Malik Willis, perhaps our new GM has our Qb? | Page 71 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Malik Willis, perhaps our new GM has our Qb?

Finsup81 said:
From Omar:

Know that moment when you have found an item you would like to possibly purchase, then your eyes nearly pop out your head looking at the price tag?

You have been hit with sticker shock, and immediately rush to put the overpriced item down.

That seemed to be Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley’s reaction to the asking price on quarterback Malik Willis at the NFL Combine based on the dots we can connect.

The Miami Dolphins’ new circle of trust openly praised Willis in front of every microphone placed in front of them. They discussed how happy they were for the Green Bay Packers backup being in this position to make a massive career and financial come-up. But the Dolphins’ newly appointed general manager and head coach also dropped a ton of hints that they don’t expect Willis to be in their price range.

And that was done intentionally, for one reason or another.

Willis and his representatives are looking for Mercedes G-Wagon money and the Dolphins, which have less than $1 million in cap space heading into next Tuesday’s start of the legal free agent bidding process [last week was the illegal bidding], barely have the money for a gently used Honda Passport.

However, even if Miami did have the finances [say $8 million in cap space] to make a Justin Fields type of deal for Willis — offering to pay him $40 million during the next two seasons, with $30 million of it being guaranteed — I don’t believe they should because the sample size of Willis shining on an NFL field is too small.

He has thrown all of 155 NFL passes in four years, and has stumbled at every turn since exiting high school.

Willis was hyped as a first-round talent in the 2022 Draft, but got selected in the third round by the Tennessee Titans because he was small, played at a small school [Liberty] after transferring there because he lost a quarterback battle at Auburn to Bo Nix, who is now the Denver Broncos starter, and played exclusively in a shotgun offense in college.

At Tennessee, he struggled mightily. So much so the Titans replaced him with Will Levis, who by the way is also available via a trade, and then traded Willis to the Green Bay Packers for a 2025 seventh-round pick.

In Green Bay, Willis settled into a West Coast offense, benefitted from good coaching and shined in his limited opportunities the past two seasons. But we’re really talking about six games, and that limited sample size shouldn’t equate to a $100 million contract.

I have watched every offensive snap of those six games, and while I admit there’s some intrigue to Willis, who has above average athleticism, and a solid arm, I believe he’s a slow processor, one who was propped up by the talent around him, and used his scrambling ability as a cheat code.

While utilizing his legs to convert first downs and scramble for touchdowns is in vogue with today’s NFL game, the only time that style has had staying power is when the quarterback’s the size of Cam Newton or Josh Allen, passers who are both 6-foot-5, 240-ish pounds, do it.

And even with them the hits eventually add up.

Willis is 6-1, 225 pounds, which coincidentally or not, is the exact same size as Tua Tagovailoa, who by the way was the consensus No. 1 rated dual-threat quarterback back in 2017 when he was playing high school football in Hawaii.

You know what happened to Tagovailoa? Over the time the hits he took accumulated, and he lost those wheels, and became skittish to contact.

What becomes of Willis when/if the same happens to him?

These Dolphins decision-makers — Sullivan and Hafley — got to watch Willis 10 times more than any other NFL team because they watched him for every practice in Green Bay.

Willis spent every week he wasn’t working as a starter preparing Hafley’s defense for its opponents, so if anyone knows what he’s capable of it’s Sullivan and Hafley.

Hell, the former Titans general manager, Jon Robinson, the individual who selected Willis 86th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, is now part of the Dolphins organization as a senior personnel executive, so the new Dolphins circle of trust possesses more information than anyone can possibly need to make this critical decision.

So, they better get it right one way or another.

Either route they take — going all in on Willis, or standing down — Sullivan and Hafley will be judged by this decision, especially if Willis delivers for his next team and becomes a top 15 quarterback for the next six or more seasons.

But what happens if he’s the next Brock Osweiler, the last backup quarterback paid big money by a new team to become a starter before they discovered he was a fraud?

This decision could be brought up every time his name is mentioned, much like Miami’s two whiffs at Drew Brees, a soon-to-be Hall of Fame quarterback whom the Dolphins passed on selecting in the first round of the 2001 draft because they took disappointing cornerback Jamar Fletcher, and then backed out of an offer on him as a free agent in 2006 because of concerns about his surgically repaired throwing shoulder.

