Here are my problems with the team:
1. Quarterback. I won't get into it.
2. Reggie Bush. As Michael Lombardi says, Reggie Bush is not a very good ball carrier. Yes, he'll catch the ball. We know. But they're also going to have him run the ball more than the Saints had him doing. They're talking about getting him 16 touches a game. That means 10 to 12 carries per game for a guy that averages 3.4 yards per carry on grass. Oh, and of course, he's got a wrecked knee and can't stay healthy even with the marginal amount of workload the Saints have been giving him, which the Dolphins plan to increase. And what about those catches? Keep something in mind. In the NFL you want to shoot for about 8 yards per attempt on your passes, if not more. Any time you're throwing to Reggie Bush is a 6.0 yard per attempt throw. That's the average, even in New Orleans where he had EVERYTHING going for him. Throwing the ball to Reggie brings your averages DOWN, makes your passing game LESS efficient. So, you need to pick your situations and reasoning for throwing the ball to him wisely. You need to do it because it keeps defenses honest. You need to do it to convert third downs. You need to do it to score touchdowns. I'll leave it up to you whether you trust the Miami Dolphins coaches and quarterbacks to handle that fire without getting burned. I know what I think.
3. Daniel Thomas. He's a rookie 2nd/3rd rounder who only has two years of experience at tailback. He's a power runner with less than ideal pad level, that didn't get a whole lot of yards after contact in college, could be stoned by linebackers regularly without falling forward at all, and would often get only about an extra yard when tackled by DBs. He had some fumbling issues in college, and you can't tout the guy having not fumbled the ball in practice when a bunch of these practices don't even include pads anymore, don't involve much (if any) hitting, and do not involve ANY tackling. That's the most useless thing to point out, IMO...that he hasn't fumbled in practice. Everyone ALWAYS overrates rookie runners. They swear there's no learning curve. They're wrong. Sorry, that's just the way it is, they're wrong. There is a perceptible learning curve and I don't expect him to be a very efficient ball carrier as a rookie, especially since he's so raw. And considering this is only his third year being a true tailback, having previously been a JUCO Wildcat QB...would it surprise me if he has weird hiccups like fumbles on exchanges and stuff that you'd normally not think to be a problem? Hell, it'd surprise me if he DIDN'T have stuff like that happen.
4. Tight End. I'm sorry but with Charles Clay working most at fullback and being listed as a fullback, we have as much of a #2 TE problem this year as we did a year ago, with the terrible trio of Mickey Shuler, Jeron Mastrud and Dedrick Epps "competing" for snaps. None of them are even good blockers! And what if Anthony Fasano takes a step backward, as he did in 2009 when he seemed to drop everything thrown to him and just didn't look focused? Oh and as for Charles Clay himself...SIXTH ROUND ROOKIE. Try and look at that objectively for a second, please. Imagine last year that you're listening to a fan of the Rams talk about what a difference maker Fendi Onobun is going to be for the offense. What would you think about that?
5. Guard. Richie Incognito is really only an average player and he does nothing in space. Vernon Carey is a better player, but he also does nothing in space. This was a big problem for the Dolphins' ground attack in 2010, the inability of the guards to make second level blocks. How is that improved with a combination of Carey and Incognito? The answer is, it's not. It remains a problem. Meanwhile, supposedly the Dolphins are installing more zone plays, which require your players to get on the move and out into space more, making second level blocks so that your back can find cutback lanes. Last year the Dolphins' Guards were inadequate in space even with the old style run plays. The new style run plays could expose them to their inadequacies even more.
6. Right Tackle. Marc Colombo. Ray Willis. Not saying any more than that. Hopefully they start Nate Garner either at LG or RT. But I wonder if they're smart enough to do that.
7. Pass Rush. One of my biggest fears over a defensive backslide was related to what happens when/if Cameron Wake starts getting game planned more, taking him out of the pass rush equation. Players have breakout years and then follow up with a down year ALL THE TIME. It's no new phenomenon. Who picks up the slack? I don't believe Koa Misi is in position to do that yet, and I have ZERO faith in Jason Taylor as a good pass rusher. He hasn't been a good pass rusher in years. Oh, and what's this I hear about JT taking 1st team reps in practice ahead of Misi? Yeah, cuz THAT worked out BEAUTIFULLY in 2007 and 2009.
8. Football IQ. Disagree all you want, but when you take Channing Crowder off the table, you lose Football IQ. He's replaced with Kevin Burnett, whom I saw with my very own eyes getting told where to be and being scolded after plays in San Diego by Stephen Cooper, who was the brains of that LBs group (Ron Rivera says Cooper the smartest player he's ever coached). People say oh well now that just means Dansby steps up. I got news for you, Crowder's Football IQ and film prowess were no hindrance to Dansby. He had as much chance to step up and be a smart player with Crowder as he will without him. In fact I believe when you get two smart, communicative guys like that together, they're smarter together than they are apart. I don't think Kevin Burnett walks in with Crowder's Football IQ and that concerns me because it could mean holes start opening up in the ground defense, which would take away some of those choice opportunities for our pass rushers and play makers to make plays against the passing game in pressure situations. Kevin Burnett is not as good against the run as Crowder was. And evidently he's also got his own injury problems same as Crowder did. What I didn't want the defense to do is **** with the formula. Make sure your pass rush can keep an even keel even when Wake starts getting more attention, let your growing players in the secondary grow into better play makers, and you'll be a better defense. **** with the formula, and you might be a worse defense. The Dolphins ****ed with the formula.
9. Safety. Yeremiah Bell is old, and he's got an injury history. I guess I'm the only one worried about this? There's a sense among the coaches that Chris Clemons may have gotten away with some things last year that he might not get away with this year. I'd keep an eye on this one because the Dolphins have been putting band-aids on a staph infection in the form of 6th and 7th round picks (Chris Clemons, Reshad Jones, Jimmy Wilson) and it wouldn't exactly shock me if problems start to emerge because of that.
10. Special teams. Jon Amaya and Tim Dobbins good special teams players in 2010. Both are gone. As is Patrick Cobbs, who was another good special teams player. And last I checked, John Bonamego's assistant who took over in his place, hasn't exactly proven himself to be an awesome special teams coach. This area has been a CONSTANT problem in the Sparano/Ireland reign...so why do we assume that it'll get better? Especially when some of your best special teams players were just given the boot?
This doesn't mean the Dolphins don't have good things going for them. Of course they do. I think the Dolphins' WRs are going to be better than ever, I think the DL is going to be better than ever, and I think the corners are going to be better than ever. And if the Dolphins can avoid a losing streak, I think Henne could be better than he has been in the past, especially with the help from the receivers.
