Dolphins to move Robert Hunt to Right Guard

[phinzfan21]

Good move. I think Fluker will be legit in the completion at RT too.

 

[AZStryker]

Short arms isn't a deal breaker... Slow feet are.

And that, my brethren, is what separates Tackles from Guards. Feet first, then long arms would be nice, but not essential.

This is a concern then as He does have footwork issues as well as hand placement. His tape doesn’t seem to match his athletic testing. He seems like a good kid and a tough guy, which I like. Also Notre Dame linemen seem to work out in the NFL. However the arms, clumsy feet, and hand placement are definite concerns.

 

[cuzinvinny]

Good move. I think Fluker will be legit in the completion at RT too.

IMO, Fluker is a backup and there for depth. Really don't see him as a legitimate starter for us, at least I hope not.

I do also hope that we bring in a proven quality player ( experienced Vet. ) to fill that RT position. Eck. could be the man for our future but ideally like to see a proven solid Vet in there for this year to gel and help the young guys we have playing and not bury Eck. with having to be the Man right out of the gate.
IMO it's the one possibly last position of solid need that must be upgraded this off season. Now, center could be in that equation too, depending on what Skura shows up this year....

Morgan Moses is out there and just turned 30 on 3/2 and with a more negotiable price could fill the need. But I'm not stuck on him, just more getting that legitimate upgrade to fill our needs at that RT. In doing so that also decreases the need, to a significant degree of even needing another RB, though if one was to drop in our lap I wouldn't push it away. It's just not near as critical with a solid line. Which truthfully we are still in the unknown of how our young guys have or will progress. We are in striking mode and shouldn't fool around with not knowing and living in the " hopeful " realm with our OL. It's just way to important, for miscalculating sadly again (see Flowers & Karras ) could ruin our hopes and level of success this season....... JMO

 

[SCOTTY]

Don't understand the we still need to bring in a real RT crowd. We gave Eich who we just drafted. Fluker is the outside vet to compete and push the rook. And Davis as the long tenure backup role. Can we give them a year before over paying for a 30+ year old.

 

[cuzinvinny]

Don't understand the we still need to bring in a real RT crowd. We gave Eich who we just drafted. Fluker is the outside vet to compete and push the rook. And Davis as the long tenure backup role. Can we give them a year before over paying for a 30+ year old.

Sure we can give them another year. But why waste a year if we can be were we want this year. One year or two of a quality RT isn't going to be such a negative effect, especially considering what it could bring to the table.


OK, here's my reasoning

First off Fuker is average and IMO little shot to starting, I hope...though Flowers and Karras also brought in FA were pretty disappointing. I read Fluker in that same category and feel we need one more quality upgrade to give us more of a solid reality of our OL. Not another Gee hope he works out.

Eck. Tell me, Just drafted Eck. Never played a single play in the NFL and though could be a damn good future player but at this point is just another crap shot like all the second year guys progressing the way we all hope....again "hope" Not the best of evaluation standards to live by. Oh ya Skura is what old solid player or more recent inconsistent guy. WE DON"T REALLY KNOW

I guess being old school and seeing the critical importance for the all around offense success is pushing me and the lack of OL upgrades through the years and our movement last year of Flowers and Karras brings concern.

One more quality RT FA IMO could solidify our whole offense and personally I would not gamble on it but make it a priority because IMO our year might be depending on these factors all coming together and we have the means to do it....

 

[circumstances]

IMO, Fluker is a backup and there for depth. Really don't see him as a legitimate starter for us, at least I hope not.

I do also hope that we bring in a proven quality player ( experienced Vet. ) to fill that RT position. Eck. could be the man for our future but ideally like to see a proven solid Vet in there for this year to gel and help the young guys we have playing and not bury Eck. with having to be the Man right out of the gate.
IMO it's the one possibly last position of solid need that must be upgraded this off season. Now, center could be in that equation too, depending on what Skura shows up this year....

Morgan Moses is out there and just turned 30 on 3/2 and with a more negotiable price could fill the need. But I'm not stuck on him, just more getting that legitimate upgrade to fill our needs at that RT. In doing so that also decreases the need, to a significant degree of even needing another RB, though if one was to drop in our lap I wouldn't push it away. It's just not near as critical with a solid line. Which truthfully we are still in the unknown of how our young guys have or will progress. We are in striking mode and shouldn't fool around with not knowing and living in the " hopeful " realm with our OL. It's just way to important, for miscalculating sadly again (see Flowers & Karras ) could ruin our hopes and level of success this season....... JMO

How did we miscalculate sadly on Karras?

