Riding the Train: the 2013 Miami Dolphins

sodenj5

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Also, FWIW, I disagree, and think the new unis look really good. Now if they can just stop playing like shit. Devlin led a decent drive there.
 

pdaj

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It's hard to take too much from last night's game -- the next few games will be more telling. 
 
Martin only had about 6 snaps and got beaten badly on one of them. Egnew surprised me with his blocking and made a few nice catches ... perhaps he'll make the team after all. And Dion Jordan looked as good as advertised. Fast and versatile. He has a chance to make a greater first-year impact than initially expected. 
 

( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)

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sodenj5 said:
Also, FWIW, I disagree, and think the new unis look really good. Now if they can just stop playing like shit. Devlin led a decent drive there.
 
the uniforms looked fine to me, except that the helmet stripe did not match the color of the jerseys.  I thought that looked weird/bad.
 

rymflaherty

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It feels like Groundhog's Day......I swear that's the same pre-season opener I've seen from Miami the past 4 or 5 years.
 
The first team looking horrible.
The Offense and O-Line especially looking horrible,  Really the whole team looking unprepared.
3rd-stringers rally late to make the final score look competitive.
 
I've seen this teams issues carry over from the pre-season to the regular season far too often to pretend pre-season doesn't matter, but considering this was the HOF-Game and the first of five, I'm going to do my best to strike last night from my memory.
 

mcaqua

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sodenj5 said:
Not a great start. Martin looked like shit, and Miller lets the ball hit the deck on his first handoff.

On a positive note, Jordan looked good while he was out there.
 
I am really very impressed with what he brought last night in his first live action as a Pro.  Sure, the competition was far from the Joe Thomas' of the league, but it was extremely encouraging nonetheless. 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKB49vIVfMY
 
The open field tackle at the 3:00 mark is a thing of beauty, especially relative to the tackling performance by the rest of the team.
 
I look at this guy on the field and its uncanny how much he reminds me of JT.
 

mcaqua

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Also, Chad Bumphis and Lee Robinson are going to make this team.  I think Jonas Grey will as well.
 

rymflaherty

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^
 
Grey was intriguing.
Honestly if they fully trust anyone of Miller, Gillislee, Grey, or virtually anyone else in camp to block on passing downs - They should drop Thomas and not think twice about it.
 
While it may not be impossible, I do think it's improbable Bumphis sticks.  I didn't see anything from him that really stood out.  The numbers looked nice, but you could say the same for Chris Hogan last pre-season. 
 

mcaqua

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rymflaherty said:
^
 
Grey was intriguing.
Honestly if they fully trust anyone of Miller, Gillislee, Grey, or virtually anyone else in camp to block on passing downs - They should drop Thomas and not think twice about it.
 
While it may not be impossible, I do think it's improbable Bumphis sticks.  I didn't see anything from him that really stood out.  The numbers looked nice, but you could say the same for Chris Hogan last pre-season. 
Five wideouts will be making the 53. Assuming Matthews has a roster spot locked up, the final WR is coming down to Bumphis or McNutt. I don't see how Bumphis doesn't have the inside track here at the very least.
 

Deathofthebambino

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I honestly think that Miami trotted three undrafted free agents out last night that could be better than any receivers on their team after Wallace, Hartline and Keller.  I think Chad Bumphis out of Mississippi State, Jeff Fuller out of Texas A&M and Keenan Davis from Iowa are all good enough to find a home in this league, and at least one, if not all of them, might be as good if not better than Brandon Gibson. Size-wise, Gibson probably comps out most like Bumphis, while Fuller and Davis are 6'3 and 6'4. The guy I find most intriguing is Fuller though, given his history with Tannehill in college and that his college career matches up better than Gibson's, IMO, given the level of competition.
 
Anyone know if any of those guys have an inside track to make the squad, or are they earmarked for the practice squad?
 
This is one of the reasons I love pre-season football.  As a rabid college fan, it's fun to see guys who were studs in college do something at the next level, even if it's the last dance for most of them.
 
Edit:  I hadn't seen the last page of posts when I made mine.  Interesting that you guys think it's Bumphis with the inside track.  I like Fuller a lot more, even though he's a year removed from college, but Bumphis did look good last night. 
 

pdaj

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Deathofthebambino said:
 Edit:  I hadn't seen the last page of posts when I made mine.  Interesting that you guys think it's Bumphis with the inside track.  I like Fuller a lot more, even though he's a year removed from college, but Bumphis did look good last night. 
 
Death, I love Fuller's size and potential, but he's been very inconsistent the last season +, and he's also struggled a bit staying healthy. (Improved route-running reportedly needs to be his focus.) I think out of the group of receivers mentioned, he's most likely to safely find the practice squad. I don't think there's a chance he's claimed.
 
McNutt intrigues me the most because of his size and body control. He has better speed than Fuller and seems to create more space consistently. But his hands look suspect though, as he's prone to drops. I definitely look forward to seeing more of him in pre-season, though.
 
Bumphis has been a steady performer in practice, but he's a 5'10" slot guy. "He's always open", Philbin said recently.This Miami staff supposedly favors bigger/longer receivers that can play both outside and inside. Not sure if this puts Bumphis at a disadvantage or not.
 
I think I'm a much bigger fan of Gibson than most. I think he's a tremendous route runner with terrific timing -- and Tannehill works well with this type of receiver. Could he get more seperation? Certainly. But his body positioning is a strenth, and he catches the ball well in traffic. He's also an extremely intelligent guy -- understands the game, zone concepts, etc. I think he's going to be an effective move-the-chains type guy in combination with Hartline.
 
Edit: Fuller's actually younger than Bumphis.
 

dwainw

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pdaj said:
Bumphis has been a steady performer in practice, but he's a 5'10" slot guy. "He's always open", Philbin said recently.This Miami staff supposedly favors bigger/longer receivers that can play both outside and inside. Not sure if this puts Bumphis at a disadvantage or not.
According to Mando in his blog, Bumphis had another good day today, a rare bright spot within an offense that had an otherwise bad day.

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2013/08/bad-day-for-consistent-dolphins-offense.html

Of particularly troubling note:
 
Tannehill threw three interceptions to defensive backs (two to Will Davis and one to Brent Grimes) and then had another ball tipped at the line of scrimmage, which Kheeston Randall intercepted and then fumbled away. So four interceptions on the day for Tannehill.
At least the defense still looks dominant....   <_<
 

pdaj

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rymflaherty

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pdaj said:
Bumphis has been a steady performer in practice, but he's a 5'10" slot guy. "He's always open", Philbin said recently.This Miami staff supposedly favors bigger/longer receivers that can play both outside and inside. Not sure if this puts Bumphis at a disadvantage or not.
 
 
Despite not being on the Bumphis bandwagon yet, I do think being a slot guy could help him.  I realize Philbin likes interchangeable parts, but with Bess gone there is a hole there.
I like Gibson but he is best suited to line-up outside. (You can say the same for Mcnutt, which could put him at a disadvantage as well since he can really only play the X)  As things stand I expect to see a lot of Hartline and especially Wallace bouncing around and playing in the slot. 
 
Although another option there no one has mentioned is Thigpen.
He's been working at WR, and if he's going to be taking up a spot as the returner they may get to a point where they are comfortable with him as the #5 WR and having a couple of these other guys (You can add Pruitt to the list as well) stashed away on the practice squad. 
As is often the case, if you're going to get one of those last spots you better add something on ST's.......Like Moore last year locking down the final WR spot out of training camp.
 

sodenj5

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Good game for the most part last night.
 
Offense played better. Jonathan Martin wasn't noticeable, which is a good thing. Started a little shaky, but righted the ship on the third drive. Tannehill connected nicely with Keller a few times on the drive, and made a good play on the move to hit Keller in the end zone.
 
Miami finally ended up + in the turnover battle. +3 on the night, with the only turnover being a Matt Moore INT. Nolan Caroll had a pick off the deflection, and Will Davis once again gets his hands on another ball, and pulls in his first INT in a game situation. Right now, I think he has to be my biggest surprise of training camp thus far. Defense as a whole looked much better with more of the starters seeing action this week than last.
 
Caleb Sturgis might have won the job last night. He boomed several kickoffs out the back of the end zone, and banged a 58 yarder with room to spare. Anything >50 yards is usually sketchy for Carpenter. Very impressive. Carpenter is going to have to have a flawless remainder of camp to keep his job.
 
Overall, a solid performance. Not spectacular, but good, and definitely a step in the right direction compared to last week. 
 

