Clyde Gates needs to be our #2 receiver

[LarryFinFan]

whoops...i see i've offended all 7 members in the brian hartline fan club...

Hoos, You're entitled to your opinion....Hartline has nearly all the qualities that it takes for a WR in this league. Someone noted that his route running was not very good, that is wrong. But he'll always lack the speed that we happen to need based on the entire group of WRs that we have. In reality, Bess, Marshall and Hartline are very similar receivers in that they are all best operating underneath and/or in the slot. What we need is some speed on the outside to clear out the middle for Marshall and Bess to do their thing. Yeah, I like Hartline but he can't do the one thing we need. It sure would be nice to have Chambers, in his prime, back here as our #2...and even he wasn't elite speed...

 

[hoops]

anthony armstrongs nothin special either...but to be impressed by hartline...i just don't get it...whats he do thats so impressive??? drop the ball a lot and struggle to get off single coverage if you ask me

give or take a play here and there he makes...but hell he's the #2 wr on an nfl roster...he better make a play here or there...doesn't mean he's a good one

 

[rent this space]

Hey, Rent...

I wasn't impressed, maybe some others were. Not trying to talk down to anyone, but after reading it, it sounded like I was...sorry

not a thing, don't worry about it. Anthony Armstrong was one of the top deep-threats in the league last year. I just wanted to say he is no 'flash in the pan'

 

[LarryFinFan]

anthony armstrongs nothin special either...but to be impressed by hartline...i just don't get it...whats he do thats so impressive??? drop the ball a lot and struggle to get off single coverage if you ask me

give or take a play here and there he makes...but hell he's the #2 wr on an nfl roster...he better make a play here or there...doesn't mean he's a good one

Look at the tape...he was open a lot for us, he was getting off the line better. The ball just didn't consistently come his way... He was much better last season getting off pressure than prior. As I said tho, he's not exactly what we need as our #2, but he's certainly not camp fodder either...

 

[Kdawg954]

Hartline isn't camp fodder, I think he is a good player for us . . . I just think we can upgrade our #2 WR position with a guy who is a burner ala Mike Wallace and it would do well to compliment our entire WR group. Hartline as a #2 WR isn't going to scare anybody . . . just like Camarillo. Sure they will make plays, but we have Bess as our sure hands route runner . . . we need a homerun threat. Hartline as the #3/#4 WR is a good fit on most NFL rosters and I think he can bring something to your special teams unit. I hope that will be his role as soon as this season.

 

[foozool13]

4th round GEM

 

[kcbrown]

Hartline isn't camp fodder, I think he is a good player for us . . . I just think we can upgrade our #2 WR position with a guy who is a burner ala Mike Wallace and it would do well to compliment our entire WR group. Hartline as a #2 WR isn't going to scare anybody . . . just like Camarillo. Sure they will make plays, but we have Bess as our sure hands route runner . . . we need a homerun threat. Hartline as the #3/#4 WR is a good fit on most NFL rosters and I think he can bring something to your special teams unit. I hope that will be his role as soon as this season.

Exactly.

 

[Travis34]

I agree. But I think he may need some time to develop into that role.

I think if we went 4 wide with Reggie in the backfield or maybe even motioning out, that'd just be a fright for opposing defenses

 

[datruth55]

Hartline was tied for 22nd WR in the league last year for his AVG... But still doesn't get any respect

Is 22nd good for a guy who sees one-on-one coverages all game long because he has Brandon Marshall on the other side of him? He stuggled getting open in a lot of games.

 

[datruth55]

it would be nice but gates needs time to develop as a route runner...his games raw right now...i think you have to go with hartline early at least and let gates play a flanker like roll

in time i think/hope gates is the #2...hartlines average

Here's is what we know, and it's fact I'm not making it up, Brian Hartline has gone several practice days without making a catch with any of the 4 QBs currently on the roster...Gates has caught a TD in every practice so far and he's caught a TD from every QB so it makes no difference who throws him the ball, he makes plays.

 

[Kdawg954]

Is 22nd good for a guy who sees one-on-one coverages all game long because he has Brandon Marshall on the other side of him? He stuggled getting open in a lot of games.

Stats are a great tool . . . hell with Fantasy football and Madden, it has become a primary justification tool to determine if a player is good or not. However I take "watching" the game and the offense over any stat tool, and anybody who "watched" games last year saw exactly what you did. Sure there are times where Hartline got open, but if you can't win those battles more often than not and you have the #1 WR being doubled while your seeing single . . . you just aren't getting the job done.

The best word for Hartline optimistically speaking is "serviceable" . . . we can manage with him out there, but he doesn't threaten a defense at all and it really hurt this team last year. In fairness to him, he shouldn't be the fastest guy on our offense, which he arguably was last season.

I know Hartline has fans, but if you are a fan of the Dolphins offense and seeing improvements in this offense, you wanna hope one of these speedy WR's takes the next step very early . . . because it will do wonders for our offense. The Beast will see less double coverage, the middle opens up for Bess and Reggie more and we have a guy who can beat a DB more often than not.

Hoping Gates is the guy isn't a shot at Hartline, I still want him here, just not as one of the 2 starting WR's.

 

[Mr. Magoo]

Is 22nd good for a guy who sees one-on-one coverages all game long because he has Brandon Marshall on the other side of him? He stuggled getting open in a lot of games.

Exactly. Given the coverages Hartline gets, his performance has been, at best, mediocre.

 

[sharp]

Its also fact that Colston was a 7th RD pick......just sayin, if your gonna throw out when they were drafted.

O I know or Mike Wallace in the 4th, not knocking the skill level because of draft position. Just NORMALLY these guys aren't immediately ready or still have to work on aspects of their game, no reason why they can't come in and be great players. Just saying he did drop because he was considered extremely raw, nothing he can't fix with a little coaching though im sure.

 

[twg76]

I would be careful with Gates. He has LOTS OF NATURAL TALENT. So don't screw that up. He didn't cost too much either. The way they screw it up is by giving him too much too soon. Make him compete to out perform the other receivers. Make him earn that #2 starting spot. If he isn't outperforming them in practice, stick with Hartline for now and let Gates get a few chances in the game to show his ability.

 

[finfan54]

seriously?