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Top 3 concerns on offense and defense?

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Alex44

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I'd just like to know what everyone thinks our main priorities should be on offense and defense, there are a few things I would like done.

Offense:

LT: It doesn't matter who your QB is if he is always on his back, Culpepper held the ball to long and the pressure got him, Joey didn't hold the ball long enough (most likely for fear of his life) and ended up turning the ball over far to often. Personally I believe that the LT may be the most important part of an offense, or at least right up there with the QB.

C: You guys heard Cam say it 'You build your offense from the middle out' and that's something I also firmly believe. A good young offensive line is the best route to success for many years, the Jets went that route and have seen an immediate impact. I'd love to pick up a young, smart, athletic center in the draft, as early as the second round.

QB/WR: I struggles picking my third, on the one hand I still believe in Daunte. On the other hand I realize he may not pan out and it's time we groomed our own QB. As for the wideouts Booker isn't getting any younger, Chambers isn't living up to his contract and Hagan at this point has a case of the drops. I love Hagans ability to get open and that should improve over time, but will his hands? I sure hope so because if they do I believe he can be a #1 guy for us. Id love to see both these needs addressed and Id love to see us look WR in the 3rd or 4th round and maybe find a gem. If Cam believe Daunte can do it so do I. If not then I think we look QB instead of WR.

Defense:

OLB: We run a 3-4 scheme but we have the personnel for a 4-3. Crowder and Thomas are MLB who arent very good blitzers. JT is perfect for the role, but the point of a 3-4 is to confuse the offense. In other words what good is JT being our pass rushing OLB if they know he is the only one that can get there? I think we need to find someone that can compliment JT nicely on the other side and make offenses have to think a little more. While I cant complain with the results (ranking 5th overall in points allowed) I did see a lot of room for improvement. It really puts the secondary in a bad spot when you blitz and cant get there, the QB has time and it creates one on one matchups down the field for the other teams wide outs. I saw that happen to many times this season, and the amazing thing is we still had a lot of sacks, but like I said there is room to improve.

DT: A real monster in the middle, a guy who can create penetration behind the Line of Scrimmage. I know we have Traylor but how many more years will he play? Wilkinson may also be gone this year, so we really need to look into getting a big guy to fill up space. As most of you know the DT in the 3-4 may be the most important position, because with one less defensive lineman it makes it a lot easier for the other team to get blocks downfield on your LB's so you need a big mean DT to keep them honest. I know a lot of you also are thinking 'Well we have Evans and Rod Wright' true, but neither of them is a true space eater, and both are pass rush specialists. Manny Wright may also be coming back....but I dont want to be counting on him for anything.

CB: A shut down guy, a guy that says 'You aren't throwing to my half of the field' a guy that can make you pay anytime you look his way. I feel comfortable with Jason Allen and Bell at the safety positions (even though some of you are calling Jason a bust) Will Allen is a very very good #2 guy because he can flat out run, but due to his size he is easily outmuscled by bigger WR and he doesnt play the ball very well. Daniels I love playing the nickelback position, due to the fact he has some pretty good instincts.

So if you dont feel like reading all that this is basically what I said

We need a LT, C, QB/WR, OLB, DT, and CB

Im really interested in what you guys think
 
Offense= Left Tackle, #1 wideout with some speed, I would like to see a monster center for us also.
Defense= BIG middle man up front, Another LB, and definitely A cornerback that can catch the damn ball. This past season I totally realized that what some people say is definitely true with the Dolphins....Cornerbacks are wide recievers that cant catch.
 
On offense the only position that i would be against us drafting would be a running back...I think if utilized in the right way and if he stays healthy ronnie can be a huge stud...On defense the only position i am against us drafting EARLY is DE just because i think that JT and Roth will start next year and Kevin Carter may come back with a limited role and if he takes a pay cut...But other than that any position on Defense is also fine with me...This team needs a complete revamping and in my eyes no one is safe next year...
 
Offense-
1. LT
2.QB
3....QB
Defense-
1. Cb
2. DT
3. Safety
 
Man, u have made some excellent points. Great write up. IMO if you look at our roster there are two glaring positions that have no true starter.

On offense there is the Left Tackle position. We seriously need a franchise LT to protect Daunte or whoever the heck our QB turns out to be. DC has already had one serious injury, we need to prevent him from receiving another. FA possibility could be Leonard Davis.

