SCall13
Finheaven QB
When we first took Ginn over Quinn, I was disappointed, to say the least. Not so much that we DIDN'T take Quinn, but how we reached for a guy who isn't even healthy and is very unpolished. But I have been giving it a little more thought:
We have several guys who can take it two the house on any given play. When is the last time we could, as fans, say that about the Miami Dolphins and MEAN it. And the great thing is, a defense can no longer double up Chambers and focus on stuffing our running game. The safeties can't cheat up with Chambers and Ginn out there. I think Ginn, though a rookie, will really motivate Chambers and we may see Chambers at his best to date because of the pressure Ginn takes off of him.
No doubt in my mind the run defense will be loosened up a bit. And this will be especially true if our TE is able to work the middle and flats consistently.
Imagine for a moment, if you will, Ronnie (and HOPEFULLY Ricky) running against a defense that isn't stacking 7 or even 8 - where they have room to maneuver and get into the secondary more often and use their speed. That especially gets me excited thinking about Ricky because I think Ronnie will always be more the bruiser type back. (Which is fine as long as we can pass effectively).
The play calling, by leaps and bounds, should be way more creative.
In a perfect world this is what happens:
Remember all the outs, curls, and comebacks our recievers ran last year? You know, the routes that didn't allow our recievers to make yards after catch? I don't think we'll be seeing quite as many of them. Our QBs had terrible YPA in part because of this vanilla, take no chances style. And this is what allowed defenses to stack us at the line. It was much too easy for the DBs to keep pass plays in front of them and it required less help in the secondary.
NOW, with Chambers on one side and Ginn on the other. OR Booker on one side, Ginn on the other and Chambers in the slot, it will be a lot more difficult to match up so easily. Obviously we'll see more deep balls. But we'll also see more passes in the seams that allow our recievers to run after the catch. We'll see more crossing routes, which are almost impossible cover, quick slants, etc. - anything that gives our recievers a chance to make some plays after the catch.
The ability and threat of stretching the field will spread the defense out, allowing for wider running lanes for our backs. Draws, delays, and misdirections will be more effective. AND the screen will be hugely more effective.
The bottom line is defenses will have a lot more to think about now. And with creative play-calling, we'll be able to get the defense on their heels and move forward. When is the last time you heard someone say our offense had a defense on their heels? The last time I heard that was when we roasted Dallas on Thanksgiving several years ago. And that is the only time I've heard that since Marino retired - since BEFORE Marino retired.
I know, all of this is dependant upon our QB play. If we get Green, which is still a good possibility, we have a smart, veteran guy who knows HOW to, and the importance of, getting the ball into the hands of guys who can make plays. If we have to go with Beck, I'm sure the coaches will put him in position to be successful and he'll have plenty of guys around him to help lift him up. Beck is not coming into a situation like Carr did with the Texans for example. He'll be in a situation where we have a strong enough running game to keep pressure off of him. And we have veteran recievers who can bail him out with the tough catch.
Again, this is all perfect world stuff. But I'm feeling a little better now that I think about it. What initially seemed like we might be in the midst of a total tear down and rebuild is starting to take on the face of optimism about actually being competitive sooner than later.
If we throw in Ginn's ability to return kickoffs and punts, then we add another dimension to our team that we haven't had in a long time. Hell, GINN returning kicks is a dimension the Dolphins have NEVER had.
Booker has the quickness and speed to really give us great flexibility and a big play threat on 3rd downs. Imagine spreading the defense out with three wides and having Booker in the backfield to run a draw, catch a swing pass, motion to a slot, run a circle route after the recievers clear, etc. His quickness in space can make things happen for us. Booker is a lot better than his number at FSU indicate. He ran behind what is widely regarded as a very bad offensive line. IMO, his prescence on 3rd downs elevates our 3rd down conversion rate by a pretty good percentage, which has been one of the weakest points of our offense.
All of this, of course, is assuming we get adequate QB play AND our offensive line plays better. There is no question in my mind that our offensive line will be several steps ahead of where they were when last season ended. TO answer the QB concern: Basing it on the history of success Cameron has had with QBs, there is no reason NOT to be optimistic that, whoever the QB is, we'll see a VAST improvement over last year's debacle.
Anyway guys, I know this sounds extremely optimistic, especially coming from a guy (me) who considers himself a realist. But I'm just trying to look at the positive side of things. It's very realistic that this offense improves IMMENSELY over last season. It's also within reason that we see very little improvement for the first half of the season as this team gels. It remains to be seen. But the fact is, the future is already looking brighter for the team. And if nothing else, we should at least add a little excitement to a team that has been dull - borderline anemic - since Jimmy Johnson took over.
