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Very well said.
hoops scoops...bucs fins
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Very well said.
If Lazor's here next season, Gurley or Gordon would kill in this system (for different reasons).
HoneyB
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I want Lazor to stay.
Ya but Walter has us picking 10th...no...way...in...hell...barring a catastrophic injury. I expect us to be picking around 23 to 25...Gordon may be a possibility.
I think we'd end up with the LB from the U...and that wouldn't hurt my feelings at all.
Even if Wheeler and/or Ellerbe gets beat out for a starting job, I don't think we should cut them due to their guaranteed contracts. Better to have them as expensive backups if nothing else. If they later got the chance to start again, maybe the benching, if it happened, would be a wake up call. I think it would be cool as can be if Tripp and McCain earned starting roles as rooks.
It would not be unprecedented for the Dolphins to start two unheralded rookie LBs though. Shula did it in his first season, with 12th round pick Mike Kolen and UDFA Doug Swift. The 1970 team went 10-4 with rookies Kolen and Swift as the starting OLBs.
The week before, when TB played Jax, McCoy went up against another former Vol in Jacques McClendon, a fringe player who has hung around the league since 2010 as a backup. McClendon didn't come close to getting as abused by McCoy as Dallas Thomas did. In 2013, when the Rams played TB, Shelley Smith played RG most of the game across from McCoy, and McCoy had his worst game of the season. It sure would have been nice to have seen how the first team OL would have done against TB if Smith had started at RG.
Fin Thirteen
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I've had a chance to watch the game again a couple of times and I would agree with a lot of what Hoops posted. I'd add a few more observations:
1) Randy Starks is the player most under-rated and under-appreciated by fans. His ability to collapse the pocket isn't much of a drop-off from McCoy. Vernon's sack was basically down to Randy obliterating the pocket and getting a hand on the QB. He's a key player for us and looks to be in great form.
2) Jelani Jenkins looks to have bulked up to be better in the run game and it has cost him movement ability. Because of his god-awful instincts, he's no better at stuffing the play in front of him and he seems - at his bigger size - to be less able in coverage than he flashed last year. Trusnik I thought looks to have improved and I agree he's worth his place as a ST'er and rotational LB. Misi is doing better than he's getting credit for - you can see an improvement over the 2 games and even against Atlanta there were good signs he was diagnosing the plays well, just maybe showing a tad of hesitation in acting on it. McCain is the one guy whose instincts stand out on tape. I'll qualify that, Tripp also shows some nose for the ball, but McCain is the quicker of the two to act and make plays. There's a role for that kid on the 53, no question. But an ability to line up at end and/or blitz through the gaps won't be enough to get him significant snaps. He'll have to show that he can lock down the box against the better players in the upcoming games if he's going to unseat anybody. The signs are there, but when you strip away the nice-to-have blitzing/pass rush ability (which ironically is one of the few things Wheeler is good at too), you need a fundamentally sound linebacker who can read and react to the pro game. That's still a work in progress, clearly.
3) Will Davis impressed me a lot more on repeat viewing than he did first time out. His coverage is tighter than it was last year and he hasn't sacrificed much of that ball-hawk mentality to keep receivers in check. He was targeted massively and stood up very well. I never thought I'd see it, but he's developing very quickly so far this season.
4) Garner impressed me at LT. For all Omar's nonsense that it';s the one position he can't play, Nate demonstrated again why he's a valuable roster piece. He threw a block on a linbacker to spring Binns (I think) for a big gain that we don't see enough of from the starters.
5) On the topic, Lazor has a huge task turning around the blocking ability of these receivers on the perimeter and linemen at the second level. We have been atrocious at springing runners into the backfield and it appears to be a staple of the Lazor offense. Ironically one of the few times we seemed to get our receivers keyed properly onto their blocks for a big gain was the screen to Wallace that he dropped. That play had big gain written all over it. But there were plenty of other examples here the blocking quality wasn't enough to deliver the play that was designed. When the WR corps gets trimmed down, expect blocking to be one of the deciding factors between guys.
6) Lamar Miller has no vision. None. I wonder if he will ever develop any, but I think it's more of an inbuilt skill that he lacks. Damien Williams disappointed me by missing a couple of cutback holes that would have sprung big gains also. I do think he's deserving of a 53 spot and I've been on his bandwagon since we signed him. This offense needs Moreno to be at least very good. We can survive without great but we need very good. Tannehill struggled mightily when teams emptied the box and put numbers back in coverage. Blame some of that on separation abilities of the WRs, but it doesn't really matter where the fault lies. We need a run game to declutter downfield and to set up PA and the read option. Last year's production won't cut it. We need Moreno to be better than what we currently have.
