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Just watching the games today, no fins so it got me thinking some random thoughts:
-Tua. Obviously, leads the list. I haven’t been this excited to see a Fins game (Tua’s debut) since I dunno when, maybe since back to when we got Ricky Williams. That was exciting to see him in a dolphins uniform. I think he will play well, and even if he struggles, I don’t think it makes sense to bring Fitzpatrick back. This is all about seeing what we got in Tua, but also developing him. Maybe he comes in and kills it and we can make a run to the playoffs, or he gets much needed experience and we will be ready to take a quantum leap next year, either way, baring injury, you can’t go back to Fitz the rest of the season, even if Tua struggles. If he gets injured, then you consider taking another QB early next year for insurance.
-Speaking of which, those Texans picks are looking pretty sweet. Watson is probably too good not to win a few games this year, but this is looking like a 5-11 or 6-10 season at best for them which means that first rounder is likely to be a top 10 pick. A top 5 pick is also not out of the question, but you gotta think Watson has a few wins in him? A shiny new pass rusher would be really sweet with that pick.
-Our Oline. I can’t figure for that life of me what those guys at PFF are smoking. No way we are the 32nd rated Oline overall. If you look at the stats, we have given up only 10 Saks this year so far.
www.footballoutsiders.com
Look at those stats above. The very worst of those lines have given up 24 Saks. No way we are worst than the Bengals, WFT, Giants, etc. Some are suggesting it’s all because Fitz is getting rid of the ball quickly, and maybe some saks have been avoided because of that, but last year that didn’t help him behind that putrid line he was playing behind. This Oline I think is way underrated. I’m not saying it’s one of the best Olines in the league, but it’s pretty far from one of the worst. I’d say it’s slightly above average when it comes to the passing game, and average to below average when it comes to the run game. I can’t figure out what PFF is smoking on this one.
-AFC. Man, the AFC is stacked this year. Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Tennessee, Baltimore, all very strong teams. Buffalo I would put in the next tier down and depending upon how quickly Tua picks up the speed of the NFL I’d say they are within striking distance of the Fins. My superbowl pics are Steelers Vs Bucs.
-Rebuild. Front office and coaching staff deserve some credit. Rebuild is going very well. I think our defense has settled down and is solid, young players drafted are well coached and developing nicely and we are well stacked with cap room and draft picks next year as well. If Tua performs as we expect, this team will have finally turned it around and it is instructive how we did it. That Tunsil trade is looking pretty favorable on our side isn’t it?
All in all, I’d say we have a very solid foundation in place:
Offense:
-QB. Exciting Franchise qB prospect in Tua. Most exciting potential since Marino. Love Fitz, but we should definitely draft a developmental backup next year.
-WR. Williams, Parker, Ford. Solid. We can definitely use another weapon or two here next year with Size/Speed/Hands, some combo of those if not all of them To add to the unit, but it’s a solid unit.
-RB. Gaskin looks solid if unspectacular, and Breida has some nice speed. I’d like to see him get more touches. Here is another area we should upgrade with an early draft pick next year, someone with some speed & power who can catch out of the backfield would really strengthen this group.
-Oline. Solid. Jesse Davis is a nice piece who is versatile in that he can play LT in a pinch and is a solid RT. Hunt, Kindley, & Jackson all look like solid starters when healthy and Flowers is a solid guard. I would say we should look at drafting a Center next year to give Karas some competition and provide depth, but otherwise, this looks like a solid group that will only get better as they play together longer.
-Tight End. This group is suprisingly solid. Smythe and Shaheen can both block well and have decent hands, Smythe had noticeably improved in this area. Gesicki is an excellent big target.
Assessment? Offense has a really solid foundation In place. Obviously, it’s all about Tua, but he has help. We need to add depth at Center, and a couple of weapons with some explosion and or power or both at Running back and receiver next year, but it’s a solid group.
