A shakeup at strong side linebacker? Koa or Ike? | Page 2 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

A shakeup at strong side linebacker? Koa or Ike?

Misi is new so he gets hopeful praise from everyone. We want Misi to be the starter. But IAF might be outplaying him and win the job. I just want the best player in there on opening day. If Misi doesn't start, he will get plenty of reps throughout the season to get better and gain experience.
 
twg76 said:
Misi is new so he gets hopeful praise from everyone. We want Misi to be the starter. But IAF might be outplaying him and win the job. I just want the best player in there on opening day. If Misi doesn't start, he will get plenty of reps throughout the season to get better and gain experience.
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But IAF hasn't been outplaying him. As hoops stated, he seems to do a better job setting the edge, but that's about it. As much as Nolan puts his SOLB in coverage, huge no thanks to IAF being the starter. He can spell Misi on running downs, but that's about it for me.
 
I was never a big fan of picking Koa Misi. Sometimes I just get a feeling about a player when they're coming into the league, and it's not a good one with him. I REALLY hope I'm wrong about him...I'd will gladly eat my words (and hopefully I will!)
 
If freaking Ike Francis is the best we can come with at SOLB for the opener, I'm going to be pissed.

Why didn't we just f**king keep Matt Roth?!
 
R&R Express said:
But IAF hasn't been outplaying him. As hoops stated, he seems to do a better job setting the edge, but that's about it. As much as Nolan puts his SOLB in coverage, huge no thanks to IAF being the starter. He can spell Misi on running downs, but that's about it for me.
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Not only has Ike been outplaying him,so has Wake. Misi has all the talent in the world, but like I have put in about a zillion other threads right now he is playing like he is thick between the ears. Koa is the long term answer to the spot, but he really needs a year to develope, is has no concept of what it takes to set and KEEP contain on a play. It really looks like he has the idea he has to make every play rather than play within the context of the defense.
I said after watching the jags game that Ike would be starting day one, and got flamed for saying such a thing. But I stand by that. I think Misi is a better athelete and will be getting a lot of playing time and will be starting later in the year, but the way he is playing right now will cost us games.
 
KTOWNFINFAN said:
Not only has Ike been outplaying him,so has Wake. Misi has all the talent in the world, but like I have put in about a zillion other threads right now he is playing like he is thick between the ears. Koa is the long term answer to the spot, but he really needs a year to develope, is has no concept of what it takes to set and KEEP contain on a play. It really looks like he has the idea he has to make every play rather than play within the context of the defense.
I said after watching the jags game that Ike would be starting day one, and got flamed for saying such a thing. But I stand by that. I think Misi is a better athelete and will be getting a lot of playing time and will be starting later in the year, but the way he is playing right now will cost us games.
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So in other words, you haven't been watching the games because IKA has most certainly not been better than Misi. He's looked better setting the edge, and that's about all he's looked better at. We're doomed if IKA is starting, trying to cover people.

If playing very well in the preseason means costing us games, would hate to see what would happen with IKA starting with as much as Nolan puts his SOLB's in coverage.
 
Ike is playing against the run a bit better right now but can not cover worth a lick which is the reason why i think he gets the axe. Only way he makes it is if he shows something as a pass rusher from the strong side.
Chubbs
 
I actually Like Ike ..He reminds me alot of Matt Roth with they way he stops the run and sets the edge..

Misi has been fooled a few times, giving up the edge and as a result gave up some big gains.

We can not afford to give up the edge and give up big gains..

All tho I think Misi is a better pass rusher, We may have enough pass rush with Oddrick, Starks and Wake..

I think Misi should come in on passing downs and Sub in for Wake...

Honeslty I can not say who is better in coverage Misi or Ike..I am assuming Misi is..

Its not like the strong side backer has to cover the TE in our scheme he just has to cover the back....
 
This has more to do with Cameron Wake than Koa Misi IMO.

We don't know exactly what they're thinking, I'm not going to pretend I'm best buds with Tony Sparano or Mike Nolan and can say with authority what they're thinking about. I don't have any secret leak sending me text messages, not on this one.

I just look at what's in front of me and I see this as step one of a two-step process that sees Cameron Wake taken off the field in some situations and certain personnel packages.

Bottom line is he's not getting it done in pass rush, and unlike Koa Misi, that is what Cam Wake is THERE for. We know this guy is a one dimensional player. We've come to accept that he's about as bad as it gets in coverage, that his open field tackling is pretty atrocious, that he's not particularly good at setting the edge or doing things a linebacker needs to do when he's not pressuring the passer. We've made our peace with those facts because last year he was one of the most efficient pass rushers in the league and he flashed downright special ability to get to the passer.