7) Ja'Wuan James. Not much to say than what's been said before, but I wanted us to draft this kid from day one. Not in the first, I have to add, but he's showing that his ability belongs in first-round consideration. He' might well be a top tier left tackle one day, as he has the tools to slide over, imo. For the moment, we should be delighted he's taking the transition to the pros in his stride, even if there are a few hiccups along the way. He's unflappable by either size or speed - doesn't always dominate but calmly handles what's thrown at him. He's not really in a position to chip in and help his RG much though, which could be an issue until Pouncey comes back and can help the RG from the left side. Even with strongside TE help, I don't see James being asked or being able to bail out his RG too much this season. So the switch in focus onto Shelly Smith at RG makes a lot of sense to me. Poor Dallas Thomas has been really abused by all the moving around. I think it has badly retarded his development and I hope it doesn't affect him mentally. It's poor coaching, imo.
8) Cris Chambers talked on Finsiders about Brandon Gibson's special ability to find the soft spots and position himself for the catch and the run after catch. It's so true. The guy has a level of vision that can't be ignored. He's going to do things in this offense, imo. I can see him leading the YAC numbers among the WRs.
9) Damian Williams (WR) is making this team, imo. He's another guy who can ghost into space. He's not overly physical at the jam and doesn't sho a lot of wiggle, but he kind of slips by DBs with balance and pace.
10) Watching Jarvis Landry on the hoof in the NFL is really interesting and a joy to watch. No quesiton he has enough pace, but it's his economy of movement to change direction and position himself that separates him from other guys. The game speed he has is because he doesn't wipe off speed with exaggerated cuts or direction changes. He's as likely to beat a defender with a big fend than a sidestep. All the while he's keeping his speed up and getting separation. It's not as flashy as watching Tavon Austin jump-cut himself around, but Juice gets downfield just as quickly.
11) Sims still looks like a body to me. He's definitely slimmed down and might have a little more pop off the line, but I don't see big things in his future at this point. Nice hands and reasonable blocking will maybe keep him a slot on the team, but we should be looking to upgrade over time. Lynch so far doesn't look to be the guy, though we don't know how much the injury is holding him back. Brackett put in some capable downfield blocks and had a couple of nice receptions, but he's a glorified WR still and I wouldn't break out the anointing oil yet.
1) Randy Starks is the player most under-rated and under-appreciated by fans. His ability to collapse the pocket isn't much of a drop-off from McCoy. Vernon's sack was basically down to Randy obliterating the pocket and getting a hand on the QB. He's a key player for us and looks to be in great form.
2) Jelani Jenkins looks to have bulked up to be better in the run game and it has cost him movement ability. Because of his god-awful instincts, he's no better at stuffing the play in front of him and he seems - at his bigger size - to be less able in coverage than he flashed last year. Trusnik I thought looks to have improved and I agree he's worth his place as a ST'er and rotational LB. Misi is doing better than he's getting credit for - you can see an improvement over the 2 games and even against Atlanta there were good signs he was diagnosing the plays well, just maybe showing a tad of hesitation in acting on it. McCain is the one guy whose instincts stand out on tape. I'll qualify that, Tripp also shows some nose for the ball, but McCain is the quicker of the two to act and make plays. There's a role for that kid on the 53, no question. But an ability to line up at end and/or blitz through the gaps won't be enough to get him significant snaps. He'll have to show that he can lock down the box against the better players in the upcoming games if he's going to unseat anybody. The signs are there, but when you strip away the nice-to-have blitzing/pass rush ability (which ironically is one of the few things Wheeler is good at too), you need a fundamentally sound linebacker who can read and react to the pro game. That's still a work in progress, clearly.
3) Will Davis impressed me a lot more on repeat viewing than he did first time out. His coverage is tighter than it was last year and he hasn't sacrificed much of that ball-hawk mentality to keep receivers in check. He was targeted massively and stood up very well. I never thought I'd see it, but he's developing very quickly so far this season.
4) Garner impressed me at LT. For all Omar's nonsense that it';s the one position he can't play, Nate demonstrated again why he's a valuable roster piece. He threw a block on a linbacker to spring Binns (I think) for a big gain that we don't see enough of from the starters.
5) On the topic, Lazor has a huge task turning around the blocking ability of these receivers on the perimeter and linemen at the second level. We have been atrocious at springing runners into the backfield and it appears to be a staple of the Lazor offense. Ironically one of the few times we seemed to get our receivers keyed properly onto their blocks for a big gain was the screen to Wallace that he dropped. That play had big gain written all over it. But there were plenty of other examples here the blocking quality wasn't enough to deliver the play that was designed. When the WR corps gets trimmed down, expect blocking to be one of the deciding factors between guys.