Defense
Secondary. Byron Jones & Xavien Howard are elite boundary corner backs, so that’s a nice foundation right there. Rowe is a solid safety, and McCain is a gamer if a bit undersized, but he’s solid. This group could be something special if Iggy can develop and learn from his shortcomings when he was thrown into the deep end on the boundary. I’d love to see him learn the Slot corner position as well as improve his man technique. Right now he is a good athlete, but he has a lot to learn. Needham is okay. If an blue chip safety prospect is available next year we should pull the trigger with one of our early picks. I’d prioritize that after Pass rusher, running back and a blue chip receiver prospect though depending upon how the draft board falls. Luckily we have 5 picks in the first 3 rounds so we should be able to add all that we need.
Linebacker. Very solid group with Van Noy, Baker, Van Ginkel, Lawson, Roberts, & Grugier-Hill, would love to see us add a pass rusher here next year. Ideally a hybrid who can play both techniques, i.e. Standing up and In a 3 point stance, but we have a solid foundation in place here to build upon. FA’s have worked out better than expected based on the first few games which was to be expected with so many new pieces, coaches, and a pandemic shortened off season.
Dline. A little thin here with the injuries. Davis’s development is important, has a lot of potential based on his size and power, but he needs polish. Wilkins is solid if unspectacular. We definitely need to add another player here Next year, a man who is powerful, strong and disruptive.
All in all, I think we are on the right track. FO has handled this rebuild very well in that they tore down what needed to be torn down, put in place a solid foundation with an exciting franchise QB prospect who is in a position to succeed, and there is still plenty of ammo in the chamber to add more talent and pieces next year. The time to start Tua is now if the coaching staff thinks he is ready which we should all assume they do. We know we can get to 8-8 or 7-9 with Fitzpatrick, Tua can probably take us to at least there right now while he makes his rookie mistakes and learns to play in the NFL, might as well let the future start now, then next year when we re-load, we’ll have an even more talented roster and an exciting young franchise QB who is ready to take that next step and lead us to a division title.
I haven’t been this excited about this team in decades, I hope I’m not Charlie Brown!
-Tua. Obviously, leads the list. I haven’t been this excited to see a Fins game (Tua’s debut) since I dunno when, maybe since back to when we got Ricky Williams. That was exciting to see him in a dolphins uniform. I think he will play well, and even if he struggles, I don’t think it makes sense to bring Fitzpatrick back. This is all about seeing what we got in Tua, but also developing him. Maybe he comes in and kills it and we can make a run to the playoffs, or he gets much needed experience and we will be ready to take a quantum leap next year, either way, baring injury, you can’t go back to Fitz the rest of the season, even if Tua struggles. If he gets injured, then you consider taking another QB early next year for insurance.
-Speaking of which, those Texans picks are looking pretty sweet. Watson is probably too good not to win a few games this year, but this is looking like a 5-11 or 6-10 season at best for them which means that first rounder is likely to be a top 10 pick. A top 5 pick is also not out of the question, but you gotta think Watson has a few wins in him? A shiny new pass rusher would be really sweet with that pick.
-Our Oline. I can’t figure for that life of me what those guys at PFF are smoking. No way we are the 32nd rated Oline overall. If you look at the stats, we have given up only 10 Saks this year so far.
2020 Basic Line Stats: offense | Football Outsiders
Look at those stats above. The very worst of those lines have given up 24 Saks. No way we are worst than the Bengals, WFT, Giants, etc. Some are suggesting it’s all because Fitz is getting rid of the ball quickly, and maybe some saks have been avoided because of that, but last year that didn’t help him behind that putrid line he was playing behind. This Oline I think is way underrated. I’m not saying it’s one of the best Olines in the league, but it’s pretty far from one of the worst. I’d say it’s slightly above average when it comes to the passing game, and average to below average when it comes to the run game. I can’t figure out what PFF is smoking on this one.
-AFC. Man, the AFC is stacked this year. Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Tennessee, Baltimore, all very strong teams. Buffalo I would put in the next tier down and depending upon how quickly Tua picks up the speed of the NFL I’d say they are within striking distance of the Fins. My superbowl pics are Steelers Vs Bucs.
