How did last yrs. OL affect the WR play? | Page 2 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

How did last yrs. OL affect the WR play?

Our piss poor run blocking has affected everything that we've done.

Karras was awful at this. Jackson was poor after his foot injury. The only ones that generated much of a punch were the three Guards: Flowers, Kindley, and Hunt.

Skura may help, Jackson will be healthy again... but we still BADLY need another Tackle.

Bring in another Tackle and send Hunt inside and the problem may be fixed. We'll be able to run with more power and this will open up the passing lanes.
 
Danny said:
It's always a combination of factors but you don't pass on a top playmaker just because you don't have the "perfect" O-line. If we're going to wait till we have 5 all pros up front then we'll be waiting for another 100 years to win anything.
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Pretty sure the topic was how/if the OL play affects the passing game ... not who should we draft ... sorry if my post was misleading
 
LOL ... maybe I should have worded my OP differently for some of you...

I'm not advocating which player/position to draft at any particular draft spot....

I an simply wondering how much of an impact, if any, our OL had on our receiving group...

Were/are our receivers really bad or are they better than advertised as a result of an inexperienced line with moving parts? I know we need better/more talent ... I know we need play makers at the skills ... but those needs aren't my question
 
mwestberry said:
LOL ... maybe I should have worded my OP differently for some of you...

I'm not advocating which player/position to draft at any particular draft spot....

I an simply wondering how much of an impact, if any, our OL had on our receiving group...

Were/are our receivers really bad or are they better than advertised as a result of an inexperienced line with moving parts? I know we need better/more talent ... I know we need play makers at the skills ... but those needs aren't my question
Click to expand...

I doubt anyone can say with certainty. 3 rookies, none with a PS. All having an OS to get in NFL shape. A change at OC. How does all that shake out? we can discus this til regular season game 1 (and beyond), but no one knows the opinions of Flo and OL coaches. There projections for the 5 current starters will not be the same as FHs. I still maintain the biggest weakness was run blocking. No, pass blocking wasn't top 5, but the lack of run blocking hurt.
It didn't help Miami had some talented WR who either couldn't get separation and/or couldn't stretch the field. Separating the significance of OL vs WR isn't easy and, likely, isn't possible.
FWIW, I expect 1-2 OLmen drafted. Not R1, but drafted. I suspect Grier/Flo/scouts are keeping a close eye on future FAs. Who, if any, they draft/sign will tell fans where they think the weakness was.
 
It may have played a role, but the bigger factors were the two opt outs and injuries. Losing Wilson and Hurns hurt the wrs depth, not to mention Wilson's ability to get yards after the catch. To make matters worse Miami opted to move Parker around and play him a great deal out of the slot. That took Parker away from doing the things he does best. I'm not saying Parker played in the slot all the time, but in my mind he played there too much. Then you have the injuries to Parker, Williams and Grant... even when Grant and Parker played don the stretch they were limited at times due to the injuries. I honestly believe if Parker, Williams, Wilson, Bowden, Hurns and Grant played the entire season together and healthy you could have had a decent corp.
 
Last edited:
After further review ...

I looked at next gen stats and the advanced passing stats for all QB's in the NFL for last season and came away with...

Tua and Fitz had similar stats (advanced: time in pocket etc.) and compared to the top QB's our QB's were not drastically different
many of the play off QB's were really pretty close (and I realize in some cases .5 second is a bunch)

Just leaves me with the conclusion that our issue is more receiver driven than OL ... that being said a couple of difference makers on the other end of our passes is a must ... all of this talk about addressing the D early seems crazy ... same goes for OL IMO.

I'm wondering if we would consider trading our extra # 1 to move up (back into the 1st?) for a shot at 3 of the potential play makers ...
 
Danny said:
It's always a combination of factors but you don't pass on a top playmaker just because you don't have the "perfect" O-line. If we're going to wait till we have 5 all pros up front then we'll be waiting for another 100 years to win anything.
Click to expand...
The problem I have with that, is that I don't see any of the "top" 3 wideouts (Chase being the best of the three, and likely gone at #6) as great talents from an historical perspective.
 
mwestberry said:
LOL ... maybe I should have worded my OP differently for some of you...

I'm not advocating which player/position to draft at any particular draft spot....

I an simply wondering how much of an impact, if any, our OL had on our receiving group...

Were/are our receivers really bad or are they better than advertised as a result of an inexperienced line with moving parts? I know we need better/more talent ... I know we need play makers at the skills ... but those needs aren't my question
Click to expand...
They just can't help themselves....lol.

Some ppl get so focused, invested, defensive in their position, that they cant put it aside for a philosophical discussion.

Be that as it may, I believe "OK" is not good enough. It isn't good enough if you can't give the QB time for routes to develop against zone, and it isn't good enough if you can't generate a consistent rushing attack.

Now having said that, in our specific case, we invested pretty heavily last year, and I expect a substantial jump for our three rookies from last season.

I see no reason to double down at this point.
 
Mach2 said:
The problem I have with that, is that I don't see any of the "top" 3 wideouts (Chase being the best of the three, and likely gone at #6) as great talents from an historical perspective.
Click to expand...
well, it was a general statement based on people thinking we're not supposed to draft anybody unless we have that amazing O-line.
 
I think the O-line is a little underrated around here. We played 3 rookies for a lot of the year. Our QBs were sacked 34 times last year. A far cry from the years where Tannehill was getting crushed 50+ times a year.
 
I think the receiver problem was more about staying healthy. Toward the end of the year we were playing backups or hurt starters. I do think the o-line could've provided a tad more time but it was enough for quicker routes. Especially considering, as others have said, that we had three rookies playing. Maybe the poor run blocking allowed defenses to not bite on play action so much, but I don't really remember how much play action we used or if it was ineffective.
 
mwestberry said:
After further review ...

I looked at next gen stats and the advanced passing stats for all QB's in the NFL for last season and came away with...

Tua and Fitz had similar stats (advanced: time in pocket etc.) and compared to the top QB's our QB's were not drastically different
many of the play off QB's were really pretty close (and I realize in some cases .5 second is a bunch)

Just leaves me with the conclusion that our issue is more receiver driven than OL ... that being said a couple of difference makers on the other end of our passes is a must ... all of this talk about addressing the D early seems crazy ... same goes for OL IMO.

I'm wondering if we would consider trading our extra # 1 to move up (back into the 1st?) for a shot at 3 of the potential play makers ...
Click to expand...

A talent of all elite QBs is reading the blitz. See where it's coming from, recognize the hot receiver and run the play. No, I'm not saying a solid OL isn't important, but a smart QB and good receivers make their job easier. The most physically talented QB in NFL hx won't be worth much if the mental quickness isn't there.

I want an OL at least average in pass AND run blocking. Of course, the the better they are, the better the O is. Wish I had some idea how the '21 OL will look
 
Not much, they were all on the bench hurt, the WRs I mean.
 
A marginal receiving crew that's easily guarded with basic coverage will result in a lot more pressure on an o line.
 
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