hoops
Tua time!
Pretty simple...grades are plus or minuses if a players not mentioned assume he has an average grade...there will be some players mentioned from tbe average grade scale with tiny takes on each...this is an overall assessment for the entire season.
without further adu the envelopes please...
The 2016 top grade in tbe building is none other than the head coach himself adam gase...miami needed to find competence in tbe worst way and miami struck gold here...there was a needed culture change...adam gase brought both...ive been studying miamis offense from a scheme and formations and limitations aspect for many years and studied offenses around tbe league even and this is by far the best utilization of personnel and formations that i have seen in miami with very little tells based on formation or alignments and variations on a weekly basis...from the under center utilization to the pistol to the zone read and read option and built ins to the wr route combinations and progressions to the helping of the protection with the calls...ie draws and screens and delays when behind the sticks to help the protection from being teed off on...
ive never seen a a playcaller have the pulse of the game play the way that adam gase did...his calls and the way he managed the game was almost lock step with the scoreboard and the distance to tbe sticks and even at times like the jets game in new york predicated on tbe lack of threat from tbe oppositions qb...
by far his best work to my eye came when tannehill went down and the backup qb was inserted...he gave moore bits and pieces each week of more trust and opportunity...from the first week with mostly motion based coverage ids and heavy pa work with limited options and easy coverage reads to the 2nd week at buffalo where i felt gase was the primary reason miami emerged with a victory and graded out far and away the best grade in the game to the pittsburgh finale where as a result of no real run game miami had to go to more empty sets and pre snap no motion based coverage ids...it was not his fault that the qb struggled to id coverage off these looks or in the empty looks quickly find the correct option which is required in the red zone especially in empty...
week 5 the team was in the dumps the entire board bailed on the qb bailed on the head coach bailed on everything adam had the smarts to id the correct problems and eliminate them from tbe building even and the result was a 9 and 2 regular season finish and a improbable wild card playoff berth in the process
a playoff berth that we somehow were able to achieve despite a 30th ranked defense and teams at the end of the season putting up 500 yards of offense even plus...really an amazing achievement after a terrible start and a very bright future with one of tbe top young coaches in the business...hell for my money the top young coach in the game
yes indeed adam gase take a bow...you've earned it
the top player grade in tbe building belongs to jay ajayi...from being left off the plane week 1 at seattle to being the only real positive grade player week 5 in tbe tennessee debacle to not one not two but three 200 yard rushing games in the final 11 weeks...an absolute tone setter...he did most his damage after contact and ran with a determination that miami hasnt seen in forever...from stiff arms and dumping defenders to sweet feet in tbe hole and solid top end speed and acceleration...the best thing i can say is that dude ran angry every time he carried the ball...we needed a physical tone setter at rb he provided it in spades...he punished people
take a bow jay ajayi
the other top grade i have is surprise ndamakung suh...doubled and even triple teamed til no end suh was his usual top shelf self in 2016...teams worked away from him per usual but he pursued the ball he smashed cats he scowled he's a top 3 dt and im damn glad to have him
cameron wake earns a plus grade...to do what he did this year not even one year removed from an achilles is super human pretty much...finished with double digit sacks lacked the explosion we were used to early in the season but found it during our win streak ironically when his snap count jumped exponentially something that most guys his age couldnt handle fully healthy let alone coming off major injury...one play tells you what it inside of cam wake...its 30 to 12 at pittsburgh time is running out basically playing out the string the steelers call a pass play big ben eludes a wide rush from cam who is being hog tied to the ground in tbe process tbe qb climbs forward thinking no way is cam gonna be there cam in full efforr runs and hits him and drags him to ground forcing an errant throw in the process and an int by x howard...that is cam wake...all out effort all the time scoreboard be damned
