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Better or Worse (State of the franchise post draft)

SF Dolphin Fan said:
With the draft in the rearview mirror and free agency nearing an end, how does Miami compare with last year? Here are my thoughts.

Coaching (better)
Bringing in Fangio might be the best move of the offseason. Specifically, I think we'll see the Dolphins have a better plan against mobile quarterbacks and perform more consistently in crucial third down situations (get off the field). McDaniel should also be better in his second year in terms of clock management, when to be bold and when to be conservative, all the nitty, gritty details of coaching. I would also like to see him get on the officials more if the late season holding issues on Hill and Waddle continue. (Man, do I miss Shula in that regard).

Quarterback (slighly better)
It's a fair expectation that Tua and Thompson will be slightly better in year two of the system. White should be more durable than Bridgewater. Hopefully, we won't find out.

Offensive Line (same)
Butch Barry is yet another new offensive line coach in what has been a revolving door at that coaching position. He wasn't exactly perceived well in Denver, but was with McDaniel in San Francisco. Perhaps he can unlock something in Eichenberg and/or Jackson. Feeney is the only new addition on the offensive line (so far), with standouts Armstead, Williams and Hunt returning. As it stands, this is the biggest question mark for Miami, but perhaps there's more depth with Feeney. Hayes, a 7th rounder, has a chance to be the swing tackle or even challenge Eichenberg at guard. June 1 addition?

Running Back (better)
Surprisingly, Miami brought back the entire running back room. Then, they added Achane in the 3rd round. Cook rumors still persist, but I'm not sure contract-wise that works for the Dolphins. It will be interesting to see how McDaniel incorporates Achane in the lineup. He may be the best receiver among the running backs.

Wide Receivers (better)
This may be the best wide receiver room in the NFL. The Dolphins added Berrios and Anderson to go along with the dynamic duo of Hill and Waddle. Wilson, Ezukanma, and Cracraft figure to compete for one or two spots. Berrios could be a huge upgrade in the slot. No guarantees with Anderson, but potentially that could be a big addition.

Tight End (worse)
Maybe questionable should be used instead of worse. But, like him or not, Gesicki did have some good years for Miami. It was obvious he wasn't a fit in this system, but what do the Dolphins have? Smythe is probably TE1 and Saubert could help as a blocker. The wildcards are Higgins, drafted in the 6th, and Connor, an undrafted free agent in 2022. Both are converted wide receivers. McDaniel thought enough of Connor's potential to keep him on the roster and not expose him on the practice squad. I would imagine those two are battling for one spot. June 1 addition?

Defensive Line (same)
A healthy Ogbah should make a difference. Wilkins and Seiler in the middle is a significant strength. Not a lot of depth besides Davis, Twyman. This may be a spot where an UDFA could make the team.

Linebacker (better)
If he can stay on the field, Long could be one of the key additions for Miami this season. Having Chubb for an entire season, and reuniting with Fangio, should help as well. Phillips is a budding superstar and Baker could do better under Fangio. Tindall could emerge as well.

Secondary (better)
PFF had the Dolphins secondary ranked second to Green Bay entering the 2022 season. The entire unit was decimated by injuries and Byron Jones didn't play a single snap. On a positive note, Kohou was a huge bright spot for Miami as the best UDFA for the team last year. The addition of Ramsey should be huge. Cam Smith was added in the 2nd round and Elliott could have an impact at safety. This should be a huge strength and one of the best units in the NFL.

Special Teams (better)
Berrios and Achance move the needle significantly for the return game.
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Good post, but don’t think Skylar will be the backup. They didn’t pay Mike White for no reason. Also think they WILL sign Dalvin and resign Wilkins and Seiler after June 1st.
 
@SF Dolphin Fan great post brother. I agree with your overall analysis. But do have concerns with Miami's new OL Coach, Butch Barry. He was ran out of town while with Denver. And didn't do a good job while at The University of Miami. Although, while at Denver, they had good stats in the run game. McDaniel's familiarity with Barry is potentially the only saving grace. I just hope the players don't revolt on him, like they did in Denver.

The Offensive Line is still a huge question mark. No other way to see it. The F/O seems to be filled with false hope, once again.

Saubert is a very good addition to the TE room. He brings the exact trait McDaniel seems to want in his TE. And that is too block. And Saubert is a good blocker.

On paper Miami's secondary appears to be dominant. Question is, Will they be dominant? Needham and Jones are returning from injury. But will they return to form? If not, it could be another lackluster performance from the secondary.

Lastly, will McDaniel finally utilize all his weapons? Will he continue to force the long ball? Will he adjust? These are all legitimate questions that have yet to be answered.
 
Great job, my only disagreement with your assessment was tight ends….

I actually see and agree with the vision of making the tight ends a part of this very fast break offense with quick strike and big play ability….

