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By BARRY JACKSON
bjackson@MiamiHerald.com
With training camp opening Aug. 1, ESPN stats guru KC Joyner, whose analysis we often share here, gave us insight into the Dolphins' additions, plus an alarming Joey Porter statistic:
• Joyner's metrics reinforce that Miami got the better of the center swap with Oakland. (Miami signed Jake Grove, then traded Samson Satele to the Raiders for a sixth-round pick.) On running plays where Grove was at the point of attack in 2008, he had an exceptional 90.6 win percentage. That means 90.6 percent of the time, the defender that matched up against Grove did not stuff the hole or make contact with the runner at or behind the line of scrimmage. Those runs averaged 6.2 yards.
By contrast, Satele's win percentage was 79.5 percent, and runs behind him averaged 5.4 yards. Grove's success rate is among the NFL's best and higher than any Dolphins lineman in 2008. Grove also allowed just 1.5 sacks (both coverage sacks), Satele four.
• Good thing Miami drafted two cornerbacks high because free agent pickup Eric Green's numbers aren't pretty. With the Dolphins in '08, Andre' Goodman, who's now with Denver, was successful (incompletion or offensive interference) on 52.4 percent of the passes thrown against him, ranking 16th of 98 cornerbacks rated. Green, with Arizona last year, had a success rate of 41.2 percent, ranking 61st -- worse than even Jason Allen (55th, 42.4 percent). And the 9.3 yards per attempt against Green ranked 88th of 98. Ugh.
But Green was bothered by a sprained knee, and his numbers were better in 2007. Miami signed him only after watching his '07 tapes. But Green was beaten too much in May/June workouts, and the hope is Vontae Davis or Sean Smith wins the starting job.
• Raiders announcer/former coach Tom Flores told us new Dolphins safety Gibril Wilson, effective on run support, struggled in pass coverage. Evidence: Joyner said on four plays over the top with Wilson defending, he was beaten three times, including two touchdowns. But Joyner said Renaldo Hill (now with Denver) wasn't much better, and Wilson is the better player. Plus, after a year at strong safety in Oakland, Wilson returns to free safety, where he thrived as a Giant.
• Exceptional as a pass-rusher (17.5 sacks), Porter was by far Miami's worst starting linebacker against the run in '08. On 100 runs in Porter's direction, he had nine wins (9 percent success rate), with those runs averaging 5.4 yards.
''Unacceptable,'' Joyner said. ''He's overaggressive on draws.'' (Joyner awards a win if the defender does not allow a blocker to create a run lane in the defensive player's gap.)
Matt Roth was Miami's best linebacker against the run (24.6 percent success rate, allowed 3.5 yards per rush) -- more reason why he figures to play on traditional run downs ahead of Jason Taylor (13 percent, 4.4 yards per rush with Washington). Taylor's metrics were ''not very good, but better than Porter's,'' Joyner said. Joyner's book with every team's metrics will be available by August at thefootballscientist.com.
CHATTER
One Dolphins player said offensive coordinator Dan Henning has added interesting wrinkles. Among them: a formation with Pat White lining up, in motion, behind Chad Pennington.
The Dolphins also worked on an empty backfield with Ricky Williams or Ronnie Brown lining up in the slot.
bjackson@MiamiHerald.com
With training camp opening Aug. 1, ESPN stats guru KC Joyner, whose analysis we often share here, gave us insight into the Dolphins' additions, plus an alarming Joey Porter statistic:
• Joyner's metrics reinforce that Miami got the better of the center swap with Oakland. (Miami signed Jake Grove, then traded Samson Satele to the Raiders for a sixth-round pick.) On running plays where Grove was at the point of attack in 2008, he had an exceptional 90.6 win percentage. That means 90.6 percent of the time, the defender that matched up against Grove did not stuff the hole or make contact with the runner at or behind the line of scrimmage. Those runs averaged 6.2 yards.
By contrast, Satele's win percentage was 79.5 percent, and runs behind him averaged 5.4 yards. Grove's success rate is among the NFL's best and higher than any Dolphins lineman in 2008. Grove also allowed just 1.5 sacks (both coverage sacks), Satele four.
• Good thing Miami drafted two cornerbacks high because free agent pickup Eric Green's numbers aren't pretty. With the Dolphins in '08, Andre' Goodman, who's now with Denver, was successful (incompletion or offensive interference) on 52.4 percent of the passes thrown against him, ranking 16th of 98 cornerbacks rated. Green, with Arizona last year, had a success rate of 41.2 percent, ranking 61st -- worse than even Jason Allen (55th, 42.4 percent). And the 9.3 yards per attempt against Green ranked 88th of 98. Ugh.
But Green was bothered by a sprained knee, and his numbers were better in 2007. Miami signed him only after watching his '07 tapes. But Green was beaten too much in May/June workouts, and the hope is Vontae Davis or Sean Smith wins the starting job.
• Raiders announcer/former coach Tom Flores told us new Dolphins safety Gibril Wilson, effective on run support, struggled in pass coverage. Evidence: Joyner said on four plays over the top with Wilson defending, he was beaten three times, including two touchdowns. But Joyner said Renaldo Hill (now with Denver) wasn't much better, and Wilson is the better player. Plus, after a year at strong safety in Oakland, Wilson returns to free safety, where he thrived as a Giant.
• Exceptional as a pass-rusher (17.5 sacks), Porter was by far Miami's worst starting linebacker against the run in '08. On 100 runs in Porter's direction, he had nine wins (9 percent success rate), with those runs averaging 5.4 yards.
''Unacceptable,'' Joyner said. ''He's overaggressive on draws.'' (Joyner awards a win if the defender does not allow a blocker to create a run lane in the defensive player's gap.)
Matt Roth was Miami's best linebacker against the run (24.6 percent success rate, allowed 3.5 yards per rush) -- more reason why he figures to play on traditional run downs ahead of Jason Taylor (13 percent, 4.4 yards per rush with Washington). Taylor's metrics were ''not very good, but better than Porter's,'' Joyner said. Joyner's book with every team's metrics will be available by August at thefootballscientist.com.
CHATTER
One Dolphins player said offensive coordinator Dan Henning has added interesting wrinkles. Among them: a formation with Pat White lining up, in motion, behind Chad Pennington.
The Dolphins also worked on an empty backfield with Ricky Williams or Ronnie Brown lining up in the slot.
