The obvious new moves that this new regime should address and free agency suggestions

[BennySwella]

Long has it been the days where we as dolphins fans can now see the true talent of our team better than it's own coaches can. I think it stems from seeing guys like Dan play and then watching A.J. Feeley try to be a quarterback. Or like seeing JT and Zach Thomas dominate and then having to see Philip Wheeler and Koa Misi get bullied.

This post is to state the obvious things that this team needs to address and that this regime will hopefully look into. I will assuredly not mention a bunch of things so feel free to tell us what else you think should have been mentioned or not.

I will also post potential replacements for each position after each position evaluation.

1st. Quarterback - Tannehill will lead the way but we must address a back up plan. I think it is time we look into acquiring a cheap free agent with potential or draft a qb in the later rounds to compete for the back up job or to spell Tannehill in case of injury.

2nd. Running Back - Resign Lamar Miller to a reasonable contract. Jay Ayayi is ready to share half of the load at RB. Whether we resign Miller or not, we need to sign or draft an RB because we need 2 feature backs.

Doug Martin

87.8

HB

27

Buccaneers

632

UFA

Matt Forte	81.9	HB	30	Bears	612	UFA
Chris Ivory	81.2	HB	28	Jets	551	UFA

Matt Asiata

64.9

HB

29

Vikings

209

UFA

3rd. Wide Receiver - Resign Rashard Matthews to a reasonable contract. Or sign a reasonably priced replacement if he leaves.

Alshon Jeffery	94.2	WR	26	Bears	516	UFA
Kamar Aiken	84.6	WR	27	Ravens	955	RFA

Marvin Jones

79

WR

26

Bengals

994

UFA

Travis Benjamin

69.8

WR

26

Browns

875

UFA

4. Tight End - Cameron Jordan needs to restructure his contract or he needs to be cut. We need to attempt to acquire a playmaker at this position.

Ladarius Green

74.3

TE

26

Chargers

686

UFA

5. Offensive Line - We need to get rid of Dallas Thomas. We need to infuse the entire offensive line with new personnel from free agency and the draft. We need to dig to find fresh new talent while still acquiring older veterans to help younger players along. We need contingency plans on the line. We need at the very least two viable centers on the squad at all times. Pouncey should restructure to help the team but I don't see it happening. Brandon Albert and Juwan James are not bad when healthy but they have both shown that they need to have reserves in place because of their injury history.

Ryan Schraeder	87	OT	28	Falcons	1142	RFA
Mitchell Schwartz	86.6	OT	27	Browns	1135	UFA
Cordy Glenn	85	OT	26	Bills	1079	UFA
Donald Penn	84.5	OT	33	Raiders	1072	UFA

Russell Okung

72.1

OT

28

Seahawks

935

UFA

Jeff Allen	85.5	G	26	Chiefs	593	UFA
Ramon Foster	82.3	G	30	Steelers	1234	UFA
Geoff Schwartz	80.5	G	29	Giants	685	CUT
Amini Silatolu	78.3	G	27	Panthers	246	UFA
Michael Harris	76.9	G	27	Vikings	1097	UFA

6. Defensive Line - Suh needs to restructure his crippling contract. We need to sign resign Olivier Vernon but we should not over pay because his numbers were inflated because of Suh's double teams and Wake's absence. We need to restructure Wake or let him walk. I say let him walk... how explosive do you think he will be after an Achilles tear? I would take Mario Williams on a cheaper contract any day.

Robert Ayers

88.5

ED

30

Giants

581

UFA

Greg Hardy	81.9	ED	28	Cowboys	610	UFA
Jason Pierre-Paul	81.1	ED	27	Giants	511	UFA
Aldon Smith	79.7	ED	26	Raiders	530	UFA

7. Linebackers - Koa Misi and Kelvin Sheppard need to go. Chris McCain needs to be be given more time to show if he can develop or not. We need to sign competition to push our young guys to new levels. There are a lot of free agent linebackers that we can look at. We drafted our rookie LB's last year, maybe we need to sign a few vets to help groom them for a couple of years now.

Danny Trevathan	87.5	LB	26	Broncos	849	UFA
Derrick O. Johnson	87.4	LB	33	Chiefs	1201	UFA
Brandon M. Marshall	82.8	LB	26	Broncos	1050	RFA

Rolando McClain

71.1

LB

27

Cowboys

652

UFA

8. Cornerbacks - Grimes needs to restructure his contract but we should not release him if we can't restructure. He was injured last year and played through it. He is our best CB by far. Everyone else can walk. We need another play maker at this position.

Josh Norman

83.7

CB

28

Panthers

1203

UFA

Trumaine Johnson	82.2	CB	26	Rams	931	UFA
Janoris Jenkins	80.7	CB	27	Rams	1064	UFA

Leon Hall	78.4	CB	31	Bengals	735	UFA
Prince Amukamara	78.4	CB	27	Giants	779	UFA
Brandon Boykin	76.9	CB	26	Steelers	407	UFA

9. Safety - We need a competent counterpart to Reshad Jones. Walt Aikens and/or Michael Thomas simply will not cut it. If we could somehow sign Eric Berry(not happening) we would have the best safeties in the league.