If we’re being honest, these are the types of decisions that define a regime, and have handcuffed the Dolphins franchise.

We will quickly learn what Sullivan and Hafley are made of based on how they handle this decision, and replacing Tagovailoa, who most in the NFL expect to be released with a June 1 designation in March.

Are they shred shoppers, able to find bargains and deals, or do they follow trends and pay full price for what’s in style?

One way or another, we will learn plenty about the Dolphins based on how they handle Willis’ bidding.
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Omar is correct
 
Mach2 said:
Omar is correct
Click to expand...

No, he isn't. He's a moron and this is his usual I-think-this-sounds-smart stuff that doesn't hold up under any scrutiny or logic. I don't have time to cover all the stupidity he is spewing but will hit some of the highlights:


"The Miami Dolphins’ new circle of trust openly praised Willis in front of every microphone placed in front of them. They discussed how happy they were for the Green Bay Packers backup being in this position to make a massive career and financial come-up. But the Dolphins’ newly appointed general manager and head coach also dropped a ton of hints that they don’t expect Willis to be in their price range." No mention of any of these supposed hints, which makes it impossible to respond to them, which I think was the intent.



"He has thrown all of 155 NFL passes in four years, and has stumbled at every turn since exiting high school." Stumbled at every turn? For the last two years he is the NFLs's highest rated passer and has the highest EPA/play by a country mile. He was pretty successful at Liberty. He was good enough in high school to get a scholarship to Auburn. That he ended up losing out to an eventual NFL first round pick is hardly a major stumble. His only real stumble was a few games as a raw rookie in Tennessee.


"I have watched every offensive snap of those six games, and while I admit there’s some intrigue to Willis, who has above average athleticism, and a solid arm, I believe he’s a slow processor, one who was propped up by the talent around him, and used his scrambling ability as a cheat code." I'll assume he has watched all his reps the last two years, but he clearly has no idea what he is looking at. that's no surprise to anyone who is familiar with Omar's uneducated bloviation. First, "above average athleticism" is absurd for a guy who ran a 4.37 40 at Auburn at around 220. If he truly watched Willis eliminate angles among some of the leagues faster players and concluded he is just an "above-average" athlete he is even dumber than I thought. Second, "solid arm" is an idiotic criticism for a guy who has throw multiple 65+ yard passes in games and 70+ yard passes in workouts. Third, he has not been a slow processor at all the last two years. You don't throw catchable passes 90% of the time if you are a slow processor. You also don't lead the league in passer rating and EPA/play.

"While utilizing his legs to convert first downs and scramble for touchdowns is in vogue with today’s NFL game, the only time that style has had staying power is when the quarterback’s the size of Cam Newton or Josh Allen, passers who are both 6-foot-5, 240-ish pounds, do it.

And even with them the hits eventually add up.

Willis is 6-1, 225 pounds, which coincidentally or not, is the exact same size as Tua Tagovailoa, who by the way was the consensus No. 1 rated dual-threat quarterback back in 2017 when he was playing high school football in Hawaii.

You know what happened to Tagovailoa? Over the time the hits he took accumulated, and he lost those wheels, and became skittish to contact." More stupidity. First, 6-1, 225 isn't small or frail. It's bigger, or as big as, Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Frank Gore, Curtis Martin and LaDanian Tomlinson -- the Top 5 in NFL history in touches (and, presumably, times tackled/hit). Second, none of Tua's injury issues have had anything remotely to do with his size. Concussions aren't related to player size -- big players don't have more cushioned skulls. Tua lost his speed due to a catastrophic hip injury, not an accumulation of hits. Willis has had no such injury -- or any serious injury. Third, most of the NFL's longest-lasting and most durable QBs were not big guys. Brees, Rodgers, Brady, Tarkenton, etc. were 225 or less. He stupidly mentions Cam Newton as some indication one needs to be big to be durable, but Newton's career was over at 32 and he was basically done before he turned 30. Culpepper was another huge QB whose career ended early. JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf too, although for different reasons.
 
Fineas said:
No, he isn't. He's a moron and this is his usual I-think-this-sounds-smart stuff that doesn't hold up under any scrutiny or logic. I don't have time to cover all the stupidity he is spewing but will hit some of the highlights:


"The Miami Dolphins’ new circle of trust openly praised Willis in front of every microphone placed in front of them. They discussed how happy they were for the Green Bay Packers backup being in this position to make a massive career and financial come-up. But the Dolphins’ newly appointed general manager and head coach also dropped a ton of hints that they don’t expect Willis to be in their price range." No mention of any of these supposed hints, which makes it impossible to respond to them, which I think was the intent.



