RoninFin4
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Commentary: The Drafts Toughest Spot and Dolphins Prospects
By Kevin Dern aka RoninFin4
*** Warning: This will be a long read ***
I was watching the Chargers at Steelers divisional playoff game, two teams I despise, but love to watch their defenses play. This is mostly because they run the 3-4, the defense my beloved Miami Dolphins have now fully implemented after what Nick Saban tried to start in 2005. LaMarr Woodley the strong side outside linebacker (SOLB) or more traditionally known as “Sam”, even sometimes called “Elephant”, made several nice plays in the first half. He bull-rushed right through Chargers TE Brandon Manumaleuna and was stride for stride with Chargers RB Darren Sproles on a wheel route (a tall order for just about any front seven defender in the NFL). Woodley, once frowned upon as a so-called “tweener” in the draft process slid to the 2nd round coming out of Michigan. I’d love to have him on my team today! Ironically, the best elephant player in the league, Shawne Merriman, of the Chargers, would’ve been on the field if not for a torn ACL.
This got me to thinking, first of my beloved Dolphins, and then of the upcoming draft. Regarding Miami, we saw Joey Porter have a revival with Miami defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni (how much do you think Syracuse wishes he was still there?) moved him back to his WOLB spot in the 3-4 where he thrived in Pittsburgh for so many years, but the leading sacker after Porter’s 17.5 had 5; not good. Bless Matt Roth he tries hard, and can set the edge against the run, but isn’t in class of other SOLBs in the NFL today: Shawn Merriman, LaMarr Woodley, Adalius Thomas of the Patriots, Greg Ellis of the Cowboys, Bryan Thomas of the Jets, and Jarrett Johnson of the Ravens. It’s apparent that Miami needs an infusion of talent at this position as Matt Roth isn’t that great, and only has a year remaining on his contract, and 2008 2nd round pick Phillip Merling was plugged in at 3-4 DE after a sports hernia bumped his weight from 276 to 290. His play picked up at season’s end and he might just supplant Vonnie Holliday as a full-time starter, though there’s speculation he could be converted to the Sam spot in due time.
In regards to the draft, I got to thinking, “What’s the hardest position to find via the draft?” I’d be inclined to say quarterback first and foremost, followed probably by a left tackle. But looking at QB, we’ve seen 6th round draft picks win multiple Super Bowls, and 3rd overall picks get benched by 36 year old veterans - but the position requires no conversion, unless of course it’s to another position as in the case of Isaiah Stanback of Dallas, Matt Jones of Jacksonville, and probably what Pat White and potentially Tim Tebow will have to do. As for left tackle, you just have to get lucky enough to find one that can stop speed rushers and not lose much in the ground game. My example would be Jake Long, whom many draft pundits, including my favorite, Mike Mayock, predicted would struggle at the NFL level. Long gave up 3.5 sacks in 17 games played. 1.5 sacks to Calvin Pace in his first NFL game (he shut Pace out the second time around), 1 to Mario Williams, and 1 to Terrell Suggs. I think that’s pretty excusable for a rookie.
So I ask you this, with the 3-4 becoming the staple of more defenses in the NFL, primarily in Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, Miami, New England, New York, Pittsburgh, and San Diego, how many 3-4 Sams are there in college football? Virginia, led by Al Groh - a disciple of Bill Parcells 3-4 style, is the only D-1 program I can think of that runs a 3-4 defense full time. Alabama ran it quite often in 2008, but when Terrence Cody needed a blow, which was pretty common, they got out of it pretty quickly in the games I watched. In the day of the shotgun spread offense, which I think hinders and will hinder so many talent college quarterbacks from ever fulfilling their NFL potential (Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, the list goes on), most teams have to run some form of the 4-2-5 or 3-3-5 defense to combat the spread. So it’s left up to NFL scouts and personnel people to convert defensive ends into 3-4 OLBs. By NFL standards, in a 4-3 defense, you’d probably make Osi Umenyiora the prototype for a weak side end, and Mario Williams the prototype for a strong side end. Williams is at the extreme end of the spectrum, as I think he’s a “planet theory” guy. There’s not many 6’7” 290lbs individuals who can run 4.4 in the 40. 3-4 ends require more stout guys, with long arms, to help sift through double teams, and rely on the OLBs to rush the passer.