reshad jones earns a plus grade...pretty simple hes the best veteran strong safety in football...hes our enforcer in the back end...hes dynamite
ryan tannehill didnt start the season with a plus grade...despite being in adam gases own words even one of the more consistent players on tbe team those first 5 weeks...his worst half of football was easily the first half at cincinatti where he left plays on the field that i expect ryan to make...his best game was at home vs san fran where the 9ers went in saying that the running game is not gonna beat us today the qb is gonna have to and beat them he did...beat them so much that after a san fran safety was asked about miami and his words were "i know one thing they got a damn qb"...and have one we do
ryans run of games from week 6 when we blitzed pittsburgh to its end at home against arizona was top 10 stuff...he finished with a top shelf red zone rating a 7.7 ypa and a 67% completion rate...he won at the rams down 10 with 6 minutes to go vs a top 3 overall defense that to that point had dominated every aspect of our offense...2 td passes the 2nd of which a dagger out route to parker for the game winner...he made big play after big play at san diego to open our west coast sweep trip he finished with a career high 93.5 qbr
He showed more active feet in the pocket sped up by adam gases constantly being in his head about it and working drills even on it and had a more internal clock to take off with it and run at times
its not a coincidence that as the oline stabilized so did the qb...yep ryan tannehill gets a plus grade
Jarvis landry told everyone who said he was a system only wr like cian fahey for instance to take that nonsense and shove it where the sun dont shine...system wr my rear end...top shelf slot wr and qb security blanket...tough as nails set a tone and played with an attitude and effort that was contagious 288 catches in 3 years over 1100 yards for the 2nd straight season...effort all the way thru the whistle and all out effort to try to help out his teammates as a downfield blocker...as passionate a player as they come...yep juice is loose (on the opposition)
iron man played in 49 of 49 games his first 3 years...plus grade for jarvis landry
mike pouncey didnt play in enough games to earn a plus grade but when he played he was a difference maker...from the 2nd level and in space work in tbe run game to calling the protections pouncey did very good work and was very much missed
brandon alberts play fell off late this year somewhat but i still see a solid pass protecting left tackle here and to come back as quickly as he did from a dislocated wrist that required surgery and play a heavy hand and wrist work position like left tackle cannot be understated...neither can his commitment to his teammates and the organization
jawaun james struggled early it was chalked up to learning different techniques appears that may have been the case cause he came on well mid to latter half of the season even and for a while there we had pretty much bookend tackle pass protection play...he finished on a low note in the playoffs but i still see him as a solid starting right tackle given i put more premium on pass pro...theres no doubt that gase helped limit the tackle a d pass pro exposure period as a play caller so thats something to keep in mind as we go forward...
laremy tunsil gave us much needed versatility on the o line...there was a 2 game stretch there where he gave us all pro caliber left guard play then it got derailed by injury and for a while there you could tell he lacked strength...he seemed to get it back late in the season and overall he carries a solid grade that likely would have been a plus had he never gotten injured...
sam young gets a mention for his work in relief of tunsil at the rams...i thought our goose was cooked when tunsil didn't come out for the 2nd half vs a top shelf edge like robert quinn...sam young got off the snap like his hair was on fire and gave us a chance on those final two drives to win it
bushrod gave us 16 games at right guard and nursed a shoulder at times likely soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder etc. i didnt expect 16 games and i didnt expect right guard capable anchor and strength...
Kenyan drake showed more willingness to take contact than i expected and proved a solid returns option and seems to have won the backup tailback job heading into 2017...needs to work on his pass pro and receiving out of the backfield etc.
devantae parker almost earned a negative grade because my expectations were so much higher...before the season i said anything less than 1200 and 8 i would see as underachieving...well we didnt come close to that and we didnt get true alpha play either...i will give him a small pass this year for dealing with a nagging hamstring for so long which can derail things but next year we need to see him take another step forward...