"He has thrown all of 155 NFL passes in four years, and has stumbled at every turn since exiting high school." Stumbled at every turn? For the last two years he is the NFLs's highest rated passer and has the highest EPA/play by a country mile. He was pretty successful at Liberty. He was good enough in high school to get a scholarship to Auburn. That he ended up losing out to an eventual NFL first round pick is hardly a major stumble. His only real stumble was a few games as a raw rookie in Tennessee.


"I have watched every offensive snap of those six games, and while I admit there’s some intrigue to Willis, who has above average athleticism, and a solid arm, I believe he’s a slow processor, one who was propped up by the talent around him, and used his scrambling ability as a cheat code." I'll assume he has watched all his reps the last two years, but he clearly has no idea what he is looking at. that's no surprise to anyone who is familiar with Omar's uneducated bloviation. First, "above average athleticism" is absurd for a guy who ran a 4.37 40 at Auburn at around 220. If he truly watched Willis eliminate angles among some of the leagues faster players and concluded he is just an "above-average" athlete he is even dumber than I thought. Second, "solid arm" is an idiotic criticism for a guy who has throw multiple 65+ yard passes in games and 70+ yard passes in workouts. Third, he has not been a slow processor at all the last two years. You don't throw catchable passes 90% of the time if you are a slow processor. You also don't lead the league in passer rating and EPA/play.

"While utilizing his legs to convert first downs and scramble for touchdowns is in vogue with today’s NFL game, the only time that style has had staying power is when the quarterback’s the size of Cam Newton or Josh Allen, passers who are both 6-foot-5, 240-ish pounds, do it.

And even with them the hits eventually add up.

Willis is 6-1, 225 pounds, which coincidentally or not, is the exact same size as Tua Tagovailoa, who by the way was the consensus No. 1 rated dual-threat quarterback back in 2017 when he was playing high school football in Hawaii.

You know what happened to Tagovailoa? Over the time the hits he took accumulated, and he lost those wheels, and became skittish to contact." More stupidity. First, 6-1, 225 isn't small or frail. It's bigger, or as big as, Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Frank Gore, Curtis Martin and LaDanian Tomlinson -- the Top 5 in NFL history in touches (and, presumably, times tackled/hit). Second, none of Tua's injury issues have had anything remotely to do with his size. Concussions aren't related to player size -- big players don't have more cushioned skulls. Tua lost his speed due to a catastrophic hip injury, not an accumulation of hits. Willis has had no such injury -- or any serious injury. Third, most of the NFL's longest-lasting and most durable QBs were not big guys. Brees, Rodgers, Brady, Tarkenton, etc. were 225 or less. He stupidly mentions Cam Newton as some indication one needs to be big to be durable, but Newton's career was over at 32 and he was basically done before he turned 30. Culpepper was another huge QB whose career ended early. JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf too, although for different reasons.
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It's OK for ppl to have differing opinions. You imply anyone that doesn't agree with you is a moron. Not cool. I stopped interacting with you because you are incapable of seeing asnyone else's point of view, then get disrespectful and personally insulting. Like I said, not cool.

It's fine to pound the table for something you believe in, but if someone disagrees, you can still be respectful. I already told you multiple times that my issue is not with the player, but with the overall plan. You dismiss this with a wave of the hand every time.

You have stated your case ad nauseum.

What are you trying to accomplish here?
 
Mach2 said:
It's OK for ppl to have differing opinions. You imply anyone that doesn't agree with you is a moron. Not cool. I stopped interacting with you because you are incapable of seeing asnyone else's point of view, then get disrespectful and personally insulting. Like I said, not cool.

It's fine to pound the table for something you believe in, but if someone disagrees, you can still be respectful. I already told you multiple times that my issue is not with the player, but with the overall plan. You dismiss this with a wave of the hand every time.

You have stated your case ad nauseum.

What are you trying to accomplish here?
Click to expand...

No, I didn't. I responded only to what Omar wrote and only criticized him, which I believe is entirely permissible here. I've certainly seen you and many others criticize media and team personnel who are not on this board. If there is a Board rule against it, please direct me to it so I can make sure I understand the rules.