On defense our biggest hole is the OLB position. We don't have any other significant pass rushers on the roster except for JT, and JT is beginning to age and be on the receiving end of too many double teams. FA possiblity? Adalius Thomas cause I'm a huge fan of his versatility.
 
top 3 on offense:
1. QB - if CPEP still not healthy and backup Joey Harrington again..
2. LT - Damion McIntosh ouch!
3. WR - no #1 go-to-guy

top 3 on defense:
1. Secondary awful needs jason allen to come on next yr
2. linebackers getting old and (spragan) useless
3. Defense tackle age is a concern and a bunch of long shots.
 
Alex44 said:
I love Hagans ability to get open and that should improve over time, but will his hands? I sure hope so because if they do I believe he can be a #1 guy for us.
Click to expand...

Hagan won't be a #1 for a long while, if ever, but he should be Booker's successor at some point in the future. His case of the drops faded towards the end of the season, and he's still excellent at getting open. He should be a solid go-to guy in 2007.

I know we have Traylor but how many more years will he play? Wilkinson may also be gone this year, so we really need to look into getting a big guy to fill up space.
Click to expand...

Other way around. Traylor's contract is up, and he said when coming to Miami that he would play 2 years and then retire. Unless Mueller and Cam convince him to come back for one more year, he's gone, and Wilkinson will be our NT. Wilkinson did pretty well this season, but I'm not sure if he's a guy you want leading the depth chart. If we can't convince Traylor to come back next year, we very likely will draft to fill his position, quite possibly in the first round.
 
Alex44 said:
I'd just like to know what everyone thinks our main priorities should be on offense and defense, there are a few things I would like done.

Offense:

LT: It doesn't matter who your QB is if he is always on his back, Culpepper held the ball to long and the pressure got him, Joey didn't hold the ball long enough (most likely for fear of his life) and ended up turning the ball over far to often. Personally I believe that the LT may be the most important part of an offense, or at least right up there with the QB.

C: You guys heard Cam say it 'You build your offense from the middle out' and that's something I also firmly believe. A good young offensive line is the best route to success for many years, the Jets went that route and have seen an immediate impact. I'd love to pick up a young, smart, athletic center in the draft, as early as the second round.

QB/WR: I struggles picking my third, on the one hand I still believe in Daunte. On the other hand I realize he may not pan out and it's time we groomed our own QB. As for the wideouts Booker isn't getting any younger, Chambers isn't living up to his contract and Hagan at this point has a case of the drops. I love Hagans ability to get open and that should improve over time, but will his hands? I sure hope so because if they do I believe he can be a #1 guy for us. Id love to see both these needs addressed and Id love to see us look WR in the 3rd or 4th round and maybe find a gem. If Cam believe Daunte can do it so do I. If not then I think we look QB instead of WR.

Defense:

OLB: We run a 3-4 scheme but we have the personnel for a 4-3. Crowder and Thomas are MLB who arent very good blitzers. JT is perfect for the role, but the point of a 3-4 is to confuse the offense. In other words what good is JT being our pass rushing OLB if they know he is the only one that can get there? I think we need to find someone that can compliment JT nicely on the other side and make offenses have to think a little more. While I cant complain with the results (ranking 5th overall in points allowed) I did see a lot of room for improvement. It really puts the secondary in a bad spot when you blitz and cant get there, the QB has time and it creates one on one matchups down the field for the other teams wide outs. I saw that happen to many times this season, and the amazing thing is we still had a lot of sacks, but like I said there is room to improve.

DT: A real monster in the middle, a guy who can create penetration behind the Line of Scrimmage. I know we have Traylor but how many more years will he play? Wilkinson may also be gone this year, so we really need to look into getting a big guy to fill up space. As most of you know the DT in the 3-4 may be the most important position, because with one less defensive lineman it makes it a lot easier for the other team to get blocks downfield on your LB's so you need a big mean DT to keep them honest. I know a lot of you also are thinking 'Well we have Evans and Rod Wright' true, but neither of them is a true space eater, and both are pass rush specialists. Manny Wright may also be coming back....but I dont want to be counting on him for anything.

