ckparrothead
Premium Member
I know I keep getting drawn into QB discussions...but the truth of the matter is the QB position has not been a very big part of our season...either in loss or defeat.
The defensive line has been, BY FAR, the biggest catalyst in our victories...and the most compelling aspect of the team in general.
The bottom line is, so far through 13 games, this may be the best defensive line I have ever seen...which has to rank them highly on defensive lines in the history of the NFL.
What strikes me is how good they have been in defeat, yet just how dependent on them we have been in our victories. This speaks of consistency as well as importance to victory...and it also shows us just how much they are carrying the team in general.
I mean aside from the anecdotal evidence (which is plentiful), look at the statistical evidence. Below are 16-game projections of the most common big play statistics JUST from defensive linemen, split into during wins, and during losses.
DL STATS IN LOSSES (7 GAMES)
Sacks...38 (16.5)
QB Hurries...43 (19)
Passes Defensed...16 (7)
FFumbles...14 (6)
Interceptions...0 (0)
Touchdowns...0 (0)
DL STATS IN VICTORIES (6 GAMES)
Sacks...53 (20)
QB Hurries...51 (19)
Passes Defensed...27 (10)
FFumbles...19 (7)
Interceptions...5 (2)
Touchdowns...5 (2)
DL STATS IN TOTAL (13 GAMES)
Sacks...45 (36.5)
QB Hurries...47 (38)
Passes Defensed...21 (17)
FFumbles...16 (13)
Interceptions...2 (2)
Touchdowns...2 (2)
First off, notice the consistency. I believe this is the mark of some of the "best ever" units we've seen in the NFL. Even in defeat the defensive line has been ridiculously good...but in victory, they have been just...plain...unbelievable.
Keep in mind those statistics are 16 game projections for JUST DEFENSIVE LINEMEN. The Dolphins have a total of 7.5 sacks from non-DL players this season. Most every team in the NFL commonly has a good percentage of non-DL sacks.
We saw how ridiculous they were against the Bears. The Chiefs game was no different I forget what the number Saban quoted but they tracked something like 18 QB pressures in that game. The Vikings game, what can you say they actually took the game over, created two fumbles that were returned for two scores. We had 6 sacks against Jon Kitna just from the DL (8 in total).
And now this game may have been some of the most ridiculous amount of pressure I've seen from a DL against a QB who was GENERALLY getting the ball out of his hands before he could take the sack. Tom Brady still took 5 sacks, and yet how many times did he get rid of the ball under fire?
The DL is the reason we have turned this thing around. They have been completely ridiculous in 5 of our 6 victories.
I know the temptation is to chalk it up during a season in which we will not make the playoffs or play for a championship.
But the accomplishments of a season are not rendered nil just because you do not win the Super Bowl or play in the playoffs. The only goal of football is not winning championships. There is much more to football than that. The most basic goal of football is to win games, to be better than your opponent on a Sunday afternoon. This has been true ever since Pop Warner, all the way through High School, and College. Back in high school it was not a failed season if you did not win the state championship. It is not a failed college season just because you don't win the national championship. It is hard for pro football fans to understand the motivation that keeps players winning each week for themselves, even if they are eliminated from playoff contention. But, they have been doing this since they were children, winning to win, no matter the consequence.
Right now I think a new, untalked about possibility during the off season will be the challenge we face when Defensive Line Coach Dan Quinn gets offers for Defensive Coordinator positions...if not straight up Head Coaching positions.
That is a very real possibility. This kind of defensive line production, two years in a row, will not go unnoticed for long.
It also makes it seem pretty significant that three of the six biggest cogs in the defensive line are set to be unrestricted free agents in the spring. Those players are Vonnie Holliday, David Bowens, and Keith Traylor.
While it may seem of the utmost importance to re-sign Vonnie Holliday, the truth of the matter is that Keith Traylor and David Bowens' skill sets make them much harder to replace.
With Vonnie Holliday, we have Matt Roth ready to step up. He is a second round selection, has always been very strong against the run since his being drafted, and now he's starting to make plays against the pass as well. He has 3.5 sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles, and 1 QB Hurry in the last three games.
