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From Chris Mortensen:
"as I see it, the problem is not that the Dolphins are underachieving, it's that they are overrated. And for you to say Jay Fiedler is a "great quarterback" just proves my point. At the same time, I don't think he deserves to be the scapegoat. The Dolphins are a good-to-average team. To me, they are in that 9-7 range, with a chance to be 10-6. But most really good scouts I know say their talent is basically no different than the other good-to-average teams. "
http://msn.espn.go.com/chrismortensen/s/2003/0912/1614763.html
I thought this was interesting. Especially since it is not just Mortensen's opinion but from some scouts. Before we "blast" him as being anti-Dolphin, we should consider the point.
On defense, it seems to me that while our D has been very good the last few years, it does have its weaknesses.
* The CB's, while very good with technique, are not speed burners as some of the great CB's tend to be. And, was last year a fluke for Madison, or is it a sign of things to come?
* The LB's last year were pretty weak, other than Zach. Seau is an upgrade, but how much? We will be better, certainly. Even Zach has his shortcomings, as much as I like him.
* The DT's are good size, but Bowens is aging and does not have near the quickness he did his first 3 years. And, when you consider the number of huge, powerful DT's in the league today (seems like every team has one or two), we are pretty average there (even by the standards of our own division).
* The DT's, if Ogunleye can come back with another good year, are our strength, imo.
On offense:
* OL - despite a good year last year (largely due to the insertion of Jamie Nails and RW's presence), they are still inconsistent. And, if Nails has lost his quickness, with Dixon still injured, this OL is mediocre at best. It does have a good looking future with McKinney and Wade Smith, but will need a big dominant OG, to deal with the increase in powerful DT's in the division - imo.
* QB - I believe Fiedler can be a QB who can win a SB - but he is mediocre - he needs a very good team around him.
* RB - Clearly, the backfield is among the best in the league, if not the best - but, it always goes back to the OL.
* WR - Also a big question mark still.
I can see why several would draw Mortensen's conclusion. Are the Dolphins mediocre to average - talent-wise?
"as I see it, the problem is not that the Dolphins are underachieving, it's that they are overrated. And for you to say Jay Fiedler is a "great quarterback" just proves my point. At the same time, I don't think he deserves to be the scapegoat. The Dolphins are a good-to-average team. To me, they are in that 9-7 range, with a chance to be 10-6. But most really good scouts I know say their talent is basically no different than the other good-to-average teams. "
http://msn.espn.go.com/chrismortensen/s/2003/0912/1614763.html
I thought this was interesting. Especially since it is not just Mortensen's opinion but from some scouts. Before we "blast" him as being anti-Dolphin, we should consider the point.
On defense, it seems to me that while our D has been very good the last few years, it does have its weaknesses.
* The CB's, while very good with technique, are not speed burners as some of the great CB's tend to be. And, was last year a fluke for Madison, or is it a sign of things to come?
* The LB's last year were pretty weak, other than Zach. Seau is an upgrade, but how much? We will be better, certainly. Even Zach has his shortcomings, as much as I like him.
* The DT's are good size, but Bowens is aging and does not have near the quickness he did his first 3 years. And, when you consider the number of huge, powerful DT's in the league today (seems like every team has one or two), we are pretty average there (even by the standards of our own division).
* The DT's, if Ogunleye can come back with another good year, are our strength, imo.
On offense:
* OL - despite a good year last year (largely due to the insertion of Jamie Nails and RW's presence), they are still inconsistent. And, if Nails has lost his quickness, with Dixon still injured, this OL is mediocre at best. It does have a good looking future with McKinney and Wade Smith, but will need a big dominant OG, to deal with the increase in powerful DT's in the division - imo.
* QB - I believe Fiedler can be a QB who can win a SB - but he is mediocre - he needs a very good team around him.
* RB - Clearly, the backfield is among the best in the league, if not the best - but, it always goes back to the OL.
* WR - Also a big question mark still.
I can see why several would draw Mortensen's conclusion. Are the Dolphins mediocre to average - talent-wise?
