Raoul Duke
Connoisseur of the Herbage
After watch all the games this season I really can see some bright spots for this team. For instance I do not remember a game this season where the phins have gotten blown out. Last season I believe this team had a few games where teams just ran away from them and there was no chance they would even have a chance at catching up. I mean even with “poor†QB play from Gus out there he still keeps us in games. Everyone knew going into the season that the phins were not going to the Super Bowl or even the playoffs; yes you to the few guys that were saying, “Saban’s going to take this team to the super bowl now!†No you guys knew deep down inside of you that it wasn’t true. Not this year maybe in a few, but not this year. You were just being an optimistic fan and I respect that 100%. I on the other hand am a realist. What I believe is that Saban is leading this team on, and like he said, for a bright future rather than winning right now. That is why he was brought to Miami to coach the phins because he builds great programs for years to come. I have watched ever position closely and have seen good and bad things throughout this team. Many bright spot that really show this team going in the right direction:
QB- Many people want Saban to pull Gus out and bring in Sage. Hmmm….would this work? Maybe but if Saban does that he has to do it soon or else its going to be to late in the season and the same situation as last year will occur. But I ask you why start Sage? Sage is on his last year here in Miami, and if he hasn’t beat out Gus yet then why does he deserve a chance? Anyways, maybe Sage gives us a better chance to win, but what if he doesn’t? What if we lose by more points and he throws more costly interceptions? Also, I don’t see Cleo Lemon getting much if any action this season. Now my take on Gus, I can see why Saban wants this guy in there. His pocket presence and the way he shifts from side to side when he sees LBs and CBs coming on blitzes to move out the way and and try to make a play is what vets do. We saw this plenty in Sundays game, when Tedy would come in on a blitz Gus would move slightly and get out of the pocket to throw the ball to an open guy. Here are two plays that stick out in memory of him doing it Sunday. The Dolphins first drive where Bruschi came in on the blitz and Sammy Morris flipped him Gus moved up in the pocket a fired the ball out to McMichael for the first down. Also, another play was when he rolled to the left when the Patriots sent out another blitz and Gus threw a bomb down field to hit Chris Chambers perfectly in the hands, but CC dropped the ball. I mean I see Gus’ inaccuracy, but he doesn’t get flustered like a young QB would or like how Jay Fiedler and A.J. Feeley used to. And on that last throw in Sunday’s game, well Gus threw the ball to the only spot he could and sure enough he hit the wide out in the hands, but he dropped it. The blame can not be put soley on Gus. He I believe is the best QB we have on this team right now. Even with his inaccuracy on the long ball, which basically is the only time he is inaccurate throwing the ball for the most part. Sage is getting old too and I believe that Saban wants to get his own guy to come in and be the QB of the future for this team, not some guy who’s been a back up and is close to being 27-28 years old already. And for Cleo Lemon I see him being a decent back up or maybe they trade back to San Diego and get a QB.
RB- Well the phins look pretty solid here. The only problem is that the Dolphins shy away from the run way to early in the game. I mean seriously when you have two stud guys like Ricky and Ronnie why even throw the ball 47 times? Doesn’t make sense to me and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t make sense to you. Ronnie needs the ball in his hands. He must be used like Shaun Alexander and LaDanian Tomlinson are being used on their teams. Yes he is that good. But imagine RB next year, when he has a full NFL offseason under his belt. I believe next year we see a fast more powerful Ronnie Brown that resembles a LT or a Shaun Alexander. I really believe that if we give Ronnie the ball more, say 20-25 a game, we will win, and the stats don’t lie. A finheaven fan yesterday posted that the games in which Ronnie got the ball 20+ times have been the three wins that this team has. And in two of those games he went over 100 yards. Ronnie needs to be the focal point of this teams offense. And then you have Ricky in there to give Ronnie a breather keep him fresh and wear down defenses. I believe Saban pick the best player in the 2005 draft.
WR- This wide receiver core desperately needs to improve. Move Marty Booker to #1 and move CC to #2 or even #3 to give him a chance at getting the perfect balls that he needs to catch the ball. Chambers has dropped way to many important balls to stay the #1 WR of this team, and every time I see the ball thrown at Marty Booker I see him making plays and most importantly I see him getting Y.A.C. Welker needs to be put in the mix too. The kid is flat out a player with heart, speed, and hands. He may be short but he’s tough. Also he can catch the ball when its thrown to him. The only thing I can say about the receivers is that they need to step it up because it looks like if the team behind, even by three points, they become an immediate passing team and shy away from the run way way to early. So wide outs STEP IT UP!