After looking at some players, dimensions, and defenses overtime, I’ve come to the conclusion that the 3-4 Sam might just be the hardest position to find via the college draft. You can pretty much plug any 4-3 college defensive end with speed that might be a little undersized into the WOLB position in a 3-4. The Steelers play Lawrence Timmons (6’3” 235lbs) at that spot, as a backup, and he’s the lightest of the bunch. Looking at the 3-4 teams WOLB spots, you get these players/dimensions when you list the starters from smallest to largest:
1. James Harrison 6’0” 242 lbs. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Joey Porter 6’2” 248 lbs. Miami Dolphins
3. Mike Vrabel 6’5” 250 lbs. New England Patriots
4. Shaun Phillips 6’3” 255 lbs. San Diego Chargers
5. Terrell Suggs 6’3” 260 lbs. Baltimore Ravens
6. DeMarcus Ware 6’4” 261 lbs. Dallas Cowboys
7. Calvin Pace 6’4” 272 lbs. New York Jets
Looking at these seven starters, the first 4 are pretty much the size of normal 4-3 linebackers (I’m excluding the usually smaller Tampa 2 type 4-3 ‘backers) with the exception of Mike Vrabel being 6’5” (unusually tall for a 4-3 system). Suggs, Ware, and Pace all possess a tremendous burst off the line, and are as fast as 4-3 defensive ends, but are just a bit smaller, and aren’t as strong at the point of attack against the run, which is what the elephant end requires. I’m pretty sure all 3 could do it, but why would you negate their speed advantage and force them to take on a massive RT and usually a TE in a base 4-3? They’re better suited at beating LT and RB players in one-on-one matchups.
Let’s look at the size of the starters at the Sam position for 3-4 teams from smallest to largest (weight):
1. Bryan Thomas 6’4” 266 lbs. New York Jets
2. LaMarr Woodley 6’2” 270 lbs. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Adalius Thomas 6’2” 270 lbs. New England Patriots
4. Willie McGinest 6’5” 270 lbs. Cleveland Browns
5. Shawne Merriman 6’4” 272 lbs. San Diego Chargers
6. Matt Roth 6’4” 275 lbs. Miami Dolphins
7. Greg Ellis 6’6” 277 lbs. Dallas Cowboys
8. Jarrett Johnson 6’3” 280 lbs. Baltimore Ravens
As you can see, this group is a good margin heavier (and stronger) than the WOLB players. However, it should be noted that some of these guys aren’t on the field when it comes to rushing the passer, and they include Thomas, Roth, Ellis, and Johnson. So it’s a little more give and take, and when they’re replaced, it’s usually by a smaller, faster player (predominantly the backup WOLB player or in some cases, a 3-4 team carrying a 4-3 type DE specifically for 3rd down pass-rush situations.
So, when looking at the SOLB spot in a 3-4 defense, the average height is 6’3.57” so let’s call it 6’4” with an average weight of 273 lbs. Where in today’s college game do you find prospects like this? There were 3 such prospects taken in the first round of the 2008 draft that fit the range of dimensions for the 3-4 Sam spot: Chris Long, Vernon Gholston, and Derrick Harvey. Only one of those three, Gholston, was drafted by a team that plays in a 3-4. (It should be noted Chris Long, of Virginia played DE most of the time at Virginia and was drafted by a 4-3 team in the St. Louis Rams) Derrick Harvey had a long holdout and didn’t really do much for the 4-3 running Jaguars, and it can be widely considered Vernon Gholston was the biggest 1st round bust of the draft. (I still think there’s factors that contributed to that the Jets didn’t take into consideration including Ohio State’s late graduation, the transition from the 4-3, lining him up over a TE and OT, which Ohio State avoided a lot of the time, etc. He might still pan out with new tutor Rex Ryan, he might not. I’ll say this, I was pretty high on him last year, but am very glad the Dolphins took Jake Long, who is now in the Pro Bowl.