6) Lamar Miller has no vision. None. I wonder if he will ever develop any, but I think it's more of an inbuilt skill that he lacks. Damien Williams disappointed me by missing a couple of cutback holes that would have sprung big gains also. I do think he's deserving of a 53 spot and I've been on his bandwagon since we signed him. This offense needs Moreno to be at least very good. We can survive without great but we need very good. Tannehill struggled mightily when teams emptied the box and put numbers back in coverage. Blame some of that on separation abilities of the WRs, but it doesn't really matter where the fault lies. We need a run game to declutter downfield and to set up PA and the read option. Last year's production won't cut it. We need Moreno to be better than what we currently have.
7) Ja'Wuan James. Not much to say than what's been said before, but I wanted us to draft this kid from day one. Not in the first, I have to add, but he's showing that his ability belongs in first-round consideration. He' might well be a top tier left tackle one day, as he has the tools to slide over, imo. For the moment, we should be delighted he's taking the transition to the pros in his stride, even if there are a few hiccups along the way. He's unflappable by either size or speed - doesn't always dominate but calmly handles what's thrown at him. He's not really in a position to chip in and help his RG much though, which could be an issue until Pouncey comes back and can help the RG from the left side. Even with strongside TE help, I don't see James being asked or being able to bail out his RG too much this season. So the switch in focus onto Shelly Smith at RG makes a lot of sense to me. Poor Dallas Thomas has been really abused by all the moving around. I think it has badly retarded his development and I hope it doesn't affect him mentally. It's poor coaching, imo.
8) Cris Chambers talked on Finsiders about Brandon Gibson's special ability to find the soft spots and position himself for the catch and the run after catch. It's so true. The guy has a level of vision that can't be ignored. He's going to do things in this offense, imo. I can see him leading the YAC numbers among the WRs.
9) Damian Williams (WR) is making this team, imo. He's another guy who can ghost into space. He's not overly physical at the jam and doesn't sho a lot of wiggle, but he kind of slips by DBs with balance and pace.
10) Watching Jarvis Landry on the hoof in the NFL is really interesting and a joy to watch. No quesiton he has enough pace, but it's his economy of movement to change direction and position himself that separates him from other guys. The game speed he has is because he doesn't wipe off speed with exaggerated cuts or direction changes. He's as likely to beat a defender with a big fend than a sidestep. All the while he's keeping his speed up and getting separation. It's not as flashy as watching Tavon Austin jump-cut himself around, but Juice gets downfield just as quickly.
11) Sims still looks like a body to me. He's definitely slimmed down and might have a little more pop off the line, but I don't see big things in his future at this point. Nice hands and reasonable blocking will maybe keep him a slot on the team, but we should be looking to upgrade over time. Lynch so far doesn't look to be the guy, though we don't know how much the injury is holding him back. Brackett put in some capable downfield blocks and had a couple of nice receptions, but he's a glorified WR still and I wouldn't break out the anointing oil yet.
hoops
Tua time!
interesting take...i particularly liked the jelani jenkins one...he definitely doesnt seem as fluid in coverage this year and yeah you got the same no instincts all assignment only lb you had last year...
i still struggle with why people don't get the misi in space thing as far as a liability with the cod and covering that much space...but i guess people will figure it out in season...especially if he plays in the sub package...strong side olb trying to play mike and the athlete will verify it...take away the inside run fills and look at it from a fluidity aspect and i think it makes more sense...or should...
as for dion sims i'm not saying the guys gonna be a boss tight end but i do see growth in the player as far as an in line option and some red zone ability probably the latter more scheme driven than anything else but sims looks like by far the best in line option on this roster right now...he's never gonna be a stud...and down the road miami may in fact look to upgrade at the primary in line spot with a more dynamic pass receiving option and make him more your 3rd tight end type...
i also like the mccain take...pretty much what i was saying in another thread...that kid needs more seasoning...you can tell he's not ready to play an every down lb
i still struggle with why people don't get the misi in space thing as far as a liability with the cod and covering that much space...but i guess people will figure it out in season...especially if he plays in the sub package...strong side olb trying to play mike and the athlete will verify it...take away the inside run fills and look at it from a fluidity aspect and i think it makes more sense...or should...
as for dion sims i'm not saying the guys gonna be a boss tight end but i do see growth in the player as far as an in line option and some red zone ability probably the latter more scheme driven than anything else but sims looks like by far the best in line option on this roster right now...he's never gonna be a stud...and down the road miami may in fact look to upgrade at the primary in line spot with a more dynamic pass receiving option and make him more your 3rd tight end type...
i also like the mccain take...pretty much what i was saying in another thread...that kid needs more seasoning...you can tell he's not ready to play an every down lb
People keep referring to Dion Sims as (Fasano like)....why is that a bad thing? He's a very good complement piece, has solid hands and seems to have improved his blocking. Should be a solid piece for the phins.