TE- Randy McMichael is well Randy. Makes the plays he has to and fights for extra yardage. I think that this team should bring in another TE to back up McMike and maybe even run 2 TE sets. Lorenzo Diamond cannot catch so don’t even bring him up. But I believe this team is solid at the starting TE position, and like I said they need to bring in a solid backup.
O-Line- The only in my opinion has played well. This is their second season together and well like a WR and A QB must develop chemistry playing together the same goes for the guys on the line. They must play together and learn each others tendencies to pick up blocks and the way the pull and run. Chemistry is one of the biggest factors of an O-line. Just look at Denver’s O-line and the Steelers O-Line those guy have been playing together for a long time. Sure they’ve lost a guy here or a guy there through FA but the core of their lines remain the same. Have faith in these young guys we have on the O-Line. They’ve gotten a lot better and the fact that they’ve only allowed 12 sacks in great. They are giving Gus time back there and they are also opening up holes for Ronnie and Ricky. I see Nick pick up O-linemen through FA and not like some think through the draft. He might pick up a guy late in the draft on the O-line, but no sooner tan that. So I applaud these young guys and the way they have played this season, and also Hudson Houck, great coaching.
D-Line- Jason Taylor, Kevin Carter, Vonnie Holiday, Keith Traylor, and Jeff Zgonina have all played well this season, but the thing is they aren’t getting any younger. This team desperately needs to get young D-Linemen to play behind these guys. Jason foot problem has slowed him down a little this year, but he’s still putting pressure on QBs and getting in the back field. Kevin Carter and been play very well. Like JT he puts pressure on opposing teams QBs and is playing the run well too. Vonnie has been a surprise for me. I didn’t believe he would help this team in any aspect of the game, pass or run, but gladly he proved me wrong. Keith Traylor I believe has one year left in his tank. I see him staying to help mold Manny Wright and Kevin Vickerson into solid NFL starting DTs. Now on to Matt Roth, everyone was so high on him when he was drafted in the second round. Well what has he done? Nothing, but he does need to get stronger to make a push into the backfield. I fell that his weakness is his upper body strength, but I also never see him being a solid starter for the Dolphins. He’s going to be a role player much like David Bowens and Jeff Zgonina are to this team. He’ll come in show some flashes but not enough to remain on the field for an extended period of time.
LBs- I see Junior Seau retiring after this season, and I don’t believe any fan will be shocked by it. The guy is getting old and I haven’t seen anything from him all season. Zach Thomas on the other hand has been well…Zach Thomas. He’s getting to the ball carrier and bringing him down. Zach’s been solid at MLB. Channing Crowder has been another fine pick by Nick Saban. Channing has been playing great up to this point, but he still needs to mature and read defenses better and this playing time now is going to help him in the long run. I see the dolphins picking up a few LBs through FA and in the draft. It would be great if the Dolphins could bring in Julian Peterson to fill in Seau’s open spot after this season. But LB play has been fine.
DBs- I see the team bringing back Lance Schulters and Tebucky Jones next year to be our starting SS and FS. I just don’t see Saban making a move here. Also, I don’t believe either one of them has been playing that poorly (well tebucky has been out with a injury and is on IR). Tillman and Bell have been playing decently filling in for Schulters and Jones, but like I said I see the starting safties for next year being Lance and Tebucky. Now to the corner play, well what can I say here that hasn’t been said already? Reggie Howard must go away from this team as soon as possible. The phins are better off leaving receivers open then putting him on them. The guy cannot cover anyone and he’s a horrible tackler. He won’t be back and I really don’t see him signing anywhere else. Sam Madison I see either being traded of being cut. I love the guy but its time to move on. Get something for him or cut him. Hopefully it doesn’t happen but come next year think about it…Travis Daniels will have a year under his belt, Will Poole will be back from his injury, and I see the dolphins picking up a CB in FA and the draft. It looks like there won’t be room for the aging Sam Madison. So this may very well be the last season any of us see Sam Madison in a Dolphins uniform.
K & P- Olindo is fine no need to change anything here. Sure he missed one yesterday, but there aren’t any good kickers out there to pick up so the Dolphins should keep Olindo. Plus the field position game is very important and I think Mare is one of the league leaders in touchbacks. Now punting, Donnie Jones has done a fine job but he is too inconsistent and needs to work on his coffin corners, but once he gets solid connection with the ball and his foot he really does drill the ball. So I can see Donnie Jones being in Miami next year as well.
