VT Dolphan
Pro Bowler
I think we've all been getting a little bit tired of all the rampant rumors and "WE SHOULD SIGN....[insert random washed up veteran who doesn't fit our system at all]" threads, so I thought I'd mix it up a bit.
By position, I've outlined all the reasons I think next season could either be a return to the playoffs, or a top ten draft pick.
+ Chad Pennington, simply put, was the man last year despite being added right before the start of the season and having very little time to learn the playbook. Obviously, he's one of the brightest players in the NFL so I doubt it had much of an effect on him, but with a complete mastery of the playbook he could be even better. Chad Henne has had a year to develop, and hopefully would at least be able to manage a game should Pennington go down. Same goes for John Beck, if he makes it through the offseason that is.
- Chad Pennington actually survived a full season, would you be willing to bet he can repeat that feat again? Not so sure. He has had a history of not being able to put together back-to-back good seasons throughout his career. If he goes down, I think our playoff chances go down with him.
RB's
+ After getting by using the gimmicky wildcat last season, the front office has made it clear they want the power running game to be the staple of this offense. Resigning Carey and adding Grove, plus the returns of Thomas and Smiley should mean plenty of holes for Ronnie and Ricky. Ronnie was able to put together his first complete season and recovered very nicely from his torn ACL. Another year to heal should allow him to cut more comfortably without fear of his knee buckling on him. I suspect a rookie will be brought in for insurance purposes should the injury bug return.
- Same story here as with Pennington, Ronnie hasn't exactly been a model of health since entering the league. Was last year a fluke, or will he be able to stay healthy again? Despite his pro-bowl bid, he still finished under 1,000 yards. If he can't top that mark, we could be in trouble. Ricky is a year older, and slower.
WR
+ Our WR corp had to be one of the youngest and rawest groups in the league last year. Ginn, Bess and London should all improve with more experience. Camarillo will be back, hopefully close to normal from his ACL. Depth was a sever issue last year, and will assuredly be addressed come draft time. The front office is apparently very interested in some WR's in the draft (Nicks? Barden?) Maybe Wilford will out produce his 3 catches if he survives the offseason? Maybe?
- We lack a true number one threat that teams need to respect. I have my doubts that Ginn will ever fulfill that role. Bess and Camarillo are great possession receivers, but they don't really scare anyone. Who knows if Camarillo will be able to fully recover either.
OL
+ At the very least depth will be much improved. With Jake Grove likely taking over at C, Satele will likely be switched to guard and provide us with a very good backup if he can't win a spot outright. Smiley and Thomas will both be back. Jake Long has had a full year of experience under his belt to build off of. Hopefully Carey will be motivated by his new paycheck and return to his 2007 level of play and give us one of the top tackle tandems in the league.
- I realize that we still have a lot of free agency to go and the draft ahead, but right now our depth at tackle scares the hell out of me. Nate Garner and Brandon Frye? Doesn't exactly inspire confidence should Long or Carey go down. Smiley has ended the past two years on IR, so banking on his health isn't a very good plan.
DL
+ Kendall Langford played admirably as a rookie last year and should only improve. Same goes for Merling. Randy Starks played very well in a rotational role last year and should be able to match Holliday's production. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we invest another early pick in a d-lineman should the value be there (Tyson Jackson? Jarron Gilbert?)
- Vonnie Holliday was one of the leaders of this team, and his presence on the field could be sorely missed. Our run defense was very porous at times last year, and could be a problem again should Ferguson miss any time. And given his age and history I'd say is almost a foregone conclusion. Can Paul Soliai step up his game and handle the NT position if need be?
LB
+ Joey Porter was a monster last year despite having very little help rushing the passer. Cameron Wake should be able to help him out a bit with that. Channing Crowder is back, to some people's dismay, but he is a solid linebacker when healthy. Matt Roth revived his career by switching to OLB and should improve with more experience at the position. It's a sure bet that the position will be upgraded come April, whether it be any of the trio of USC linebackers, Clint Sintim, Larry English, etc... some young blood will be added to the unit.
- The pass rush was severely lacking last year as a whole. Joey Porter had a career year and likely won't be able to put up those types of numbers again. How will Wake's game translate from the CFL to the NFL? Can Channing Crowder be able to a number other than 0 in his Sack, INT, FF stat columns for once?
Secondary
+ Pairing Gibril Wilson, a tackling machine, with Bell gives us a very solid safety tandem and basically ensures that we won't be allowing many long runs. Will Allen found a cure for his stone hands last year and evolved into a very solid corner. I'd be surprised if an early pick weren't invested in finding a CB to start opposite him.
- Andre Goodman's departure has left a giant void in our secondary, and although I think he played over his head last year, we'll surely be taking a step back at that position. Health is always an issue with Bell, when he is off the field the defense is a completely different unit.
When all is said and done, 2008 was a tremendous year for Miami and one that almost nobody could have predicted. But we also we're fairly lucky as far as injuries go. Losing Camarillo, Smiley and Thomas hurt, but to get full seasons out of Pennington, Bell, Brown and Long really allowed us to stay competitive all year long.
If Pennington and Bell can stay healthy, I say that we can at least go 8-8 next year. I know that may sound like a disappointment to most people, but considering our schedule, really isn't that bad. Remember, we were 1-15 a year ago and our still rebuilding. I'm confident Parcells and Ireland can bring in the pieces we need to win for a long time.
