Biggest Need in the offseason | Page 2 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Biggest Need in the offseason

Trenches, baby, trenches! To build a quality offense, you need to start on the inside first. You can have all the big name playmakers at QB, RB, and WR, but if the O-Line can't block or protect the QB, you're NOT going to score points let alone win games.
 
2413fanphins said:
donald thomas (godsend) according to parcells is going to be back next year. If he can stay free from injury that will help. He is still pretty raw from what I remember reading but he has the build to be very good. I can't remember for sure but I think he played on the right side, but if he could move to the LG....that could be scary.
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OK, I didn't want to single you out or anything, but this is just a good example of what I see all the time. People think Donald Thomas will be an elite run blocker, but it's just not the case.

Thomas is strong, but not all over. He has a tremendous upper body and can deliver a hamhanded jolting punch, but, he is weak in the lower body. Can that be corrected, sure, but it hasn't been yet, so let's not forget that an OL's drive comes from his lower body, not his upper body. This is one of two main reasons why Donald Thomas was considered raw and why he was selected low in the draft. The other was that he's very new to football and the OL position. Offensive linemen with spindley (by comparison) legs aren't a hot commodity in the NFL.

While I'm sure he'll become much more technically and tactically savvy during the offseason, he's not going to be a power OL next season. He simply has too far to go to get there. This offseason is going to be huge for him, because if he dedicates himself to becoming a powerful OL, he just might be a starter next year. But, if he simply recovers from the injury and is the same player he was this preseason, we're going to find that we cannot run behind him against stout defenses ... and he's never been a good pass protector.

Buddy Holly died at the right time, so his 15 mins of fame made him a legend. I think Donald Thomas got injured at the right time (if there even is such a thing), in that his ability has now become legend. Thomas was a pleasant surprise, not a guy on track for the Pro-Bowl. Let's let him recupperate and show us some improvement. But please, take all those incredibly over-hyped expectations off his shoulders, because he never was an awesome OL. Heck, the kid is still learning the position. Let him get his body into OL shape first.
 
Digital said:
OK, I didn't want to single you out or anything, but this is just a good example of what I see all the time. People think Donald Thomas will be an elite run blocker, but it's just not the case.

Thomas is strong, but not all over. He has a tremendous upper body and can deliver a hamhanded jolting punch, but, he is weak in the lower body. Can that be corrected, sure, but it hasn't been yet, so let's not forget that an OL's drive comes from his lower body, not his upper body. This is one of two main reasons why Donald Thomas was considered raw and why he was selected low in the draft. The other was that he's very new to football and the OL position. Offensive linemen with spindley (by comparison) legs aren't a hot commodity in the NFL.

While I'm sure he'll become much more technically and tactically savvy during the offseason, he's not going to be a power OL next season. He simply has too far to go to get there. This offseason is going to be huge for him, because if he dedicates himself to becoming a powerful OL, he just might be a starter next year. But, if he simply recovers from the injury and is the same player he was this preseason, we're going to find that we cannot run behind him against stout defenses ... and he's never been a good pass protector.

Buddy Holly died at the right time, so his 15 mins of fame made him a legend. I think Donald Thomas got injured at the right time (if there even is such a thing), in that his ability has now become legend. Thomas was a pleasant surprise, not a guy on track for the Pro-Bowl. Let's let him recupperate and show us some improvement. But please, take all those incredibly over-hyped expectations off his shoulders, because he never was an awesome OL. Heck, the kid is still learning the position. Let him get his body into OL shape first.
Click to expand...


Most of us don't know what we have in Thomas especially when you see his backups were nothing to write home about. That's why I feel it necessary that not only do we bring in a top Center prospect or FA but a G and T if Carey leaves.

Bringing in a Guard like H.Johnson via the draft allows the best player to win the position and giving us a greater sense of security with a deeper talent of backups including Satele.
 
Digital said:
OK, I didn't want to single you out or anything, but this is just a good example of what I see all the time. People think Donald Thomas will be an elite run blocker, but it's just not the case.