I didn't insult you at all. All I said about your comment was that I don't think he is right and certainly if you are allowed to say he is, I'm allowed to say he isn't, right? Or does your mighty position as a Mod give you special privileges? I guess I have to assume it does, or you think it does, because your post clearly gets personal and violates the TOS, which seems to be a pattern for you.

You have stated your position 20+ times in this thread. Why is it OK for you to keep stating yours but I can't state mine? This thread is now 71 pages, the article you quoted is new, and things said back on page 6 are long forgotten and probably won't be reviewed by anyone ever again. I wasn't aware there are limits on how many times one can post on a thread. If there is, what is that limit?

Again, I have no idea what you are taking my criticism of Omar Kelly so personally. It's not directed at you -- you were just the one who posted the article. I'm not the one who made this personal in violation of board rules -- you are. That's what's not cool. If you stopped interacting with me, why are you interacting with me for the apparent sole purpose of making a personal attack?
 
Fineas said:
No, I didn't. I responded only to what Omar wrote and only criticized him, which I believe is entirely permissible here. I've certainly seen you and many others criticize media and team personnel who are not on this board. If there is a Board rule against it, please direct me to it so I can make sure I understand the rules.

I didn't insult you at all. All I said about your comment was that I don't think he is right and certainly if you are allowed to say he is, I'm allowed to say he isn't, right? Or does your mighty position as a Mod give you special privileges? I guess I have to assume it does, or you think it does, because your post clearly gets personal and violates the TOS, which seems to be a pattern for you.

You have stated your position 20+ times in this thread. Why is it OK for you to keep stating yours but I can't state mine? This thread is now 71 pages, the article you quoted is new, and things said back on page 6 are long forgotten and probably won't be reviewed by anyone ever again. I wasn't aware there are limits on how many times one can post on a thread. If there is, what is that limit?

Again, I have no idea what you are taking my criticism of Omar Kelly so personally. It's not directed at you -- you were just the one who posted the article. I'm not the one who made this personal in violation of board rules -- you are. That's what's not cool. If you stopped interacting with me, why are you interacting with me for the apparent sole purpose of making a personal attack?
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I interacted because you replied directly to me. If you notice, I didn't reply to the 792 other posts you made saying the exact same thing over the past, what, 6 weeks?

No, criticism of the media is not an infraction, thus the reason there were no repricussions.

But yet again, you don't want to see the point I was making.

Carry on......
 
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How has a thread about a player we are never going to sign have so many replies?
 
Mach2 said:
I interacted because you replied directly to me. If you notice, I didn't reply to the 792 other posts you made saying the exact same thing over the past, what, 6 weeks?

No, criticism of the media is not an infection, thus the reason there were no repricussions.

But yet again, you don't want to see the point I was making.

Carry on......
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I hardly even check in on this thread any more because I know its gonna to be someone arguing steadfastly for Willis in circles against anyone who may enter these waters
 
Travis34 said:
I hardly even check in on this thread any more because I know its gonna to be someone arguing steadfastly for Willis in circles against anyone who may enter these waters
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Lol..... I posted a three word comment and got a lengthy diatribe.

I try to keep some perspective
 
Mach2 said:
I interacted because you replied directly to me. If you notice, I didn't reply to the 792 other posts you made saying the exact same thing over the past, what, 6 weeks?

No, criticism of the media is not an infraction, thus the reason there were no repricussions.

But yet again, you don't want to see the point I was making.

Carry on......
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I've heard your point several times. My response was to the Omar comments specifically about Willis as a player, which you have made clear is not your issue, which is why it was so bizarre that you took it personally. Yes, I replied directly to your post because it was the one that quoted the Omar comments.
 
Finsup81 said:
From Omar:

Know that moment when you have found an item you would like to possibly purchase, then your eyes nearly pop out your head looking at the price tag?

You have been hit with sticker shock, and immediately rush to put the overpriced item down.

That seemed to be Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley’s reaction to the asking price on quarterback Malik Willis at the NFL Combine based on the dots we can connect.

The Miami Dolphins’ new circle of trust openly praised Willis in front of every microphone placed in front of them. They discussed how happy they were for the Green Bay Packers backup being in this position to make a massive career and financial come-up. But the Dolphins’ newly appointed general manager and head coach also dropped a ton of hints that they don’t expect Willis to be in their price range.

