Pretty much every time I come in here it's, Tua this Tua that, did he wake up on the wrong side of bed, RB issues, do we need upgrade?, WR corp. of real play makers. Team better be improved over last year, Playoffs...." PLAYOFFS ??', Superbowl. Another defensive free agent ?
Wake up people.
Our biggest problem at this point that seems to go under the table but can possibly be the biggest weakness which if it doesn't turn around and successfully jump through a significant amount of hoops which again most are not even putting in discussions, We're Screwed again ! ( don't understand the lack of insight of this team for a legit OL for the last 20 years) were some beauties were there for the taking !!!!!!!!!!!
Its like people are expecting 3 of last years rookies who showed some ups and downs, to all take that significant step (all 3), New Rookie RT not even having a down in the NFL already there. Skura the Karras upgrade having old 2018 abilities or Dieter winning position, also never playing center (NFL)
H E L L O People. This could and IMO IS the #1 weakness of our 2021 Dolphins. AND if all the 1/2 doz.+ upgrades don't happen, the results realistically could be disasters. And the start of many again putting the blame on Tua....
Fans and public should be screaming at the top of their lungs to get the FO to make this upgrade and less dependent on so much improvement to appear by pretty much everyone on the OL.....
I know those truly aware of the realistic values a NFL team needs to be successful but for those who don't, it's not a long shot to tell you to be prepared for a shock.
Now it is true that all the essential improvements by all 5 OL can happen but truthfully no one including the FO should like the odds.
Yes Tua mention but this post is not about Tua so keep him out of it. It's about the Offensive line and will it be what we fantasize or reality is improving but still not much better than average this year.
Importance of OL lets ask possibly the best young QB, out there Mahones and how his OL weakness screwed his timing, play and success....
Great points
@cuzinvinny .
I really like some of the things we've done along the OL, and am encouraged by others .... but we're NOT there yet. Still, there is hope.
Here's the hopeful things I see:
1. Austin Jackson proved he could play
When healthy last year, he was very good, and at LT that's a tough thing to do, so this bodes well for the future. As the youngest OL in his class, he really should be a rookie this year, and he's already shown some great flashes. IMHO, we've found our starting LT already, so that's one spot that is solid.
2. Liam Eichenberg is extremely sound
Mr. Einchredible is one of those golden domers (Notre Dame, not because he's blonde) who is extremely technically sound. An OL prodigy he's not going to make many mistakes, but he will provide solid play protecting Tua's blindside for years to come. He could be another David Bahktiari (sp?) or Andrew Whitworth type OT for us.
3. Hunt is a Guard
Robert Hunt is a mountain of a man, with long arms and some athleticism, but he simply doesn't have the feet or technique to be a blindside OT starter. He received a LOT of help last year, and frankly, we need to spread that help around, not just use it as a Hunt crutch. But as a guard his true mauling nature comes out, and this kid can become very good. IMHO, he has always been a RG and this is the right place for him to excel. He had a promising rookie season making a huge jump from a small school, but this year we should be able to see his prowess in the run game start to shine.
4. Depth
Typically we have a lot of injuries across the OL, which is kinda odd since we're a warm weather team playing on grass ... but I guess our team just isn't very tough. Now with Jesse Davis being able to provide solid play at both OT spots and both OG spots, we can maintain our OL quality. Having Kindley and Hunt battling it out for one OG spot means we have a solid backup if someone gets injured. It's impossible to have complete coverage in his salary cap era, but we have a solid group and some depth.
Here's the worrisome things I see:
5. Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Skura?
Kudos to Skura for returning from a serious injury so quickly. I don't hold his poor performance against him because he shouldn't have even been on the field. Last year he wasn't very good, and got benched. Here's hoping Skura can now return to his ability pre-injury and become a good prospect. But I'm worried that he may never be able to reach that level of play again. We'll see, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Given our continuing fiasco of FA management, either he'll suck and we will cut him, or he'll be great and we'll refuse to pay him ... so either way I see him as a 1-year rental. Oh well, let's hope we get a decent one year. Back to the drafting board I guess.
6. No LG
I'm a big Solomon Kindley fan, and yes, the LG is Tua's front side guard ... but IMHO he just doesn't have the lateral quickness or fluidity passing off stunts and twists against those extra-speedy guys who populate that side of the defense. Kindley is a RG and definitely a phone-booth style player. Jesse Davis may be our best LG player right now, but nobody on our roster is really perfect for the position. I can see Liam Eichenberg fixing that hole if he doesn't work out at RT, but I'd rather have his level of technician at RT protecting Tua's blindside.
At the end of the day, if things progress normally, we should have our LT, RT and RG spots filled and solid depth. That means we'll still be looking for a C and LG in next year's draft. Oh well, the never-ending OL rebuild continues.
