Merling SLB or DE? | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Merling SLB or DE?

dolphinator86

dolphinator86

You are TERMINATED!!
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
2,626
Reaction score
15
Well i have seen some on here and over the internet that say Merling may be a viable option at the SLB position. Now in that last game he looked like a BIG BOY he is listed at 6-4 290. Seems alittle big.

Is he actually gonna be thought of as a SLB possibility or is he gonna stay at DE?

Give your reason why you think either way.

As for me I think he is a DE....Langford, Brace, Merling could be our line for the next 5 or 6 years that will give up 0 rushing yards and with some development could collpase the pocket on a nearly constant basis.
 
dolphinator86 said:
Well i have seen some on here and over the internet that say Merling may be a viable option at the SLB position. Now in that last game he looked like a BIG BOY he is listed at 6-4 290. Seems alittle big.

Is he actually gonna be thought of as a SLB possibility or is he gonna stay at DE?

Give your reason why you think either way.

As for me I think he is a DE....Langford, Brace, Merling could be our line for the next 5 or 6 years that will give up 0 rushing yards and with some development could collpase the pocket on a nearly constant basis.
Click to expand...
i am all for those 3 on our DL....i think those 3 would make a dominant DL,and would allow our LB's...whomever we're gonna have besides Porter,to roam around and make great plays...
 
im definately not in favor of turning Merling into a LB. This is just another reason Im not a fan of the 3-4.
 
With the weight he put on weight during the season my guess would be that the FO wants him to stay at DE.
 
Merling is a 3-4 end, without a doubt. Some on here were arguing that his eventual spot would be OLB, and they were clearly wrong. He played in the 290s this year. He is not nearly explosive enough to stand up. Not even close.
 
Dolfan1000 said:
Merling is a 3-4 end, without a doubt. Some on here were arguing that his eventual spot would be OLB, and they were clearly wrong. He played in the 290s this year. He is not nearly explosive enough to stand up. Not even close.
Click to expand...

Clearly wrong considering he played two games at SOLB in the preseason at 290lbs?

He was very effective when he played in space at Clemson in the 270-275lbs range - who is to say he doesn't drop that weight this offseason?
 
RoninFin4 said:
Clearly wrong considering he played two games at SOLB in the preseason at 290lbs?

He was very effective when he played in space at Clemson in the 270-275lbs range - who is to say he doesn't drop that weight this offseason?
Click to expand...

I also believe Merling could play OLB because he does play well in space.

Everytime I mention it I get drilled here though.
 
Yes, because we are going to go by the preseason to make our assessments. He didnt play ONE SNAP in any meaningful game at the position. Vonnie Holliday also played some OLB in TC. The regime was trying to find a guy to play opposite Joey, and they settled with Roth. That was the end of the other experiments.

The guy is less athletic than Kendall Langford, and we're not talking about moving him to OLB too. They are both ends.
 
Rhody Phins Fan said:
With the weight he put on weight during the season my guess would be that the FO wants him to stay at DE.
Click to expand...


this is why i think he stays at DE, had they thought about him being a better OLB then DE, they wouldnt of had him gain more weight to play DE, they would have had him lose the weight he gained because of injury and he would of played OLB. instead, even with Vonnie Holliday they put him at DE. its not like we had a giant hole and he needed to fill it right away, this is a future decision. we had vonnie holliday at end and Matt Roth at OLB...obviously they believe he is better suited for DE......
 
Good point. He was listed at 275 in college, and now is in the 290s. Why would they have him put weight ON, and then a year later, ask him to drop it.

Makes no sense.
 
Dolfan1000 said:
Yes, because we are going to go by the preseason to make our assessments. He didnt play ONE SNAP in any meaningful game at the position. Vonnie Holliday also played some OLB in TC. The regime was trying to find a guy to play opposite Joey, and they settled with Roth. That was the end of the other experiments.

The guy is less athletic than Kendall Langford, and we're not talking about moving him to OLB too. They are both ends.
Click to expand...

i agree with your first paragraph, but make no mistake, he is not "less athletic" then langford. coming out of college he was a very athletic big DE at Clemson. hes very athletic, even at 290.
 
Nappy Roots said:
i agree with your first paragraph, but make no mistake, he is not "less athletic" then langford. coming out of college he was a very athletic big DE at Clemson. hes very athletic, even at 290.
Click to expand...

Well, I dont watch much college football, so I can only go with what I saw with my own eyes this season. Langford, to me, moves a bit better than Merling. Maybe he never got into perfect shape after his hernia, but to me, he looked a little "soft" (physically that is, emotionally I love his fire). Regardless, I think both guys will stay where they are at the five-technique.
 
My ideal situation would be moving Merling to Parcells "Elephant" position and bringing in none other than the 26-year-old Chris Canty to play the right end spot. Merling is very athletic and can easily get back down to 275. 15 pounds is really nothing for players today with all the unique conditioning and training that goes on in the NFL. Moving Merling would fill a huge hole and wouldn't require us to use an early pick on an OLB.

LE: Langford/Starks/Wright
RE: Canty/Dotson (Holliday cut)

LOLB: Merling/Roth
ROLB: Porter/Wake/Anderson
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom