when teams need help they trade for it all the time, they dont just sit and pray the sorry *** players they currently have will figure it out. We have the worst linebacking group in all of football, if our GM does enough research on other teams' rosters, draft picks, contracts etc...he can definitely find an upgrade available. hell there are backup linebackers out there that are better than what we put out on the field, Vincent Rey in Cincy, Frank Zombo in KC for example. Erin Henderson is out of the league and even he'd be an upgrade. lets be proactive for once, you never know who could be had. hopefully Hickey isn't the same guy as Jeff "I didn't know he was available" Ireland. besides he knows he might not even be here next year so losing a 5th rounder or something like that in 2015 to help improve the team now shouldn't really be an issue for him. and the LB we trade for could be the long term answer as well, we all know Wheeler and Ellerbe will be cut in the very near future. lets not have a repeat of last year when we made a desperation deal for Bryant McKinnie too late into the year.
all this freaking out after one freaking preseason game annoys the hell out of me and then you come with these names out of the closet....Frank Zombo, Vincent Rey.....hell yeah lets spend a draft pick on one of those saviors.....lol.....unreal I mean Vincent Rey showed he can play last year, when Maualuga got hurt, which makes it doubtful they would trade him anyways proactive for once ? like getting a Center, when there was a need or another QB to not ruin another preseason evaluation of the backups, proactive like this ?
I think that "worst unit in the league" is a bit much. We all agree that the guy didn't get the job done well enough last season. However, we all know that we're locked into their contracts, and we also have a variety of young players on the roster who will be looked at in game situations too. It will sort itself out. With the need to win, I don't think that Philbin and Coyle are going to throw guys out onto the field who don't help the team.
I'm not sure there is anyone realistic whom would be particularly helpful. Vincent Rey is probably the best option, but he's competing for a starting job. Frank Zombo is terrible and doesn't fit this defense.
I've been wrong this whole time. I mean I never knew all it took to acquire a good player at a position of need is to simply just "want to". You've opened my eyes LB, you're an eye opener. Hell, why stop there, want don't we just trade for Megatron, AP & Aaron Rodgers too....since all it takes is desire, my god, the possibilities are endless!!!!!!!!
Zombo is not really an option. Bad fit. The truth is they're sticking with the current setup because Philip Wheeler and Dannell Ellerbe have guaranteed salaries. I mean if you want the quick and dirty story, that's it. They'll mix in some young players like Jelani Jenkins and Jordan Tripp so that they know they have their future in order, and to mitigate some of the damage that will be done by poor linebacker play this year...but they're counting the days until they're free to cut Wheeler and Ellerbe.
Or they can sign a Kevin Burnett who may not be great but would be as good as the players the OP named, if not slightly better, and wouldnt cost a pick.
Yes, this is certainly true. They will both most likely be released next offseason. I would rather see the coaches let the youngsters play this year and develop, rather than watch Wheeler and Ellerbe stink up the field again. I would rather try to trade them for low round picks before the deadline and just eat the cap hit; not that I don't usually put a very high value on cap room. but have you really looked at next year's free agent market? There is a dearth of talent in the 2015 NFL free agent market like I have never seen and teams haven't even hardly begun to give out extensions and new contracts to their impending free agents. Might as well use the roll over to sign our own free agents who perform well and use any cap freed up from players released to grant extensions. Can anybody show me a top tier 2015 free agent that will realistically come available that they think the Dolphins should sign???? As far as the linebacker position, I'm hoping for LB kyler Fackrell and RB Todd Gurley in next year's draft no matter what it takes to get them both. I hope our RB's surprise this year and Gurley won't need to be a priority, but I doubt that happens. Fackrell is expected to declare and it already looks like he could play any LB position in existence.
I think first off they have to figure out an answer to the Dion Jordan riddle. They'll try and figure out this year what he has as a down pass rusher but he could end up a linebacker a la Manny Lawson, in the end. I would love to see Jordan Tripp playing significantly in order to see whether he's got a future as a MLB. What they honestly need is a Ryan Shazier, to be honest. They need a linebacker they can trust on all three downs to take 1000 snaps and be a consistent positive force. I don't know yet who that is if you're looking at next year's draft. I know that Alvin Dupree looks to me like he should be playing 4-3 linebacker and he would be a wondeful player. Probably looking more at guys like Jake Ryan, A.J. Johnson or Shaq Thompson. Always been a big fan of Bernardrick McKinney.
