Merged: Team Disappointed with Merling; Like Dotson? | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Merged: Team Disappointed with Merling; Like Dotson?

ckparrothead

ckparrothead

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Buried in one of Edgar Thompson's blog was this note...

http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/thed...ints-tony-sparano-has-faith-in-tyrone-culver/

3. The front office still has high hopes for Lionel Dotson.

Was told by a league source Wednesday that the Dolphins have high hopes for defensive end Lionel Dotson, a seventh-round draft pick last season who has quietly kept himself in the mix for playing time this year.

According to the source, the team is starting to question whether Phillip Merling will ever play to his potential and is starting to think the time being spent on developing Dotson, who played in only two games last season, might prove more rewarding.

A 6-foot-4, 290-pounder out of Arizona, Dotson is another guy to keep his eye on when he gets his chance in the second halves of the preseason games.
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Merling had better pick it up. Not only is Starks unseating him after the coaching staff handed Phil a chance to win the starting job at the beginning of camp, but Lionel Dotson may unseat him as well if he's not careful.

Dotson was a player that other players raved about in practice late last year. I think it was Justin Smiley who said Dotson is the best pass rusher among the DLs. Dotson got some playing time at Nose Tackle last year in mostly passing situations, to try and provide some pressure up the middle. Someone to keep an eye on. The good ones don't all come out of the first or second round.
 
Dolphins questioning Phillip Merling

Citing a team source, the Palm Beach Post reports that the Dolphins have begun to question the development of 2008 32nd overall pick Phillip Merling.

Merling was as a starter on the first depth chart, but has been losing reps to Randy Starks and Tony McDaniel recently. The team is also high on Lionel Dotson. Miami may end up rolling with a heavy rotation at right defensive end.
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http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playernews.aspx?sport=NFL

This does not surprise me at all. Merling said in a recent interview if his plan were to win the number 1 spot at RDE and his answer was he plans on helping the team any way he can. Hello MCFLY! you are suppose to say you want to win the spot and dominate it. To me the kid lacks desire.
 
I am too....

This kid has all the talent in the world. It is getting frustrating watching him accept a backup role, see today's Sun-Sentinal story. He seems perfectly OK being a backup. That certainly wasn't Randy Starks attitude when he was backing up the left side. This is deeply troubling. Elevating him to starter didn't work. If demoting him doesn't work this kid's future is not very bright. That would be a pity for somebody with all his God-given tools.
 
CK, if Merling does fall behind Dotson and Starks, do you think the Dolphins will try to make him try and switch his position (maybe to SOLB like was discussed on this board frequently last year, I believe you being on of the strongest advocates of the switch, or at least anticipating one day they would try it)? To me this situation reminds me of what happened when Matt Roth started falling behind on the DC and rather than just cutting their losses and moving on, the Dolphins took a risk that for the most part really paid off by switching Roth to SOLB. With the potential of Roth departing via FA (or being let go because he can't seem to stay healthy and/or get on the field so far this year) I think they may look to move Merling to try and groom him for Roth's current position (assuming also they don't want JT to start and man the spot for the next two years if Roth is cut or leaves the team).
 
does Rotoworld intentionally **** every report up? or are they just that incompetant?

Here's the quote from the Palm Beach Post:

Was told by a league source Wednesday that the Dolphins have high hopes for defensive end Lionel Dotson, a seventh-round draft pick last season who has quietly kept himself in the mix for playing time this year.

According to the source, the team is starting to question whether Phillip Merling will ever play to his potential and is starting to think the time being spent on developing Dotson, who played in only two games last season, might prove more rewarding.

A 6-foot-4, 290-pounder out of Arizona, Dotson is another guy to keep his eye on when he gets his chance in the second halves of the preseason games.
Click to expand...

not a team source....a league source. someone with no direct connection to the Dolphins. so how does this source get their information exactly. Is Sparano disclosing concerns over individual players to league sources? Doubt it.

Then of course, they take this information and make the earth-shattering prediction that: Miami may end up rolling with a heavy rotation at right defensive end. .

What fan couldn't have told you that was going to be the case months ago??? that there would be a heavy rotation all accross the d-line??
 
I watched that clip on aqua vision and it reminded me of Vontae's brother out on the west coast. His interview earlier this week.

Did anyone see what he said about the fact that the entire team had to run gassers because of him?
 
I don't put a lot of stock in that statement, it's the middle of TC and the coaches are just playing with the depth chart putting differant people in to see how they react. Now this will have much more merit come the 3rd preseason game, because by then the coaching staff is finalizing the starting lineup.
I belive all the DL players that make the team will see some playing time, You will see some rotation on the Dline.
 
What a bummer. I really had high hopes for Merling. He was a huge prospect coming out of college and I would hate to have wasted that low of pick on him. I hope all works out well for him.
 
redclamcrowder said:
CK, if Merling does fall behind Dotson and Starks, do you think the Dolphins will try to make him try and switch his position (maybe to SOLB like was discussed on this board frequently last year, I believe you being on of the strongest advocates of the switch, or at least anticipating one day they would try it)? To me this situation reminds me of what happened when Matt Roth started falling behind on the DC and rather than just cutting their losses and moving on, the Dolphins took a risk that for the most part really paid off by switching Roth to SOLB. With the potential of Roth departing via FA (or being let go because he can't seem to stay healthy and/or get on the field so far this year) I think they may look to move Merling to try and groom him for Roth's current position (assuming also they don't want JT to start and man the spot for the next two years if Roth is cut or leaves the team).
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In short, yes I still do see that in his future. The minute he was drafted, the first thing that came out of my mouth was that this was a convert guy. He has the characteristics they look for in a convert. I saw him as a chase player with good feet and an eye for the ball. I didn't see him as a guy that has that tankdozer strength to be a two-gap DE.

The Dolphins obviously saw a little bit of that, otherwise they wouldn't have played him at OLB for two preseason games last year. With things developing negatively on the Matt Roth front, I wouldn't be surprised if this time next year Merling has been moved to SOLB.
 
This thread should be merged to the bottom of the thread I started about this subject. I quoted the direct source which was the PB Post.
 
merlings too big for solb. taylor & roth are already there anyway. if merling plays hard during the reg season i don't care how he practices. we'll be rotating. he'll do fine. everyone isn't g.i. joe 24/7, 365.
 
Once upon a time, Roth was too big for SOLB too. I don't think they'll move Merling there this year. Next year.
 
merling does not practice well, but i still he made the biggest play of the year with the farve pick the last game of the year to turn that game around
 
redclamcrowder said:
CK, if Merling does fall behind Dotson and Starks, do you think the Dolphins will try to make him try and switch his position (maybe to SOLB like was discussed on this board frequently last year, I believe you being on of the strongest advocates of the switch, or at least anticipating one day they would try it)? To me this situation reminds me of what happened when Matt Roth started falling behind on the DC and rather than just cutting their losses and moving on, the Dolphins took a risk that for the most part really paid off by switching Roth to SOLB. With the potential of Roth departing via FA (or being let go because he can't seem to stay healthy and/or get on the field so far this year) I think they may look to move Merling to try and groom him for Roth's current position (assuming also they don't want JT to start and man the spot for the next two years if Roth is cut or leaves the team).
Click to expand...

Well....
No longer working as the first-team defensive end on the right side, Phillip Merling is doing his best to adjust to his new role as the backup to Kendall Langford on the left side.
Click to expand...
:aww:
 
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