Is Front 7 the Next Reconstruction Zone? | Page 4 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Is Front 7 the Next Reconstruction Zone?

Digital said:
The concepts of this multiple front defense is that almost every player can play multiple roles, and the combos are such that the defense itself can morph from play to play without situational substitutions. When that works, it makes pre-snap reads extremely tough for QB's, and allows defenses to avoid getting locked into bad personnel matchups with things like hurry-up (no-huddle) offenses.

But, for that to work, we need to stop thinking about guys as playing position X or Y. We need to find and develop guys who can play positions X and Y. For example, Christian Wilkins can play DT and DE effectively, and he's a guy that fits this system. Coupled with him on one side might be Kyle Van Noy who can play DE and OLB. This allows for a quick switch from a 34 to a 43 instantly, and back again. It allows us to show a 43 look to the QB pre-snap, and then have Van Noy drop back at the snap into coverage, wrecking the play call of the QB, unbalancing the OL blocking schemes, and making the QB hesitate or make a mistake. It allows us to overload the other side without sacrificing coverage underneath as the coverage LB's simply roll to one side to fill the gaps.

Those are all great things. But, we need versatile players. Baker is a LB with speed, but he can in no way ever play DE, nor can he play MLB, he is strictly a speed OLB. For him to gain versatility, he needs to become an OLB/SS hybrid, and until he fully learns the playbook and his assignments, he is not ready to take on a hybrid role--it is very study intensive. Van Ginkel is the guy who might have a chance to succeed Van Noy in the OLB/DE role, but clearly Van Ginkel isn't ready yet either ... and may never be physical enough to compete at DE. Davon Godchaux is too light to be a legitimate NT, but he can play DT at a passable level. He does not have the skills to effectively be a DE. Essentially, he is not a hybrid, but merely a role player. The goal is to make Emmanuel Ogbah (DE/OLB) and Shaq Lawson (OLB/DE) those guys on the other side ... but so far it has not happened. If those guys cannot play both of those roles effectively, they will be replaced. Their contracts allow for us to move on from them if it does not work out.

While it is not outside the realm of possibilities that we draft/sign an NT, I find it unlikely. That player would be a NT/DT with no other real positional flexibility. More likely we find a guy like our old Dolphins legend Randy Starks who has flexibility as a DT and DE at a high level. Then we back him up with someone in the mold of a Jason Taylor type (talk about Legends!) who can play DE and OLB to complete the defensive front. The only other position we would need along the front 6 would really be a MLB, and that is a tough position to fill. I'd say it is a lower priority than the edge types, but we definitely need one.
Click to expand...
You Get It! Work in progress...
 
SF Dolphin Fan said:
Its early. Just one game in the books
But the play of the front seven was easily the biggest disappointment in the opener.

Wilkins and Baker looked good, but that was about it. Maybe those two are the building blocks.

Again its early. I liked the Lawson addition and think he is emerging. Davis is a rookie I'm higher on than most. Ogbah looked good in KC. Godchaux probably fits in the average at best category. Van Noy was a really good player in New England.

Should the front seven be the next rebuilding focus?
Click to expand...

We spent a ton of money on the front 7 this off-season. If it needs a rebuilding focus already, you failed as a front office.
 
Digital said:
Well there are a lot of items to discuss on this topic, but here are a few of my higher priority ones:

1. Today's NFL is more of a front 6 than a front 7.
With nickel becoming the new base, it is going to be harder no matter how you line up since you will only have 6 guys. This leads directly to the benefit of multiple defenses that can shift guys into DL and back to LB, as well as the current trend of playing S as LB and allowing them to flex back into S spots on a play by play basis. The high versatility guys, hybrids, and guys who used to be called "tweeners" are back in vogue, especially with this defense. In fact, they're at a premium, so they're hard to acquire now.

2. I predicted 2021 would be our draft for edge rushers.
The front and back ends need to work together, and Coach Flo has heavily invested in DB's (2 highest paid CB's [Xavien Howard and Byron Jones] and drafted a 3rd CB in round 1 [Noah Iggy], and that is just the CB's!). For us to get a good return from those DB's, we need to get a pass rush. The 2019 draft was--correctly--about building a base, with high investment in DL (Christian Wilkins) and a mid-round investment in OL (Michael Deiter). I was on record as believing we needed to invest in more OL, but we didn't. We also passed on a pass rusher (Chase Winovich) to take a flyer on a QB, and while I was against that and it did not work out ... I can't blame the staff for taking a shot. There simply were not any pass rushers in the 2020 draft except for the exceptional Chase Young--who we were never going to get because we correctly targeted a QB. That meant that bypassing pass rusher in 2019 meant we were not going to find one until 2021. If the goal was to stay bad until we reached the 2021 draft, then not investing in pass rushers made a lot of sense. This allowed us to pick high in all thee drafts (2019, 2020, and 2021) to maximize all those great draft picks. But in 2021, make no mistake about it, we NEED to draft 2 stud pass rushers. Our current guys suck.