I see the idea of Conner and Higgins and what this could become…

Good job!
 
SF Dolphin Fan said:
Good point. I think fans expecting a lot of receptions from the tight end position will be disappointed. But the blocking should be better.
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Again…I think the tight ends will become special weapons added into the mix and balance….Gesicki was more of a possession receiver lacking explosion!
 
dolfan91 said:
@SF Dolphin Fan great post brother. I agree with your overall analysis. But do have concerns with Miami's new OL Coach, Butch Barry. He was ran out of town while with Denver. And didn't do a good job while at The University of Miami. Although, while at Denver, they had good stats in the run game. McDaniel's familiarity with Barry is potentially the only saving grace. I just hope the players don't revolt on him, like they did in Denver.

The Offensive Line is still a huge question mark. No other way to see it. The F/O seems to be filled with false hope, once again.

Saubert is a very good addition to the TE room. He brings the exact trait McDaniel seems to want in his TE. And that is too block. And Saubert is a good blocker.

On paper Miami's secondary appears to be dominant. Question is, Will they be dominant? Needham and Jones are returning from injury. But will they return to form? If not, it could be another lackluster performance from the secondary.

Lastly, will McDaniel finally utilize all his weapons? Will he continue to force the long ball? Will he adjust? These are all legitimate questions that have yet to be answered.
Click to expand...
We’ll said mate…
 
SF Dolphin Fan said:
With the draft in the rearview mirror and free agency nearing an end, how does Miami compare with last year? Here are my thoughts.

Coaching (better)
Bringing in Fangio might be the best move of the offseason. Specifically, I think we'll see the Dolphins have a better plan against mobile quarterbacks and perform more consistently in crucial third down situations (get off the field). McDaniel should also be better in his second year in terms of clock management, when to be bold and when to be conservative, all the nitty, gritty details of coaching. I would also like to see him get on the officials more if the late season holding issues on Hill and Waddle continue. (Man, do I miss Shula in that regard).

Quarterback (slighly better)
It's a fair expectation that Tua and Thompson will be slightly better in year two of the system. White should be more durable than Bridgewater. Hopefully, we won't find out.

Offensive Line (same)
Butch Barry is yet another new offensive line coach in what has been a revolving door at that coaching position. He wasn't exactly perceived well in Denver, but was with McDaniel in San Francisco. Perhaps he can unlock something in Eichenberg and/or Jackson. Feeney is the only new addition on the offensive line (so far), with standouts Armstead, Williams and Hunt returning. As it stands, this is the biggest question mark for Miami, but perhaps there's more depth with Feeney. Hayes, a 7th rounder, has a chance to be the swing tackle or even challenge Eichenberg at guard. June 1 addition?

Running Back (better)
Surprisingly, Miami brought back the entire running back room. Then, they added Achane in the 3rd round. Cook rumors still persist, but I'm not sure contract-wise that works for the Dolphins. It will be interesting to see how McDaniel incorporates Achane in the lineup. He may be the best receiver among the running backs.

Wide Receivers (better)
This may be the best wide receiver room in the NFL. The Dolphins added Berrios and Anderson to go along with the dynamic duo of Hill and Waddle. Wilson, Ezukanma, and Cracraft figure to compete for one or two spots. Berrios could be a huge upgrade in the slot. No guarantees with Anderson, but potentially that could be a big addition.

Tight End (worse)
Maybe questionable should be used instead of worse. But, like him or not, Gesicki did have some good years for Miami. It was obvious he wasn't a fit in this system, but what do the Dolphins have? Smythe is probably TE1 and Saubert could help as a blocker. The wildcards are Higgins, drafted in the 6th, and Connor, an undrafted free agent in 2022. Both are converted wide receivers. McDaniel thought enough of Connor's potential to keep him on the roster and not expose him on the practice squad. I would imagine those two are battling for one spot. June 1 addition?

Defensive Line (same)
A healthy Ogbah should make a difference. Wilkins and Seiler in the middle is a significant strength. Not a lot of depth besides Davis, Twyman. This may be a spot where an UDFA could make the team.

Linebacker (better)
If he can stay on the field, Long could be one of the key additions for Miami this season. Having Chubb for an entire season, and reuniting with Fangio, should help as well. Phillips is a budding superstar and Baker could do better under Fangio. Tindall could emerge as well.

Secondary (better)
PFF had the Dolphins secondary ranked second to Green Bay entering the 2022 season. The entire unit was decimated by injuries and Byron Jones didn't play a single snap. On a positive note, Kohou was a huge bright spot for Miami as the best UDFA for the team last year. The addition of Ramsey should be huge. Cam Smith was added in the 2nd round and Elliott could have an impact at safety. This should be a huge strength and one of the best units in the NFL.