And that was done intentionally, for one reason or another.

Willis and his representatives are looking for Mercedes G-Wagon money and the Dolphins, which have less than $1 million in cap space heading into next Tuesday’s start of the legal free agent bidding process [last week was the illegal bidding], barely have the money for a gently used Honda Passport.

However, even if Miami did have the finances [say $8 million in cap space] to make a Justin Fields type of deal for Willis — offering to pay him $40 million during the next two seasons, with $30 million of it being guaranteed — I don’t believe they should because the sample size of Willis shining on an NFL field is too small.

He has thrown all of 155 NFL passes in four years, and has stumbled at every turn since exiting high school.

Willis was hyped as a first-round talent in the 2022 Draft, but got selected in the third round by the Tennessee Titans because he was small, played at a small school [Liberty] after transferring there because he lost a quarterback battle at Auburn to Bo Nix, who is now the Denver Broncos starter, and played exclusively in a shotgun offense in college.

At Tennessee, he struggled mightily. So much so the Titans replaced him with Will Levis, who by the way is also available via a trade, and then traded Willis to the Green Bay Packers for a 2025 seventh-round pick.

In Green Bay, Willis settled into a West Coast offense, benefitted from good coaching and shined in his limited opportunities the past two seasons. But we’re really talking about six games, and that limited sample size shouldn’t equate to a $100 million contract.

I have watched every offensive snap of those six games, and while I admit there’s some intrigue to Willis, who has above average athleticism, and a solid arm, I believe he’s a slow processor, one who was propped up by the talent around him, and used his scrambling ability as a cheat code.

While utilizing his legs to convert first downs and scramble for touchdowns is in vogue with today’s NFL game, the only time that style has had staying power is when the quarterback’s the size of Cam Newton or Josh Allen, passers who are both 6-foot-5, 240-ish pounds, do it.

And even with them the hits eventually add up.

Willis is 6-1, 225 pounds, which coincidentally or not, is the exact same size as Tua Tagovailoa, who by the way was the consensus No. 1 rated dual-threat quarterback back in 2017 when he was playing high school football in Hawaii.

You know what happened to Tagovailoa? Over the time the hits he took accumulated, and he lost those wheels, and became skittish to contact.

What becomes of Willis when/if the same happens to him?

These Dolphins decision-makers — Sullivan and Hafley — got to watch Willis 10 times more than any other NFL team because they watched him for every practice in Green Bay.

Willis spent every week he wasn’t working as a starter preparing Hafley’s defense for its opponents, so if anyone knows what he’s capable of it’s Sullivan and Hafley.

Hell, the former Titans general manager, Jon Robinson, the individual who selected Willis 86th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, is now part of the Dolphins organization as a senior personnel executive, so the new Dolphins circle of trust possesses more information than anyone can possibly need to make this critical decision.

So, they better get it right one way or another.

Either route they take — going all in on Willis, or standing down — Sullivan and Hafley will be judged by this decision, especially if Willis delivers for his next team and becomes a top 15 quarterback for the next six or more seasons.

But what happens if he’s the next Brock Osweiler, the last backup quarterback paid big money by a new team to become a starter before they discovered he was a fraud?

This decision could be brought up every time his name is mentioned, much like Miami’s two whiffs at Drew Brees, a soon-to-be Hall of Fame quarterback whom the Dolphins passed on selecting in the first round of the 2001 draft because they took disappointing cornerback Jamar Fletcher, and then backed out of an offer on him as a free agent in 2006 because of concerns about his surgically repaired throwing shoulder.

If we’re being honest, these are the types of decisions that define a regime, and have handcuffed the Dolphins franchise.

We will quickly learn what Sullivan and Hafley are made of based on how they handle this decision, and replacing Tagovailoa, who most in the NFL expect to be released with a June 1 designation in March.

Are they shred shoppers, able to find bargains and deals, or do they follow trends and pay full price for what’s in style?

One way or another, we will learn plenty about the Dolphins based on how they handle Willis’ bidding.
Click to expand...

Geezus, Omar wrote a column that wasn't complete BS. I didn't know he still had it in him.
 
Mach2 said:
Lol..... I posted a three word comment and got a lengthy diatribe.

I try to keep some perspective
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No, you posted the text of an entire article, which is what I responded to.
 
I read Omar's article. He makes some valid points, also some questionable ones. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.
 
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