Fin Thirteen
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I guess with Misi I'm taking the glass-half-full view. The guy was a DE/LB tweener who couldn't cover a damn 2 or 3 years ago. Last year I thought his coverage game moved forward in a big way - his pursuit to the perimeter was a lot quicker and more decisive than before - plus we weren't getting abused by TEs releasing off the strongside to the same degree as prior years. Fast forward to preseason and I'm seeing good diagnosis and hustle to the ball. Has he metamorphosed his body in to a sideline-to-sideline pursuit monster? Clearly no. I'm choosing to believe that we have enough athletic ability around him in Ellerbe, Wheeler, Freeny, Jenkins, Trusnik, Tripp and McCain that we can compensate for his lateral deficiencies. That should be a lot easier to mask than our horrorshop last season, where we had plenty of pursuit, but only after the horse has bolted. A lot of people are trumpeting a McCain, Tripp, Misi base set, but I don't see any great coverage ability there. Jenkins was the guy you felt might be your coverage athlete, but I see him going backwards from last year. We have issues, but Misi is maybe the least of them, imo.
---------- Post added at 09:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:07 AM ----------
Dion Sims wishes he was Fasano (even the Fasano of 2014).
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PS on the fumble recovery where Fede recovered, did I spy Dion Jordan knocking the QBs hand? Hard to tell from the camera angle.
hoops
Tua time!
different scheme from when fasano was here...more take on at the los with fasano i see more to the second level lbs on the inside zone run game with sims and working at an angle...and he's looked pretty solid at it
i don't think he's fasano as a blocker level...but there's still meat on the bone for him to get better there...and he's definitely the best in line tight end we have and imo capable of playing a solid one in 2 tight sets
anyways miami also needs to work some unbalanced fronts this year and i fully expect to see it
as for the fede fumble play looked to me like the qb hit the ball on his blockers body and thus lost it...but dion was driving him backwards...with the same bull rush he's had since he arrived just more lead in the pants
i don't think he's fasano as a blocker level...but there's still meat on the bone for him to get better there...and he's definitely the best in line tight end we have and imo capable of playing a solid one in 2 tight sets
anyways miami also needs to work some unbalanced fronts this year and i fully expect to see it
as for the fede fumble play looked to me like the qb hit the ball on his blockers body and thus lost it...but dion was driving him backwards...with the same bull rush he's had since he arrived just more lead in the pants
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How good does that James pick look now? Nobody will care we reached by the start of the season if he's playing like this
To the Smith played against McCoy remark. That's encouraging if he played against McCoy and was holding his own
To the Smith played against McCoy remark. That's encouraging if he played against McCoy and was holding his own
hoops
Tua time!
back on the misi mike front i like it more if we make it a 2 down role...just with the understanding that he's gonna get caught overpursuing and being overly aggressive vs play action and misdirection...
i don't think you want that guy carrying much man coverage...drop zones and flat type stuff...covering at strong and at mike 2 different things to me...strong more flats and zone drop mike more carrying coverage and more depth in your drops...the latter of which he's working on
but when he comes forward to tackle in zone off the drops don't be surprised when he gets shook out of his shoes by lateral quickness...
i don't think you want that guy carrying much man coverage...drop zones and flat type stuff...covering at strong and at mike 2 different things to me...strong more flats and zone drop mike more carrying coverage and more depth in your drops...the latter of which he's working on
but when he comes forward to tackle in zone off the drops don't be surprised when he gets shook out of his shoes by lateral quickness...
The draft rankings will change immensely by the time the draft rolls around and there is no way this team drafts in the top 10. If the Fins draft where I expect them to (low 20's) no RB will have value for them.
Decent RB's have become a dime a dozen. Look at the one Denver just threw away. Hell there are 3rd string RB's I'd rather have than Miller. Our old GM just did a horrible job at filling the position.
Our o-line is well on it's way to becoming a strength. Once Pouncey returns and Turner develops/becomes more consistent in pass pro our o-line will be set. And once this happens a good running back will look great. It will also help immensely that teams are going to have to respect the passing game this season. Those little curls and seam routes down the middle of the field are really going to start holding LB's. If you watch in the Bucs game Tannehill was able to play pitch and catch during those situations. LB's will no longer be able to creep up towards the line of scrimmage and are going to have to respect Tannehill. Tannehill threw for 100 yards for Crist sake in one god damn quarter against the Bucs because of it. Defenses will have to adjust.
As far as the biggest hole on this team in is definitely a 3 down MLB who can stabilize a defense. If one is finally found Misi would be able to move back to his original position, enabling the Fins to release Ellerbe and his god awful contract and either McCain or Tripp could take over for Wheeler. That will be the biggest hole Hickey is looking to fill this next offseason as it would have the potential to upgrade all 3 LB positions.