This means that someone needs to step up for Matt Roth in his rotational role. The natural choice, aside from someone new via FA or the Draft, would be Rodrique Wright. He's not the first round talent some would have you believe; he had fallen to a third or fourth round grade long before teams found out about his shoulder injury, but he was pretty dominant early in his college career and he is a natural choice to play end and tackle for the team in situational roles.
On the other hand, David Bowens is an impact special teams performer (and maybe the most unique special teams gunner in the league as a defensive end), and more importantly he is Jason Taylor's backup. He has taken a little more of a back seat this season as opposed to last year because of Matt Roth's increasing roled, however he has 10 sacks in situational roles the last two seasons. More importantly, as I've already mentioned, he is Jason Taylor's primary backup. I'm knocking on wood quite fiercely when I say that if Jason Taylor goes down injured for any significant period of time, we'd be awfully glad we have a player as versatile and as good at playing JT's exact role as David Bowens.
Losing David Bowens would probably mean a high round rookie, perhaps even the first round of the NFL Draft (Lamarr Woodley, Gaines Adams). This would serve the purpose of finding a pass rusher for the rotation, filling David Bowens' role as JT's primary backup, AND finding JT's eventual successor.
Keith Traylor is not very replaceable either. He's a UFA, and before signing with us in 2005 he had every intention of retiring after 2006. His wife has been bugging him about it for years. Coming off a career year, we may be able to convince him to help us for one more year. But if not, then Dan Wilkinson is our best replacement. He's been a good player for us, but is her hard working enough to be Traylor's full time successor? The reality is one player is not going to replace Traylor. We would either need Fred Evans to step up in a HUGE way considering he's an unheralded 7th rounder, or we would need to draft a nose tackle candidate very high. Candidates for this position would have to include Quinn Pit****, Alan Branch, Justin Harrell, and Amobi Okoye. Honestly, neither Pit**** nor Okoye play with enough size and power for Nick Saban's tastes...so honestly Harrell and Branch are the best candidates for this role in the draft.
Honestly, we can afford to lose one, maybe two of these three...with Holliday the most likely. But if we lose all three, PLUS we have difficulty retaining Dan Quinn as defensive line coach...then we had better solidify the offensive line, linebacker, and quarterback positions in a BIG way to make up for it.
Because this is a Defensive Line dominant team...that's the way we win ball games. They've proved it 6 times this year.
The defensive line has been, BY FAR, the biggest catalyst in our victories...and the most compelling aspect of the team in general.
The bottom line is, so far through 13 games, this may be the best defensive line I have ever seen...which has to rank them highly on defensive lines in the history of the NFL.
What strikes me is how good they have been in defeat, yet just how dependent on them we have been in our victories. This speaks of consistency as well as importance to victory...and it also shows us just how much they are carrying the team in general.
I mean aside from the anecdotal evidence (which is plentiful), look at the statistical evidence. Below are 16-game projections of the most common big play statistics JUST from defensive linemen, split into during wins, and during losses.
DL STATS IN LOSSES (7 GAMES)
Sacks...38 (16.5)
QB Hurries...43 (19)
Passes Defensed...16 (7)
FFumbles...14 (6)
Interceptions...0 (0)
Touchdowns...0 (0)
DL STATS IN VICTORIES (6 GAMES)
Sacks...53 (20)
QB Hurries...51 (19)
Passes Defensed...27 (10)
FFumbles...19 (7)
Interceptions...5 (2)
Touchdowns...5 (2)
DL STATS IN TOTAL (13 GAMES)
Sacks...45 (36.5)
QB Hurries...47 (38)
Passes Defensed...21 (17)
FFumbles...16 (13)
Interceptions...2 (2)
Touchdowns...2 (2)
First off, notice the consistency. I believe this is the mark of some of the "best ever" units we've seen in the NFL. Even in defeat the defensive line has been ridiculously good...but in victory, they have been just...plain...unbelievable.
Keep in mind those statistics are 16 game projections for JUST DEFENSIVE LINEMEN. The Dolphins have a total of 7.5 sacks from non-DL players this season. Most every team in the NFL commonly has a good percentage of non-DL sacks.
We saw how ridiculous they were against the Bears. The Chiefs game was no different I forget what the number Saban quoted but they tracked something like 18 QB pressures in that game. The Vikings game, what can you say they actually took the game over, created two fumbles that were returned for two scores. We had 6 sacks against Jon Kitna just from the DL (8 in total).