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I agree,
Next week's test vs Texans will be a better gauge. Sturgis  was outstanding, a 58 Yard kick for his first try on his NFL career is actually very big I think. Hope starters can play at least 2 quarters or almost 2 quarters. Its a new offense and they need as many reps as possible.
 

pdaj

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Red PR said:
I agree,
Next week's test vs Texans will be a better gauge. Sturgis  was outstanding, a 58 Yard kick for his first try on his NFL career is actually very big I think. Hope starters can play at least 2 quarters or almost 2 quarters. Its a new offense and they need as many reps as possible.
 
It's the same offense -- but I think you mean that this is Miller (as a starter), Wallace, Gibson, Keller, and Sims' first season as contributors in the West Coast scheme? I think the offensive line -- Martin, Incognito, Pouncey, Jerry/Louis/Samuda, Clabo -- needs to gel quickly. I'm hoping to see improved pass protection in Games 3 and 4. In limited snaps, Tannehill hasn't had many opportunities to step up in the pocket, set his feet, and throw. 
 
RT's throw to Keller prior to the TD toss was a thing of beauty. 
 

Clears Cleaver

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so far garner (two-three weeks) and starks (who knows?) are hurt. no on has sepped up and grabbed the backup LT job and none of the WRs have grabbed the 4th WR spot. small problems to be honest, but I expect Ireland will grab a WR and an OL off waivers.
 
Tannehill has played better the last week or so. Miller still needs to work on his blocking and pickups. wallace hasn;t done much yet, maybe he gets some plays vs Houston. dion jordan is hurt again, not sure if theya re just taking it slow or if he had a setback with his shoulder. the defensive front seven looks beastly and Grimes looks like an all-pro 
 
Sturgis won the job and has been awesome I guess. good to see. Fish have a chance to have awesome specials.
 
I'm ready for the seson to start
 

sodenj5

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Red PR said:
Hope all the best for D Keller, but from what I saw this is a huge blow. I truly hope one of the young TE's can step up big time
God, that sucks. He was looking like a great addition. Clay, Egnew, and Sims need to step up. The guy I'm looking at most is Egnew. I feel he's the closest comp to Keller on the roster. More receiver than traditional TE. Hopefully he gets more reps with the first team this week and shows he can fill some of the void left by Keller.
 

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I'm watching the replay right now, some thoughts on the starters....
 
Tannehill looked good...Or at least better than he has thus far during the pre-season.
 
This doesn't happen much, but I have to compliment Daniel Thomas.  I've always criticized him for not displaying any traits that stand out (My favorite saying is he gets as many yards as the hole dictates) but this is the second straight week he's shown vision and footwork that I have not seen the past couple years.
 
Nice to see Wallace contribute.  My favorite pass may have been that easy little stop/out route.  That route could be lethal with CB's having to play off a bit and respect Wallace's speed.
Gibson also flashed and played as I would expect.
 
I'm not sure what kind of upgrade they will actually be, but the speed and pursuit of the new LB's, especially Ellerbe, really stands out.
 
Grimes really took advantage of the rookie on that Interception.  That signing looks to be a great gamble, as his recovery has been remarkable.
 
I'm cautiously optimistic there may be a pass rush other than Wake.  Between Jordan, Vernon and even Odrick, there is good depth and a lot to like opposite Wake (who is incredible).
 
And then the big one....It goes without saying the Keller injury is awful.
I'm not counting much on Egnew, and they can't go 4 wide all game, so I guess it's time to go dumpster diving? 
It really does suck, but I mean on the plus side at least he didn't get hit in the head. Ugh!
 

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QUNate said:
Keller apparently tore his ACL, MCL and PCL.  He also dislocated his knee.
 
He's probably looking at at least 14-18 months recovery time, but this could permanently derail his career if he has significant cartilage damage as well (and it's hard to believe he wouldn't)
 

sodenj5

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QUNate said:
Keller apparently tore his ACL, MCL and PCL.  He also dislocated his knee.
That's the Shaun Livingston Special. Just gruesome. That may be the end of his career, for all intents and purposes.

If Ireland were smart, he'd wait at least a week and give Egnew and Sims Keller's reps. If the offense takes a step back in next week's game, then maybe it's time to look outside the organization. Again, I feel Egnew has the size, speed, and athleticism to fill in Keller's void. He just needs to realize that this may be his one and only chance to be a starter in the NFL, and play like it. I may be crazy, but based on the reports out of camp, I think he can do it without there being a huge drop off.
 