Looking at this years’ crop of prospects, the one true 3-4 OLB is Virginia’s Clint Sintim, a three-year starter for the Cavs. But, Sintim only stands at 6’3” and 254 lbs. and when looking at what Virginia listed Chris Long at (6’4” 275 lbs - when he measured in at 6’3” and 267 lbs.) you have to assume Sintim is a bit smaller, and he looks it to me on film. So, despite possessing the tools that scouts drool over, I still think many 3-4 teams might have a reservation or two about letting him line up at the Sam spot from day 1. I honestly think he’s made for this position, he just might need to bulk up a little bit.
*** I took about a week off from actually writing this as I was caught up in the real world for a while. Looking for a new job and trying to enroll in the MBA program at Xavier (the enemy as we referred to them at UD) have taken up my time. ***
In retrospect, I’m actually glad that break happened. Clint Sintim officially weighed-in at 6’2” and 249lbs at the Senior Bowl. By the way, if you were living under a rock, Bill Parcells is still aboard the Miami Dolphins, even as new owner Stephen Ross now has 95% ownership of the team. Parcells was down in Mobile, and the Dolphins brass have been spotted with a few players I find very interesting as it heads toward draft time (I’ll have more on that in a bit).
After talking to some well-respected draft gurus, and recovering from the slight shock that Sintim is roughly the exact size of Joey Porter (6’2” 248lbs) I’ve watched a little more on him, and I think it’s quite possible he could play the position if he gained another 10-12 pounds - which is highly possible.
Since the break in the article, the Dolphins have also signed two-time defending CFL Defensive Player of the Year Cameron Wake to the team, in a 4 year deal, worth roughly the amounts they’re paying Charlie Anderson and Reggie Torbor. Even though I feel that Wake is destined to play WOLB, especially after hearing Jeff Ireland’s PC at the Senior Bowl, I think drafting a LB in the first round isn’t necessarily a must-do type of thing now.
I do find it very interesting that the Steelers, long-time runners of a 3-4 defense, played Kevin Greene at the Sam spot, and he was roughly 6’3” and 247 lbs. My how the NFL has changed in 15 years. Willie McGinest, a Parcells draft pick of the Patriots in 1994 came out of USC at 6’5” and 268 lbs. Parcells has always seemed to prefer size, and it’s one of key components in the verbiage that Parcells, Ireland, and Sparano have used to rebuild our beloved Dolphins. Greg Ellis, the Sam for the Cowboys when Parcells last coached, as mentioned, is 6’6” and 277 lbs.
In 2008 training camp, the Dolphins quickly realized playing the “undersized” Joey Porter at the Sam spot was a misuse of his talent. They quickly held “tryouts” for someone to play that spot. If you remember the candidates were: Vonnie Holliday (6’5” 285 lbs), Matt Roth (6’4” and then 285lbs), and Phillip Merling (6’4” and then 290lbs).
All of these guys rank on the massive end of the Sam scale as compared to the other 7 teams starters. Vonnie Holliday, by all accounts, just looked plain goofy trying to cover the likes of Anthony Fasano and Ricky Williams off the line and out of the backfield, and it was decided he’d be best served playing 3-4 DE, much the way Nick Saban used him in 2005 and 2006. Good call.
Matt Roth, the next candidate, was pretty much bloated at 285lbs having tried to play 4-3 DE for Cam Cameron in 2007, and with arms that are just too short for that spot, was served playing the Sam spot, and told to lose weight. This plan pretty much worked for the 2008 season, but I think it’s pretty apparent to any Dolphins fan who watched the games, the only time Matt Roth put pressure on a QB is when he got a free shot around the edge or was matched up one-on-one with some poor as the only line of defense. Clearly the Dolphins could use someone with a little more pass-rushing ability. Given that Matt Roth has only 1 year left on his rookie contract, I have some reservation as to whether or not he’ll be getting an extension any time soon.
Which leads me to that 3rd candidate: Phillip Merling. The Clemson DE played his junior season for the Tigers at 6’4” and 276 lbs. - well within the scale of the Sam players that are currently starters in the NFL. By most accounts, Merling was a sure-fire top 15 pick in the 2008 draft, until a hernia surgery rendered him unable to workout until right before the draft. Miami was one of something like 7 teams that attended this workout, at which Merling weighed 290+.