We have several guys who can take it two the house on any given play. When is the last time we could, as fans, say that about the Miami Dolphins and MEAN it. And the great thing is, a defense can no longer double up Chambers and focus on stuffing our running game. The safeties can't cheat up with Chambers and Ginn out there. I think Ginn, though a rookie, will really motivate Chambers and we may see Chambers at his best to date because of the pressure Ginn takes off of him.
No doubt in my mind the run defense will be loosened up a bit. And this will be especially true if our TE is able to work the middle and flats consistently.
Imagine for a moment, if you will, Ronnie (and HOPEFULLY Ricky) running against a defense that isn't stacking 7 or even 8 - where they have room to maneuver and get into the secondary more often and use their speed. That especially gets me excited thinking about Ricky because I think Ronnie will always be more the bruiser type back. (Which is fine as long as we can pass effectively).
The play calling, by leaps and bounds, should be way more creative.
In a perfect world this is what happens:
Remember all the outs, curls, and comebacks our recievers ran last year? You know, the routes that didn't allow our recievers to make yards after catch? I don't think we'll be seeing quite as many of them. Our QBs had terrible YPA in part because of this vanilla, take no chances style. And this is what allowed defenses to stack us at the line. It was much too easy for the DBs to keep pass plays in front of them and it required less help in the secondary.
NOW, with Chambers on one side and Ginn on the other. OR Booker on one side, Ginn on the other and Chambers in the slot, it will be a lot more difficult to match up so easily. Obviously we'll see more deep balls. But we'll also see more passes in the seams that allow our recievers to run after the catch. We'll see more crossing routes, which are almost impossible cover, quick slants, etc. - anything that gives our recievers a chance to make some plays after the catch.
The ability and threat of stretching the field will spread the defense out, allowing for wider running lanes for our backs. Draws, delays, and misdirections will be more effective. AND the screen will be hugely more effective.
The bottom line is defenses will have a lot more to think about now. And with creative play-calling, we'll be able to get the defense on their heels and move forward. When is the last time you heard someone say our offense had a defense on their heels? The last time I heard that was when we roasted Dallas on Thanksgiving several years ago. And that is the only time I've heard that since Marino retired - since BEFORE Marino retired.
I know, all of this is dependant upon our QB play. If we get Green, which is still a good possibility, we have a smart, veteran guy who knows HOW to, and the importance of, getting the ball into the hands of guys who can make plays. If we have to go with Beck, I'm sure the coaches will put him in position to be successful and he'll have plenty of guys around him to help lift him up. Beck is not coming into a situation like Carr did with the Texans for example. He'll be in a situation where we have a strong enough running game to keep pressure off of him. And we have veteran recievers who can bail him out with the tough catch.
Again, this is all perfect world stuff. But I'm feeling a little better now that I think about it. What initially seemed like we might be in the midst of a total tear down and rebuild is starting to take on the face of optimism about actually being competitive sooner than later.
If we throw in Ginn's ability to return kickoffs and punts, then we add another dimension to our team that we haven't had in a long time. Hell, GINN returning kicks is a dimension the Dolphins have NEVER had.
Booker has the quickness and speed to really give us great flexibility and a big play threat on 3rd downs. Imagine spreading the defense out with three wides and having Booker in the backfield to run a draw, catch a swing pass, motion to a slot, run a circle route after the recievers clear, etc. His quickness in space can make things happen for us. Booker is a lot better than his number at FSU indicate. He ran behind what is widely regarded as a very bad offensive line. IMO, his prescence on 3rd downs elevates our 3rd down conversion rate by a pretty good percentage, which has been one of the weakest points of our offense.
All of this, of course, is assuming we get adequate QB play AND our offensive line plays better. There is no question in my mind that our offensive line will be several steps ahead of where they were when last season ended. TO answer the QB concern: Basing it on the history of success Cameron has had with QBs, there is no reason NOT to be optimistic that, whoever the QB is, we'll see a VAST improvement over last year's debacle.
Anyway guys, I know this sounds extremely optimistic, especially coming from a guy (me) who considers himself a realist. But I'm just trying to look at the positive side of things. It's very realistic that this offense improves IMMENSELY over last season. It's also within reason that we see very little improvement for the first half of the season as this team gels. It remains to be seen. But the fact is, the future is already looking brighter for the team. And if nothing else, we should at least add a little excitement to a team that has been dull - borderline anemic - since Jimmy Johnson took over.