Clears Cleaver

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Keller's injury sucks so bad. He really had a chance to have a huge season. Philbin loves the TE and Keller and Tanne were connecting well. damn. egnew stinks and Sims is really, realy raw. charles Clay is the guy who will replace keller's #s. I think they will go out and get another TE and another RG and another LB from the castoffs.
 
the defense looks good.
 

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I feel bad for the guy, too, but not like he was having some sort of hall of fame career -- aren't things getting a bit over the top in the "woulda/shoulda" category?
 

rymflaherty

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ESPN Football Preview came in today....
It was surprising to see them having Miami winning the division.
And I'm sure their projected records are done through simulations of some sort using PFF numbers, and aren't just a number from an "expert".  Either way, it's kind of sad, but it was actually shocking to see the team get some respect from a national publication.
 

rymflaherty

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Watching last nights game now, some first-half thoughts...
 
The Defense was great again.  They look like they will be fun to watch, and they really have a great foundation for not just this year, but beyond.  If they can continue to improve in the secondary this group could turn into something special.
 
As someone that was indifferent toward the Wallace signing (I knew he was an upgrade, but I wasn't convinced he was the best option to use resources on) I'm happy to think I could be wrong.  I've been impressed with his route-running, ability to catch the ball in the correct position, and the other intangibles he's shown, which we're all areas where he thought he was lacking.
 
While some more big plays would have been nice, I can live with the dink and dunk offense.  If nothing else it illustrated a calm and collected Tannehill taking what was there and doing a good job moving the chains....All "Veteran" qualities.
 
If they don't believe in either Egnew or Sims (not a stretch) they need to bring in another TE.  Clay provides some value to the team, but he is not a starting NFL TE.
 

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Didn't see the game, but from what I read, Tannehill played well, and had one, if not two touchdowns dropped inside the red zone that ultimately ended up being field goals. The offense played generally well, and another week went by without hearing about Jonathan Martin. That's a good thing.

I think they're in good shape, as a whole. TE may be an issue, but I suspect they'll wait until after cuts to see if anyone of interest is out there.
 

rymflaherty

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Forgot one of the most important things...
I don't recall seeing any injuries.
Unless there was something I missed, or something that came out after the game, I didn;t see any of the regulars go down.  In the big scheme of things that's as important as anything else in these pre-season games.
 

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I'm actually more concerned about the RB situation than the rest of the offense.  I suspect the offense will keep taking what's given them early in the season until teams start cheating forward which will hopefully allow Wallace and Hartline to open things up like we think they can.   And a combination of Gibson and one of the TEs should be able to cover the ground and catch the balls that would have gone to Keller.  The running game has been pretty pedestrian thus far, though.  Has anyone been been wowed by Miller or Thomas at any point this preseason?  Although pass protection looks a little better of late, for the sake of providing a boost to our mediocre RB tandem, a lot is riding on that offensive line healing and improving as the season progresses.
 

rymflaherty

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In Week 2 and 3 Thomas may have looked better than I'd ever seen.  There were a few runs where he actually showed great feet and vision. 
Now having said that, my opinion of Thomas since he's been with the Fins is that (other than his pass blocking) you could take virtually any running back off the street and get similar production.  He gets as many yards as the hole dictates, and he's a "Power" back who doesn't run low and isn't especially good at short yardage.
So I guess that's a long way of saying - He's looked a bit better than I expected, but I still don't trust him at all.
 
I still am intrigued by Miller at this point.
I think any of us would be lying if we said we knew what to expect from him as a featured back.  I just know there's been enough positives that he's earned a chance to show what he can do.  I think he could fit the zone-blocking scheme well. 
 
I was hoping Gillislee could steal Thomas's job, but that obviously hasn't been the case.  And Gray has seemed to fade after being a garbage-time pre-season All-Star.  Oh well.
 
 
Anyone see Bush the other night?
I actually wasn't too depressed that he was succeeding elsewhere, although it did piss me off to see a performance like that realize they never seemed to utilize him to his potential in the passing/screen game.
 

pdaj

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Bush was never utilized to his full potential, and I'll never understand that. I dig OC Sherman, but I believe he lacked offensive creativity last season. Was he keeping things simple for his rookie QB? Perhaps. But the offense was very predictable at times last year.
 
As far as the running game is concerned, I'm not worried. (Well, only a little.) If Miller can stay healthy for the entire season, he's going to beast it. He reminds me a lot David Wilson of the Giants, but just a bit tougher and further along from a cognitive standpoint at this point. His pass protection in Saturday's contest was fantastic. He's going to have a lot of big runs.
 