I wish we traded up for CJ Mosley... that guy was all over the field for the Ravens and looks like the early strongest candidate for DPOY.... didn't take them too long to find Ray's replacement.. sigh
As for 2015 free agency, that's a tough one. Sean Weatherspoon is a free agent but the Falcons really like him and will probably try and keep him. With the injuries he's faced in his career you could also argue he's damaged goods. I certainly can't imagine the Titans allowing Akeem Ayers to walk. The Jets will probably be committed to keeping David Harris. The best and most realistic options are in all likelihood guys like K.J. Wright or Jacquian Williams. Possibly Bruce Carter or Akeem Jordan.
The Ravens have invested significant resources to do this. Don't forget they also drafted Arthur Brown in the second last year
P- as in player of the year? Surely you meant DROY As shaky as the linebacker core is, if we didn't draft James, then Fox would be the starting right tackle
I very much doubt that. If they didn't draft JaWuan James they probably would've circled back and gotten Morgan Moses later on. Steve Ross isn't a very good poker player. He told the press explicitly like a month before the draft that they were going to draft a right tackle and it was probably going to be high. Sure enough, it's the 1st round and they take a guy most didn't project for the 1st round because he was the best remaining right tackle prospect.
Well, fwiw, one of our other options, Cyrus Kouandjio, supposedly looked terrible in his first game. I think he allowed two sacks and just didn't play well overall.
I eagerly await for our games versus Buffalo last year. Cam Wake is guaranteed 3+ sacks going up against Kouandijo, per game.
I haven't seen Washington's practices and I think we've learned time and time again just how far we can trust "accounts". Morgan Moses looked pretty decent in the preseason game. Pro Football Focus also marked him with a +0.8 on his 66 snaps.
We are stuck w/ Wheeler and Ellerbe this year, but do they have to play if they aren't the best at their position? I would love to see guys who have a shot like Tripp and Jenkins get snaps so they can learn and also be evaluated.
Unfortunately the Dolphins need a complete new LB unit. The best player on the starting LB corp is probably Misi and he is barely an average NFL LB. I think he is out of position as the MLB and with this group they have as their starters, the defense is going to continue to struggle against the run and the short pass defense this season. Assuming Tannehill steps up this season and shows he deserves to be the long term QB for the Dolphins. I suspect the Dolphins will go into the 2015 draft with LB and RB as their top two priorities. It would not surprise me in the least if they don't draft at least two LB's in the first three round and a RB in one of these rounds. Of course if Tannehill doesn't take that giant step up. Philbin will be gone and the next HC will probably want to use the Dolphins first round pick to bring in his own QB. This season is all about Tannehill proving he is the man and if he does, the Dolphins and Hickey can go about rebuilding the LB corp that Ireland left in shambles.
Philbin and Coyle are well aware that their jobs are on the line this year. So I have no doubt they would be starting the younger LB's if they felt these players gave them the best chance to win. Unfortunately there really isn't a solid LB on this entire roster and the coaching staff probably feel that the veteran LB's are the way to go at this time. The reality is that if Tripp and Jenkins do end up being starters sometime during the season. It will be either because of an injury to one of the starters or because the defense was playing so poorly with the veteran LB's in the starting lineup, the coaches had no other choice but to go with the younger LB's and hope they work out.
The LBs probably willl be a below average unit. That said, it simply isn't realistic to have a team that doesn't have underperforming units. Trading future picks to fill current holes is a battleship football - a bad strategy IMO.
Every team in the NFL has units which are below average compared to other teams in the NFL. That is the nature of the salary cap which requires each team to select where they want to allocate their financial resources in an effort to be the best team they can be. The Dolphins have a history over the past decade of wasting a lot of these resources on players who just weren't very good or in some cases, bad. The Seahawks OL was not effective in pass blocking, but they were quite effective in the run blocking game. They also have a QB who is able to make plays when the pocket breaks down and one of the best running backs in the NFL. The Seahawks also built one of the best defenses in the NFL and that is where they have decided to allocate the majority of their financial resources. Since they are the defending Super Bowl Champions, I would say that they did an excellent job of using their resources to the maximum, even if some of their offensive units are below average. It is all about having a great GM and top head coach, who know how to build a winning organization. Unfortunately that is not something the Dolphins have not had for many years and it is also why the Dolphins are no longer looked at as a first class football organization around the nation or in the media.
Not too long ago it was oh no we suck at GM, HC, OC, QB, pass rusher, OT, WR, CB, FS, blah blah blah. I take it as a sign of progress that the habitual whiners are reduced to crying about LB play.
Well unfortunately we can't trade for a coach...at least not while we still employ one. Then again I wouldn't put it past Ross to start negotiating with SF on a deal for Harbaugh while Philbin is still here, we all know he's done that before.
Our team wasn't good enough to overcome its deficiencies like Seattle was, because the rest of their team was so strong everywhere else, from coaching to special teams to the running game, fueled by a running back they traded for a couple years back I might add. I'm not arguing we should give up a high pick, just a late one, like we should have done with Eugene Monroe.
It would have been nice if they set themselves up to be able to take Brandin Cooks. Still, I do think Lazor's offense will help cover some of Miami's deficiencies. If it doesn't at least it will not be boring to watch fail.
Seattle LB coach Ken Norton raves about KJ Wright, and with the team's recent injury history at LB I'm not sure they'd be willing to let their stud starter go, at least not until they know one of the youngsters are far enough along behind him. To me, Vincent Rey would make the most sense since he's a Cincy guy and b/c the Bengals are higher on Emmanuel Lemur than Rey and wouldn't mind moving Burfict to ILB from what I recall. Plus they also have Sean Porter.
I'm not buying the Vincent Rey stuff. I'm not buying that they're going to let him go. And if they do let him go then you have to wonder why because Emmanuel Lamur is a UDFA nobody. Also Rey Maualuga is a free agent so they could cheapen their books by letting him walk and sticking with Vincent Rey. I just don't see him walking.
It's true that Seattle likes K.J. Wright and well they should. The problem is they have big contracts on guys all over the team and that's without counting Russell Wilson who will likely get a HUGE contract next off season. They already showed this off season that they will allow well performing mid-level contract players escape because they're trying to make room for the big contracts they have for guys like Richard Sherman, Russell Okung, Michael Bennett, Percy Harvin, Cliff Avril, Marshawn Lynch, Earl Thomas, Brandon Mebane, Max Unger and Kam Chancellor. They let Brandon Browner walk, easily could have paid him the same as NE gave him. They let Walter Thurmond walk for a song. They let Clinton McDonald walk for cheap. They let Golden Tate walk even though his $7 million per year deal would have been well worth it. They profile like a team that would let a K.J. Wright walk away especially as they've got to give mega money to Russell Wilson. I think Bobby Wagner is more a priority to them than K.J. Wright. They've also got Bruce Irvin, Malcolm Smith (Super Bowl MVP) and Kevin Pierre-Louis kicking around that linebackers unit.
The offensive line was below average. I'd disagree with calling the receivers below-average. They were average. Golden Tate was one of the most efficient wide receivers in football. Doug Baldwin was a very typical slot wide receiver possession guy. Jermaine Kearse was a young player but he was a well performing young player. Many teams have young players out there that aren't actually playing well. I'd say that's average, not below average.
Golden Tate wasn't sensational. He was decent. All the receivers had a hard time getting open. A fact that was constantly made on talk radio. harvin doesn't count last year. He played in the Superbowl and Seahawks would have killed the Broncos without him.
Our Linebacker core is scary bad, Ireland ****ed us with Wheeler and Ellerbe, maybe the worst moves he made in his tenure here and that is saying something. I do think we have to explore all the options but realistically no one is going to just give up good LB talent at a cheap price, we are just going to have to try and hide those two and hope that maybe some young players can take snaps from them when they are ready.