What player will fill the void of Jason Taylor? | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

What player will fill the void of Jason Taylor?

BAMAPHIN 22

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This topic has been beaten into the ground already. But the question will still linger until the Dolphins find that player to replace the greatest pass-rusher in franchise history.

The Dolphins have a huge hole at outside linebacker. Cameron Wake might eventually become a dominant pass-rusher. But as of now, he's struggling to beat out Charlie Anderson for a starting job. Koa Misi, Miami's second round draft pick, has the makings of a very good all-around outside linebacker. His versatility to rush the passer or drop into coverage make him a great fit on the strong side. But a dynamic pass-rusher he is not.

So where will the sacks come from this season?

That's perhaps the single biggest question facing this team right now. Charlie Anderson and Quentin Moses have combined for 10 sacks in their careers. Koa Misi had just 11 sacks in three seasons at Utah. Cameron Wake had 5.5 sacks last year and possesses the most upside of all the potential pass-rushers.

According to ProFootballFocus, Wake participated in just 167 defensive snaps. So his 5.5 sacks and 20 quarterback pressures are impressive. But most of those snaps came with Wake's hand in the ground when the Dolphins went with four down linemen in nickel and dime packages. That means Wake remains relatively inexperienced as a stand-up outside linebacker.

Anderson, meanwhile, had 2 sacks and 6 pressures in 150 defensive snaps. And Moses saw just 43 defensive snaps, tallying one sack and one pressure. Taylor, meanwhile, picked up 7 sacks and 20 pressures on 828 snaps - though many of those snaps did not have Taylor rushing the quarterback.

Strictly based on numbers, Anderson and Wake do project to make up for the sacks and pressures lost from JT's departure. But there are two problems here. One - the Dolphins also lost Joey Porter, meaning they have to make up for his sack production. And two - projecting numbers means nothing. The fact of the matter is I have not seen anything on the field to make me think Anderson or Moses can become legitimate pass-rushers.

http://www.thephinsider.com/2010/6/11/1512201/dolphins-game-changing-offseason
 
I dont know if its going to be a like for like player replacement. Im seeing it more of a scheme/personnel combo to provide the solution. Im hoping/expecting a more creative and multiple defense from what Im reading about Mike Nolan.

I guess we will have to wait and see. Exciting times ahead I think.
 
Only focusing on the stat of sacks can be very misleading. It is like the WR that makes 75 catches for 1,000 yards but it took 150 targets for the WR (Chambers comes to mind here) to get that many catches.

I think more importantly is under Nolan our defense will hopefully be able to put consistent pressure on the QB. Miami was 3rd in sacks last year, but was not so good at getting consistent pressure. Without consistent pressure opposing QBs ate up our secondary. If Miami can make the opposing QBs pass under duress consistently I think our pass defense will be much improved.
 
Im guessing it is just going to be replacement by commitee I dont see one guy stepping in
and filling the void full time. Hopefully they can all get the job done.
 
Sure am glad our FO descided to treat the best OLB on our roster like a chunk of trash and run him out of town.

Wake gonna play SOLB? Anderson?

Yep. Good thing JT is gone.
 
I don't know if 42 tackles and 7 sacks is as great a void as some think, or maybe you were referring to the void at locker room lawyer
 
We will be fine. JT wasn't the same DPOY JT....he would be a situational LB this year at best.

The FO didn't think of him as a need, even after Nolan came. I trust in them until I see otherwise. And I'm not one crying about the FO because they didn't roll out a red carpet for a diva.
 
I don't know if 42 tackles and 7 sacks is as great a void as some think, or maybe you were referring to the void at locker room lawyer

Exactly!

We won the AFC East when JT was in a redskins uniform.

The media get paid to put out articles regardless of how poorly thought out they are. The question really should be how are we going to replace Joey Porter, but he is so unpopular now that nobody would pay attention to that headline so they go for the heart strings and the cheap sentimentality.
 
Sure am glad our FO descided to treat the best OLB on our roster like a chunk of trash and run him out of town.

Wake gonna play SOLB? Anderson?

Yep. Good thing JT is gone.

Wake and Anderson play WOLB. JT and Porter also only got their sacks by getting more playing time. I have no doubt that with the same amount of opportunities Wake will have more sacks.
 
Sack numbers don't really mean crap. As long we get the pressure, I'm happy. Getting an actual sack is just a bonus to it.
 
The last dominant individual pass rusher we had was Joey Porter in 2008. That's the type of guy you have trouble replacing. 7 sacks as a starting rush linebacker is not only replaceable, I think it will be surpassed by at least one of our Lb's this season. Its the 16 sacks combined from our OLB's (+5.5 from a backup) that won't likely be duplicated.
 
Who is going to replace what? As bad as I think C. Anderson is, I don't think he'd be much worse than JT was last season. JT wasn't good; he was painfully average - same goes for Porter. I'm much happier with what we have now than I would be with bringing back what we had at the position last year. To be great, you can't be afraid to move forward. Wake and Misi each have much more promise than Porter and Taylor - especially in Nolan's system. Is there risk implicit with looking toward "unknown" quantities? Yes. But, you also have to trust your assessment of football players and how they project. Misi and Wake project as more dynamic and more capable OLB's than do Taylor and Porter (at this point in their careers).
 
Cameron Wake. Everyone saw what he could do with limited playing time. Imagine how he would have done had he gotten more than 10-12 snaps a game
 
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