Positives
- James and Landry were productive as rookies. James had a bad time against the Jets and wasn’t as good at LT, but if he can get stronger he should be a good OT for us. Landry may be limited in speed, but his hands and production were very good. Seems a bit like an OJ Mcduffie player.
- Ryan Tannehill survived the season. OL imploded again down the stretch. Our QB is very tough.
- Ryan Tannehill improved over again over last year. 93+ QBR and improved TD/int ratio. Not sure what his ceiling is, but he continues to improve and is not the limiting factor for the team.
- Lamar Miller proved that he is a quality RB, and was consistent throughout the season. We do need a power running back as a complement, but Miller continued to give good effort and production all year.
- Young talent on the team that will be interesting to see how they develop. Billy Turner, Jordan Tripp, Chris McCain, Anthony Johnson, Terrence Fede all exhibit potential to be starters, IMO, if they can get stronger and work on better technique. Most past offseasons, I have not seen these type of players on the roster.
Major Questions
- Dion Jordon, incorrectly utilized or a bust? I don’t think we are maximizing his abilities, but is he not stepping up and competing enough?
- Can Brandon Albert return to form and be ready for the start of the 2015 season?
- OL imploded again down the stretch. How do we address during the offseason? One good FA guard + Billy Turner + draft choice? I hate spending high picks on non-impact players (prefer TD scorers and defensive playmakers), but we can’t be top 5 again in sacks allowed next season.
- Has our defensive talent regressed severely, or is the scheme not utilizing the players talent correctly? Starks’ play, I think, has dropped off... he is likely a declining player. Wake isn’t perfect, but still has playmaking value. Not sure about Vernon. He may be overrated a bit, but is still a good football player – are we using him correctly? Despite the injuries at CB and LB, it still seems to me that we have talent on defense. Wake, Vernon, Odrick, Jenkins, Grimes, Jones, Misi are all good football players. We should be able to field a defense with them that does not give up 30+ points/game. I don’t believe our scheme is maximizing our players talent.
- LB a major issue – how to upgrade? Misi is not a MLB, and was playing out of position and injured all season. In the NFL, it use to be that if you didn’t have a good MLB, you couldn’t play a 4-3 defense. The NFL has changed, but I still believe in this – our MLB play sucked this year. I don’t see a LB on the team that can shoot a gap and make a tackle for no gain. We must find a true MLB next season (FA or the draft) or adjust our scheme. Wheeler needs to go... I think he gets cut. Not sure about Ellerbe. He may not be a MLB either, but I think he is a pretty good player, if we use him correctly (and if he can get healthy).
- CB a major issue – how to upgrade? I suppose the argument could be made that a healthy Davis/Taylor may develop into quality starters, but I am not convinced. Wilson only has some limited value as a nickel or dime back, but that’s about it. Not sure who else on the roster can step up (Aikens?). Probably need a FA or draft pick.
- Coaching – a hindrance or an advantage? Too often it appears that we get outcoached and I am not convinced that we maximize the usage of our players. Jenkins only played once Ellerbe was injured and then played well. I thought Sims was a bust until he got on the field and played well. Turner played pretty well when pushed into service in the Jets game. I don’t think some of the younger players got enough snaps (Fede, McCain, etc). Philbin is going nowhere, but will he pull the trigger and replace Coyle? I doubt it, but I think we need a defensive coordinator that can better utilize our talent. If Coyle change can he turn the defense around? They have been going the wrong way the last few years. Can Philbin rally the team and improve the teams play next season?
- FA dollars – who to keep and who to target? We’ve got a number of key decisions on players with high cap numbers. Clay and Odrick are probably the top ones to decide on. Several veterans will likely be released to free up room.
- The draft - what to do? I can make a case for a WR, an OT, an OG, a DT, a MLB, a CB, or a pass-rushing DE in the first round.... basically we need to go BPA and try to come up with a couple more contributing starters in the 1st/2nd round (like James and Landry) and then some more talent to develop in the later rounds.
- Red zone playcalling or red zone playmakers? We moved the ball effectively most of the time, but were not as effective in the red zone. Sometimes the playcalling appeared questionable and we didn’t have many successful “go to” plays that work for us. Is this the main issue? Or, do we simply lack a big redzone receiving target to make things easier?
- Mike Wallace, WTF. I thought he played well this year – he played with effort and made a number of outstanding TD catches fighting for the football (1 in each of the NE games, plus the 1 against the Vikings). 10 TD’s is not easy to replace. Then he pulls that crap against NY. I think I agree with Cote – we need to figure out how to fix this without cutting him, but this is more distraction and more challenge for the coaching staff. We’ve got to make the right call. If we bail on him, we better have a replacement plan. If we keep him, we need to keep him playing well next year.