That said, the short yardage running game worries me. Lane has struggled this preseason as a lead-blocker, and probably isn't going to make the team. Of the 3 Miami TE poised to contribute this season, only Sims (a rookie) can be labeled a strong blocker, and even he's not consistent. Add the fact that Thomas doesn't always run with power/leverage and has a knack for choosing the wrong lane, and how the f--- are the Dolphins going to convert 3-and-1's? Their "heavy" sets seem pretty light to me.
 

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mcaqua said:
Pretty fantastic read on Richie:
 
http://www.nfl.com/incognito
Read that this morning. Really shows how he's grown up since his days with the Rams.

Anyone want to make predictions on the brutal first 5 weeks? I say 2-3. Anything better than that, they're way ahead of the curve. That makes Week 1 almost a must win. If they drop that game to Cleveland, they're in deep trouble.
 

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Waived:
G Chris Barker
C Sam Brenner
WR Chad Bumphis
WR Keenan Davis
DT A.J. Francis
RB Jonas Gray
S Keelan Johnson
S Jordan Kovacs
T Andrew McDonald
WR Marvin McNutt
TE Kyle Miller
DE Tristin Okpalaugo
CB Julian Posey
CB De’Andre Presley
DT Kheeston Randall
DT Tracey Robertson
LB Lee Robinson
LB Austin Spitler
WR Brian Tyms

Waived/Injured:
T Jeff Adams
QB Aaron Corp

Terminated Contracts:
LB Antwan Applewhite
Only 4 WRs currently on the roster with Bumphis, McNutt and Tyms getting cut. I would think you have to anticipate a waiver claim coming at some point to solidify the position. You need to add at least one.

Also, can we talk about Kheeston Randall being let go, especially in favor of Vaughn Martin? That is insane. I never even considered Randall's job to be on the table and that's before you factor in the contract statuses of both Soliai and Starks heading into next offseason. I mean I don't want to get too worked up over training camp cuts, but WTF?
 

rymflaherty

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I was surprised McNutt didn't make the team.
Although I admit I probably have some bias, because I really thought they should have drafted him in 2012 to begin with.  He's limited athletically but I thought he could potentially be a fit as an X in the West Coast offense.
Maybe it comes back to Philbin wanting versatility at the position...I don't know....It did look like he was improving and he already had a year of development, so I thought they'd keep him around, at last initially.
 
4 receivers seems way too thin so I'd imagine we are going to get a Jeff Ireland week 1 special.
Maybe this time he'll find a diamond, because it seems the roster tinkering heading into Week 1 hasn't worked out well traditionally.
 

Clears Cleaver

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I bet they pick up a TE (Ballard or DJ williams) and trade for or pick up a WR in the next few days. 11 DBs probably not realistic.
 

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What are the chances DJ Williams can come in and contribute?

I recall liking him when he came out of Arkansas. But I haven't heard much from him since that draft and seeing him on waivers at this point in his career doesn't look good. GB isn't the place where talent at a skill position languishes.
Not sure if anyone else has followed him or seen anything of late that would give additional hope.
 

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My musings above seem to be a moot point - Looks like Williams was snagged by the Jags.
 
Nice to see McNutt and Tyms have been put on the practice squad.  Not that I'm expecting much, but I do think they are each worth keeping around, and you can do a lot worse in terms of emergency depth in-house.
 
Evan Rodriguez looks to be the tough luck story of this year.
I was just reading an article about him yesterday and how his dream came true making the team.  Now that's lasted all of a day.  Harsh.
 

Clears Cleaver

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Here is Barnwell's analysis of the Dolphins. I think he's absolutely awful analyst/prognosticator, but wow is this negative. I take solace in the fact he seems to know very little about the players on the team.

Wallace vs Marshall? why relevent? its Wallace vs Bess (second leading WR last year). hartline vs hartline. gibson vs fasano.
Grimes is a lot better than Smith and can play in a zone scheme as well as m2m. smith sucked bad in a zone.
Clabo/Martin vs long/Martin is TBD, but saved the team $5M
Dansby couldn't rush the passer and struggled mightly end of last year. ellerbee will be upgrade
the Dion jordan pick is TBD, but Barnwell seems to not realzie that jordan will be 3rd down pass rusher who can also cover making pre-snap reads 5x tougher
reggie Bush caught 35 passes in 16 games...a HUGE safety net for tannehill?!?! I will say losing Keller hurts in that regard
 