That is my take on the Dolphins and some of the things I see them doing in the offseason. One thing I didn’t mention is that I really do feel that Saban will trade for a QB rather than waiting to see who is left. The two guys I see him trading for are either Phillip Rivers or Matt Lienart. Also, I see the Dolphins picking up a WR in FA and maybe even one in the draft. But I think most of the draft picks will be primarily on the defensive side of the ball to get this team younger. I believe that right now Miami is the oldest team, going by average age, in the league. This must change and most of those old guys are on the defensive side.
QB- Many people want Saban to pull Gus out and bring in Sage. Hmmm….would this work? Maybe but if Saban does that he has to do it soon or else its going to be to late in the season and the same situation as last year will occur. But I ask you why start Sage? Sage is on his last year here in Miami, and if he hasn’t beat out Gus yet then why does he deserve a chance? Anyways, maybe Sage gives us a better chance to win, but what if he doesn’t? What if we lose by more points and he throws more costly interceptions? Also, I don’t see Cleo Lemon getting much if any action this season. Now my take on Gus, I can see why Saban wants this guy in there. His pocket presence and the way he shifts from side to side when he sees LBs and CBs coming on blitzes to move out the way and and try to make a play is what vets do. We saw this plenty in Sundays game, when Tedy would come in on a blitz Gus would move slightly and get out of the pocket to throw the ball to an open guy. Here are two plays that stick out in memory of him doing it Sunday. The Dolphins first drive where Bruschi came in on the blitz and Sammy Morris flipped him Gus moved up in the pocket a fired the ball out to McMichael for the first down. Also, another play was when he rolled to the left when the Patriots sent out another blitz and Gus threw a bomb down field to hit Chris Chambers perfectly in the hands, but CC dropped the ball. I mean I see Gus’ inaccuracy, but he doesn’t get flustered like a young QB would or like how Jay Fiedler and A.J. Feeley used to. And on that last throw in Sunday’s game, well Gus threw the ball to the only spot he could and sure enough he hit the wide out in the hands, but he dropped it. The blame can not be put soley on Gus. He I believe is the best QB we have on this team right now. Even with his inaccuracy on the long ball, which basically is the only time he is inaccurate throwing the ball for the most part. Sage is getting old too and I believe that Saban wants to get his own guy to come in and be the QB of the future for this team, not some guy who’s been a back up and is close to being 27-28 years old already. And for Cleo Lemon I see him being a decent back up or maybe they trade back to San Diego and get a QB.
RB- Well the phins look pretty solid here. The only problem is that the Dolphins shy away from the run way to early in the game. I mean seriously when you have two stud guys like Ricky and Ronnie why even throw the ball 47 times? Doesn’t make sense to me and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t make sense to you. Ronnie needs the ball in his hands. He must be used like Shaun Alexander and LaDanian Tomlinson are being used on their teams. Yes he is that good. But imagine RB next year, when he has a full NFL offseason under his belt. I believe next year we see a fast more powerful Ronnie Brown that resembles a LT or a Shaun Alexander. I really believe that if we give Ronnie the ball more, say 20-25 a game, we will win, and the stats don’t lie. A finheaven fan yesterday posted that the games in which Ronnie got the ball 20+ times have been the three wins that this team has. And in two of those games he went over 100 yards. Ronnie needs to be the focal point of this teams offense. And then you have Ricky in there to give Ronnie a breather keep him fresh and wear down defenses. I believe Saban pick the best player in the 2005 draft.
WR- This wide receiver core desperately needs to improve. Move Marty Booker to #1 and move CC to #2 or even #3 to give him a chance at getting the perfect balls that he needs to catch the ball. Chambers has dropped way to many important balls to stay the #1 WR of this team, and every time I see the ball thrown at Marty Booker I see him making plays and most importantly I see him getting Y.A.C. Welker needs to be put in the mix too. The kid is flat out a player with heart, speed, and hands. He may be short but he’s tough. Also he can catch the ball when its thrown to him. The only thing I can say about the receivers is that they need to step it up because it looks like if the team behind, even by three points, they become an immediate passing team and shy away from the run way way to early. So wide outs STEP IT UP!
TE- Randy McMichael is well Randy. Makes the plays he has to and fights for extra yardage. I think that this team should bring in another TE to back up McMike and maybe even run 2 TE sets. Lorenzo Diamond cannot catch so don’t even bring him up. But I believe this team is solid at the starting TE position, and like I said they need to bring in a solid backup.
