worst in franchise history, if not the worst. Traylor was too old, Roth played all season with a groin injury and looked horrible, Holliday missed significant time with an injury, and we had Fifta playing significant time down the line with many players out due to injury (or fighting with Cam Camoron). I thought this DL would have been one of the strengths in 2007, but it turned out to be one of the biggest weaknesses.
The LB corp was the best spot of the D last season, but weren't exceptional. I thought Crowder did about the best he could do filling in for Zach. He missed a lot of tackles and assignments and I do not think he is going to be much better than an average starter. Taylor had a solid season, but had no help around him. Joey Porter started to play a lot better as the season went on. I think he needs to sustain the level of okay he showed the end of 2007 to live up to his big contract.
The secondary was just horrible and part of it was due to injuries. I don't even want to talk about it because they were that bad.
Dom Capers was really inconsistent with his play calling. It seemed like all season he was trying something different to see what worked. I'm glad he is gone because he switched from Saban's scheme in 2006 to his own in 2007 and had disasterous results.
A look at 2008 Defense:
The DT instantly got better with more depth added. Ferguson, if healthy will be a strong presence in our 3-4 scheme as a NT (I'm assuming Parcells goes with a 3-4). Randy Starks was signed and would likely compete for a DE spot in the 3-4 with Roth or Wright. Holliday could possibly start on the other DE spot. Depth was added to a once thin crew. IMO Roth could really a very good starter in this league. I saw him play a lot in college and I liked what I saw. I think this is his year to prove himself on this team or he will not be here beyond 2008.
LB added depth as well, but not real good players. Torber was a nice pick-up and could possibly start as an ILB. We still have Porter, Taylor (for now), and Crowder who are the likely starters.
I think Allen will hold down one starting CB spot, but it looks like the other is up for grabs. Lehan was decent, but not starting material. I think Parcells and Co. look to the draft with one of our first three picks to try and find the starter on the other side. If not look for Parcells "guy" Nathan Jones to be the frontrunner on the other side. If Bell can comeback at 100% he could be a good starting Safety. Jason Allen finally got playing time last season and wasn't half bad. Look for Allen, Daniels, or possibly a draft pick to compete for the other Safety spot. Courtney Bryan, Tuff Harris, and Renaldo hill are all decent backups.
I for one am happy that Capers is gone, but I am still very optimistic about the defensive side of the ball. We've added depth, so injuries shouldn't be a big concern.
2007 Offense:
Offense wasn't much better than defense, but Ronnie Brown looked good before he got hurt. RB is the deepest position on our team if Ronnie and Rickie can returm healthy. RB is not a problem and I look for the Phins to also look at ways to get Lorenzo the ball.
Lemon played good at some times and bad at others. Beck played like a rookie and Trent was a waste of a draft pick. QB was a major reason for this team only winning one game last season.
The OL was solid last year. Carey played well in both the run and pass game, Satele was a great pick in the second round last year and could possibly be a multiple Pro Bowler. Hadnot was strong in the run game, but weak in the pass game, same goes for Shelton. Lewinski was average and replacable.
WR play was ineffective last season. Chambers was traded, but was playing above average before he departed. Ginn showed some promise towards the end of the year, but not much else beyond that. TE play in the pass game was almost non-existent.
2008 Offense:
I am very excited to see if Ronnie can come back at 100%. If he can look out. The guy is a beast. Beck could possibly be the starter, but so can McCown and possibly Matt Ryan. If you have multiple guys that could be a starter on your team at QB, it doesn;t llok good. I really like Beck and I hope he can win the starter role and improve his play from 2007. Ginn has a lot of spped and really played solid for a rookie. He has the tools to be a star and hopefully he can deliver. Wiliford was a good addition to the pass game and Smiley helped fill a hole in our OL with the loss of both Smiley and Shelton.
Final Thoughts:
I think we are really in a good position having the first overall pick in the draft. We can try and trade down, which is not likely, or we can go with Chris Long, Jake Long, or possibly Matt Ryan. I think these are the three top candidates for our first pick. Recent history shows that a QB going in the top 3 since 2000 has been a real crap shoot. Here is a breakdown of the top three picks in the drafts since 2000 to 2005.
Since 2000 to 2005:
QB - 6 taken, at least 4 can be labeled as 'busts'. Eli and Carson are the only two on that list that I would want on my team.
DE - 2 taken, 1 bust, 1 All Pro.
OT - 2 taken, 1 bust, 1 Pro Bowler.
Overall the "hit" ration is 4:6. If you don't count QBs it is 2:2. I for one think that Jake Long and Chris Long will both be excellent players and multiple Pro Bowlers, but if I had to chose one it would have to be Chris Long. This kid has a great motor, is a great off the field as well and can be the new leader of the Phins after JT is gone. Matt Ryan is really a crap shoot. I am just really high on Beck, so my decision may be swayed because of that.
I think Parcells has this team going in the right direction. Sign role players in Free Agency without breaking the bank, and build through the draft. I think picking up more pickd from now until the draft should be a top priorety. We could still be a few more years away from the playoff, but I can dream...GO PHINS!
