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Special Teams Good & Mostly Bad

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The Dolphins not so special teams have been a disaster in the first four games. They are ranked at #28, and I'm surprised it was that high. They have hurt the team with mistakes and field position. A closer look.

Sturgis has been average in making 8-9 FG's but, not so good on his kicks. Fields, our MVP before, has struggled. Denny, a rock for many years has been a liability and will be 36. Laundry has been good and bad, and overall a mistake to return kicks.

On the rest, Michael Thomas is tied for the best in the NFL, D Williams has been VG, and W Davis has ben good. Mathews, Aiken, and Garner have all been bad, and the rest average at best. We have missed 5 tackles.

This has to be corrected to make any kind of move after the bye.
 
How has Denny been bad?

Getting Misi back and putting Trusnik back on Special Teams should help...also the return of Tripp helped against the Raiders...we did very well on kickoff and punt coverage against them (although I think we only had one punt). Really the lack of linebackers has hurt us on Special Teams more than anything. As for Landry on punt returns...yeah, not sure we can hold out much longer on him but I'm not sure we have a lot of options short of cutting a player just to sign a punt return guy...which helps Special Teams but hurts everywhere else. Who do you cut?
 
Can Thigpen, Damien Williams or even Daniel Thomas should return punts? I think the Landry experiment should have been over on punt returns after the first fumble. Another sign of poor coaching by Philbin.
 
Sherif said:
Can Thigpen, Damien Williams or even Daniel Thomas should return punts? I think the Landry experiment should have been over on punt returns after the first fumble. Another sign of poor coaching by Philbin.
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lol...some of you guys crack me up. There is no move Philbin can make where someone isn't 2nd guessing him on this board. Yet when he sticks with a player, shows patients and allows a young player to develop it's the player and not Philbin that gets credit. Whatever.

Daniel Thomas would be a mistake of incredible magnitude. Thigpen could do it...although not much better than Landry IMO but then who do you cut...and while Thigpen could return punts there's not much else he can do, at least Landry is a WR and a good one. Are you going to put Thigpen in at WR over Wallace, Hartline, Landry, Gibson or Matthews? No. Is he going to play running back over Miller, Moreno, Thomas, or Williams? No. So in other words you cut a productive player to sign a guy just to return punts and sit on the sidelines for most of the game.

Damien Williams would be good at kickoff returns but not so good at punt returns...he's not shifty and doesn't have the short area quickness you look for in a punt return man.

But of course feel free to think all of your suggestions mean Philbin is a poor coach. Obviously you know better.
 
Landry needs to stay at reciever because even if he has one good return a game its not worth all his rookie mistakes. Who fields a punt at the three with guys closing in?! Hus fumbles are ridiculous, what has he had, 3, in less than 20 returns? Landry has the tools to be dynamic at reciever but no concentration for a return guy. I say promote Thigpen or James and cut Darkwa for now if these incidents continue.


Replacing Sheppard for Trusnick on coverage team should help a lot. He's horrible at chasing guys down because he runs like he has bricks in his cleats.
 
Dolfan5000 said:
Landry needs to stay at reciever because even if he has one good return a game its not worth all his rookie mistakes. Who fields a punt at the three with guys closing in?! Hus fumbles are ridiculous, what has he had, 3, in less than 20 returns? Landry has the tools to be dynamic at reciever but no concentration for a return guy. I say promote Thigpen or James and cut Darkwa for now if these incidents continue.


Replacing Sheppard for Trusnick on coverage team should help a lot. He's horrible at chasing guys down because he runs like he has bricks in his cleats.
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He's had 2 fumbles. Who do you cut for Reshad Jones? Darkwa for a return man but who else for Jones and then who do you cut in three weeks for Jordan?
 
datruth55 said:
How has Denny been bad?

Getting Misi back and putting Trusnik back on Special Teams should help...also the return of Tripp helped against the Raiders...we did very well on kickoff and punt coverage against them (although I think we only had one punt). Really the lack of linebackers has hurt us on Special Teams more than anything. As for Landry on punt returns...yeah, not sure we can hold out much longer on him but I'm not sure we have a lot of options short of cutting a player just to sign a punt return guy...which helps Special Teams but hurts everywhere else. Who do you cut?
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If you have the time, take a look at Denny on punts and let me know what you think?

Agree on Tripp, as well as Fede. helping out. Mc Cain will also be a very welcome addition back, and he played well as would Trusnik who only played 2 ST games. Darkwa is an easy cut to add Thigpen or James to the roster.
 
Sherif said:
Can Thigpen, Damien Williams or even Daniel Thomas should return punts? I think the Landry experiment should have been over on punt returns after the first fumble. Another sign of poor coaching by Philbin.
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This is far from defending Philbin but don't see how putting Landry in some type of dog house after first fumble would have helped. Criticize Landry not coach.

---------- Post added at 02:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:04 PM ----------

Who else loves the Michael Thomas fin on helmet celebration after he guns down the returner?
 
datruth55 said:
He's had 2 fumbles. Who do you cut for Reshad Jones? Darkwa for a return man but who else for Jones and then who do you cut in three weeks for Jordan?
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Cannot imagine us missing LB Sheppard or DT Coleman.
 
datruth55 said:
He's had 2 fumbles. Who do you cut for Reshad Jones? Darkwa for a return man but who else for Jones and then who do you cut in three weeks for Jordan?
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For Jones I'd let go of one of the bottom two DTs of which the Dolphins have 5 on the active roster. For Jordan I'd let Sheppard or Freeney walk.
 
Dolfan Dave said:
This is far from defending Philbin but don't see how putting Landry in some type of dog house after first fumble would have helped. Criticize Landry not coach.

---------- Post added at 02:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:04 PM ----------

Who else loves the Michael Thomas fin on helmet celebration after he guns down the returner?
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If Thomas keeps this up, he could be worthy of Pro Bowl consideration. He has been that good.
 
Sturgis has really hurt us on kick offs. In 21 kickoffs he only has 7 touch backs. 14 returns is the second most allowed by any team. and the 390 kickoff return yards allowed are the worst in the league. If you look at the better kickers they are getting 20 touch backs and 3 returns (Justin Tucker) We you face that many returns you are eventually going to get burned.

Almost worth having a roster spot for guy who can just kick touch backs.
 
Fins1971 said:
Sturgis has really hurt us on kick offs. In 21 kickoffs he only has 7 touch backs. 14 returns is the second most allowed by any team. and the 390 kickoff return yards allowed are the worst in the league. If you look at the better kickers they are getting 20 touch backs and 3 returns (Justin Tucker) We you face that many returns you are eventually going to get burned.

Almost worth having a roster spot for guy who can just kick touch backs.
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Honestly a lot of oppossing returners have fielded KOs more than 5 yards deep in the endzone and ran it out because they know how terrible our coverage teams have been.
 
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