Thomas is strong, but not all over. He has a tremendous upper body and can deliver a hamhanded jolting punch, but, he is weak in the lower body. Can that be corrected, sure, but it hasn't been yet, so let's not forget that an OL's drive comes from his lower body, not his upper body. This is one of two main reasons why Donald Thomas was considered raw and why he was selected low in the draft. The other was that he's very new to football and the OL position. Offensive linemen with spindley (by comparison) legs aren't a hot commodity in the NFL.

While I'm sure he'll become much more technically and tactically savvy during the offseason, he's not going to be a power OL next season. He simply has too far to go to get there. This offseason is going to be huge for him, because if he dedicates himself to becoming a powerful OL, he just might be a starter next year. But, if he simply recovers from the injury and is the same player he was this preseason, we're going to find that we cannot run behind him against stout defenses ... and he's never been a good pass protector.

Buddy Holly died at the right time, so his 15 mins of fame made him a legend. I think Donald Thomas got injured at the right time (if there even is such a thing), in that his ability has now become legend. Thomas was a pleasant surprise, not a guy on track for the Pro-Bowl. Let's let him recupperate and show us some improvement. But please, take all those incredibly over-hyped expectations off his shoulders, because he never was an awesome OL. Heck, the kid is still learning the position. Let him get his body into OL shape first.
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I guess I have to rethumb through my post and see where you got confused. who knows if the kid will become elite or not... I certainly don't recall saying he will be. I said he'd be back and that parcells is quite high on him and he has the tools to be good. I even made it a point to say he is raw. the kid was a low draft pick. it was a risk/reward situation. I think time will tell, but I certainly am not going to be the one to sit here and say the kid will be this or that. parcells saw something he liked. he took him, he got hurt. the next few years will tell the rest of the story.

I don't feel singled out, I just have to wonder if you couldn't have just made your point without quoting my post because from what I am reading we seem to be in agreement.

I see no reason this kid can't be part of a power running game next year.
But I would also agree that it's going to take more than just simply getting over the injury. experience and nfl caliber coaching can only help this kid. give the guy more than an injury shortened season before you tell us all he will never be this or that.

-2413
 
3rdandinches said:
Most of us don't know what we have in Thomas especially when you see his backups were nothing to write home about. That's why I feel it necessary that not only do we bring in a top Center prospect or FA but a G and T if Carey leaves.

Bringing in a Guard like H.Johnson via the draft allows the best player to win the position and giving us a greater sense of security with a deeper talent of backups including Satele.
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certainly would have to agree with you there. His backups wouldn't make roster cuts on the majority of nfl teams in my opinion. thats part of the reason I feel our running game suffered when DT went down, was our depth was just awful.

would also have to agree on the competition aspect. I love the may the best man win situations. no screwing around in TC and OTA's if you want to win the job, take it!!!

carey will definately need to be replaced if he leaves, and I would love nothing more than a motorgrader center to replace satele. satele is a decent pass blocker and good at pulling and blocking in the open field we need a big time run blocking center.

have to wonder if satele could hack it as a guard.
 
3rdandinches said:
Most of us don't know what we have in Thomas especially when you see his backups were nothing to write home about. That's why I feel it necessary that not only do we bring in a top Center prospect or FA but a G and T if Carey leaves.

Bringing in a Guard like H.Johnson via the draft allows the best player to win the position and giving us a greater sense of security with a deeper talent of backups including Satele.
Click to expand...

So true = preach the truth
 
CalDolFan10x14 said:
Trenches, baby, trenches! To build a quality offense, you need to start on the inside first. You can have all the big name playmakers at QB, RB, and WR, but if the O-Line can't block or protect the QB, you're NOT going to score points let alone win games.
Click to expand...

LOVING IT...
 
Point

Point well taken. Maybe we could get Jordan Gross of the FA, That is if the Panthers does not resign him.
 
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