Yesterday was a bloodbath at TC for the offensive line, and in the threads here. Without (hopefully) starting too many arguments or spats, I wanted to flesh out a few thoughts I had in my head.
1) Defensive Lines almost always gel faster than Offensive Lines. This doesn't mean that the DL is easy; it isn't. There's still communication required...but it's easier to read/react than properly run a ZBS.
2) Coach Flores values versatility among his linemen - I wouldn't get too caught up in who's taking snaps where this early in camp. Does Eichenberg playing guard mean he's incapable of playing left or right tackle? No, it does not. While the apparent Kindley demotion is disheartening, it doesn't mean he's finished or a failure, either. What I care about most is the apparent depth that's being assembled, and the unit that works best together being out there for Week 1.
3) Grier and Flores have spent a LOT of assets on the OL over the past two drafts. While I understand the dissatisfaction with the results thus far:
Quick: Do you know the last time the Miami Dolphins had the same OL Coach for more than two seasons in a row? That was in 2011, with the Zombie Apocalypse OL coach Dave DeGuglielmo. He's been the OL coach under THREE completely different coaches/GMs, and hasn't fixed it once. I would certainly hope that his tenure is done here.
Here's your list of OL coaches since 2011:
2011: Dave DeGuglielmo
2012: Jim Turner
2013: Jim Turner
2014: John Benton
2015: John Benton
2016: Chris Foerster (insert .gif here)
2017: Dave DeGuglielmo
2018: Jeremiah Washburn
2019: Dave DeGuglielmo
2020: Steve Marshall
2021: Lemuel Jeanpierre
Now, I'm not going to pretend to know OL coaching better than anyone else, and I know Zone Blocking is more difficult than man blocking, but there have been multiple occasions under multiple OL coaches over the past few years when a lineman assigned to an area was simply walking forward and completely out of the play with his hands raised, blocking nobody. That's one of the more basic rules in a ZBS; don't chase air. Seeing that at the professional level, along with the OL's inability to handle simple stunts, is completely inexcusable...and that is 100% on coaching. If there's one specific thing to place blame on Grier/Flores for, it's their inability to get the right coach for the OL. This is their third try in three years; let's hope Coach Lem gets it right.
5) Last, but not least. it is tremendously easier to stop the run when you know it's coming, and Flores seems dead-set on stopping the run - that's one of the main reasons, imo, that McKinney is on this defense and Van Noy isn't. Regarding the run defense yesterday, they looked awesome, but they knew the run was coming. Whenever a PA pass was run, the receiver was wide open for a reason.
That's also one of the reasons that Miami didn't have a decent run game for almost all of Marino's career - he couldn't sell a run play vs a PA pass to save his life. But...that's a conversation for another day.
Fins Up.
1) Defensive Lines almost always gel faster than Offensive Lines. This doesn't mean that the DL is easy; it isn't. There's still communication required...but it's easier to read/react than properly run a ZBS.
2) Coach Flores values versatility among his linemen - I wouldn't get too caught up in who's taking snaps where this early in camp. Does Eichenberg playing guard mean he's incapable of playing left or right tackle? No, it does not. While the apparent Kindley demotion is disheartening, it doesn't mean he's finished or a failure, either. What I care about most is the apparent depth that's being assembled, and the unit that works best together being out there for Week 1.
3) Grier and Flores have spent a LOT of assets on the OL over the past two drafts. While I understand the dissatisfaction with the results thus far:
- What do you want them to do, NOT try to fix it?
- Flores and Grier drafted high-upside OL last year with (I believe) the thinking that 2020 would be more of a learning curve year. This year Eichenberg is more of a plug and play type. I loved the Eichenberg pick - while he might not have the ceiling of an Austin Jackson, he was considered one of the most NFL-ready OL prospects in the draft.
- Yes, this offensive line has been awful for a long, long time. Yes, it looked horrible yesterday. No, Miami shouldn't just throw their hands up in the air and scream "GRIER CAN'T DRAFT OL! IT'S PITCHFORKS AND TORCHES TIME!" And I'll tell you what - it ISN'T just a talent issue. More on this in the next point.
Quick: Do you know the last time the Miami Dolphins had the same OL Coach for more than two seasons in a row? That was in 2011, with the Zombie Apocalypse OL coach Dave DeGuglielmo. He's been the OL coach under THREE completely different coaches/GMs, and hasn't fixed it once. I would certainly hope that his tenure is done here.
Here's your list of OL coaches since 2011:
2011: Dave DeGuglielmo
2012: Jim Turner
2013: Jim Turner
2014: John Benton
2015: John Benton
2016: Chris Foerster (insert .gif here)
2017: Dave DeGuglielmo
2018: Jeremiah Washburn
2019: Dave DeGuglielmo
2020: Steve Marshall
2021: Lemuel Jeanpierre
Now, I'm not going to pretend to know OL coaching better than anyone else, and I know Zone Blocking is more difficult than man blocking, but there have been multiple occasions under multiple OL coaches over the past few years when a lineman assigned to an area was simply walking forward and completely out of the play with his hands raised, blocking nobody. That's one of the more basic rules in a ZBS; don't chase air. Seeing that at the professional level, along with the OL's inability to handle simple stunts, is completely inexcusable...and that is 100% on coaching. If there's one specific thing to place blame on Grier/Flores for, it's their inability to get the right coach for the OL. This is their third try in three years; let's hope Coach Lem gets it right.
5) Last, but not least. it is tremendously easier to stop the run when you know it's coming, and Flores seems dead-set on stopping the run - that's one of the main reasons, imo, that McKinney is on this defense and Van Noy isn't. Regarding the run defense yesterday, they looked awesome, but they knew the run was coming. Whenever a PA pass was run, the receiver was wide open for a reason.
That's also one of the reasons that Miami didn't have a decent run game for almost all of Marino's career - he couldn't sell a run play vs a PA pass to save his life. But...that's a conversation for another day.
Fins Up.
