If Merling can move to SOLB, can Roth move to ILB? | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

If Merling can move to SOLB, can Roth move to ILB?

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phinfreak

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I am not convinced Miami will spend big bucks on a FA. Given the possibility that we'll have a hole at ILB if Crowder books it, and the excellent rational described in other post for Merling being groomed to move to SOLB, would Roth fit at ILB?

He has the size, speed (if you can play DE and SOLB, you have enough speed at ILB).

Thoughts?
 
phinfreak said:
I am not convinced Miami will spend big bucks on a FA. Given the possibility that we'll have a hole at ILB if Crowder books it, and the excellent rational described in other post for Merling being groomed to move to SOLB, would Roth fit at ILB?

He has the size, speed (if you can play DE and SOLB, you have enough speed at ILB).

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I would be interested to see it because he can stop the run well and his only pass rush move is a bull rush, which NONE of our other LB, inside or out, can do. He'd be a liability in pass coverage, but Crowder is actually pretty good at that and can fill that void.

I'd be interested to see Porter and Wake as our 2 OLBs and Roth and Crowder as our 2 ILBs, with a healthy rotation of a rookie and role players (Ayodele, Torbor, Anderson). Hmmmmmmmmmmm.
 
No-to merling at Lb,
i think trying Roth as the less coverage ILB would not be a bad idea. i mean he will put up big numbers and is a better tackler at contact than crowder
 
Merling is WAAAYYY too big to play any LBer position. He's just fine where he is at DE. Why would we move him? Merling and Langford will be our starting DE's for a long time and if we sign Canty we'll have a dominant rotation for a loooong time.
 
phinfreak said:
I am not convinced Miami will spend big bucks on a FA. Given the possibility that we'll have a hole at ILB if Crowder books it, and the excellent rational described in other post for Merling being groomed to move to SOLB, would Roth fit at ILB?

He has the size, speed (if you can play DE and SOLB, you have enough speed at ILB).

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I gave a more detailed reply in the stickied thread.

My thread on Merling was speculation, connecting the dots if you will, using information we already knew. There's no way to tell what the front office has planned for him - just my own version of a theory several other knowledgeable posters brought up after he was drafted. Most of the concern is centered on his weight - when he was at Clemson he was 15-20 lbs lighter than what he played at for the Dolphins in 2008. If he's back to that in mini-camps, odds are a little better that a switch is in order; if not, he's staying at DE.

As far as Roth ever being an ILB, in any defense, 3-4 or 4-3, it won't happen.
 
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hmmm... i'm not against it, but putting merling at SOLB and blitzing him would almost closely resemble a 4-3 defense. but before we put him out there, i want to see him get a little thinner and quicker
 
If Levon Kirkland was a ILB at 300 lbs Matt Roth could play well as a stop gap ILB, but not a coverage ILB.

However Merling is not going any where
 
i like this idea , i was thinking same thing , i realy like roth at mlb
with draft pick brian cushing at pick 25
 
I think Merling will need to convert some of that fat to muscle and pick up some speed along the way if he wants to stand up. I remember last year talking about the possibility we'll see.
 
i think it will be out of necessity if merling moves to OLB. he's athletic enough to make the move - and dropping 15 pounds is no big deal - but he's probably better suited to stay where he's at.

no to roth moving inside.
 
Although I am intrigued by a 270 pound beast for an ILB, I have to question if Roth has the essential block shedding technique and skills required to play ILB at a high level.
At defensive end, a players main technique is to either bull rush or get by them to the side(with the occasional spin), either way, you are mainly slapping peoples hands off of you to get by them, where an Inside linebacker cant afford to run to the edge of the blocker, they need to engage and shed it before the runner gets to them. I dont think Roth is fast enough for that. Roth is big, but an offensive guard is bigger.
 
we arnt going to need Merling to move to SOLB becuase Peppers is going to play that spot for us
 
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