3. We now see that the scheme does NOT generate the pass rush.
The consensus about the Patriots defense had always been that the scheme generates the pass rush. I love that concept, but was always skeptical of it. The Patriots may not be able to pay and keep elite pass rushers who all seem set to leave for richer pastures in FA so they get traded. It makes the roster more manageable when there are no players with high sack numbers, so the Patriots like to spread that around. But make no mistake about it ... it requires more than just scheme. Our scheme has produced the worst pass rush in the NFL. Without talent ... it isn't going to work.

4. Shaq Lawson and Emannuel Ogbah are stopgap players.
These guys have potential, and in this multiple system they might find a home, but they need to prove that they get to the QB, AND perform other roles in this defense well also. So far they've done neither. But, it was always clear that the NFL did not rate their ability as pure pass rushers, which is why they were available at the price they commanded. Either they prove to be versatile defenders, or they're short term Dolphins.

5. Our DL is not good enough.
Christian Wilkins is starting to blossom, and I have hope he can be part of the solution. After that we have nothing but role players. Most NFL teams invest heavily along their DL these days, and our role players need to be just that ... role players, not starters. We need at least 1 more cornerstone DL to pair with Wilkins. If/when we draft pass rushers, don't be surprised if one is a DL who can flex inside and outside, and another is an edge guy who can flex DE and OLB. We need those players to generate a pass rush and utilize our investments at DB.

6. We still have one of the worst LB corps in the league.
Our LB corps is improved. While the Patriots may have Kyle Van Noy's number and know exactly how to neutralize him ... I'm confident that he will prove a major asset for the rest of the year. Baker seems to have made some significant strides, although he still needs to master his playbook and learn his run fits. Those two things alone make our LB corps better, but it still is not enough. It seems clear that swapping Raekwon McMillan for Elandon Roberts simply traded a pass coverage weakness for a run stopping weakness ... so we still do not have the answer there. It will be interesting to see how that develops over the course of this season.

7. If we lose the trenches we lose the game.
Improvement is not always a satisfying process, but we saw some pass pro improvement along our rebuilt OL. Our rebuilt defensive front 6 looks quite shaky with less improvement, but it did show some improvement. If any coaching staff knows how to attack the Patriots defense ... it's Belichick and the Patriots, so let's not jump to conclusions too quickly. This season is NOT about going to the Super Bowl. This season is NOT about going to the playoffs. This season is about building up our base, developing new players, and providing a platform for our new young QB to learn and develop for a 15+ year career as the starting Miami Dolphins QB. So, let's keep our eyes on the ball, and focus on improving in those trenches. I firmly believe we will draft a pass rusher or two very high in the 2021 draft. That should help shore up our defensive woes. And, by 2021, I think our OL will have settled.

Coach Flo's work is best viewed through the lens of the long-term. It's less about wins today and more about building for wins tomorrow. We had a plan, and so far we're following it and it is mostly playing out as we planned. We got Tua, we got young OL, we got elite CB's, we even got a young WR and several young TE's for Tua. We added veteran leaders/teachers/role-models for hte locker room like Fitz, Karras, Rowe, Van Noy and Roberts. Things are headed in the right direction. Let's not get derailed by a speeding hype-train that overestimates our timetables.
Click to expand...
I agree with a lot of what you said other than "we have a WR for Tua" We're really lacking explosive WR's. He had 4 of those at Bama and none here. I'm talking about WR's that will catch a 5 yard pass and take it 50 yards. All 4 guys at bama could do that. Sure we need more defense but we're never gonna win anything unless we get some real play makers and passing on that this year was just dumb. It normally takes WR's at least a year to get going. Now we'll draft a WR in 2021 but it'll be 2022 before him and Tua are really on the same page. That could have been happening this year.
 
It's only one game, give it time to see if more players during the season emerge...Give more time to see if as time goes by, the front seven don't start playing more cohesive.

If they don't get better or improve slightly, then obviously next off-season, better player may need to be brought in to fix the front 7.
 
