My Phins Analysis | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

My Phins Analysis

Phins Phan

Practice Squad
Joined
Mar 21, 2002
Messages
96
Reaction score
0
Age
53
Location
Pembroke Pines
Here is how I see the Phins next year, position by position:

Quarterback: Dolphins are solid here. Remember we are a run first, pass second offense. That said, with no running game Fielder still managed to lead us to a 11-5 record. Imagine how he'll do with a legitimate running game.

Running Back: Ricky Williams. We now have a top 5 back. Nuff Said. I've read some posts about Ricky's injuries. Those should be a non-issue since now he's playing most games on grass instead of turf.

Full Back: Ever since I saw Konrad playing in Syracuse, I knew he was special. I truly believe if he were playing in a West Coast style offense he would be a star full back. This year with Turner he should see alot more action catching the ball out of the backfield. Hopefully he will prove me right. At 6'3, 255 lbs and 4.5 speed, I think he will.

Wide Receiver: Chambers looks like a legitimate star. Gadsen and Ward are solid. McKnight has been a disappointment, but if he can hold on to the ball maybe he'll improve. Adding Cris Carter would help, but I think we are solid enough at WR. Again, remember we are a run first, pass second offense.

Offensive Line: Here is where I begin to worry. Ruddy and Wade are solid. Smith showed signs of being a solid tackle until he got hurt. Dixon is real good, but he had a devistating double injury and did speak of retirement. Perry was a downgrade. Searcy hasn't played a down in 2 years, but if he stays healthy he should work out fine. If we stay healthy, our OL should be fine. But that's a big IF. I think they really need to get another Guard and maybe another Tackle. OL is still our biggest need. And since we are run first, it becomes that much more important.

Tight End: Looks like the Phins are betting on Mayes. Physically the guy is a stud. Anyone who has seen him in person knows what I mean. Weaver isn't a good blocker, so I don't think he is a good fit for this offense. They need a TE that can block. I think they need to sign or draft another one.

Defensive Line: A position that looked pretty scary now looks solid with the resigning of Bowens and the solid addition of Chester. Moving Gardner to the outside is good for him and the team, but he will have to slim down a little. I'm sure we'll see him slip to the inside a lot next year.

Linebacker: Our starters are solid with Zack, Rodgers and Greenwood. Look for Greenwood to greatly improve in his second season. It's our backups that need help. Look for the Phins to draft a linebacker to add to the mix.

Safety: Losing Brian Walker will hurt, but resigning Marion brings back needed experience to this position. Freeman had a solid year and should do just fine as the new starter. Remember that he was slated as the starter last year until they resigned Marion.

Cornerback: Our starters are arguably the best starting tandem in the NFL. Fletcher will need to step up in the nickle spot since we lost Cousins. Who will be the fourth corner? We'll see.

Special Teams: Mare is one of the top Kickers in the league. I don't understand why they haven't resigned Turk. The guy is a great punter. The Dolphins need a great kicker and punter because of the style of offense they play. When you play grid it out football punters that can pin a team back are worth their weight in gold. They really need to resign Turk. The importance of a good punter should not be overlooked.

Conclusion:

The Phins are looking good. The OL could be a question mark. Ricky Williams in press conference said, "A good running back makes a good offensive line". He would be in a position to know so I believe him. If we can shore up the OL, get a decent backup Linebacker and spark up the TE position then the Dolphins have to be a top 4 contender to win the AFC this year. Other teams to look at would be the Pats, Pittsburgh, Denver, Tennessee (they should be a lot better this year), Oakland and Indianapolis.
Another factor is their schedule. Much tougher than last year's.
It's hard to say what their record will be. If the OL stays healthy, they will be better than last year, and we are certainly much better at the RB position, so 11-5 or better should be a very legitimate possibility. I would say 12-4 if it wasn't for the fact that we have such a tough schedule this year:

HOME - Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions. AWAY - Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings.

Whew! I've come to the end. Please comment away....

Phins Phan
 
I wouldn't say QB is a strong position and I am not as worried about the OL as I used to be. This is a Super Bowl team.
 
Even though I HATE to do this, I will try to pick our wins and losses....Here we go!

Division 4-2
Bills (can we say SWEEP)
Jets split (I know we will beat them at least ONCE this year!!!)
Pats split

Home (6-2)
Raiders- Win Baby!!!
Chargers- Win
Ravens- Win (Sweet Revenge)
Bears- Loss(I know we are a better team...we always have been, but Da bears always find a way to come down here and win)
Lions- Win
Jets- Loss(???)
Pats- Win
Bills- Win

Away 6-2
Bills- Win
Pats- Loss
Jets- Win (I'd love to shut up Fireman Fred. He can kiss my @$#)
Dolts- Win (I think the colts know we own them in the RCA dome)
Broncs- Win (We are a better team)
Chefs- Win (Again we are a better team, and yes I know to spell.)
Pack- Loss(Favre at home...trouble)
Vikes- Win

This gives us a record of 12-4.
Win Division and 1 or 2 seed(something I think we need)
Win AFC
Win SB
 
phins phan, excellent analysis, right on the money. I can't argue with anything you say(except maybe about Turk).
Unfortunately....nothing new.:(
 
that sound about right except we sweep the jets. 13-3
 
inFINSible,

Thanks! Now about Turk. What don't you agree with? That he should be resigned, or my stress on the importance of a Punter?

I just think a good Punter is really needed on a team like the Phins that always takes games into the 4th quarter.

Phins Phan
 
Phins Fan Very nice breakdown......You know what you're talking about......

Phins054.....6-2 would be amazing with that road schedule....You play in some of the toughest stadiums in the league, Denver, GB, KC and Even though we suck Buffalo.......Plus Minn, NY and NE aren't cakewalks........You guys always play tough at home....So I can see 6-2 (........I'll say 10-6 at best '(you guys would jump all over me if I said 9-7) and that's without any major injuries.

I think that's a fair prediction.
 
I just think that punters are pretty much interchangeable. Turk has been alright, he hasn't led the league in any stats and we got him for a 7th round draft pick for cryin out loud.
I don't know how punters are born and bred but I would like to see the position evolve. It's almost like a waste of a roster spot to have some body on the team that can't do anything but punt the ball or hold. You would think that someone with some athletic ability would learn how to punt so that they can get onto a teams' roster as not only the punter but also some one who can actually make some plays on the coverage team. It has always seemed to me that there are only 10.5 players on the punt coverage team. I know that is not what you wanted to hear but I guess that answers your question, I don't think that there is much difference from one NFL punter to another. They're all streaky and practically useless.
 
Agree to Disagree

We'll have to agree to disagree about punters. I certainly don't think they are interchangable. I'll never forget the difference Reggie Roby made when he became a Dolphin....

As far as using up roster spots, I agree and disagree. I do agree that using 2 roster spots for a kicker and punter seems like a waste, but on the other hand if you have a player that fills 2 rolls on the team, if that player is injured or lost to free agency then you now have 1 roster spot to fill 2 needed positions. Look how coveted long snappers are. I think it's the same for punters/kickers. I think this is also why teams don't have one guy doing both punting and kicking. Lose him, and now you have to find 2 guys to do his job.

I think the key is to ask how difficult is it to punt and kick? Can anyone be taught? I think based on the fact that every NFL team has both a kicker and a punter (I believe Parcels at one point had 2 kickers and one punter with the Giants!), there is a lot more to the skill of punting and kicking than can simply be taught to anyone.

Another consideration is practice time. The more you do on a team, the more your practice time is split, and the more likely your performance will be sub-par in both.

Anyway, just my 2 cents....

Phins Phan
 
I didn't mean that I wanted the same person punting and kicking, I would just like to see the punter more active in coverage. I don't care if they are just a safety valve to stop a touchdown as long as they are able to do THAT every time.
There was one punter last year that was real active on the punt coverage team, I can't remember what team he played for, maybe New England, but this guy punted and then looked for some body to ring up. Whether it was a blocker or the ball carrier, didn't matter, this guy went from punter to football player as soon as the ball left his foot. I remember thinking what an advantage that was.
Speaking of Roby, he illustrates my point, anybody on the field with a watch on is not planning on being a part of the action. I would like to see that MENTALITY change.
 
Ahhh. I see your point now. Yes, in this case I agree totally. I would love to see a kicker/punter who could actually tackle a returner. In most cases returners run by them like they are not even there.

Phins Phan
 
Originally posted by inFINSible
I just think that punters are pretty much interchangeable. Turk has been alright, he hasn't led the league in any stats and we got him for a 7th round draft pick for cryin out loud.
I don't know how punters are born and bred but I would like to see the position evolve. It's almost like a waste of a roster spot to have some body on the team that can't do anything but punt the ball or hold. You would think that someone with some athletic ability would learn how to punt so that they can get onto a teams' roster as not only the punter but also some one who can actually make some plays on the coverage team. It has always seemed to me that there are only 10.5 players on the punt coverage team. I know that is not what you wanted to hear but I guess that answers your question, I don't think that there is much difference from one NFL punter to another. They're all streaky and practically useless.


I think it all boiles down to consistency. A good punter is invaluable imo for field position. Well it`s not just my oppinion....../...it`s a fact. All these guys in the nfl can kick the bejeezus out of the ball, but how many can consistantly place the ball inside the 5 yrd line? :)
 
I thought Olindo was a pretty good Kicker/football player. I have seen him light up a returner once, and then drag another guy down by his facemask.

Turk has done his fair share of smacking too. Of course Turk is NOT a small guy. lol
 
I know what you mean 87, which is why I can't understand why a guy his size isn't more of a headhunter after the fact, you would think that if any guy is motivated to stop the long return it would be the guy kicking the ball, right?
Capt.Dick, I don't disagree that placing one inside the twenty takes some skill and can provide an emotional lift, but taking the ball 80 yards on our defense is not going to happen very often and if it does we have worse problems than field position. I think the guy who can boom you out of trouble is more important., and iif that's the case then all "NFL" punters are pretty much interchangeable according to your post.
 
Have to agree that a good punter is invaluable. Josh Miller kept us out of trouble on many occasions. The one time that he didn't and put it straight down Troy Brown's throat shows you what happens when they get it wrong.

Incidentally Miller is being paid over $1M a year... that's how much our FO thinks of the punting game.
 
Back
Top Bottom