Merling subsequently fell, and managed to have somewhat of a quiet slip through the first round. I’ll admit, although a few adult beverages were involved, I didn’t even realize he was still on the board when the 32nd (thank you Spy Gate) pick came around. I spilled one such adult beverage when we drafted Merling - what a surprise. I remember reading many accounts of posters on here that Merling was drafted with the idea of playing OLB in a 3-4 - even Jeff Ireland designated him as an “edge rusher” in his post draft presser, while calling Merling and Dotson ends. Something has to give right?
I remember reading that he practiced a few times with the OLBs during training camp, but because of the post-surgery weight gain, just wasn’t in good enough shape to hold up there, and Roth won the starting spot. Fast forward into midseason, and Merling hadn’t really done a whole lot. By season’s end, personally - and I know there’s quite a few that think the opposite, I thought Merling lost weight, and he managed to get more and more playing time, culminating with a beautiful interception return for a TD of the legendary Brett Favre.
***Fun fact: Rookie DE Kendall Langford recorded his first NFL sack against Favre, and Phillip Merling records his first INT and TD against Favre.***
Okay, so the fun fact probably only interests me, but still, Merling’s play improved throughout the year. Going back through the clutter in my brain, I managed to recall a question I’d asked CK about Merling and subsequently playing OLB the day after it was noted he did it in practice. CK noted that it’s no mistake that Merling virtually spent entire games playing OLB during preseason games when he was on the field, and added this to answer my question - CK I hope you don’t mind the quote:
“I think that his final position could end up there, but he'll have to sort of earn his way to that kind of spot by proving he's learned the basics of two gapping, and the read and react defense that is the 3-4. This isn't one-gap attack anymore. What I'm not sure many realize is that learning two-gap DL could actually be a stepping stone for learning 3-4 OLB. Players in a 3-4 are charged with reading the backfield and the action at all times WHILE they engage offensive linemen or other blockers, getting off those blocks and making a play. They're basically linebackers already, except the DLs have to deal with offensive linemen closer to their face and so they have to be bigger.
So the first step in transitioning a Phil Merling from an attacking, one-gap 4-3 defense...to a 3-4 OLB...should probably be learning to play two-gap DL. That will get him use to the read and react game a little bit more. That's what I think.”
Just found that very interesting, and I like to think that with a full offseason in the Dolphins strength and conditioning program, which proved world’s better than the Club Med stuff Cam Cameron had going on, there’s no reason in the world that Phillip Merling shouldn’t be able to get a little trimmer and slim back down to that 270-275 lbs. range unless he’s just eating Little Debbies 24/7 like a certain coach and/or dictator that used to roam the Dolphins locker room.
Granted, the same could be said for Matt Roth, but just from what I’ve seen of Merling this year, and several games while he was at Clemson, I think he’s capable of being a much better athlete, and overall, a much better SOLB than Matt Roth is. Last year Roth’s direct backup was Quentin Moses - so far a failed science experiment.
It wouldn’t surprise me one iota to see Phillip Merling get every chance to supplant Matt Roth at that SOLB spot, provided he’s back into the shape he was in his Clemson days, in the 2009 season. A move like this potentially saves us a draft pick, and the possible contract that Matt Roth, who I think is pretty marginal overall (great against the run, a non-threat against the pass - he was taken out of just about every passing situation) might be up for in 2010. Merling just strikes me as more of a long-term answer at the Sam position. Just something to keep an eye on.
This point leads me back to the signing of Cameron Wake. A player who’s 6’3” and 255-260lbs with that kind of burst is pretty much tailor-made to play WOLB in a 3-4, and for comparison’s sake, he’s pretty much in the same size category as Terrell Suggs, whom many Dolphins fans have on their free agent wish lists, and DeMarcus Ware, the best OLB in the NFL (A Jeff Ireland special in the 2005 draft. Parcells wanted Shawne Merriman. Hard to go wrong with either player.)
