madmic21
Active Roster
As of the end of Patriots game we will be halfway through the 2009 season and more importantly halfway through what I consider to be the rebuilding process of the Miami Dolphins in the Parcells era. Does this mean that I consider next year being Super Bowl or bust? No. But for this process to be a success I do expect us to end the 2010-2011 season and go into the offseason before season 4 with only a solid draft and minor free agent additions separating us from consideration as an elite contender for the title. As of now where do I think we are along in this process? Here are what I consider to be a few bottom lines. These are only rated as of their performance to date and these rankings are not necessarily reflective of my long term opinions.
1. The offensive line is currently Super Bowl grade.
2. The defensive line is division winning grade.
3. The receiving core is average at best.
4. The linebackers are average at best.
5. The secondary is below average.
6. The running backs are Super Bowl grade.
7. The QB position is below average.
To give a little context to my opinions on these ratings let me explain each a little further. My opinions are not based on a certain whim or game. It is what I have seen so far. I ask you to consider the whole picture and realize that any of these units has struggled/succeeded and will struggle/succeed again. It is a tough league where these units must deal with continuous adjustments and an ever-evolving game plan.
To give a little context to my opinions on these ratings let me explain each a little further. My opinions are not based on a certain whim or game. It is what I have seen so far. I ask you to consider the whole picture and realize that any of these units has struggled and will struggle again. It is a tough league where these units must deal with continuous adjustments and an ever-evolving game plan.
1. The front office as made a commitment with money and draft picks, and it has paid off. The offensive line is not only good but it is paid for in the years to come. The line is also very young. My only concern is depth but from what I can tell we are strong in coaching in this department and if injuries should arise I feel that this position will be only slightly damaged. Before I get hacked, when I say Super Bowl grade I don’t mean they are the best in the league, but I believe they are good enough to be a part of a Super Bowl team.
2. We are a very, very good run stopping team (hesitant to use great), and I am seeing a better success rate of getting to the QB every game, is it there yet? No. But if every other aspect of our team was playing at this level I would be very happy. We are young enough to say that this position is in good shape in the near future in regards that they will continue to get better. Ferguson’s place will need to be addressed but I see us making a serious move for a NT in this year’s draft.
3. Ahh the position that gets more attention, blame, front office haggling, than any other. There are more opinions in regards to this than the political landscape in America. So here is mine. Ted Ginn Jr. will never be a # 1 receiver, but Ted Ginn Jr. will be a good and very versatile #2 receiver/special teamer. His hands are better than he has shown recently and I think that this is mostly mental. Early in his career he showed he had solid hands but failed to get open. Now he is adjusting to a strong armed quarterback and I believe he will be a productive NFL player that like many before him does not quite live up to his draft position, but with this considered he could have been Ryan Leaf. As far as the other wide receivers go on our roster we have a lot of #2’s and a good slot in Bess. Is there a number 1? I doubt it and if I had to name a contender Turner is the only one who fits the bill and I am going to give him this year and half before I pass judgment on him. Overall we have a long way to go in this department and I am sure that the front office knows this. I feel that when they figure that receiver is the last piece to the team’s success they will to something big to address it.
4. Linebacker is probably the most interesting position on the team. It is the most experienced position on the field outside of our running backs but I feel we are 2 or 3 players away from being considered a contender at this position. Porter and Taylor are both old and in my opinion somewhat 1 dimensional. Crowder is locked up and while he is not great, 11 of him on Defense would probably leave us with a pretty good D. Roth is most likely gone after the season. So I look for this offseason to give us a heavy dose of linebacker help. I wonder why this position has seen little attention. Is it because it has not been deemed that there were players that were worth making a move for, or does management feel that we go get a couple of best available type players in this year’s draft and throw them into the fire next year. How we address this could be the main factor along with Henne’s development in the success of Parcells and company.
5. Bottom line is I love what the draft has given us. If our free agent moves would have been this successful we probably would only have 1 or 2 losses. By letting players go from last year and signing Wilson we took a step back. I will admit I liked (maybe loved) the move at the time it happened but I think it is probably the worst move management has made in their time here. With all that said, Davis, Smith, and Clemons are showing the athleticism and skills to make our secondary a true bright spot for the future. This position is probably the reason we lost every game but maybe the Atlanta game (offense was inept, although Tony G. tore us up), yet I feel as much confidence for this link in the cog as any excluding the O-line.
6. Our greatest strength our greatest weakness. Ricky’s revival has been very beneficial, but I wonder can you expect him to be this machine in two years, and does Ricky want to be this machine in two years? Ronnie will want to be paid, and do we want to pay an aging (I don’t know how to properly put this and pay Ronnie his due earned respect) back big guaranteed money? Cobbs and Hilliard are both serviceable but Ronnie and Ricky are All-Pro caliber backs that fit our system well. So going forward it will be interesting when we take a shot to improve this positions standing as far as the future of this organization goes. I also am really happy Polite he is a great short run back and has shown the ability to be a dominant lead back.
[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']7. We are really young and inexperienced at this position. Do I think we have the talent? Yes. I think Henne has the potential to be a very good QB with the right weapons around him. He has shown the ability to make all the throws, including ones that don’t require the rocket. I have been impressed with his poise in the pocket, as well as his patience. He has made some good throws under pressure. As far as Pat White goes I don’t believe there was ever any intention by the Front Office for him to compete or beat out Henne. He was drafted where he was because we desired him and did not want to risk him going elsewhere. As seen in the Pats game he does offer an interesting element to our Offense. Was it the right pick? Maybe not. Were there certain pieces available that may have made a more consistent impact on our team? Most Likely. But it is the pick we made and I can live with it. He provides a big play spark, and with the addition of Thigpen we have two mobile QBs that I feel is a plus for a backup QB when they are playing for a hurt starter.
With all this said I would say I am happy at the halfway point and I do feel that we are on schedule to be in a very good place very soon. This year has been tough. A tough schedule to go along with some bad coaching decisions and inexperience on the field has definitely bit us in the butt a little harder than it should have. However, I can still look at this team and say we are better than our record. I hope that the future shows a few less crazy calls on offense. We have made some calls that have absolutely killed momentum, but in turn some of those calls have looked really good. One thing that I have failed to mention is coaching. We have a good, humble, passionate head coach. Our coordinators seem to be creative and talented. I will not blame the defense on coaching at this point because I feel that we lack certain players and certain experience as a unit. Offense has good and bad aspects, but I feel that when we get a little more experience and talent some of the calls will change.
I expect this franchise to gain momentum and be a big time threat in the near future. One thing is for sure no one wants to see the Fins on the schedule any time soon.
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1. The offensive line is currently Super Bowl grade.
2. The defensive line is division winning grade.
3. The receiving core is average at best.
4. The linebackers are average at best.
5. The secondary is below average.
6. The running backs are Super Bowl grade.
7. The QB position is below average.
To give a little context to my opinions on these ratings let me explain each a little further. My opinions are not based on a certain whim or game. It is what I have seen so far. I ask you to consider the whole picture and realize that any of these units has struggled/succeeded and will struggle/succeed again. It is a tough league where these units must deal with continuous adjustments and an ever-evolving game plan.
To give a little context to my opinions on these ratings let me explain each a little further. My opinions are not based on a certain whim or game. It is what I have seen so far. I ask you to consider the whole picture and realize that any of these units has struggled and will struggle again. It is a tough league where these units must deal with continuous adjustments and an ever-evolving game plan.
1. The front office as made a commitment with money and draft picks, and it has paid off. The offensive line is not only good but it is paid for in the years to come. The line is also very young. My only concern is depth but from what I can tell we are strong in coaching in this department and if injuries should arise I feel that this position will be only slightly damaged. Before I get hacked, when I say Super Bowl grade I don’t mean they are the best in the league, but I believe they are good enough to be a part of a Super Bowl team.
2. We are a very, very good run stopping team (hesitant to use great), and I am seeing a better success rate of getting to the QB every game, is it there yet? No. But if every other aspect of our team was playing at this level I would be very happy. We are young enough to say that this position is in good shape in the near future in regards that they will continue to get better. Ferguson’s place will need to be addressed but I see us making a serious move for a NT in this year’s draft.
3. Ahh the position that gets more attention, blame, front office haggling, than any other. There are more opinions in regards to this than the political landscape in America. So here is mine. Ted Ginn Jr. will never be a # 1 receiver, but Ted Ginn Jr. will be a good and very versatile #2 receiver/special teamer. His hands are better than he has shown recently and I think that this is mostly mental. Early in his career he showed he had solid hands but failed to get open. Now he is adjusting to a strong armed quarterback and I believe he will be a productive NFL player that like many before him does not quite live up to his draft position, but with this considered he could have been Ryan Leaf. As far as the other wide receivers go on our roster we have a lot of #2’s and a good slot in Bess. Is there a number 1? I doubt it and if I had to name a contender Turner is the only one who fits the bill and I am going to give him this year and half before I pass judgment on him. Overall we have a long way to go in this department and I am sure that the front office knows this. I feel that when they figure that receiver is the last piece to the team’s success they will to something big to address it.
4. Linebacker is probably the most interesting position on the team. It is the most experienced position on the field outside of our running backs but I feel we are 2 or 3 players away from being considered a contender at this position. Porter and Taylor are both old and in my opinion somewhat 1 dimensional. Crowder is locked up and while he is not great, 11 of him on Defense would probably leave us with a pretty good D. Roth is most likely gone after the season. So I look for this offseason to give us a heavy dose of linebacker help. I wonder why this position has seen little attention. Is it because it has not been deemed that there were players that were worth making a move for, or does management feel that we go get a couple of best available type players in this year’s draft and throw them into the fire next year. How we address this could be the main factor along with Henne’s development in the success of Parcells and company.
5. Bottom line is I love what the draft has given us. If our free agent moves would have been this successful we probably would only have 1 or 2 losses. By letting players go from last year and signing Wilson we took a step back. I will admit I liked (maybe loved) the move at the time it happened but I think it is probably the worst move management has made in their time here. With all that said, Davis, Smith, and Clemons are showing the athleticism and skills to make our secondary a true bright spot for the future. This position is probably the reason we lost every game but maybe the Atlanta game (offense was inept, although Tony G. tore us up), yet I feel as much confidence for this link in the cog as any excluding the O-line.
6. Our greatest strength our greatest weakness. Ricky’s revival has been very beneficial, but I wonder can you expect him to be this machine in two years, and does Ricky want to be this machine in two years? Ronnie will want to be paid, and do we want to pay an aging (I don’t know how to properly put this and pay Ronnie his due earned respect) back big guaranteed money? Cobbs and Hilliard are both serviceable but Ronnie and Ricky are All-Pro caliber backs that fit our system well. So going forward it will be interesting when we take a shot to improve this positions standing as far as the future of this organization goes. I also am really happy Polite he is a great short run back and has shown the ability to be a dominant lead back.
[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']7. We are really young and inexperienced at this position. Do I think we have the talent? Yes. I think Henne has the potential to be a very good QB with the right weapons around him. He has shown the ability to make all the throws, including ones that don’t require the rocket. I have been impressed with his poise in the pocket, as well as his patience. He has made some good throws under pressure. As far as Pat White goes I don’t believe there was ever any intention by the Front Office for him to compete or beat out Henne. He was drafted where he was because we desired him and did not want to risk him going elsewhere. As seen in the Pats game he does offer an interesting element to our Offense. Was it the right pick? Maybe not. Were there certain pieces available that may have made a more consistent impact on our team? Most Likely. But it is the pick we made and I can live with it. He provides a big play spark, and with the addition of Thigpen we have two mobile QBs that I feel is a plus for a backup QB when they are playing for a hurt starter.
With all this said I would say I am happy at the halfway point and I do feel that we are on schedule to be in a very good place very soon. This year has been tough. A tough schedule to go along with some bad coaching decisions and inexperience on the field has definitely bit us in the butt a little harder than it should have. However, I can still look at this team and say we are better than our record. I hope that the future shows a few less crazy calls on offense. We have made some calls that have absolutely killed momentum, but in turn some of those calls have looked really good. One thing that I have failed to mention is coaching. We have a good, humble, passionate head coach. Our coordinators seem to be creative and talented. I will not blame the defense on coaching at this point because I feel that we lack certain players and certain experience as a unit. Offense has good and bad aspects, but I feel that when we get a little more experience and talent some of the calls will change.
I expect this franchise to gain momentum and be a big time threat in the near future. One thing is for sure no one wants to see the Fins on the schedule any time soon.
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op::crazy::rimshot:
That Might be a good idea.