jordan phillips as we all know by now flashes some very high end play with a lot of inconsistent play otherwise...given dts take time to develop is my experience with the position i did not give him a negative grade and while a true down by down dominant force looks less likely to be in the cards next year his play will have to make significant strides to avoid the negative grade and likely miami looking at him as someone that it must replace...i already think they may be looking at him as more the #3 dt in the rotation next year
x howard started out the year with more camp hype and a booked starting gig out the gate even according to vj than i could ever recall even...he hadnt even played a snap in a preseason game and he was given the starting job...off his first mcl injury and no camp his early regular season work produced a stellar grade...i was absolutely giddy about his awareness his fluidity his tackling his excellent play in off coverage...vj even told the media at one point that he was one of the three best players on the defense at the time and i can believe it...then he got hurt again and missed a lot of time and came back and showed vs brandon marshall of the jets that he can also play press...afterwards marshall said "the rookie" as in x howard was the best corner in miami...his play fell off s bit the next 2 weeks but im very happy to report that he finished on a high note in the playoff game...he does things as a rookie that are more of tbe 5 to 7 year veteran route from chopping the shoulder in vertical coverage to forcing the ball to his help in the run game...hes got a real chance to be special
kiko alonzo finishes the season with an average grade after starting it as a plus...this grade is somewhat impacted by his broken thumb and playing with a cast or club from there after...inconsistent gap fill and carry coverage play limit the grade...the pluses were the range which cannot be overlooked the plays on the ball and the turnovers produced or recovered as a result of which miami hasnt seen from a lb in probably 10 years combined even and the surprising short yardage play in the run game wher he either shot correct gaps or met the ball in the hole at the sticks...a big part of this team success on 4th and 1 or less was kikos play...the pick 6 to win the game at san diego when everyone and their mother myself included thought we were gonna be the victims of another dagger last second loss was a thing of beauty...
tony lippett got valuable experience and showed that he is a capable top 3 boundary for 2017 option...considered a 3 year project id say that is ahead of schedule right now...more willing tackler than i expected gets high in his pedal which can make it hard for him to transition forward etc but has great ball skills and is developing situational route awareness...needs to stay more attached on in cuts and crossers
i came real close to giving bobby mccain a negative grade...in fact of everyone he was the one i questioned myself the most...too much separation out of cuts this year...its a bad recipe for the slot...it has to improve going forward...he has to stay more attached...his play picked up late this season just enough as it appeared he started understanding situational route combos more
Byron maxwell started out the season literally making me sick with his effort and his situational play...and we paid for it early...it was so disliked by the stafff even that they benched him...wasnt interested in tackling basically waited for others to do it showed poor technique and footwork in coverage and looked disinterested and playing for a check frankly...i wanted him cut...
then he was benched and sat out for a bit til x got hurt and after a lackadaisical first half vs pittsburgh he decided he wanted to play in the 2nd half helped by the ability to play 2 deep and cover 2 no doubt...then it was like the light bulb came on...in fact there were a few games there where i had him graded out top 5 in the game and one game in particular i gave him the top defensive grade
he has very good ball skills and seems to favor the trail and cut under holding the shoulder technique on in cuts and gets his hand on balls as a result...he also has a knack for forcing fumbles most corners do not...vs the 9ers his play with 10 seconds left on a quick slant rescued victory from the jaws of defeat...well the next play by suh and kiko really did but he went fron potential goat to hero
the bottom line is the finish doesnt offset the start enough here to give a plus grade but he looks to be in the plan fir 2017 and thats much different then it looked the first month of the season when i thought they couldnt wait to get out of that money
now to the coal in the stockings as a like to call the negative grades...
headlined by most disappointing 2 years straight jordan cameron...too soft in his vertical stem and at the top of routes never used his size to his advantage mis read coverage never became a red zone iso option didnt win when isolated vs a db or a lb...this grade has nothing to do with his concussion...he just didnt get the job done
Donald butler proved only valuable in short yardage...and thats all i got on the player
Jakeem the dream grant...real simple your job was punt and kick returns and gadget plays in the offense...you did none of them...hey is that kenyan drake breathing down your returns job in 2017?
Neville hewitt...this grades more about once jelani jenkins went down and we were in dire need of you stepping up to fill that role as an every down lb you didnt do it only getting base run and leaving us with slug spencer paysinger a starting nickel which was like shooting fish in a barrel at our lb level and in space..theres still meat on the bone here but it was disappointing either way
spencer paysinger...see neville hewitts
jelani jenkins...see neville hewitts and spencer paysingers...just kidding...this grades mostly about injury...you were plan a nickel and starting weak side backer and without you miamis lb level outside of kiko was up creek without a paddle and when you did play it was obvious you werent right
Bacarri rambo...the best thing to say here is NEXT!
Anthony steen...the longer you played the worse the results were...after that arizona game a change had to be made
Mario williams...you took one and done to a whole new meaning...as in games
now that i think about it the mario williams one is probably a worse offense than jordan camerons
matt moore...ha ha gotcha just kidding
there you have it the 2016 hoops scoops official grades and player evaluations
i cant want til the day where we are like the pats and grades no longer matter cause all we do is hang lombardis yearly...that's when i will hang up my scoops hat for good!
without further adu the envelopes please...