Bumpus said:
Rome wasn't built in a day. This isn't a 1-year rebuild, and it never was.

patience_grasshopper.jpg
Click to expand...

Oh truly I understand. I have been waiting for decades, what is another year? But this d line was just rebuilt, at a hefty price too, and I just dont see much of an improvement.

At this point I dont know if it is a player or scheme thing or both. Either way there are currently red flags that I am watching. The Patriots had their way with us and it shook me back to Dolphins reality.

We look so slow as a defense that it is scary. We have no thumpers or speedsters. Closest thing we have is one guy in Jerome Baker and we all see that he cant do it by himself.
 
Danny said:
I agree with a lot of what you said other than "we have a WR for Tua" We're really lacking explosive WR's. He had 4 of those at Bama and none here. I'm talking about WR's that will catch a 5 yard pass and take it 50 yards. All 4 guys at bama could do that. Sure we need more defense but we're never gonna win anything unless we get some real play makers and passing on that this year was just dumb. It normally takes WR's at least a year to get going. Now we'll draft a WR in 2021 but it'll be 2022 before him and Tua are really on the same page. That could have been happening this year.
Click to expand...
Well I'm seeing Preston Williams as the young WR. Not saying he is going to be a cornerstone #1 or anything, but it does appear as though he'll be here a while and probably as a starter, so Tua can build chemistry with him now and use that as he learns the position at the NFL level. Likewise, I think Gesicki is going to be here a while as well, so Tua has some players with whom to grow.
 
Pats did a good job of getting a hat on a hat Sunday with their offense. The preparation of that team and assignment play level is really impressive. They are just so coached up
 
PSU Cane said:
We spent a ton of money on the front 7 this off-season. If it needs a rebuilding focus already, you failed as a front office.
Click to expand...
Maybe, but again we need to see how this works out. What if every rookie on the offensive line pans out? I know Hunt is a little behind right now. What if Tua turns out to be the superstar many of us expect? That would be truly an A draft, not even counting players like Brandon Jones etc.

Free agency is mostly about depth, although I hear you. Lawson, Van Noy and Ogbah are young players who the team is likely counting on to start over the next few years. When all is said and done, hopefully the team will play much better. But, I do think the Dolphins need a DT who can dominate in the running game and better linebackers overall. I think front 7 focus is likely even if some of these free agents eventually come through.
 
1Dolfan said:
on our run stopping packages why is Ogbah a DE? hes 280 lbs as a DE in a 3-4 taking on double teams, trying to stop the run. Why not Slide him to SLB and slide Van Noy to ILB. This was just a terribly coached game, i don't blame the players yet.
Click to expand...
Maybe others can speak more to in-game coaching moves, but Miami did stack the line as an adjustment. It certainly didn't slow NE down though.
 
Etuoo33 said:
You Get It! Work in progress...
Click to expand...
Definitely! You could see the focus of the draft was getting Tua and building the offensive line. FA was more about defense. I don't see the Dolphins spending big on free agency in the future. It will be much more about building through the draft.
 
Avigatorx said:
Lots of well thought out posts and good points @Digital . But I'm not ready to write off our pass rush 19 passing downs into the season.

I AM however, a bit concerned about our ability to stop the run. Hopefully we see some improvement in that area soon.
Click to expand...
illscriptures said:
Oh truly I understand. I have been waiting for decades, what is another year? But this d line was just rebuilt, at a hefty price too, and I just dont see much of an improvement.

At this point I dont know if it is a player or scheme thing or both. Either way there are currently red flags that I am watching. The Patriots had their way with us and it shook me back to Dolphins reality.

We look so slow as a defense that it is scary. We have no thumpers or speedsters. Closest thing we have is one guy in Jerome Baker and we all see that he cant do it by himself.
Click to expand...
I was surprised that Miami didn't adjust better to the play fakes. But do have to give Cam Newton credit for executing those so well. When Miami stacked the line, they couldn't stop the run either so that is discouraging and the main reason I started this post. Again, I know it's just one game.
 
SF Dolphin Fan said:
I was surprised that Miami didn't adjust better to the play fakes. But do have to give Cam Newton credit for executing those so well. When Miami stacked the line, they couldn't stop the run either so that is discouraging and the main reason I started this post. Again, I know it's just one game.
Click to expand...

Oh for sure. And Cam is far from done. The Patriots will win the division again if he stays healthy no doubt about it in my mind. It was just disappointing seeing us get manhandled so easily from the start of the game all the way until the end, when we all thought we had at least improved dramatically from last year on the defensive line. Cam made our front 7 looks as slow as last year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom