Merling hurt/might miss 2010? | Page 6 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Merling hurt/might miss 2010?

This is starting to smell fishy when will some other news outlet report the same story. I know PFT has been reliable in the past, but like CK said I hope this is not the same thing that happened with Crowder.
 
ckparrothead said:
Truthfully, at least 3 of the 7 players that are probably set to man the Dolphins' front seven are now more suited for a 4-3 Under than a 3-4, whereas I believe only 1 of the 7 players in the current front seven are more suited for the 3-4. The rest of the players seem like they could play either, and I know at least two of the primary backups at LB are definitely more suited for the 4-3 than the 3-4.

Cameron Wake would make a great 4-3 RDE
Jared Odrick would make a great 4-3 RDT
Randy Starks would make a great 4-3 LDT
Kendall Langford could probably play 4-3 LDE

Koa Misi and A.J. Edds could compete at 4-3 SLB
Channing Crowder and Tim Dobbins could compete at 4-3 MLB (and I think Dobbins might be a better true 4-3 MLB than 4-3 SILB)
Karlos Dansby could and has in the past made a great 4-3 WLB

At some point you have to look at the players and fit the defense to the players. Merling was probably always best suited to be a 4-3 LDE, anyway.
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Yeah, I was just thinking this. The problem though is the only time Mike Nolan ran a 4-3 was one year with the Giants, I believe, and then two years with the Redskins. All of those defenses were awful, if memory serves. I know for a fact the two years with the Redskins his defenses were in the 20s.

I know that a lot of the emphasis on scheme is bunk and at the end of the day, as the players all like to say, "football is football," and by extension, "coaching is teaching," rather than scheming.

But still, that would give me pause. Especially since Nolan loves to disguise his coverages and blitz inside linebackers. Doing those things is easier in a 3-4.
 
ckparrothead said:
Truthfully, at least 3 of the 7 players that are probably set to man the Dolphins' front seven are now more suited for a 4-3 Under than a 3-4, whereas I believe only 1 of the 7 players in the current front seven are more suited for the 3-4. The rest of the players seem like they could play either, and I know at least two of the primary backups at LB are definitely more suited for the 4-3 than the 3-4.

Cameron Wake would make a great 4-3 RDE
Jared Odrick would make a great 4-3 RDT
Randy Starks would make a great 4-3 LDT
Kendall Langford could probably play 4-3 LDE

Koa Misi and A.J. Edds could compete at 4-3 SLB
Channing Crowder and Tim Dobbins could compete at 4-3 MLB (and I think Dobbins might be a better true 4-3 MLB than 4-3 SILB)
Karlos Dansby could and has in the past made a great 4-3 WLB

At some point you have to look at the players and fit the defense to the players. Merling was probably always best suited to be a 4-3 LDE, anyway.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree with you more, and it keep popping up more and more about this hybrid 3-4 we were going to run. And the beauty of this defense for us now is that since we don't have the BIG NT, we can run our standard 3-4, the predator version of the 3-4 (basically a 4-3) or the 4-3 based on situation. It all seems pretty similar to me, whether we want to officially call it a 3-4 defense or a 4-3 defense doesn't really matter.

Just saying, (if) merling is indeed injured, or cut, or in jail..... its one more big body on the d line we lose. But whether our OLB come up to the Line of scrimmage and stick a finger in the ground to make it a 4-3 or dont and make it the predator....it's all relatively the same.
 
yeah i actually on another site was wondering if we were maybe looking to switch to a 4-3 hybrid defense after the first day of the draft and before we knew that starks was asked to move to nose...

i think we could if we wanted to with the personnel we have play in either scheme...but i also agree with magoo in that i seem to recall reading mike nolans defenses have not been good when they were a 4-3...

i'm sure wake would like playing 4-3 end more...not so much movement necessary
 
ckparrothead said:
The one positive about Miami's current 3-4 is that it slips to a 4-3 pretty easily.

The 3-4 version would be:

SOLB: Koa Misi
LDE: Kendall Langford
SILB: Channing Crowder
NT: Randy Starks
WILB: Karlos Dansby
RDE: Jared Odrick
ROLB: Cameron Wake

The 4-3 Under version would be:

SLB: Koa Misi
LDE: Kendall Langford
MLB: Channing Crowder
LDT: Randy Starks
WLB: Karlos Dansby
RDT: Jared Odrick
RDE: Cameron Wake

Notice how similar it is.
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ahh i see so misi would be the 3rd LB not dobbins, but wouldn't odrick play the end and langford play the DT? or am i wrong
 
thanks for the memory , merling

[video]http://www.videosurf.com/video/big-man-can-%27phinish-58935742[/video]
 
Doesnt this also mean that Soilai will get more snaps at NT and Starks will slide over?
 