- James and Landry were productive as rookies. James had a bad time against the Jets and wasn’t as good at LT, but if he can get stronger he should be a good OT for us. Landry may be limited in speed, but his hands and production were very good. Seems a bit like an OJ Mcduffie player.
- Ryan Tannehill survived the season. OL imploded again down the stretch. Our QB is very tough.
- Ryan Tannehill improved over again over last year. 93+ QBR and improved TD/int ratio. Not sure what his ceiling is, but he continues to improve and is not the limiting factor for the team.
- Lamar Miller proved that he is a quality RB, and was consistent throughout the season. We do need a power running back as a complement, but Miller continued to give good effort and production all year.
- Young talent on the team that will be interesting to see how they develop. Billy Turner, Jordan Tripp, Chris McCain, Anthony Johnson, Terrence Fede all exhibit potential to be starters, IMO, if they can get stronger and work on better technique. Most past offseasons, I have not seen these type of players on the roster.
Major Questions
- Dion Jordon, incorrectly utilized or a bust? I don’t think we are maximizing his abilities, but is he not stepping up and competing enough?
- Can Brandon Albert return to form and be ready for the start of the 2015 season?
- OL imploded again down the stretch. How do we address during the offseason? One good FA guard + Billy Turner + draft choice? I hate spending high picks on non-impact players (prefer TD scorers and defensive playmakers), but we can’t be top 5 again in sacks allowed next season.
- Has our defensive talent regressed severely, or is the scheme not utilizing the players talent correctly? Starks’ play, I think, has dropped off... he is likely a declining player. Wake isn’t perfect, but still has playmaking value. Not sure about Vernon. He may be overrated a bit, but is still a good football player – are we using him correctly? Despite the injuries at CB and LB, it still seems to me that we have talent on defense. Wake, Vernon, Odrick, Jenkins, Grimes, Jones, Misi are all good football players. We should be able to field a defense with them that does not give up 30+ points/game. I don’t believe our scheme is maximizing our players talent.
- LB a major issue – how to upgrade? Misi is not a MLB, and was playing out of position and injured all season. In the NFL, it use to be that if you didn’t have a good MLB, you couldn’t play a 4-3 defense. The NFL has changed, but I still believe in this – our MLB play sucked this year. I don’t see a LB on the team that can shoot a gap and make a tackle for no gain. We must find a true MLB next season (FA or the draft) or adjust our scheme. Wheeler needs to go... I think he gets cut. Not sure about Ellerbe. He may not be a MLB either, but I think he is a pretty good player, if we use him correctly (and if he can get healthy).
- CB a major issue – how to upgrade? I suppose the argument could be made that a healthy Davis/Taylor may develop into quality starters, but I am not convinced. Wilson only has some limited value as a nickel or dime back, but that’s about it. Not sure who else on the roster can step up (Aikens?). Probably need a FA or draft pick.
- Coaching – a hindrance or an advantage? Too often it appears that we get outcoached and I am not convinced that we maximize the usage of our players. Jenkins only played once Ellerbe was injured and then played well. I thought Sims was a bust until he got on the field and played well. Turner played pretty well when pushed into service in the Jets game. I don’t think some of the younger players got enough snaps (Fede, McCain, etc). Philbin is going nowhere, but will he pull the trigger and replace Coyle? I doubt it, but I think we need a defensive coordinator that can better utilize our talent. If Coyle change can he turn the defense around? They have been going the wrong way the last few years. Can Philbin rally the team and improve the teams play next season?
- FA dollars – who to keep and who to target? We’ve got a number of key decisions on players with high cap numbers. Clay and Odrick are probably the top ones to decide on. Several veterans will likely be released to free up room.
- The draft - what to do? I can make a case for a WR, an OT, an OG, a DT, a MLB, a CB, or a pass-rushing DE in the first round.... basically we need to go BPA and try to come up with a couple more contributing starters in the 1st/2nd round (like James and Landry) and then some more talent to develop in the later rounds.
- Red zone playcalling or red zone playmakers? We moved the ball effectively most of the time, but were not as effective in the red zone. Sometimes the playcalling appeared questionable and we didn’t have many successful “go to” plays that work for us. Is this the main issue? Or, do we simply lack a big redzone receiving target to make things easier?
- Mike Wallace, WTF. I thought he played well this year – he played with effort and made a number of outstanding TD catches fighting for the football (1 in each of the NE games, plus the 1 against the Vikings). 10 TD’s is not easy to replace. Then he pulls that crap against NY. I think I agree with Cote – we need to figure out how to fix this without cutting him, but this is more distraction and more challenge for the coaching staff. We’ve got to make the right call. If we bail on him, we better have a replacement plan. If we keep him, we need to keep him playing well next year.
