Oc5er said:
Before I start. If you dont have anything intelligent to post, do us all a favor and DONT RESPOND. This isnt a post to "anger" Dolphins fans, its a post made to counteract all the homerism on this website. Its also my opinion, if you dont agree with it, thats fine. But explain why, dont just say stupid things like "OMG GO AWAY" and "YOURE A BARFALLO BILLS FAN." Thank you.
Quarterbacks: Your Quarterbacks are AJ Feeley and Gus Frerotte. Feeley started 8 games last year behind a poor offensive line and threw for 11 TD's and 15 INT's. Not HORRIBLE, but far from good. Frerotte, a 12 year vet with his 6th different team has never proven to be that great. He had one good year in Minnesota in which he started 2 games and posted 7 TD's and 2 Int's. Other than that, hes been mediocre at best. If your O-line is improved, your quarterback play will be much improved but still, there isnt a LOT of talent here. I give your QB's a C.
Running Backs: Lets ASSUME that Ricky Williams never puts on a Miami Dolphins uniform again. Ronnie Brown was a pretty good college running back had good stats, hes a big guy, strong, he'll be able to take a lot of carries and still run strong. But, he IS a rookie and no one knows how he will perform. And, behind him, who do you have? Virtually no one. Assuming Ricky DOES come back, he hasnt played football in over a year, and hes down like 45 pounds from what he was when he was in football shape. PLUS, who knows WHATS going on in his head. He might come back for one game and decide he doesnt want to play anymore. Hes a headcase who cant be counted on. So, unless Ronnie Brown busts out for like 1,500 yards in his rookie year which is highly unlikely. For THIS season, your running back situation could be a problem. I give them a C+.
Receivers: Miami has got some pretty good receivers. But, underacheivers if you ask me. Chambers has the ability to be the best receiver in the AFC East but he hasn't used it. Only 69 catches and 7 touchdowns last year. Thats just not cutting it. Bringing in Marty Booker was a great pick up, he'll help the Dolphins a lot. And assuming that David Boston can stay healthy. Id say hes good for at least 45 or so catches and a few touchdowns. He is coming off major surgery though and hasnt played in over a year so who knows how he'll perform. Derrius Thompson, we wont even get into him. But, of course, your receivers can only perform well when your quarterback can get them the ball. But, assuming you have fairly good QB play, your receivers should do well. I give them a B.
O-Line: Aside from Stockar McDougle, who has Miami picked up? They didnt even draft an offensive lineman until the 5th round. And hes not starting. Its pretty much the same O-line from last year. And if they preform like they did last year, Miami's offense is in for a loooooong season. Nothing really more to say about these guys. They just need to step their game up. I give them a C-.
D-Line: Your strong point. You lost Ogunleye who was a force which did hurt. But, the Dolphins signed Vonnie Holliday and Kevin Carter, both pretty good pickups. And they still have Jason Taylor. This unit has been pretty solid year in and year out and I think theyll have a good year this year. Taylor should have double digit sacks with ease. With the new additions I give them a B+.
Linebackers: Zach Thomas leads this group. Although hes getting up there in age, hes still preformed quite well every year. Junior Seau is pretty much at the end of his career and doesnt really look like the player he used to be at all. I dont really expect much out of him. Other than those guys the Dolphins are lacking. They drafted Channing Crowder who could be a great player for them, but they really need him to step up immediately. Ill say the Dolphins linebackers will struggle a little early but I expect Crowder to step in nicely with the veteran wisdom of Seau and Thomas to help him. I give them a B-.
Defensive Backs: The Dolphins traded Patrick Surtain :shakeno: which leaves Sam Madison as the leader of the secondary basically. Madison has been in the league for 9 years and isnt getting any younger. Hes clearly not the same player he used to be either. Reggie Howard could be a good player for Miami as hes had a pretty good career thus far. And Will Poole had a pretty decent rookie year, hopefully he can keep it up. The Dolphins got Tebucky Jones who im my opinion is very overrated. New England knew what they were doing when they got rid of him and they only benefited from it. And now Jones is on his 3rd team. Neither of the 1st two teams really had any reluctance in getting rid of him. (And you know its tough for me to say this too because im from Syracuse) Your free safety is Travares Tillman, a former Bills cast off. This guys really got nothing to bring to the table. He was nothing more than a backup in Buffalo and I really dont think hes going to do anything for Miami this year. I give the DB's a C.
Special Teams: Mare is solid as usual. And should be again this year. And Wes Welker turned out to be a great special teams guy for the Dolphins. The Dolphins special teams were pretty solid last year and should be even better this year. I give them an A-.
I expect Miami to win more games than they did last year, no doubt about it. And they MAY even finish at 8-8. But, if you ask me, im going to predict a 7-9 record for Miami. These are my opinions. If you want to know how I feel about the my Bills, Ill tell you that as well. Im not a homer as most people are. If you dont agree with these, tell me why. All I ask is that you post something intelligent, please.
