Can't Cover Tight Ends | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Can't Cover Tight Ends

Perfect72

Perfect72

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Why have the Dolphins struggled so mightily over the past few years to cover TEs?

They should know the other teams will exploit it until they stop it.

Is it talent? Scheme? Both? It's so frustrating because when watching even a HS player can see it coming.

Why can't the Dolphins seem to get this fixed year to year, regime to regime?

looking for Serious answers
 
We change coaching staff, change G.M.'s and it's the same thing. Also, we keep throwing frigging WR screens that never work FOR YEARS! We also throw short of the sticks and expect YAC for YEARS! We also fold when the game matters. Our offense can look great all game, but if they need something to seal a game, they can't, be it a first down, FG or TD. They shut down when it matters. Our defense is the same way. We can be stopping an opposing team, but when we need a stop, we just can't seem to do it. We also seem to ALWAYS allow a team to score after we score. These are Miami Dolphin problems that several regimes have not been able to fix.
 
BahamaFinFan78 said:
We change coaching staff, change G.M.'s and it's the same thing. Also, we keep throwing frigging WR screens that never work FOR YEARS! We also throw short of the sticks and expect YAC for YEARS! We also fold when the game matters. Our offense can look great all game, but if they need something to seal a game, they can't, be it a first down, FG or TD. They shut down when it matters. Our defense is the same way. We can be stopping an opposing team, but when we need a stop, we just can't seem to do it. We also seem to ALWAYS allow a team to score after we score. These are Miami Dolphin problems that several regimes have not been able to fix.
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this really has nothing to do with the question that was asked, but I think it has to do with poor defensive scheme and LB play.
 
We only gave up 40 receiving yards to the TEs in the Panther game, and 27 of those were on a late read by Raekwon which was the type of play I think he will clean up with experience.. It was only his 2nd NFL preseason game, so I'd prefer to wait and see on whether our current MLB helps shore up covering TEs. The answer to the problem might well be in house and just need a bit of experience.
 
McMillan should not be playing in the nickel. He is too ****ing slow. He looked like he was standing still as that tight end accelerated away from him.
 
sunworshipper said:
McMillan should not be playing in the nickel. He is too ****ing slow. He looked like he was standing still as that tight end accelerated away from him.
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That's because he WAS standing still while the receiver had a full head of steam. It isn't an issue of speed. He made a bad, late read. Very fixable and I'd expect that kind of mistake in his 2nd NFL preseason game.
 
The demands on today's LB's are unrealistic, IMHO. They require 4.6 or below speed with fantastic agility to cover the ultra-quick slot WR's and RB's. Then they need the length to cover 6'6 TE's, and the power to stack and shed 320+ pound guards. How many athletes have all of those qualities? Very few … and they're rushing the passer or playing basketball. So today's new-age LB is a glorified speed safety, lining up at 6'1, 215 pounds with quickness to cover those RB's and shifty slot WR's, and enough speed to cover large amounts of ground as the offense spreads the defense out. That means most cannot play the run, and aren't big enough to cover TE's.

Guys like Baker and Kiko have the range, but aren't particularly good in coverage and cannot stack and shed well. Baker is too small to cover big TE's, and Kiko isn't quick enough to cover small slots. Raekwon McMillan is big enough to stack and shed and has the instincts to be a run defender, but he isn't quick or fast enough to cover. There simply aren't many Luke Keuchley type LB's out there, and they don't come cheap. So while all of these points are valid about how our LB corps have sucked since the Dansby/Burnett era … the game has also changed in even that short amount of time. Now, almost no LB corps can do it all. Coverage LB's are almost a myth, because even they can't cover both the 6'6 TE and the Jakeem Grant/Albert Wilson type WR. At best, they can cover one of those body types. So, unfortunately, we may have to start getting used to being an incomplete LB corps. But, between stopping the run, chasing plays, covering slots and covering TE's … we should be able to get 2 of the 4 eventually … at least I hope.
 
BahamaFinFan78 said:
We change coaching staff, change G.M.'s and it's the same thing. Also, we keep throwing frigging WR screens that never work FOR YEARS! We also throw short of the sticks and expect YAC for YEARS! We also fold when the game matters. Our offense can look great all game, but if they need something to seal a game, they can't, be it a first down, FG or TD. They shut down when it matters. Our defense is the same way. We can be stopping an opposing team, but when we need a stop, we just can't seem to do it. We also seem to ALWAYS allow a team to score after we score. These are Miami Dolphin problems that several regimes have not been able to fix.
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Other than that how do you think they're doing?
 
Easily explained my friend. The reason we have not been able to cover tight ends and stop the run, is due to the same reason, substandard Linebackers. We have not had good linebacker play since Zach Thomas retired... none. It has been our weakest position for decades, with no help whatsoever year in and year out. One year they tried to remedy it but drafted a bunch of bad linebackers, who only continued the tradition of getting burned and runover.

The Miami Dolphins will not be able to be successful without fixing this issue. Take a look at my tag line under my name... it says "We need better LB's." I have not changed my profile for years. I even took a hiatus from FinHeaven for a year or more a few years back, and that tag was there before then. This is our Achilles Heel.
 
illscriptures said:
Easily explained my friend. The reason we have not been able to cover tight ends and stop the run, is due to the same reason, substandard Linebackers. We have not had good linebacker play since Zach Thomas retired... none. It has been our weakest position for decades, with no help whatsoever year in and year out. One year they tried to remedy it but drafted a bunch of bad linebackers, who only continued the tradition of getting burned and runover.

The Miami Dolphins will not be able to be successful without fixing this issue. Take a look at my tag line under my name... it says "We need better LB's." I have not changed my profile for years. I even took a hiatus from FinHeaven for a year or more a few years back, and that tag was there before then. This is our Achilles Heel.
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Dansby and crew were good
 
Dansby was decent at best. He did better at both others places he played than here. Crowder was meh, Koa Misi was hot woman beating garbage, and Kevin Burnett wasnt special either. Dansby was the closest thing to decent but that was just 1 guy.
 
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