He was a stopgap on a one year deal. Played better than I thought he would. Team wanted to upgrade him if possible, bring him back if not.

He decided to not resign here.

Flowers' salary made him expendable with Kindley around.

Not really sure we "sadly miscalculated" there either.

 

[Digital]

If Kindley drops 10-15 pounds, I think he could be nimble enough to play LG long term, he'll never be quick enough to pull very often, but as a power guy with a dancing bear outside of him, I think he'll be better than many think.

While I agree that Kindley needs to get his body more in shape, I still don't see him being quite nimble enough for LG. The argument that he played it in college is a non-starter. Most of the NFL linemen played LT in college because they had a right handed QB and that's where a team's best OL tends to be played, protecting the edge on the QB's blindside. It's so common that defenses almost always put their twitchiest speed rushers at the defensive RDE, specifically to attack the QB's blindside edge with speed. Likewise, the LG needs to be the best pass defending interior OL, because that same twitchy athlete's stunts will happen against the LG. So, picking up twists, blitzes, stunts, etc. aimed at the right handed QB's blindside is exactly why a LG needs to be a great pass protecting OL.

Now, the common logic would see this reversed for a left-handed QB ... but that's only part of the story. See, once these defenses are constructed, they don't tend to flip flop sides nearly as much as offenses do. Defenses run lots of packages and reactive matchups, and the vast majority of those anchor sides. For instance, while some of the very best CB's "travel"--meaning they switch sides to match up against the best WR on the opposing team--most CB's do not travel. In Miami, our great CB's do not travel. if an offense wants a receiver to avoid Xavien Howard, they simply line him up on the opposite side of the formation ... easy peasy. Now, that means he'll have to face our lockdown CB Byron Jones ... but the offense makes that decision, not the defense. Similarly, while our defense is renowned for its ability to adapt its configuration and flex between 3, 4, or even 5 man fronts ... we don't switch our sides much. Van Noy almost always lined up on the same side. Shaq Lawson almost always lined up on the opposite side. Offenses chose whom to attack and how. Our defense is very complex, and the KVN position required knowing when to be a 3 point DE, when to be a 2 point OLB, when to drop into coverage, when to flow to the play, when to set the edge, etc. Very complex and very demanding of a player's versatility. But, it did not switch sides much.

So as far as Kindley is concerned, even though our QB is not right handed, he's still going to face those twitchiest of twitchy speed rushers and stunts. Yeah, it is more forgiving because one of Tua's strengths is his mobility, and the threat will come from Tua's facing side, but the defense isn't really going to flip much just because our QB is left handed. They have too much invested in placing their defensive speed rushers vs. the left side of our OL ... so that's what the LG will see, and that's what the LG needs to handle. Remember, Ereck Flowers was a converted LT, and while he wasn't spectacular at LG for us, he still understood how to spot and react to stunts and games. He still was skilled at picking up blitzers, and he still had the length and enough lateral quickness to play the position. I'm a big Solomon Kindley fan ... and I was happier about this pick than almost anyone on this board. But, Kindley simply isn't that ultra-quick OL. He needs every ounce of lean-body quickness he can get to play LG. Ultimately, the kid is a RG power-pig and should be competing with Robert Hunt--another RG power-pig--for a spot at RG. Let's get both cross-trained for emergency use. Let's try 'em both out at LG and see what potential they offer. But at the end of the day, we drafted two RG's, so one sits or one plays out of position and we just have to live with their inadequacies. The good news is that with Austin Jackson at LT and Liam Eichenberg at RT, it appears we've found our OT's for Tua's next decade, and that's a very good feeling. Next stop ... finding a young C, and the last two drafts we passed over a lot of good prospects at C.

 

[Digital]

I agree with your first point, Hunt projected to guard at this level, he did do better at right tackle than I thought he would, so he proved me wrong there, but at guard I think he can reach his potential..

I disagree with your 2nd point Dig, I think kindley is gonna be real good on the left side.

It’s a great competition for us as dolphin fans to see who becomes better but I’ll stick to what I said when they both were coming out, if all things are equal as far as dedication goes I’ll take kindley as the better player..

What a draft it will be if those two pan out.

I hope you're right, but I detailed why I feel Kindley is a RG in my last post, so I will not bore you with repeating it. Suffice it to say, if Kindley proves a fit at LG, our OL works out a lot better. :)

 

[rafael]

I have some doubts about Liam. I'm not sure if he'll beat out Fluker or Davis, especially not immediately. The "plug and play" expectation for most players is a bit unrealistic. IMO Hunt is also a better RT than Liam is. But I also think Hunt can be a great RG. And I do believe that Kindley, Skura and Hunt can develop into a top 5 run blocking trio in the middle and a very good pass blocking trio.