Miami Dolphins
2012 Record: 7-9
Pythagorean Wins: 7.1 (underperformed by 0.1 wins)
Record in Games Decided by Seven Points or Fewer: 3-5 (0.375, ninth-worst in league)
Strength of Schedule: 0.473 (10th-easiest in league)
Turnover Margin: Minus-10 (tied for 24th in league)
2013 Out-of-Division Schedule: AFC North, NFC South, vs. Chargers, at Colts
My sentiment toward the Dolphins and the moves they made this offseason are covered at great length in today's edition of the Grantland NFL Preview Podcast, but in short, Jeff Ireland seems like the kind of guy who might have inquired about purchasing a cabana on the Titanic as it sank. Is Mike Wallace an upgrade on Brandon Marshall? Are the Dolphins better off with Brent Grimes than they were with Sean Smith? Is Dannell Ellerbe really better than Karlos Dansby? Would they really rather have Tyson Clabo at right tackle and Jonathan Martin on the left side than Jake Long on the left and Martin on the right? I don't know the answers to those questions, and I don't think Ireland knows them, either, but the shiny newness of those first options are enough to justify spending tens of millions of dollars, apparently.
Even more curious was the move to trade up and select Dion Jordan with the third overall pick of this year's draft. Miami was excited afterward that it only had to pay half-price to acquire the pick, but the draft chart the Dolphins were likely referring to is outdated in a number of ways. Jordan, meanwhile, isn't exactly a can't-miss prospect; he had just 14.5 sacks in a little less than three seasons as a "Joker" pass-rusher for Oregon, which seems awfully low for a player who was taken well before SEC superstar Jarvis Jones. He enters into an excellent situation in Miami in the sense that he gets to play across from Cameron Wake and the double-teams Wake draws every week, but is Jordan the missing link that can help the team succeed in 2013? Probably not. And 2013 matters because Ireland is probably going to get fired if he doesn't deliver a trip to the playoffs this year.
The thing that I would still be concerned about, were I a Dolphins fan, is the lack of a safety net for Ryan Tannehill. Last year, Tannehill had Long at left tackle, Reggie Bush catching checkdowns as a pass-catching back, Davone Bess going over the middle and offering safe throws into and out of the slot, and Anthony Fasano as the grizzled tight end. This year, all of those guys are gone, and there's no obvious replacement. Dustin Keller suffered a season-ending injury in August, leaving a camp battle for tight end that's still raging. Long's replacement, Martin, is a question mark. Bush is gone to Detroit, with Lamar Miller taking over. There's no slot receiver in Bess's league still on the roster. In short, all of Tannehill's safety valves are gone.
In a way, the Dolphins are trying to serve two masters. They want to develop that young core of Tannehill, et al., but they also want to win now with all the veterans they've just gone and spent tons of money on in free agency. Good teams hold on to their draft picks and gradually retool as the years go along. Bad teams don't have that sort of bigger picture in mind. The Dolphins might just be in a no-picture zone altogether.
Best-Case Scenario: Tannehill improves quickly with Wallace at the helm, and Jordan breaks out without any double-teams in his way.
Worst-Case Scenario: Tannehill regresses a bit without any checkdown target, and the streets of Miami run red with Ireland's blood.
 

mcaqua

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I saw this write up earlier, its a mind numbingly asinine piece. Grimes at 40% is a more impactful presence on the field than Sean Smith at 110%. Smith was quite literally allergic to the football during his time in Miami. The biggest play he made as a Dolphin was in a preseason tilt against the Saints. As Yeremiah Bell might say, 'he stinks.'
 
And let's not get into him comparing the current skill position guys to last years version (a group which was widely considered to be amongst the bottom five in the league). Fasano was a great blocker but a total zero in the passing game. As far as Reggie, I loved the passion and leadership qualities he brought to the offense but I can count on one hand the number of times he successfully hit a cutback lane in stride (without reversing field altogether). He left a ton of yardage on the field and we'll be in much better hands with Miller.
 
You want a safety blanket for Tannehill? Let's ignore, for a moment, the fact that Hartline was retained. Perhaps Barnwell should've done a little digging into Gibson's knack for extending drives last season in the St. Louis offense.
 
There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical when it comes to the Dolphins this year, unfortunately Barnwell hit on none of them. The guy is a hack.
 
EDIT: I especially love the description of Fasano as 'the grizzled TE.' So in other words you're telling me he sucked? I agree.
 