And now this game may have been some of the most ridiculous amount of pressure I've seen from a DL against a QB who was GENERALLY getting the ball out of his hands before he could take the sack. Tom Brady still took 5 sacks, and yet how many times did he get rid of the ball under fire?
The DL is the reason we have turned this thing around. They have been completely ridiculous in 5 of our 6 victories.
I know the temptation is to chalk it up during a season in which we will not make the playoffs or play for a championship.
But the accomplishments of a season are not rendered nil just because you do not win the Super Bowl or play in the playoffs. The only goal of football is not winning championships. There is much more to football than that. The most basic goal of football is to win games, to be better than your opponent on a Sunday afternoon. This has been true ever since Pop Warner, all the way through High School, and College. Back in high school it was not a failed season if you did not win the state championship. It is not a failed college season just because you don't win the national championship. It is hard for pro football fans to understand the motivation that keeps players winning each week for themselves, even if they are eliminated from playoff contention. But, they have been doing this since they were children, winning to win, no matter the consequence.
Right now I think a new, untalked about possibility during the off season will be the challenge we face when Defensive Line Coach Dan Quinn gets offers for Defensive Coordinator positions...if not straight up Head Coaching positions.
That is a very real possibility. This kind of defensive line production, two years in a row, will not go unnoticed for long.
It also makes it seem pretty significant that three of the six biggest cogs in the defensive line are set to be unrestricted free agents in the spring. Those players are Vonnie Holliday, David Bowens, and Keith Traylor.
While it may seem of the utmost importance to re-sign Vonnie Holliday, the truth of the matter is that Keith Traylor and David Bowens' skill sets make them much harder to replace.
With Vonnie Holliday, we have Matt Roth ready to step up. He is a second round selection, has always been very strong against the run since his being drafted, and now he's starting to make plays against the pass as well. He has 3.5 sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles, and 1 QB Hurry in the last three games.
This means that someone needs to step up for Matt Roth in his rotational role. The natural choice, aside from someone new via FA or the Draft, would be Rodrique Wright. He's not the first round talent some would have you believe; he had fallen to a third or fourth round grade long before teams found out about his shoulder injury, but he was pretty dominant early in his college career and he is a natural choice to play end and tackle for the team in situational roles.
On the other hand, David Bowens is an impact special teams performer (and maybe the most unique special teams gunner in the league as a defensive end), and more importantly he is Jason Taylor's backup. He has taken a little more of a back seat this season as opposed to last year because of Matt Roth's increasing roled, however he has 10 sacks in situational roles the last two seasons. More importantly, as I've already mentioned, he is Jason Taylor's primary backup. I'm knocking on wood quite fiercely when I say that if Jason Taylor goes down injured for any significant period of time, we'd be awfully glad we have a player as versatile and as good at playing JT's exact role as David Bowens.
Losing David Bowens would probably mean a high round rookie, perhaps even the first round of the NFL Draft (Lamarr Woodley, Gaines Adams). This would serve the purpose of finding a pass rusher for the rotation, filling David Bowens' role as JT's primary backup, AND finding JT's eventual successor.
Keith Traylor is not very replaceable either. He's a UFA, and before signing with us in 2005 he had every intention of retiring after 2006. His wife has been bugging him about it for years. Coming off a career year, we may be able to convince him to help us for one more year. But if not, then Dan Wilkinson is our best replacement. He's been a good player for us, but is her hard working enough to be Traylor's full time successor? The reality is one player is not going to replace Traylor. We would either need Fred Evans to step up in a HUGE way considering he's an unheralded 7th rounder, or we would need to draft a nose tackle candidate very high. Candidates for this position would have to include Quinn Pit****, Alan Branch, Justin Harrell, and Amobi Okoye. Honestly, neither Pit**** nor Okoye play with enough size and power for Nick Saban's tastes...so honestly Harrell and Branch are the best candidates for this role in the draft.
Honestly, we can afford to lose one, maybe two of these three...with Holliday the most likely. But if we lose all three, PLUS we have difficulty retaining Dan Quinn as defensive line coach...then we had better solidify the offensive line, linebacker, and quarterback positions in a BIG way to make up for it.
Because this is a Defensive Line dominant team...that's the way we win ball games. They've proved it 6 times this year.