The truth is we wouldn't have a good LDE guy. That's the biggest hole in the idea of switching to a 4-3 hybrid. Langford is a prototypical 3-4 end, but I question his ability to move laterally and chase and I definitely question his pass rushing skills as a 4-3 end. Best case scenario he's a Kenny Mixon type out there but to my eyes he's more of a 4-3 defensive tackle who would rotate with Odrick inside. Merling is probably more suited to play LDE than Langford. I think that's what he played at Clemson, if I'm not mistaken, with Gaines Adams as the more premium RDE.
 
damanref10 said:
I couldn't agree with you more, and it keep popping up more and more about this hybrid 3-4 we were going to run. And the beauty of this defense for us now is that since we don't have the BIG NT, we can run our standard 3-4, the predator version of the 3-4 (basically a 4-3) or the 4-3 based on situation. It all seems pretty similar to me, whether we want to officially call it a 3-4 defense or a 4-3 defense doesn't really matter.

Just saying, (if) merling is indeed injured, or cut, or in jail..... its one more big body on the d line we lose. But whether our OLB come up to the Line of scrimmage and stick a finger in the ground to make it a 4-3 or dont and make it the predator....it's all relatively the same.
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i agree that it is definitely in the defenses best interest to stick to the scheme the D-coor. runs the best. I do however think that rather then scheming and hiding coverages and blitzes, with the personnel we have for a 4-3 scheme we could probably beat people on talent alone, whether they know whats coming or not.

i think a really cool package could include something like:

LDE Kandall Langford
LDT Randy Starks
RDT Paul Soliai
RDE Jared Odrick

Cameron Wake SLB
Channing Crowder MLB
Karlos Dansby WLB

the linebackers on not sure about but the front 4 seem like a serious runstopping powerful force to be reckoned with. then you could also switch to nickel easily for 3wr sets, swap wake in for Edds. Pull crowder out. move wake to one of the ends and kick someone over.. pull soliai off the field.
 
Mr. Magoo said:
The truth is we wouldn't have a good LDE guy. That's the biggest hole in the idea of switching to a 4-3 hybrid. Langford is a prototypical 3-4 end, but I question his ability to move laterally and chase and I definitely question his pass rushing skills as a 4-3 end. Best case scenario he's a Kenny Mixon type out there but to my eyes he's more of a 4-3 defensive tackle who would rotate with Odrick inside. Merling is probably more suited to play LDE than Langford. I think that's what he played at Clemson, if I'm not mistaken, with Gaines Adams as the more premium RDE.
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i agree...i don't think langford is all that suited to play 4-3 end...to be honest other than a few snaps here and there if that i don't think we're gonna see 4-3 looks...injury to merling or no injury
 
Nolan was the D-Coord of the Giants from 1993 to 1996 under Dan Reeves. His defenses ranked #1, #8, #16 and #10 in points during those years. He was the D-Coord of the Redskins from 1997 to 1999 and they ranked #8, #28 and #24 during that time. He was the D-Coord of the Jets in 2000 when the defense ranked #13. He was the D-Coord of the Ravens from 2002 to 2004 when they ranked #19, #6 and #6.

I don't know which of these defenses, to be honest with you, were straight up 3-4 defenses at all...other than the Jets in 2000.

And I don't buy for one minute that Kendall Langford at LDE is a reason you don't run a 4-3.
 
man i just found out one of the guys i grew up with was killed in a motorcycle accident this morning so i'm a bit lost for words right now...kendall langford can play 4-3 end...ok... works for me
 
It appears according to the rosters that the 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 defenses of Nolan's were 4-3. They ranked #8, #16, #10, #8, #28 and #24. His 3-4 defenses over the years ranked #1, #13, #19, #6, #6, #30, #32, #20, #23 and #12.

His defenses averaged #15.6 in the 4-3 and #16.2 in the 3-4.

If you insist on tossing out some of those 49ers years because of a bad stretch or bad players or whatever, I'd insist on tossing out some of those Washington years for the same reason. Then you're left with his 4-3's ranking an average of #10.5 and his 3-4's ranking an average of 9.5 to 11.0, depending on how many of the 49er years you toss. Not really a whole lot of difference there, is there?
 
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