Also the Dolphins were also clearly in the "don't draft corn" brigade. It's clear and obvious that the team was always going to draft an explosive player with their first pick. The considerations at that pick were Waddle first and then either Smith or Pitts. Sewell was never in the mix.

 

[cuzinvinny]

How did we miscalculate sadly on Karras?

He was a stopgap on a one year deal. Played better than I thought he would. Team wanted to upgrade him if possible, bring him back if not.

He decided to not resign here.

Flowers' salary made him expendable with Kindley around.

Not really sure we "sadly miscalculated" there either.

Really ?

The games I saw was Karras way to often being pushed back into the pocket and Tua's face
Flowers to often doing his turnstile imitation. Flowers play also made him expendable...

If these guys were any good and Flores and Grier thought they couldn't be replaced I don't think we would have let them go. Where's Karras ? oh NE and a starting center ??????

Hey its all OK we just see things differently and I think I base a lot more success for an Offense with the right OL. IMO we don't have it now as far as RT and god forbit the rookies haven't progressed to some degree of all our expectations. If they haven't a solid Vet at RT for another yearish could help immensely.. JMO

But very Happy we moved on from Flowers (even if he redid contract and was cheap) and Karras.
Hope Skura comes through and all the second year players blow are minds, just like to add a little insurance if all is not met.

 

[dolfan91]

It was just a matter of timing for Hunt to be moved from RT. Miami didn't have his replacement or its true starting RT on the roster last season. With Eichenberg now in Miami the inevitable happened. I just hope both players turn out to be long term answers to the offensive line needs.

 

[dolfan91]

While I agree that Kindley needs to get his body more in shape, I still don't see him being quite nimble enough for LG. The argument that he played it in college is a non-starter. Most of the NFL linemen played LT in college because they had a right handed QB and that's where a team's best OL tends to be played, protecting the edge on the QB's blindside. It's so common that defenses almost always put their twitchiest speed rushers at the defensive RDE, specifically to attack the QB's blindside edge with speed. Likewise, the LG needs to be the best pass defending interior OL, because that same twitchy athlete's stunts will happen against the LG. So, picking up twists, blitzes, stunts, etc. aimed at the right handed QB's blindside is exactly why a LG needs to be a great pass protecting OL.

Now, the common logic would see this reversed for a left-handed QB ... but that's only part of the story. See, once these defenses are constructed, they don't tend to flip flop sides nearly as much as offenses do. Defenses run lots of packages and reactive matchups, and the vast majority of those anchor sides. For instance, while some of the very best CB's "travel"--meaning they switch sides to match up against the best WR on the opposing team--most CB's do not travel. In Miami, our great CB's do not travel. if an offense wants a receiver to avoid Xavien Howard, they simply line him up on the opposite side of the formation ... easy peasy. Now, that means he'll have to face our lockdown CB Byron Jones ... but the offense makes that decision, not the defense. Similarly, while our defense is renowned for its ability to adapt its configuration and flex between 3, 4, or even 5 man fronts ... we don't switch our sides much. Van Noy almost always lined up on the same side. Shaq Lawson almost always lined up on the opposite side. Offenses chose whom to attack and how. Our defense is very complex, and the KVN position required knowing when to be a 3 point DE, when to be a 2 point OLB, when to drop into coverage, when to flow to the play, when to set the edge, etc. Very complex and very demanding of a player's versatility. But, it did not switch sides much.

So as far as Kindley is concerned, even though our QB is not right handed, he's still going to face those twitchiest of twitchy speed rushers and stunts. Yeah, it is more forgiving because one of Tua's strengths is his mobility, and the threat will come from Tua's facing side, but the defense isn't really going to flip much just because our QB is left handed. They have too much invested in placing their defensive speed rushers vs. the left side of our OL ... so that's what the LG will see, and that's what the LG needs to handle. Remember, Ereck Flowers was a converted LT, and while he wasn't spectacular at LG for us, he still understood how to spot and react to stunts and games. He still was skilled at picking up blitzers, and he still had the length and enough lateral quickness to play the position. I'm a big Solomon Kindley fan ... and I was happier about this pick than almost anyone on this board. But, Kindley simply isn't that ultra-quick OL. He needs every ounce of lean-body quickness he can get to play LG. Ultimately, the kid is a RG power-pig and should be competing with Robert Hunt--another RG power-pig--for a spot at RG. Let's get both cross-trained for emergency use. Let's try 'em both out at LG and see what potential they offer. But at the end of the day, we drafted two RG's, so one sits or one plays out of position and we just have to live with their inadequacies. The good news is that with Austin Jackson at LT and Liam Eichenberg at RT, it appears we've found our OT's for Tua's next decade, and that's a very good feeling. Next stop ... finding a young C, and the last two drafts we passed over a lot of good prospects at C.