Last year was last year. This year his preseason production amounts to 4 solo tackles (1 a TFL), 2 assisted tackles, ZERO QB Hurries according to the NFL gamebooks, no Passes Defensed, nothing. No sacks, not even any QB Hurries. He's played a whole lot of football this preseason too, I noticed in the Tampa game they had him out there on into the second half because they're trying to get him reps. That's not getting it done in the pass rush department, and unlike Koa Misi who is there to be from the ground-up an all around good player, Cameron Wake is there FOR THAT PASS RUSH...which has been all but non-existent thus far.

So if he's there for pass rush and you recognize he's somewhere between awful and sub-mediocre at everything else...what is he out there for? Jared Odrick and Charles Grant are getting more pressure. That's the truth. Randy Starks got a sack and he's getting pressure.

If you're not getting pass rush from the guy who is wearing the pass rush sombrero you might as well cut your losses, put Koa Misi and Ikaika Alama-Francis out there and be good at everything else. It depends on if you think Wake is going to turn it around.
 
I'm fine with Wake going back to what he was last year, which is a pass rush specialist. If this ends up coming to fruition, it could make us regret not taking Jerry Hughes to play WOLB.

If this continues to be the case all season, WOLB, and not RB or FS, may become the biggest draft priority.

I'm not ready to make that statement just yet, but I have lost hope that Cameron can be an all-around LB.
 
This caoching staff can't make a decision to save their lives. Just set a lineup and go with it.

And they wonder why we get off to a slow start every year.
 
once nolan starts shuffling LB's around, scheming, and blitzing from all angles wake will be fine. he hasn't all of a sudden 'lost it' in one off season. he definitely hasn't looked too good this preseason though - don't know what his deal is.

way more concerned with how misi performs on sundays.
 
PhinsTD said:
I'm fine with Wake going back to what he was last year, which is a pass rush specialist. If this ends up coming to fruition, it could make us regret not taking Jerry Hughes to play WOLB.

If this continues to be the case all season, WOLB, and not RB or FS, may become the biggest draft priority.

I'm not ready to make that statement just yet, but I have lost hope that Cameron can be an all-around LB.
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Well see the key here is not that he's not an all-around LB. The key is that he's here to be a pass rusher and he's not accomplishing that, not so far this preseason. He pressured some guys a little bit, but the production's not there. No sacks, the NFL Gamebooks didn't record any QB Hits/Hurries.

The key is the pass rush. He needs to show what he showed a year ago. He needs to be the player he was against Buffalo, when he was an unstoppable pass rush FORCE even despite his starting most of those pass rushes with his hand off the ground.
 
DolfanISS said:
CK would this mean we would play IAF at WOLB and leave Misi at SOLB?
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No I don't believe you want Ikaika Alama-Francis playing over on the weak side. The strength/weakness profile just isn't right for it. This guy is not new to the league. He's been tried and recycled before as a Defensive End and he just wasn't very good. That WOLB position is sort of like a Defensive End as far as your need to rush the passer against some really good left tackles in this league, WIN that matchup, and put pressure on the QB. I think an ideal WOLB would be a guy that rushes the passer like crazy, but can also back up into zone coverage very fluidly and be both effective and opportunistic. If there's one thing that doesn't necessarily need to be stellar I think it's probably setting the edge and dominating the run and all that, just because of the job description, doesn't require it. Good pass rusher, good chase player, good coverage guy.

What IAF brings to the table is that size and strength, the ability or at least promise of dominating the Tight End, setting the edge of the defense, and hurting the offense that way. Put him on the weak side and suddenly he doesn't have the venue for displaying his strengths. He's not a good pass rusher. He's not a good coverage guy. Now he's playing a position where setting the edge and being strong and big is not at a premium. It's a waste.

I think that Koa Misi could be less so over there. You know that until he develops better pass rush, he's not the ideal option at WOLB because the ideal option at WOLB involves being a good rusher. However, he's a good chase player and he's a fluid cover guy. So if Cam Wake isn't getting the job done as a pass rusher anyway, what are you losing by subbing him out for a guy that's also not a great pass rusher?

Ideally you want Wake rushing the hell out of the passer like he did at times a year ago, and you want Koa Misi playing the strong side and containing outside runs well. But you have to be prepared to not get that ideal and so that's what seeing IAF match up against Vernon Carey and Anthony Fasano and the 1's is all about, having contingency plans. I just happen to think that contingency plan is more likely to see Cam Wake off the field than Koa Misi, based on what I've seen this preseason.
 
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