Eric Berry

88

S

27

Chiefs

1170

UFA

Eric Weddle

77.9

S

31

Chargers

769

UFA

 

[DefensiveEnd76]

Hard to believe we're only 25 days away from free agency and the official start of the 2016 season.

 

[jlfin]

Another long winded armchair GM thread.
Some of you act as if you truly believe the job of an NFL GM is so darn easy and the decisions so obvious. Player procurement via trades, FA, draft is not Madden.

 

[yoge]

Tannenbaum is basically the whole regime.

 

[Travis34]

Another long winded armchair GM thread.
Some of you act as if you truly believe the job of an NFL GM is so darn easy and the decisions so obvious. Player procurement via trades, FA, draft is not Madden.

What's wrong with having a little fun and projecting?

 

[spiketex]

Illscriptures has gone to some trouble to prepare the OP and I commend him for his efforts and provoking some thought. I don't agree with all of his perceptions but full marks for presenting his thoughts to get the ball rolling.
For once we are in the good position of having many sets of trained eyes who are new to the organization evaluate the roster. Gase, Christensen, Joseph and all the other new coaches are working overtime assessing what we currently have - ie what are our strengths and our weaknesses. Some players the former coaches, GM (and assistant GM) invested in, will be scrapped and some others will be given opportunities. Priorities will be determined where the team needs to devote more resources (i.e. dollars and/or Draft picks for Tannenbaum and Grier to address). By replacing both the GM and the Head Coach at the same time, we have what we haven't had since 2008 - the opportunity for complete objectivity. Yes, Grier has been in Miami a long time, but he wasn't making the decisions and isn't locked into covering past mistakes made by Ireland and Hickey or recommended by Philbin.
Tannenbaum has already flagged that Ndamukong Suh's contract may be restructured to create some cap space and this is clearly a high priority. However, I would strongly prefer that they don't juggle the numbers too much or we run the risk of being in salary cap hell for years to come. There is a solid case for taking an element of pain in one year now rather incurring bigger problems later. Much of this was probably understood when Ndamukong signed up but I advocate fiscal restraint and trust Dawn Aponte. Tannenbaum got into a financial mess at the Jets and we can't afford a repeat.
While we may like lots of new top dollar free agents like those listed, the key will be getting the 2 - 3 who can make a difference and not break the bank. I would prioritize the O-line (specifically the Guard position) and a Defensive Back (probably CB) as the positions I would invest the top free agent money.
While Illscriptures wants to find the cash to keep OV, Miller and Matthews, we may not be so fortunate to keep them all in a market where big money will splashed around. I would like to keep them all (and Shelby) but the priorities need to be set. OV will be hard to keep when we hear that teams like Cleveland have an extra $35M to spend. Illscriptures wants to get rid of Cam Wake and Koa Misi and I'd prefer to keep by restructuring both contracts if they are healthy. Medical advice is paramount in making the calls but both have demonstrated themselves as good loyal Dolphins over a long period of time. I'd like to find a way to keep them but Gase and co may have other ideas.
We need a decent middle linebacker after many years of suboptimal performance. I would prefer to use a high draft pick to get someone good but we will also need to hedge our bets. We also probably need to draft a Safety and a CB.
Finally, please don't scrap Michael Thomas. He is relatively inexpensive and is a decent special teams contributor (and also one of the few with natural leadership attributes). Anyone who saw the final game against the Patriots saw how he can contribute. His big tackle inspired all teammates. He is a worthy #3 Safety to keep.
Welcome feedback.

 

[Travis34]

Absolutely killer post spiketex

We've got the same views more or less and that was a very well wrote out post

 

[The Goat]

Another long winded armchair GM thread.
Some of you act as if you truly believe the job of an NFL GM is so darn easy and the decisions so obvious. Player procurement via trades, FA, draft is not Madden.

"Who is more foolish, the fool, or the fool who follows?"

- Obi Wan Kenobi

 

[Dolph N.Fan]

Another long winded armchair GM thread.
Some of you act as if you truly believe the job of an NFL GM is so darn easy and the decisions so obvious. Player procurement via trades, FA, draft is not Madden.

Though I agree, this cliche has run its course. Come up with something new.

 

[39wildman]

Tannenbaum is basically the whole regime.

ross can hire a fan cheaper and they can do same thing as tannenbaum. with the same result. we need good vp like john Elway.

 

[Bruzer]

ross can hire a fan cheaper and they can do same thing as tannenbaum. with the same result. we need good vp like john Elway.

Not a big fan of Tannenbaum but sorry most fans couldn't handle the job and would likely be a utter disaster on a level no one has seen before.

 

[Locke]

Play making TE and then Ladarius Green is listed? Since when has that dude ever been a playmaker.

 

[yoge]

ross can hire a fan cheaper and they can do same thing as tannenbaum. with the same result. we need good vp like john Elway.

Marino? I think he tried once but failed.

---------- Post added at 12:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:59 AM ----------

Not a big fan of Tannenbaum but sorry most fans couldn't handle the job and would likely be a utter disaster on a level no one has seen before.