Do you think Miami will look for a better fit at LG in 2022? Because it does appear they are high on Kindley.

 

[SCOTTY]

Do you think Miami will look for a better fit at LG in 2022? Because it does appear they are high on Kindley.

My opinion. Absolutely not. They traded up for Kindley. If they planned on moving Hunt inside this year while drafting RT then they knew that last year while drafting Kindley. He will be our LG for 10 years.

 

[BlueFin]

Makes complete sense. They have to fit Liam Eichenberg in. Hunt could be a stud at RG.

They knew exactly where they were sticking the guy who hasn’t given up a sack in 2 years...on Tua’s blindside!

 

[Ray R]

While I agree that Kindley needs to get his body more in shape, I still don't see him being quite nimble enough for LG. The argument that he played it in college is a non-starter. Most of the NFL linemen played LT in college because they had a right handed QB and that's where a team's best OL tends to be played, protecting the edge on the QB's blindside. It's so common that defenses almost always put their twitchiest speed rushers at the defensive RDE, specifically to attack the QB's blindside edge with speed. Likewise, the LG needs to be the best pass defending interior OL, because that same twitchy athlete's stunts will happen against the LG. So, picking up twists, blitzes, stunts, etc. aimed at the right handed QB's blindside is exactly why a LG needs to be a great pass protecting OL.

Now, the common logic would see this reversed for a left-handed QB ... but that's only part of the story. See, once these defenses are constructed, they don't tend to flip flop sides nearly as much as offenses do. Defenses run lots of packages and reactive matchups, and the vast majority of those anchor sides. For instance, while some of the very best CB's "travel"--meaning they switch sides to match up against the best WR on the opposing team--most CB's do not travel. In Miami, our great CB's do not travel. if an offense wants a receiver to avoid Xavien Howard, they simply line him up on the opposite side of the formation ... easy peasy. Now, that means he'll have to face our lockdown CB Byron Jones ... but the offense makes that decision, not the defense. Similarly, while our defense is renowned for its ability to adapt its configuration and flex between 3, 4, or even 5 man fronts ... we don't switch our sides much. Van Noy almost always lined up on the same side. Shaq Lawson almost always lined up on the opposite side. Offenses chose whom to attack and how. Our defense is very complex, and the KVN position required knowing when to be a 3 point DE, when to be a 2 point OLB, when to drop into coverage, when to flow to the play, when to set the edge, etc. Very complex and very demanding of a player's versatility. But, it did not switch sides much.

So as far as Kindley is concerned, even though our QB is not right handed, he's still going to face those twitchiest of twitchy speed rushers and stunts. Yeah, it is more forgiving because one of Tua's strengths is his mobility, and the threat will come from Tua's facing side, but the defense isn't really going to flip much just because our QB is left handed. They have too much invested in placing their defensive speed rushers vs. the left side of our OL ... so that's what the LG will see, and that's what the LG needs to handle. Remember, Ereck Flowers was a converted LT, and while he wasn't spectacular at LG for us, he still understood how to spot and react to stunts and games. He still was skilled at picking up blitzers, and he still had the length and enough lateral quickness to play the position. I'm a big Solomon Kindley fan ... and I was happier about this pick than almost anyone on this board. But, Kindley simply isn't that ultra-quick OL. He needs every ounce of lean-body quickness he can get to play LG. Ultimately, the kid is a RG power-pig and should be competing with Robert Hunt--another RG power-pig--for a spot at RG. Let's get both cross-trained for emergency use. Let's try 'em both out at LG and see what potential they offer. But at the end of the day, we drafted two RG's, so one sits or one plays out of position and we just have to live with their inadequacies. The good news is that with Austin Jackson at LT and Liam Eichenberg at RT, it appears we've found our OT's for Tua's next decade, and that's a very good feeling. Next stop ... finding a young C, and the last two drafts we passed over a lot of good prospects at C.

You made a good argument based on the typical defenses play planning. I never considered that.

I appreciate the well organized way you presented this information. Please keep it coming.

It's more important and more informative than news about Rogers being considered for QB.