By position, I've outlined all the reasons I think next season could either be a return to the playoffs, or a top ten draft pick.
+ Chad Pennington, simply put, was the man last year despite being added right before the start of the season and having very little time to learn the playbook. Obviously, he's one of the brightest players in the NFL so I doubt it had much of an effect on him, but with a complete mastery of the playbook he could be even better. Chad Henne has had a year to develop, and hopefully would at least be able to manage a game should Pennington go down. Same goes for John Beck, if he makes it through the offseason that is.
- Chad Pennington actually survived a full season, would you be willing to bet he can repeat that feat again? Not so sure. He has had a history of not being able to put together back-to-back good seasons throughout his career. If he goes down, I think our playoff chances go down with him.
RB's
+ After getting by using the gimmicky wildcat last season, the front office has made it clear they want the power running game to be the staple of this offense. Resigning Carey and adding Grove, plus the returns of Thomas and Smiley should mean plenty of holes for Ronnie and Ricky. Ronnie was able to put together his first complete season and recovered very nicely from his torn ACL. Another year to heal should allow him to cut more comfortably without fear of his knee buckling on him. I suspect a rookie will be brought in for insurance purposes should the injury bug return.
- Same story here as with Pennington, Ronnie hasn't exactly been a model of health since entering the league. Was last year a fluke, or will he be able to stay healthy again? Despite his pro-bowl bid, he still finished under 1,000 yards. If he can't top that mark, we could be in trouble. Ricky is a year older, and slower.
WR
+ Our WR corp had to be one of the youngest and rawest groups in the league last year. Ginn, Bess and London should all improve with more experience. Camarillo will be back, hopefully close to normal from his ACL. Depth was a sever issue last year, and will assuredly be addressed come draft time. The front office is apparently very interested in some WR's in the draft (Nicks? Barden?) Maybe Wilford will out produce his 3 catches if he survives the offseason? Maybe?
- We lack a true number one threat that teams need to respect. I have my doubts that Ginn will ever fulfill that role. Bess and Camarillo are great possession receivers, but they don't really scare anyone. Who knows if Camarillo will be able to fully recover either.
OL
+ At the very least depth will be much improved. With Jake Grove likely taking over at C, Satele will likely be switched to guard and provide us with a very good backup if he can't win a spot outright. Smiley and Thomas will both be back. Jake Long has had a full year of experience under his belt to build off of. Hopefully Carey will be motivated by his new paycheck and return to his 2007 level of play and give us one of the top tackle tandems in the league.
- I realize that we still have a lot of free agency to go and the draft ahead, but right now our depth at tackle scares the hell out of me. Nate Garner and Brandon Frye? Doesn't exactly inspire confidence should Long or Carey go down. Smiley has ended the past two years on IR, so banking on his health isn't a very good plan.
DL
+ Kendall Langford played admirably as a rookie last year and should only improve. Same goes for Merling. Randy Starks played very well in a rotational role last year and should be able to match Holliday's production. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we invest another early pick in a d-lineman should the value be there (Tyson Jackson? Jarron Gilbert?)
- Vonnie Holliday was one of the leaders of this team, and his presence on the field could be sorely missed. Our run defense was very porous at times last year, and could be a problem again should Ferguson miss any time. And given his age and history I'd say is almost a foregone conclusion. Can Paul Soliai step up his game and handle the NT position if need be?
LB
+ Joey Porter was a monster last year despite having very little help rushing the passer. Cameron Wake should be able to help him out a bit with that. Channing Crowder is back, to some people's dismay, but he is a solid linebacker when healthy. Matt Roth revived his career by switching to OLB and should improve with more experience at the position. It's a sure bet that the position will be upgraded come April, whether it be any of the trio of USC linebackers, Clint Sintim, Larry English, etc... some young blood will be added to the unit.
- The pass rush was severely lacking last year as a whole. Joey Porter had a career year and likely won't be able to put up those types of numbers again. How will Wake's game translate from the CFL to the NFL? Can Channing Crowder be able to a number other than 0 in his Sack, INT, FF stat columns for once?
Secondary
+ Pairing Gibril Wilson, a tackling machine, with Bell gives us a very solid safety tandem and basically ensures that we won't be allowing many long runs. Will Allen found a cure for his stone hands last year and evolved into a very solid corner. I'd be surprised if an early pick weren't invested in finding a CB to start opposite him.
- Andre Goodman's departure has left a giant void in our secondary, and although I think he played over his head last year, we'll surely be taking a step back at that position. Health is always an issue with Bell, when he is off the field the defense is a completely different unit.
When all is said and done, 2008 was a tremendous year for Miami and one that almost nobody could have predicted. But we also we're fairly lucky as far as injuries go. Losing Camarillo, Smiley and Thomas hurt, but to get full seasons out of Pennington, Bell, Brown and Long really allowed us to stay competitive all year long.
If Pennington and Bell can stay healthy, I say that we can at least go 8-8 next year. I know that may sound like a disappointment to most people, but considering our schedule, really isn't that bad. Remember, we were 1-15 a year ago and our still rebuilding. I'm confident Parcells and Ireland can bring in the pieces we need to win for a long time.