The 2016 top grade in tbe building is none other than the head coach himself adam gase...miami needed to find competence in tbe worst way and miami struck gold here...there was a needed culture change...adam gase brought both...ive been studying miamis offense from a scheme and formations and limitations aspect for many years and studied offenses around tbe league even and this is by far the best utilization of personnel and formations that i have seen in miami with very little tells based on formation or alignments and variations on a weekly basis...from the under center utilization to the pistol to the zone read and read option and built ins to the wr route combinations and progressions to the helping of the protection with the calls...ie draws and screens and delays when behind the sticks to help the protection from being teed off on...
ive never seen a a playcaller have the pulse of the game play the way that adam gase did...his calls and the way he managed the game was almost lock step with the scoreboard and the distance to tbe sticks and even at times like the jets game in new york predicated on tbe lack of threat from tbe oppositions qb...
by far his best work to my eye came when tannehill went down and the backup qb was inserted...he gave moore bits and pieces each week of more trust and opportunity...from the first week with mostly motion based coverage ids and heavy pa work with limited options and easy coverage reads to the 2nd week at buffalo where i felt gase was the primary reason miami emerged with a victory and graded out far and away the best grade in the game to the pittsburgh finale where as a result of no real run game miami had to go to more empty sets and pre snap no motion based coverage ids...it was not his fault that the qb struggled to id coverage off these looks or in the empty looks quickly find the correct option which is required in the red zone especially in empty...
week 5 the team was in the dumps the entire board bailed on the qb bailed on the head coach bailed on everything adam had the smarts to id the correct problems and eliminate them from tbe building even and the result was a 9 and 2 regular season finish and a improbable wild card playoff berth in the process
a playoff berth that we somehow were able to achieve despite a 30th ranked defense and teams at the end of the season putting up 500 yards of offense even plus...really an amazing achievement after a terrible start and a very bright future with one of tbe top young coaches in the business...hell for my money the top young coach in the game
yes indeed adam gase take a bow...you've earned it
the top player grade in tbe building belongs to jay ajayi...from being left off the plane week 1 at seattle to being the only real positive grade player week 5 in tbe tennessee debacle to not one not two but three 200 yard rushing games in the final 11 weeks...an absolute tone setter...he did most his damage after contact and ran with a determination that miami hasnt seen in forever...from stiff arms and dumping defenders to sweet feet in tbe hole and solid top end speed and acceleration...the best thing i can say is that dude ran angry every time he carried the ball...we needed a physical tone setter at rb he provided it in spades...he punished people
take a bow jay ajayi
the other top grade i have is surprise ndamakung suh...doubled and even triple teamed til no end suh was his usual top shelf self in 2016...teams worked away from him per usual but he pursued the ball he smashed cats he scowled he's a top 3 dt and im damn glad to have him
cameron wake earns a plus grade...to do what he did this year not even one year removed from an achilles is super human pretty much...finished with double digit sacks lacked the explosion we were used to early in the season but found it during our win streak ironically when his snap count jumped exponentially something that most guys his age couldnt handle fully healthy let alone coming off major injury...one play tells you what it inside of cam wake...its 30 to 12 at pittsburgh time is running out basically playing out the string the steelers call a pass play big ben eludes a wide rush from cam who is being hog tied to the ground in tbe process tbe qb climbs forward thinking no way is cam gonna be there cam in full efforr runs and hits him and drags him to ground forcing an errant throw in the process and an int by x howard...that is cam wake...all out effort all the time scoreboard be damned
reshad jones earns a plus grade...pretty simple hes the best veteran strong safety in football...hes our enforcer in the back end...hes dynamite
ryan tannehill didnt start the season with a plus grade...despite being in adam gases own words even one of the more consistent players on tbe team those first 5 weeks...his worst half of football was easily the first half at cincinatti where he left plays on the field that i expect ryan to make...his best game was at home vs san fran where the 9ers went in saying that the running game is not gonna beat us today the qb is gonna have to and beat them he did...beat them so much that after a san fran safety was asked about miami and his words were "i know one thing they got a damn qb"...and have one we do
ryans run of games from week 6 when we blitzed pittsburgh to its end at home against arizona was top 10 stuff...he finished with a top shelf red zone rating a 7.7 ypa and a 67% completion rate...he won at the rams down 10 with 6 minutes to go vs a top 3 overall defense that to that point had dominated every aspect of our offense...2 td passes the 2nd of which a dagger out route to parker for the game winner...he made big play after big play at san diego to open our west coast sweep trip he finished with a career high 93.5 qbr
He showed more active feet in the pocket sped up by adam gases constantly being in his head about it and working drills even on it and had a more internal clock to take off with it and run at times