There are question marks, but for some reason (maybe because I am a Fins fan..) I have a great feeling about Saban and this team. Just in response to some of your points:
QBs: The biggest addition here will not be Frerotte, but Linehan and a true system. He was a mastermind in Minny, and yes, he had Culpepper, but he also held the title of QBs coach and developed Daunte into the player he is today. Last season, the offensive staff was a disaster actually feuding with each other, and the impact on not only AJ but the receivers and OL will be evident. It is hardly fair to judge AJ based on last year (and I know this is getting very tiring and old to hear.. BUT) there was NO running game and NO true system. Yes there are question marks, but there is no doubt that Linehan takes the grade from an F to at least a C+ with the potential for much better. Potential is the key word, but if you ask me, the Dolphins QB situation is just as good as Buffalo's- lots of questions but the capabilities are endless.
RBs: Ronnie was a stud in college. In your post, you make it seem as though he was a late 1st round or early 2nd round pick who will be a serviceable NFL back. You have to expect better then that. If you look historically at guys like Jamal Lewis, Edgerrin James, Ladanian Tomlinson etc. etc. etc., these are rookie backs who entered their first season and had an immediate impact rushing for over 1000 yards. Now, who knows if Ronnie will be the next Ki-jana Carter or William Green, but as of now, this position has improved. And then of course there are the dreaded rumors... you know what I am talking about, no need to even say the words... But suppose a certain retired running back does return, then you are looking at a tandem that will be scary for opposing defenses, and it also makes the Ronnie pick look even better. Why? Because a guy like Cadillac or Cedric Benson would probably not feel comfortable sharing their backfield. Ronnie on the other hand can line up at FB or even WR, creating pure havoc for the D.
WRs: Yes, an underachieving group, but it is a domino effect. Improved OL play --> Improved QB play --> Improved RB play --> Improved WR play. Chambers needs to finally break out, and if he does, there is no doubt that our compliments such as Marty Booker, David Boston (two past pro-bowlers on teams with below average QBs) and even Derrius Thompson will be more then satisfactory. And there is no denying that in a real offense, Randy McMichael is a top 5 tight end in this league. Again, the opportunities here are endless and it will all go back to the QB play.
OL: There will be two new starters: Stockar McDougle and rest assured that Vernon Carey will be starting somewhere on this offensive line. And potentially, Rex Hadnot can be starting over McKinney at C leaving 3 players at new positions (because Hadnot did get quite a bit of time at RG last year) Like the QBs, the biggest addition here will be Hud Houck. If he can do anything close to what he did in SD, we will be set and improved 200%. I actually believe we have more talent on our current line then SD had, so we could even be better.
DL: Like you said, our strength, despite some concerns at DT. Dont rule out a large role for 2nd round pick Matt Roth, who will add fire and intensity to our otherwise "vanilla" defense. Speaking of which, I will make this statement now about the D in general- this will be a different Dolphins defense. Whether Richard Smith is the coordinator matters very little: the D will be Nick's baby. And you can be sure that it will be far more aggressive then in years past, and that goes for the front seven (more blitzing) and the secondary as well. Nick's philosophy is based on getting pressure on the QB and forcing mistakes, while Wanny's philosophy was throwing our guys out vs. yours, and seeing who wins.
LBs: We have some great depth that you left out: Eddie Moore, Derek Pope and Donnie Spragan. Eddie, a 2nd round pick who played quite well last season, Derek who was a great surprise and filled in for Zach without any problems, and Donnie who started on a very solid Denver defense. Add to that Channning Crowder, a 1st round talent with a fire lit under his posterior, and the leadership of Zach Thomas and Junior Seau, and this unit will thrive. Dont be so sure about not expecting big things from Junior: up until getting injured, he was having one of his best seasons last year. While he may have slowed, he knows the game, and his contributions as far as leadership goes are far more important.
DBs: A problem, no doubt. Good thing this is Saban's specialty. We already know from some of the interviews we have seen with players, that Nick often sits in on the DB meetings and plays a huge role in the coaching here. His expertise, along with 20 year veteran Mel Phillips, who has done wonders for the Dolphins defense, should be a formidable group. Sam Madison will have to step up, and dont rule out a Ty Law signing if he gets desperate (Detroit signed McQuarters, Abraham is returning in NY... slim pickings..) The Will Poole injury hurt us, but Nick has obviously put less emphasis on the pure talent in the secondary, and more on getting pressure on the QB and forcing him to make life easier on the DBs. IMO this is the Belichick formula that seems to work. Mario Edwards may not have looked good in T.Bay, but he was quite serviceable in Big D and happens to have quite a bit experience playing Zone. Reggie Howard is a question mark, but started on the Super Bowl runner ups just a year ago, and was playing out of position last year (as the Nickel guy). And Travis Daniels is a guy that knows Saban and his system. So there are obviously question marks, but Saban has downplayed the importance of talent at this position, as evident from his moves on the DL and his switch to an aggressive, blitzing defense. At safety, Tebucky Jones is a lock to start, but dont be so sure about the "Bills cast-off" Tillman. Saban obviously thinks highly of him ( he has proclaimed him one of the "team leaders", meaning he is in the company of Zach, JT, Seau and company) but he could very well be challenged by hard-hitting Yeremiah Bell.
ST: Solid with Mare, Turk and Lil' Wes returning kicks. Armstrong did a great job last year, and should again.
There ya go- a real response. :)
