Miami's biggest problem on defense: LBs | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Miami's biggest problem on defense: LBs

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dfin54

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http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolph...fense-lbs.html

The Dolphins linebacker corps is a nightmare right now.

Channing Crowder left Sunday's game -- as in bugged out and was nowhere to be found afterward. He went home and is out for the season finale against Pittsburgh because of a foot injury, according to a source. The club is concerned he has a midfoot injury that could mean -problem-on-defense-lisfranc, which is serious business. More will be known today."

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2009/12/miamis-biggest-problem-on-defense-lbs.html
 
If we drafted Rolando McClain and Brandon Graham . . . start Wake and keep Crowder as the defensive captain . . . I think I can live with those guys starting.

Unfortunately . . . JP and JT are both pretty washed up . . . I don't mind keeping JT one more year, to help with the young LB's . . . but after that, he is gone also.
 
Agreed. LB corps needs demolishing and rebuilding. Not a secret when every TE they play against has season numbers!
 
LB is not just the biggest need on Defense, imo it's the weakest position on the team. I would draft two in the first 3 rounds.
 
It's just a painful reminder of how bad our LB's are when we watch them play beside Ryans and Cushing who destroyed most of our offense yesterday.

LB's are the core of your D when you run a 3-4 and ours are a pretty pedestrian group. You can't have success on D in a 3-4 unless you have LB's that can play in space, and we don't have any. Crowder is the only one who comes even close to having the speed to play in space and cover.
 
This is where the Pat White pick is a head scratcher . . . was not called for, we should have taken the best LB on the board with that pick. Kruger was there
 
dfin54 said:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolph...fense-lbs.html

The Dolphins linebacker corps is a nightmare right now.

Channing Crowder left Sunday's game -- as in bugged out and was nowhere to be found afterward. He went home and is out for the season finale against Pittsburgh because of a foot injury, according to a source. The club is concerned he has a midfoot injury that could mean -problem-on-defense-lisfranc, which is serious business. More will be known today."

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2009/12/miamis-biggest-problem-on-defense-lbs.html
Click to expand...


Well, you've shed light on Miami's dirty little secret. Everyone has focused on Ginn and the lack of a playmaker on O, but the real flaw in this defense is the lack of athleticism at both LB and S positions.

The NEW emerging NEED for this team is now RB! That's right. RB. If we do an inventory, Ronnie Brown has his second season (and possibly career ending) injury, first knee, now lisfranc, Ricky Williams wont hold up to a full season, and there is no TALENT behind them. For this regimes philosophy of 4 yards and a cloud of dust offense, we will take a RB in 3rd - 5th round, cheaply.

As for LB, we need wholesale changes there if we are going to continue playing a 3-4 D. No speed, no pop, no anger at this position. Next, we need a open field hawk at S to compliment our rookie.
 
I must admit, Hilliard looked damn good at times yesterday . . . maybe we can draft a CJ Spiller and have a little thunder and lightning.
 
I've been saying all along that our offense really isn't that much of a priority when our defense is what's holding us back. When we give up 25 points a game, it's pretty tough to win anything.

We need a true coverage FS and a stud LB..personally I love Jon Vilma
 
Yeah, I think the answer will come via FA not the draft. The current crop of ILB's except for Crowder were FA acquisitions.

FS is another key area of need on D as well as NT.
 
I would be thrilled to see us taking 3 to 4 linebackers in this coming draft. We need both ILB and OLB. One guy is not going to solve our problems when all of our linebackers are below average at best. Keep Crowder because he is young and serviceable. Everyone else can hit the road.
 
Dolphin Dave said:
I would be thrilled to see us taking 3 to 4 linebackers in this coming draft. We need both ILB and OLB. One guy is not going to solve our problems when all of our linebackers are below average at best. Keep Crowder because he is young and serviceable. Everyone else can hit the road.
Click to expand...

And he's cheap
 
Kdawg954 said:
If we drafted Rolando McClain and Brandon Graham . . . start Wake and keep Crowder as the defensive captain . . . I think I can live with those guys starting.

Unfortunately . . . JP and JT are both pretty washed up . . . I don't mind keeping JT one more year, to help with the young LB's . . . but after that, he is gone also.
Click to expand...

Yeah, with the uncapped year, this is the offseason teams will purge the team of the big contracts to fix teams salary cap situations for the future years to come. So I definitely can see some OLBs available via FA.

I would like to see MIA cut Porter and sign Merriman and move Wake over to the ROLB with Anderson backing him up and have Merriman start at LOLB with Jason Taylor and Quentin Moses backing him up.

I believe that ILB will be our #1 pick. Probably Spikes will be available at #11 through #16, which is where more or less we will be picking. Akin Ayodele and Torbor will be battling it out for the backup RILB spot. Crowder will start at RILB and Spikes becomes the new MLB. Probably we also draft another OLB later on to groom as Jason Taylor's eventual replacement as well.

I am beginning to realize that Quentin Moses who had a superb preseason and showed that he can produce in the regular season too with some fine play and a sack yesterday will be in the mix too. And we all know that Anderson has filled in for Porter superbly when he's started.

I definitely see MIA using multiple draft picks on LBs (inside and outside).

Now, I read somewhere where Yeremiah Bell has a monster roster bonus this offseason. He is 30 something, so I wouldn't be surprised that with Wilson showing that his skills are better served at SS, not FS, that if Bell doesn't restructure, Wilson could be moved to SS (due to the fact that he is younger and does lay wood well, just can't cover well....but neither can Bell). So...

Look for MIA to be very active in FA, so that they can concentrate on fixing the age problem in the draft...
 
I dunno man . . . Bell just seems like a Dolphin, I much rather get rid of Wilson than Bell. Bell atleast is always around the ball and is a burner. I couldn't justify keeping Gerbil over Bell, Bell has made too many good plays for this team in past seasons. Wilson has done squat.
 
Kdawg954 said:
I must admit, Hilliard looked damn good at times yesterday . . . maybe we can draft a CJ Spiller and have a little thunder and lightning.
Click to expand...

Stop dreaming, no way does MIA ignores what would keep from us from playoffs again by ignoring ILB and go for a non starting RB with our #1 pick. We already have a future developing thunder and lightning in either Hilliard or Cobbs (I believe they will battle it out for #3 RB next season) and Sheets or a late round speedy draft pick.

For the 2010 season, our thunder and lightning will be Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams...though, I believe they will have Brown inactive for the first 3 or 4 games and have Ricky Williams and either Sheets, Hilliard, Cobbs, or that late round speedy draft pick as the thunder and lightning for starters. :wink:

But eventually, Ronnie and Ricky will carry the team into playoffs next season. I believe that there is something that Ireland sees in Kory Sheets that caused him to pluck him off 49ers practice squad that's worth developing. And the few vids I've seen from this guy, he looks like a good Reggie Bush type change of pace guy.

Nah, don't believe MIA will target RB in the first two days of draft...remember, draft will be 3 days now...:up:
 
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