-Rebuild. Front office and coaching staff deserve some credit. Rebuild is going very well. I think our defense has settled down and is solid, young players drafted are well coached and developing nicely and we are well stacked with cap room and draft picks next year as well. If Tua performs as we expect, this team will have finally turned it around and it is instructive how we did it. That Tunsil trade is looking pretty favorable on our side isn’t it?
All in all, I’d say we have a very solid foundation in place:
Offense:
-QB. Exciting Franchise qB prospect in Tua. Most exciting potential since Marino. Love Fitz, but we should definitely draft a developmental backup next year.
-WR. Williams, Parker, Ford. Solid. We can definitely use another weapon or two here next year with Size/Speed/Hands, some combo of those if not all of them To add to the unit, but it’s a solid unit.
-RB. Gaskin looks solid if unspectacular, and Breida has some nice speed. I’d like to see him get more touches. Here is another area we should upgrade with an early draft pick next year, someone with some speed & power who can catch out of the backfield would really strengthen this group.
-Oline. Solid. Jesse Davis is a nice piece who is versatile in that he can play LT in a pinch and is a solid RT. Hunt, Kindley, & Jackson all look like solid starters when healthy and Flowers is a solid guard. I would say we should look at drafting a Center next year to give Karas some competition and provide depth, but otherwise, this looks like a solid group that will only get better as they play together longer.
-Tight End. This group is suprisingly solid. Smythe and Shaheen can both block well and have decent hands, Smythe had noticeably improved in this area. Gesicki is an excellent big target.
Assessment? Offense has a really solid foundation In place. Obviously, it’s all about Tua, but he has help. We need to add depth at Center, and a couple of weapons with some explosion and or power or both at Running back and receiver next year, but it’s a solid group.
Defense
Secondary. Byron Jones & Xavien Howard are elite boundary corner backs, so that’s a nice foundation right there. Rowe is a solid safety, and McCain is a gamer if a bit undersized, but he’s solid. This group could be something special if Iggy can develop and learn from his shortcomings when he was thrown into the deep end on the boundary. I’d love to see him learn the Slot corner position as well as improve his man technique. Right now he is a good athlete, but he has a lot to learn. Needham is okay. If an blue chip safety prospect is available next year we should pull the trigger with one of our early picks. I’d prioritize that after Pass rusher, running back and a blue chip receiver prospect though depending upon how the draft board falls. Luckily we have 5 picks in the first 3 rounds so we should be able to add all that we need.
Linebacker. Very solid group with Van Noy, Baker, Van Ginkel, Lawson, Roberts, & Grugier-Hill, would love to see us add a pass rusher here next year. Ideally a hybrid who can play both techniques, i.e. Standing up and In a 3 point stance, but we have a solid foundation in place here to build upon. FA’s have worked out better than expected based on the first few games which was to be expected with so many new pieces, coaches, and a pandemic shortened off season.
Dline. A little thin here with the injuries. Davis’s development is important, has a lot of potential based on his size and power, but he needs polish. Wilkins is solid if unspectacular. We definitely need to add another player here Next year, a man who is powerful, strong and disruptive.
All in all, I think we are on the right track. FO has handled this rebuild very well in that they tore down what needed to be torn down, put in place a solid foundation with an exciting franchise QB prospect who is in a position to succeed, and there is still plenty of ammo in the chamber to add more talent and pieces next year. The time to start Tua is now if the coaching staff thinks he is ready which we should all assume they do. We know we can get to 8-8 or 7-9 with Fitzpatrick, Tua can probably take us to at least there right now while he makes his rookie mistakes and learns to play in the NFL, might as well let the future start now, then next year when we re-load, we’ll have an even more talented roster and an exciting young franchise QB who is ready to take that next step and lead us to a division title.
I haven’t been this excited about this team in decades, I hope I’m not Charlie Brown!
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