O-Line- The only in my opinion has played well. This is their second season together and well like a WR and A QB must develop chemistry playing together the same goes for the guys on the line. They must play together and learn each others tendencies to pick up blocks and the way the pull and run. Chemistry is one of the biggest factors of an O-line. Just look at Denver’s O-line and the Steelers O-Line those guy have been playing together for a long time. Sure they’ve lost a guy here or a guy there through FA but the core of their lines remain the same. Have faith in these young guys we have on the O-Line. They’ve gotten a lot better and the fact that they’ve only allowed 12 sacks in great. They are giving Gus time back there and they are also opening up holes for Ronnie and Ricky. I see Nick pick up O-linemen through FA and not like some think through the draft. He might pick up a guy late in the draft on the O-line, but no sooner tan that. So I applaud these young guys and the way they have played this season, and also Hudson Houck, great coaching.
D-Line- Jason Taylor, Kevin Carter, Vonnie Holiday, Keith Traylor, and Jeff Zgonina have all played well this season, but the thing is they aren’t getting any younger. This team desperately needs to get young D-Linemen to play behind these guys. Jason foot problem has slowed him down a little this year, but he’s still putting pressure on QBs and getting in the back field. Kevin Carter and been play very well. Like JT he puts pressure on opposing teams QBs and is playing the run well too. Vonnie has been a surprise for me. I didn’t believe he would help this team in any aspect of the game, pass or run, but gladly he proved me wrong. Keith Traylor I believe has one year left in his tank. I see him staying to help mold Manny Wright and Kevin Vickerson into solid NFL starting DTs. Now on to Matt Roth, everyone was so high on him when he was drafted in the second round. Well what has he done? Nothing, but he does need to get stronger to make a push into the backfield. I fell that his weakness is his upper body strength, but I also never see him being a solid starter for the Dolphins. He’s going to be a role player much like David Bowens and Jeff Zgonina are to this team. He’ll come in show some flashes but not enough to remain on the field for an extended period of time.
LBs- I see Junior Seau retiring after this season, and I don’t believe any fan will be shocked by it. The guy is getting old and I haven’t seen anything from him all season. Zach Thomas on the other hand has been well…Zach Thomas. He’s getting to the ball carrier and bringing him down. Zach’s been solid at MLB. Channing Crowder has been another fine pick by Nick Saban. Channing has been playing great up to this point, but he still needs to mature and read defenses better and this playing time now is going to help him in the long run. I see the dolphins picking up a few LBs through FA and in the draft. It would be great if the Dolphins could bring in Julian Peterson to fill in Seau’s open spot after this season. But LB play has been fine.
DBs- I see the team bringing back Lance Schulters and Tebucky Jones next year to be our starting SS and FS. I just don’t see Saban making a move here. Also, I don’t believe either one of them has been playing that poorly (well tebucky has been out with a injury and is on IR). Tillman and Bell have been playing decently filling in for Schulters and Jones, but like I said I see the starting safties for next year being Lance and Tebucky. Now to the corner play, well what can I say here that hasn’t been said already? Reggie Howard must go away from this team as soon as possible. The phins are better off leaving receivers open then putting him on them. The guy cannot cover anyone and he’s a horrible tackler. He won’t be back and I really don’t see him signing anywhere else. Sam Madison I see either being traded of being cut. I love the guy but its time to move on. Get something for him or cut him. Hopefully it doesn’t happen but come next year think about it…Travis Daniels will have a year under his belt, Will Poole will be back from his injury, and I see the dolphins picking up a CB in FA and the draft. It looks like there won’t be room for the aging Sam Madison. So this may very well be the last season any of us see Sam Madison in a Dolphins uniform.
K & P- Olindo is fine no need to change anything here. Sure he missed one yesterday, but there aren’t any good kickers out there to pick up so the Dolphins should keep Olindo. Plus the field position game is very important and I think Mare is one of the league leaders in touchbacks. Now punting, Donnie Jones has done a fine job but he is too inconsistent and needs to work on his coffin corners, but once he gets solid connection with the ball and his foot he really does drill the ball. So I can see Donnie Jones being in Miami next year as well.
That is my take on the Dolphins and some of the things I see them doing in the offseason. One thing I didn’t mention is that I really do feel that Saban will trade for a QB rather than waiting to see who is left. The two guys I see him trading for are either Phillip Rivers or Matt Lienart. Also, I see the Dolphins picking up a WR in FA and maybe even one in the draft. But I think most of the draft picks will be primarily on the defensive side of the ball to get this team younger. I believe that right now Miami is the oldest team, going by average age, in the league. This must change and most of those old guys are on the defensive side.