I’ve seen a lot of rumors talking about Wake starting right away, and trade Joey Porter for this or for that, etc. etc. Not going to happen. At least, that’d be the furthest move from my mind if I’m Parcells or Ireland. It makes no sense to trade a player coming off a 17.5 sack season, in which he had no help opposite him (again, me striking the campaign drum for Merling) who’s one of the defensive and overall team leaders of the team. He also has a relatively low contract number thanks to that “genius” deal put together by Randy “Gee-whiz” Mueller. The contract was extremely frontloaded, and is now pretty affordable in the grand scheme of things. That said, Porter’s play tailed off pretty drastically the last month of the season, save for the game-clinching sack of Shaun Hill in the San Francisco game. But he was nowhere to be seen in that game up to that point. Eventually he’s going to slow down - maybe to the point where Cameron Wake who at 27 years of age with relatively little tread worn off his tires, is seemingly a tailor-made replacement for Joey Porter.
Wake seems destined to overtake Charlie Anderson for that 3rd OLB spot, the 3rd down pass rusher spot that Quentin Moses couldn’t handle, and Charlie Anderson was very, very average at the entire time he tried it. Anderson was primarily signed for special teams purposes, and I think that’s where he’s best served. Same goes for Reggie Torbor who was tried at that spot a few times, most notably in the Denver game, that I can remember. Torbor and Anderson are nice depth, but I just don’t see them as anything more. Same goes for guys like Erik Walden, William Kershaw, and Quentin Moses if any of them are brought back. Count me as one driving the Phillip Merling to SOLB bandwagon in 2009. If not, 2010, and we can let him spot Matt Roth - I’d be okay with that, but I just don’t really see a player, who is still going to be on the board at the 25th overall spot that’s capable of playing that SOLB position. Clint Sintim is the obvious choice, but with 3-4 teams like the Jets and Patriots drafting in front of the Dolphins, do you really think he falls there? I don’t. Do you see someone else that could do it? I don’t. Perhaps in the later rounds yes, but if Merling can transition, what’s the point?
Dolphins Prospects
Just glancing over some notes from the Senior Bowl this week. Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland are both down there (in my eyes, that’s a sure-fire sign that Parcells is staying) and they’ve met with guys like Boston College NT B.J. Raji, Western Michigan FS Louis Delmas, among others through Tuesday.
Having talked about the draft throughout the 2008 season with many people who follow it closely, and most of them being Dolphins fans - three names I’d love to see drafted by Miami if I’m making a 1st day mock draft right now are:
1. B.J. Raji - probably unlikely he’ll fall to us at pick 25, but last year Ireland made a move to secure Shawn Murphy by moving up a few spots. I wouldn’t put it past him to try and get the man he wants. Raji has talked to the Dolphins brass down in Mobile, and according him (I apologize, I’ve lost the link I found for this ) he said Miami was very interested in making him their NT next year. I’m all for it. Any time you can add a 6’1” 334 lbs plugger at NT, it’s going to make life a lot easier for the Kendall Langford’s of the world.
2. Louis Delmas - The Western Michigan safety is a ball-hawk who is not afraid to support the run. http://www.draftcountdown.com/scoutingreports/s/Louis-Delmas.php
As you can see he was quite productive for the Broncos. 45 games played, 310 tackles, 18 pass breakups, and 12 INT’s is an overall outstanding career in my book, even if it is in the MAC. With that kind of experience, it’s always attractive to guys like Parcells and Ireland who really love players who are dedicated to football.
3. Antoine Caldwell - The whole Samson Satele, is he our C or isn’t he thing is for another day. Even so, you can’t help but be impressed by Caldwell. He was excellent in the SEC Championship game, is a tremendous team leader, very smart, and has nice size at 6’3” and 307 lbs. I’m sure the experience of going up against the likes of Terrence Cody every day will probably help him deal with the likes of Vince Wilfork and Kris Jenkins twice a year if he’s brought to Miami.
Some other guys I wouldn’t mind having in a Dolphins uniform: William Moore, Max Unger, Rashad Johnson, Jarron Gilbert, Evander “Ziggy” Hood, Hakeem Nicks, Clint Sintim, Keenan Lewis, and Ron Brace just as far as 1st day picks go.
Well Dolfans, I hope you enjoyed this one, or at the very least that it provided some good bathroom reading material for you. Until next time, Go Dolphins!
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