Shelterdog

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mcaqua said:
I saw this write up earlier, its a mind numbingly asinine piece. Grimes at 40% is a more impactful presence on the field than Sean Smith at 110%. Smith was quite literally allergic to the football during his time in Miami. The biggest play he made as a Dolphin was in a preseason tilt against the Saints. As Yeremiah Bell might say, 'he stinks.' And let's not get into him comparing the current skill position guys to last years version (a group which was widely considered to be amongst the bottom five in the league). Fasano was a great blocker but a total zero in the passing game. As far as Reggie, I loved the passion and leadership qualities he brought to the offense but I can count on one hand the number of times he successfully hit a cutback lane in stride (without reversing field altogether). He left a ton of yardage on the field and we'll be in much better hands with Miller. You want a safety blanket for Tannehill? Let's ignore, for a moment, the fact that Hartline was retained. Perhaps Barnwell should've done a little digging into Gibson's knack for extending drives last season in the St. Louis offense. There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical when it comes to the Dolphins this year, unfortunately Barnwell hit on none of them. The guy is a hack. EDIT: I especially love the description of Fasano as 'the grizzled TE.' So in other words you're telling me he sucked? I agree.
 
I guess it's possible that 30 year old Grimes coming off of an achilles injury in 2012 and a knee injury in 2011 will be much better than Seam Smith, that whoever plays TE will be better in the passing game than Fasano and his 41 receptions, and that Miller will be much more productive than Bush (who had about 980 yards and 35 catches) but each of those predictions is being made through aqua colored lens: in each case you're replacing a long time productive NFL starter with a question mark. 
 

mcaqua

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Shelterdog said:
 
I guess it's possible that 30 year old Grimes coming off of an achilles injury in 2012 and a knee injury in 2011 will be much better than Seam Smith, that whoever plays TE will be better in the passing game than Fasano and his 41 receptions, and that Miller will be much more productive than Bush (who had about 980 yards and 35 catches) but each of those predictions is being made through aqua colored lens: in each case you're replacing a long time productive NFL starter with a question mark. 
 
Its not looking through aqua-colored glasses to say that Sean Smith isn't a playmaker and Bush lacks the vision of an above-average RB.  For possessing those sterling qualities, Ireland was supposed to... reward them with contract extensions?  What?
 

Shelterdog

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mcaqua said:
 
Its not looking through aqua-colored glasses to say that Sean Smith isn't a playmaker and Bush lacks the vision of an above-average RB.  For possessing those sterling qualities, Ireland was supposed to... reward them with contract extensions?  What?
 
The aqua-colored glasses come in when you assume the replacements are going to outperform two pretty good players.  I think you're underestimating how hard it is to get league average or better performance, and I think both Smith and Bush are somewhat (but not substantially) better than league average starters. It's certainly possible that Grimes and Miller substantially outperform Smith and Bush but then again they might suck.  Also, it's irrelevant to my point whether Ireland should have re-signed them.  Re-signing them at too high a cost could be stupid even if you get worse at both positions when you let them go (like I think the Fins did).  The relevant question there is whether you used the rest of your money wisely given the short and long-term interests of the team. If you want a broader discussion I'm game but on the simple question of whether Clay/Grimes/Miller outperform Fasano/Bush/Smith on the field, I'm at best dubious.
 

mcaqua

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Shelterdog said:
 
The aqua-colored glasses come in when you assume the replacements are going to outperform two pretty good players.  I think you're underestimating how hard it is to get league average or better performance, and I think both Smith and Bush are somewhat (but not substantially) better than league average starters. It's certainly possible that Grimes and Miller substantially outperform Smith and Bush but then again they might suck.  Also, it's irrelevant to my point whether Ireland should have re-signed them.  Re-signing them at too high a cost could be stupid even if you get worse at both positions.  The relevant question there is whether you used the rest of your money wisely given the short and long-term interests of the team. If you want a broader discussion I'm game but on the simple question of whether Clay/Grimes/Miller outperform Fasano/Bush/Smith on the field, I'm at best dubious.
 
Good points.
 
On the last piece that I highlighted, I think we have very different thoughts on the production of the two groups noted.  I think the group of Clay/Grimes/Miller/Gibson are an excellent bet to outperform the likes of Fasano/Smith/Bush/Bess.  That said, the downfall of this team (something that Barnwell never mentioned in his piece) will be the lack of depth at almost every position outside of the DL.  They're paper thin.