CB: A shut down guy, a guy that says 'You aren't throwing to my half of the field' a guy that can make you pay anytime you look his way. I feel comfortable with Jason Allen and Bell at the safety positions (even though some of you are calling Jason a bust) Will Allen is a very very good #2 guy because he can flat out run, but due to his size he is easily outmuscled by bigger WR and he doesnt play the ball very well. Daniels I love playing the nickelback position, due to the fact he has some pretty good instincts.

So if you dont feel like reading all that this is basically what I said

We need a LT, C, QB/WR, OLB, DT, and CB

Im really interested in what you guys think
Click to expand...

Contrary to what's been publicized around here...I dont think we have need at LT. We actually have 4 solid OTs on our roster: Shelton, Carey, Alabi, and Toledo.

What we actually really need is a C and an OG. We need to add Eric Steinbach via FA and maybe a C via the 2nd round. Definitely we need to replace Welker with Tedd Ginn Jr and move Chambers back to the Slot.

We also need a developmental QB to replace Joey Harrington with.

On defense we need a rushing OLB and eventually another young NT. Then, maybe another DB, whether a FS, if we feel Jason Allen is a CB or a CB if we feel he is a FS.

So we need a WR, LG, C, and developmental QB on Offense....

And we need a rushing OLB, a young NT, and another DB = FS or CB on Defense.
 
i agree with most of what you said.....start with the O-Line because they'll make the RBs, WB, and WRs all look better.......im not gonna lie, i dont know where the weak spots on the line are, i'll let the coaches decide which position we need.....

i think we need a QB as much as anything, but i dont want them to take one out of desperation....we cant settle on "the best QB available"..we need to wait for the right one, even if that means we cant get one this year

so on offense:
1-OL
2-OL
3-QB
 
IMO if Brady Quinn is there for us at #9 and we don't take him its going to be a huge mistake. Its not very often that a team is in the position to take a really good QB prospect in the draft. We made a big mistake already this year in Saban's failure to take Drew Brees even though we were in position to get him, it would be a shame if we made two big mistakes at QB in the same year. And like some others I see LT as a huge need, until we build a big, dominating offensive line our offense will continue to struggle.
 
Offense:

LT - We haven't had a good LT since Webb was keeping Marino's jersey clean all those years ago. We've had to endure with Wade Smith. Enough said. D-Mac is an ok LT but at best he's a stopgap and a great backup. Shelton lost his job there and hopefully forever. I don't think getting Leonard Davis will solve it either. He's the definition of underachieving, is inconsistent, and is better suited to play Guard. Had we gone for Marcus McNeill as I had hoped rather than Jason Allen, this hole would've been filled. Draft isn't too appealing since Thomas will be gone and Levi Brown is more run-blocker than pass-blocker. Joe Staley or Arron Sears could be projects for Houck to work with.

QB - Say what you will about waiting for Daunte to "recover", thing is, we need some insurance in case he flounders (again). Harrington's been on & off and as much as I hope Cam's abilities to work with QB's can help, unless Harrington decides to make his good performance against Detroit a consistent level of play in all of his games, we need young blood. I don't think Cleo Lemon is the answer for anything other than backup QB yet. Keyword: yet. 3 games isn't enough to convince me. But if a prospect like Brady Quinn comes to our spot, we have to take him. Leinart fell to 10th and I think Quinn is a better QB.

WR - We lack speed and steady hands. Chambers went from Pro Bowler where the sky's the limit to Mr. Butterfingers stuck to defenders like glue. Thing is, with our WR's unable to get separation and catch passes, we need someone who can rip the field up at least as a decoy. Ted Ginn may be an option but I think our pick is a bit high to just be drafting him. A cheaper alternative may be Higgins, Stuckey, or signing Kevin Curtis.

Defense:

CB - We have no shutdown corners or even a cover corner. We have mostly corners who can tackle but can't pick off a pass or deflect one. There are 0 playmakers here. When JT leads the team in interceptions, something's wrong with the secondary. We need to fix something here and luckily for us, 2 elite veteran corners are on the market and both from AFC East rivals to boot. We have to sign one of them to get that double bonus of gaining a stopper and screwing a rival at the same time. We could draft a CB but he could take time to develop and QB's love picking on rookies.