its not a coincidence that as the oline stabilized so did the qb...yep ryan tannehill gets a plus grade
Jarvis landry told everyone who said he was a system only wr like cian fahey for instance to take that nonsense and shove it where the sun dont shine...system wr my rear end...top shelf slot wr and qb security blanket...tough as nails set a tone and played with an attitude and effort that was contagious 288 catches in 3 years over 1100 yards for the 2nd straight season...effort all the way thru the whistle and all out effort to try to help out his teammates as a downfield blocker...as passionate a player as they come...yep juice is loose (on the opposition)
iron man played in 49 of 49 games his first 3 years...plus grade for jarvis landry
mike pouncey didnt play in enough games to earn a plus grade but when he played he was a difference maker...from the 2nd level and in space work in tbe run game to calling the protections pouncey did very good work and was very much missed
brandon alberts play fell off late this year somewhat but i still see a solid pass protecting left tackle here and to come back as quickly as he did from a dislocated wrist that required surgery and play a heavy hand and wrist work position like left tackle cannot be understated...neither can his commitment to his teammates and the organization
jawaun james struggled early it was chalked up to learning different techniques appears that may have been the case cause he came on well mid to latter half of the season even and for a while there we had pretty much bookend tackle pass protection play...he finished on a low note in the playoffs but i still see him as a solid starting right tackle given i put more premium on pass pro...theres no doubt that gase helped limit the tackle a d pass pro exposure period as a play caller so thats something to keep in mind as we go forward...
laremy tunsil gave us much needed versatility on the o line...there was a 2 game stretch there where he gave us all pro caliber left guard play then it got derailed by injury and for a while there you could tell he lacked strength...he seemed to get it back late in the season and overall he carries a solid grade that likely would have been a plus had he never gotten injured...
sam young gets a mention for his work in relief of tunsil at the rams...i thought our goose was cooked when tunsil didn't come out for the 2nd half vs a top shelf edge like robert quinn...sam young got off the snap like his hair was on fire and gave us a chance on those final two drives to win it
bushrod gave us 16 games at right guard and nursed a shoulder at times likely soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder etc. i didnt expect 16 games and i didnt expect right guard capable anchor and strength...
Kenyan drake showed more willingness to take contact than i expected and proved a solid returns option and seems to have won the backup tailback job heading into 2017...needs to work on his pass pro and receiving out of the backfield etc.
devantae parker almost earned a negative grade because my expectations were so much higher...before the season i said anything less than 1200 and 8 i would see as underachieving...well we didnt come close to that and we didnt get true alpha play either...i will give him a small pass this year for dealing with a nagging hamstring for so long which can derail things but next year we need to see him take another step forward...
jordan phillips as we all know by now flashes some very high end play with a lot of inconsistent play otherwise...given dts take time to develop is my experience with the position i did not give him a negative grade and while a true down by down dominant force looks less likely to be in the cards next year his play will have to make significant strides to avoid the negative grade and likely miami looking at him as someone that it must replace...i already think they may be looking at him as more the #3 dt in the rotation next year
x howard started out the year with more camp hype and a booked starting gig out the gate even according to vj than i could ever recall even...he hadnt even played a snap in a preseason game and he was given the starting job...off his first mcl injury and no camp his early regular season work produced a stellar grade...i was absolutely giddy about his awareness his fluidity his tackling his excellent play in off coverage...vj even told the media at one point that he was one of the three best players on the defense at the time and i can believe it...then he got hurt again and missed a lot of time and came back and showed vs brandon marshall of the jets that he can also play press...afterwards marshall said "the rookie" as in x howard was the best corner in miami...his play fell off s bit the next 2 weeks but im very happy to report that he finished on a high note in the playoff game...he does things as a rookie that are more of tbe 5 to 7 year veteran route from chopping the shoulder in vertical coverage to forcing the ball to his help in the run game...hes got a real chance to be special
kiko alonzo finishes the season with an average grade after starting it as a plus...this grade is somewhat impacted by his broken thumb and playing with a cast or club from there after...inconsistent gap fill and carry coverage play limit the grade...the pluses were the range which cannot be overlooked the plays on the ball and the turnovers produced or recovered as a result of which miami hasnt seen from a lb in probably 10 years combined even and the surprising short yardage play in the run game wher he either shot correct gaps or met the ball in the hole at the sticks...a big part of this team success on 4th and 1 or less was kikos play...the pick 6 to win the game at san diego when everyone and their mother myself included thought we were gonna be the victims of another dagger last second loss was a thing of beauty...