Special Teams (better)
Berrios and Achance move the needle significantly for the return game.
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Totally agree with your ratings.

Something I wanted to add from a coaching standpoint - Our DL may appear to be a lot better this year due to scheme. I think Fangio's scheme will show us a bunch of Odd looks with Sieler, Ogbah, Wilkins, and Davis rotating at the Big 3 interior spots and Chubb and Phillips standing up outside, but I also expect a whole bunch of EVEN Nickel scheme formations with Davis, Seiler, and Wilkins rotating inside at the two interior spots with Chubb, Phillips, Ogbah, etc on the outside (hands down in the dirt). Fangio loves this version of the nickel and our scheme will match personel 100%
Lastly, We will see a whole lot of coverage mixes, but don't be surprised when you see Quarters coverage a whole bunch, and some of the Quarters complimentary schemes.
This approach will have lots less blitzing and lots less man for man. On the whole, the new scheme may present a benefit most haven't thought of at face value, but the more zone move is going to give our DB's (especially X) fresh legs and a lot less muscular injuries. Sitting in zones and running to zones is easy mode for DB's and teams that run more zone always have healthier players in terms of muscular fatigue. I'd guess X's career just got extended with Fangio's hiring he could last another 4-5 seasons.

BTW - The scheme should also give up a lot less big plays against our D.
 
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Small nitpick but I would argue our WR group is same or worse…

trading Sherfield for Berrios is a net negative as a pure WR I would say… who knows what happens with Anderson and I think Ced Wilson has a bounce back year… so I would grade it even with a hope that we get something more from Cedric Wilson this year.

Overall, we’re improved everywhere but the OL (which is a bit of a concern but hope we get some depth).
 
42March said:
Is that an opinion or is there a report or stats to back that up. Though I do agree a zone system does seemed to have extended the quality of play for Patrick Peterson who looked shot playing man.
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It's an opinion based on 33 years coaching and watching the development of the game. I also played in a man only scheme as well as zone scemes and it's a night and day difference on your legs.

As a coach, whenever we played teams that were only running man in high school, one of the best way to hurt them is to rotate in receivers and run them all over the field (fades, posts, etc and make those two-way stars that were usually also playing RB / WR / QB turn and run every play while they were on defense. It's pretty easy to wear them out. If they choose not to play it hard, then throw the ball on them.
 
Atila said:
Small nitpick but I would argue our WR group is same or worse…

trading Sherfield for Berrios is a net negative as a pure WR I would say… who knows what happens with Anderson and I think Ced Wilson has a bounce back year… so I would grade it even with a hope that we get something more from Cedric Wilson this year.

Overall, we’re improved everywhere but the OL (which is a bit of a concern but hope we get some depth).
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I can't say that's wrong. I loved Sherfield's blocking and I see improved blocking (specifically run blocking) as a huge key to our improvement this season. And I see improved blocking on the edges as more critical than improved blocking from the OL. Switching Sherfield for Berrios adds a better target but downgrades the blocking. That being said, I think our run blocking on the edges improved at TE and if it/he works out I could see a guy like Higgins/Conner taking some of those Sherfield snaps. So while run blocking from just the WR position may be downgraded the blocking from the WR/TE position may be upgraded? That's more of a macro look rather than a micro view. We'll see how it works out.

Additionally, just having most players back for the second year in the system is a potentially huge (but ultimately unknown) factor. The OL and guys like Wilson (if he stays) are potentially upgrades over what they were the year before just due to experience in the system. That experience so often shows up in players just thinking less and playing faster and just better. There's never any guarantee that it will happen for every player, but most players tend to be better in the second year regardless. I think that's something most people can relate to in their own jobs.
 
rafael said:
I can't say that's wrong. I loved Sherfield's blocking and I see improved blocking (specifically run blocking) as a huge key to our improvement this season. And I see improved blocking on the edges as more critical than improved blocking from the OL. Switching Sherfield for Berrios adds a better target but downgrades the blocking. That being said, I think our run blocking on the edges improved at TE and if it/he works out I could see a guy like Higgins/Conner taking some of those Sherfield snaps. So while run blocking from just the WR position may be downgraded the blocking from the WR/TE position may be upgraded? That's more of a macro look rather than a micro view. We'll see how it works out.

Additionally, just having most players back for the second year in the system is a potentially huge (but ultimately unknown) factor. The OL and guys like Wilson (if he stays) are potentially upgrades over what they were the year before just due to experience in the system. That experience so often shows up in players just thinking less and playing faster and just better. There's never any guarantee that it will happen for every player, but most players tend to be better in the second year regardless. I think that's something most people can relate to in their own jobs.
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Really enjoy your well thought out posts.

I would add that I think Berrios could get more targets than Sherfield. Just a guess, but could be better production with him. I did like Sherfield.
 
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