OLB - Spragan isn't cutting it. The draft doesn't have too many quality ones but lucky for us again, there are 2 elite veteran LB's on the market. We can get one and draft a LB in the mid-rounds like we have in the past with great success (see Zach Thomas, Channing Crowder, etc). Lance Briggs or Adalius Thomas would definitely make our LB core downright scary. I prefer Thomas for his versatility in being a OLB/DE/SS hybrid who can rush the passer. Imagine having to deal with either Thomas or Taylor coming at you from the outside and Carter(?) and Holliday(?) inside. Scary.

NT - Traylor's aging and we need someone like him to plug the holes literally. Wilkerson's been a disappointment and we don't know if Manny Wright will return. Alan Branch may fill the role but he's likely to be gone. Paul Soliai may be a sleeper pick. Terdell Sands may be our only option should Traylor call it quits and Manny continues to be MIA. Either that or we have to scrap the 3-4.
 
Offense
1.QB- Daunte hasn't shown anything since coming over, Lemon is still unproven, Joey Harrington is...well Joey Harrington
2.O-Line- I'm not even gonna bother nitpicking with certain positions, the whole line needs work. Vernon Carey is really the only above-average lineman we have. Draft a center please.
3.WR-Chambers is a number two, Booker is a number two, there are players in the draft that could solidify that number one slot for years to come...and i'm not referring to Ted Ginn

Defense
1.CB - The CB play was atrocious last season. Will Allen needs to go, Andre Goodman and Travis Daniels are good nickelbacks, nothing more. Add Asante Samuel and the talent level would rise considerably.
2.S- Yeremiah Bell was probably our best defensive back last year, the other safety position was a continual liability. Time to see if Jason Allen was really that big of a mistake.
3.Age- Zach is getting old. JT is getting old. Most of the key contributors in our d-line rotation are old. Hopefully they won't fall off too fast.
 
MrEd said:
Contrary to what's been publicized around here...I dont think we have need at LT. We actually have 4 solid OTs on our roster: Shelton, Carey, Alabi, and Toledo.

What we actually really need is a C and an OG. We need to add Eric Steinbach via FA and maybe a C via the 2nd round. Definitely we need to replace Welker with Tedd Ginn Jr and move Chambers back to the Slot.

We also need a developmental QB to replace Joey Harrington with.

On defense we need a rushing OLB and eventually another young NT. Then, maybe another DB, whether a FS, if we feel Jason Allen is a CB or a CB if we feel he is a FS.

So we need a WR, LG, C, and developmental QB on Offense....

And we need a rushing OLB, a young NT, and another DB = FS or CB on Defense.
Click to expand...

Shelton played horrible at LT, Carey has finally become a very good RT so I dont think he should be moved again, then you have Alabi who has no experience, and Toledo who is probably going to end up being a LG. So I do think there is some need there.
 
Desides said:
Hagan won't be a #1 for a long while, if ever, but he should be Booker's successor at some point in the future. His case of the drops faded towards the end of the season, and he's still excellent at getting open. He should be a solid go-to guy in 2007.



Other way around. Traylor's contract is up, and he said when coming to Miami that he would play 2 years and then retire. Unless Mueller and Cam convince him to come back for one more year, he's gone, and Wilkinson will be our NT. Wilkinson did pretty well this season, but I'm not sure if he's a guy you want leading the depth chart. If we can't convince Traylor to come back next year, we very likely will draft to fill his position, quite possibly in the first round.
Click to expand...

I didnt mean this year or anything, I just meant somewhere down the road.

I thought he had one year left, so my mistake on that, but either way the point is still there that we only have one big man in the middle.
 
Alex44 said:
Shelton played horrible at LT, Carey has finally become a very good RT so I dont think he should be moved again, then you have Alabi who has no experience, and Toledo who is probably going to end up being a LG. So I do think there is some need there.
Click to expand...


That is just completely nonfactual. I recorded every game this past year. And LJ Shelton did not struggle at all. As a matter of fact, Carey struggled during the first 3 games of the year. Carey was worst at RT than Shelton was at LT during the first 3 games.

Toledo played LT in college and Alabi has been groomed as a backup LT. Shelton is a great runblocking LT. Carey has become a good RT.

Our issues are at OG and C. Trust me. I have seen every game a number of times already. You are just going by people on this forum and what you read.

Instead of actual 'things youve seen'. When Shelton was moved to RG...it was because DMac was devil awful at RG. Fact.
 
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