tony lippett got valuable experience and showed that he is a capable top 3 boundary for 2017 option...considered a 3 year project id say that is ahead of schedule right now...more willing tackler than i expected gets high in his pedal which can make it hard for him to transition forward etc but has great ball skills and is developing situational route awareness...needs to stay more attached on in cuts and crossers
i came real close to giving bobby mccain a negative grade...in fact of everyone he was the one i questioned myself the most...too much separation out of cuts this year...its a bad recipe for the slot...it has to improve going forward...he has to stay more attached...his play picked up late this season just enough as it appeared he started understanding situational route combos more
Byron maxwell started out the season literally making me sick with his effort and his situational play...and we paid for it early...it was so disliked by the stafff even that they benched him...wasnt interested in tackling basically waited for others to do it showed poor technique and footwork in coverage and looked disinterested and playing for a check frankly...i wanted him cut...
then he was benched and sat out for a bit til x got hurt and after a lackadaisical first half vs pittsburgh he decided he wanted to play in the 2nd half helped by the ability to play 2 deep and cover 2 no doubt...then it was like the light bulb came on...in fact there were a few games there where i had him graded out top 5 in the game and one game in particular i gave him the top defensive grade
he has very good ball skills and seems to favor the trail and cut under holding the shoulder technique on in cuts and gets his hand on balls as a result...he also has a knack for forcing fumbles most corners do not...vs the 9ers his play with 10 seconds left on a quick slant rescued victory from the jaws of defeat...well the next play by suh and kiko really did but he went fron potential goat to hero
the bottom line is the finish doesnt offset the start enough here to give a plus grade but he looks to be in the plan fir 2017 and thats much different then it looked the first month of the season when i thought they couldnt wait to get out of that money
now to the coal in the stockings as a like to call the negative grades...
headlined by most disappointing 2 years straight jordan cameron...too soft in his vertical stem and at the top of routes never used his size to his advantage mis read coverage never became a red zone iso option didnt win when isolated vs a db or a lb...this grade has nothing to do with his concussion...he just didnt get the job done
Donald butler proved only valuable in short yardage...and thats all i got on the player
Jakeem the dream grant...real simple your job was punt and kick returns and gadget plays in the offense...you did none of them...hey is that kenyan drake breathing down your returns job in 2017?
Neville hewitt...this grades more about once jelani jenkins went down and we were in dire need of you stepping up to fill that role as an every down lb you didnt do it only getting base run and leaving us with slug spencer paysinger a starting nickel which was like shooting fish in a barrel at our lb level and in space..theres still meat on the bone here but it was disappointing either way
spencer paysinger...see neville hewitts
jelani jenkins...see neville hewitts and spencer paysingers...just kidding...this grades mostly about injury...you were plan a nickel and starting weak side backer and without you miamis lb level outside of kiko was up creek without a paddle and when you did play it was obvious you werent right
Bacarri rambo...the best thing to say here is NEXT!
Anthony steen...the longer you played the worse the results were...after that arizona game a change had to be made
Mario williams...you took one and done to a whole new meaning...as in games
now that i think about it the mario williams one is probably a worse offense than jordan camerons
matt moore...ha ha gotcha just kidding
there you have it the 2016 hoops scoops official grades and player evaluations
i cant want til the day where we are like the pats and grades no longer matter cause all we do is hang lombardis yearly...that's when i will hang up my scoops hat for good!
He was right.