Not really bro. What is Tannenbaum's job? Is it to draft players? Pick up free-agents? What does GM Grier do then? Scout players?

 

[BennySwella]

Illscriptures has gone to some trouble to prepare the OP and I commend him for his efforts and provoking some thought. I don't agree with all of his perceptions but full marks for presenting his thoughts to get the ball rolling.
For once we are in the good position of having many sets of trained eyes who are new to the organization evaluate the roster. Gase, Christensen, Joseph and all the other new coaches are working overtime assessing what we currently have - ie what are our strengths and our weaknesses. Some players the former coaches, GM (and assistant GM) invested in, will be scrapped and some others will be given opportunities. Priorities will be determined where the team needs to devote more resources (i.e. dollars and/or Draft picks for Tannenbaum and Grier to address). By replacing both the GM and the Head Coach at the same time, we have what we haven't had since 2008 - the opportunity for complete objectivity. Yes, Grier has been in Miami a long time, but he wasn't making the decisions and isn't locked into covering past mistakes made by Ireland and Hickey or recommended by Philbin.
Tannenbaum has already flagged that Ndamukong Suh's contract may be restructured to create some cap space and this is clearly a high priority. However, I would strongly prefer that they don't juggle the numbers too much or we run the risk of being in salary cap hell for years to come. There is a solid case for taking an element of pain in one year now rather incurring bigger problems later. Much of this was probably understood when Ndamukong signed up but I advocate fiscal restraint and trust Dawn Aponte. Tannenbaum got into a financial mess at the Jets and we can't afford a repeat.
While we may like lots of new top dollar free agents like those listed, the key will be getting the 2 - 3 who can make a difference and not break the bank. I would prioritize the O-line (specifically the Guard position) and a Defensive Back (probably CB) as the positions I would invest the top free agent money.
While Illscriptures wants to find the cash to keep OV, Miller and Matthews, we may not be so fortunate to keep them all in a market where big money will splashed around. I would like to keep them all (and Shelby) but the priorities need to be set. OV will be hard to keep when we hear that teams like Cleveland have an extra $35M to spend. Illscriptures wants to get rid of Cam Wake and Koa Misi and I'd prefer to keep by restructuring both contracts if they are healthy. Medical advice is paramount in making the calls but both have demonstrated themselves as good loyal Dolphins over a long period of time. I'd like to find a way to keep them but Gase and co may have other ideas.
We need a decent middle linebacker after many years of suboptimal performance. I would prefer to use a high draft pick to get someone good but we will also need to hedge our bets. We also probably need to draft a Safety and a CB.
Finally, please don't scrap Michael Thomas. He is relatively inexpensive and is a decent special teams contributor (and also one of the few with natural leadership attributes). Anyone who saw the final game against the Patriots saw how he can contribute. His big tackle inspired all teammates. He is a worthy #3 Safety to keep.
Welcome feedback.

What a perfect retort. A response like this was one of the main reasons I wrote this post. Thanks for the feedback. You sound pretty on. While I would like to keep Wake and company it is all dependent on restructuring their contracts... Koa Misi needs to be replaced or restructured as depth. While I do not expect all or most of my wishes to happen I do think the more of them do happen the better our team will be.

Somebody mentioned me being another Armchair GM. While that is technically accurate, it is my love for the game and the Miami Dolphins that makes me a good eye at the hobby I have a passion for and what the best moves for my team would be. I have learned from the horrible coaching decisions and personnel decisions of the past regimes.

I think you guys would enjoy reading my post history where I have called for Jason Allen to be cut years prior to it happening. Daniel Thomas to be cut years before it happened. Channing Crowder to be cut years before it happened. Phillip Wheeler, Jeff Ireland etc. I have posted threads about how all of these players needed to be let go.

I posted a thread against Suh's gigantic contract. I posted against letting go of Dansby, Reggie Bush, Brandon Marshall, Vontae Davis, and Sean Smith.

Not to seem presumptuous and arrogant but I have been predicting our rosters moves pretty accurately for the most part for some time (Mostly who will be or should be cut from the team). The Miami Dolphins are horrible at talent evaluation, and as a fan I hope that changes when the fans can easily see what is wrong with the team better than the coaches and gm can.

The truth is I would probably be a horrible GM, but that is why I posted this, in hopes that maybe this regime knows more than this armchair GM and can get this ship righted with their extensive knowledge of the game that I frankly do not have.

For example we need to cut Dallas Thomas. If he is somehow starting by the beginning of the season I will be disappointed in this new staff's personnel decisions.

 

[Bruzer]

Marino? I think he tried once but failed.

---------- Post added at 12:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:59 AM ----------



Not really bro. What is Tannenbaum's job? Is it to draft players? Pick up free-agents? What does GM Grier do then? Scout players?

Lol the delusions that just anyone can walk in and do the job. I would say a few maybe could but majority hahahaha no.... Unless you have done the job I'm sure you don't know all the small details and politics in the job and I'm not even saying Tannenbaum is good. You wouldn't even have any basic networking in the profession.