I think he has what it takes to make a big difference with the rest of the LB's next season. I have a feeling that the absence of Porter and Taylor won't have as much of an impact as some people may think. They are both on the downside of their careers and their departure will give some of the younger guys like Anderson a lot of opportunities to make plays. In very limited action Anderson has 4.5 sacks and 4 FF's in two seasons. Not to mention solid special teams play. He blocked a punt against the Jets to help Miami win the division two years ago. I can't wait to see the new look defense with Mike Nolan calling the shots. It's gonna be a breath of fresh air.
anderson is really nothing more than a backup but I still like him better than the two dinosaurs we had last year. I think it is too late to develop him properly because his potential has peaked i'm sure. we have to settle for 2nd tier for now.
I don't think we have the linebackers necessary to run an effective 3-4. I think we switch to the 4-3 more often than not.
My thought exactly, they ran the WC because the two best players on offense were Ricky and Ronnie and that got both into the game at the same time, why the Defense would not have the same philosophy towards getting our 4 best defenders on the field on the Dline.
I don't think we have any less talent than Denver did in their front seven last year and they did pretty well IMO. I also think that we do have the linebackers to run Nolan's defense. I do think that we will see a four man rush pretty often but in a base 3-4 set. Nolan often blitzed four and dropped three in coverage.
I think we have far more talent on the Dline, not so much at Lb: Dumervil/Davis/Williams/Haggins Have more starts so their learning curve was a bit shorter for Nolan's defense
I think we will have an improved D over last season veterans or not. Porter was hurt much of the season the older you get you don't heal quit the same as when your younger. Our rookie's in the backfield are no longer rookies I think this season will determine if they stay on the team or not, if they let as many big pass plays score might as well pack their bags.
I still have hope for Anderson! He's a great speed rushing as long as the LT or RT doesn't touch him at all....................lol He also plays well in space and can cover alot of ground, but he can't hold his ground at all trying to play the run. If he could ever shack a Olineman after they engage each other or play the run better he could start in the NFL and be a good start as well. This year i hope he can play the run "but i know he can't", because i don't see a SOLB on our team right now that can.
Well I'd be really worried if Anderson is our best option at OLB...It would mean two things...1) Misi would need more time to grow into the position and 2) we'd be in real trouble getting pressure from the OLB spot.... Anderson is nothing more than a journeyman....probably has a sign on him that says "Break glass in case of emergency"... That said, I still think, like many, that our lber corps is a little better than last season. Still, between JP and JT we had 17 sacks. Where are they going to come from ?? Anderson and Wake ?? I don't think so... We really need Misi to live up to his draft expectations... There's no doubt that OLB is our weakest link on the D at this point...
Well, I do retain SOME hope for Charlie Anderson to improve, he has the tools to do the job, what he lacks is aggressiveness, that could be a simple case of not enough reps and he is thinking instead of reacting, more snaps could fix that for him.
Misi's draft expectations are not about him being a pass rusher. If he meets his expectations he'll set the edge and cover the TE. The expectation for him as a pass rusher can't be higher than 3 or 4 sacks. Realistically, I'd be happy if he got 2 sacks. As for where those 17 sacks will come from, Anderson and Wake is absolutely right. I expect double digit sacks from Wake. He got 7 sacks on 167 snaps last year. I think he'll get at least double that number of snaps this year at a minimum. I think 10-11 sacks is a conservative expectation. Anderson had 2 sacks last year per NFL.com in about 150 snaps. I think he'll more than double that snap count and get 4 or 5 sacks. That's 16 sacks from those three players. And I expect a better pass rush from the DL with Starks inside. We were tied for third best in the league last year with 44 sacks. I think that contribution from the replacements keeps us a top 10 sack team easily which is more than good enough.
Of those 44, 17 left, 6 were moved to NT, half the 09 sack total is gone. Sacks/pressures are not a matter of simply saying "oh so and so should do this" as a limited passrush is easily neutralized by simply doubling the best passrusher (Wake) and then forcing Anderson to defeat single blocking, something he has never show he is capable of doing consistently. Our best hope does come from the DE's, but even then in a 3-4 they are not really there to produce them. Maybe Chris McCoy shows some skill at getting after the passer?
My concern with Anderson is that he's a 7 yr veteran, albeit limited PT...reps and being comfortable reacting shouldn't be an issue with him as he's been around long enough that he should have shown himself by this time. Being behind JT and JP probably hasn't helped his ability to get PT, but experience like his, even if it's not full time shouldn't be an issue. The thing is, perhaps Wake gets a few more sacks. Starks isn't going to get as many sacks at NT as last year at DE. 2-3 is all we can reasonably expect. If Wake gets 10 and Starks 2, that means we're relying on Odrick/Merling and Misi to get the rest ?? And you're right, Misi's job will be less that of pass rusher... The harder I look at this the more concern I have for the OLBs. Anderson is a journeyman, Moses is as well with much less experience. Wake's ability to do things other than rush the passer is unknown at this time. That's all he was asked to do last season. Misi is a Rook who has potential but in his role he won't get as many sack opportunities and besides, you don't want that from him, as Rafael said. Walden, McCoy, Spitler, Folsom ????? EDIT: I almost forgot to mention the pressure and a few sacks we got from Nate Jones, who is no longer here. That'll be something else we miss...his timing on blitzing was very good...
I wish I were, Q's problem is he is not fast enough to use a speed rush, and he is not powerful enough to bull rush, and he has no passrushing moves like a spin or rip club, when a Olineman touches him, he cannot shed them. Anderson has plenty of speed, but also has a limited bag of tricks. That leaves Erik Walden, whom Joey Porter praised last yr, and Chris McCoy a wet behind the ears 7th round draft pick from the Sun Belt.
And Dansby is also a better pass rusher than anybody we had at ILB last year. Really OLB is just part of the sack picture. And that picture is still very good. We were third in the league last year. Even if there's a slight drop off we're still probably top 10. That's more than good enough.
Not in the 3-4 rafi, the NT pushes the pocket, the OLB's pinch in from the outside to create pressure, without that outside pressure the 3-4 becomes a pinata. Alen mentioned that Nolan can become predictable, which means his players have to simply outperform their opponent physically to make plays, the problem is the current OLB corps does not have those kinds of athletes outside of Cam Wake. If they try to rely on scheme, teams like the Patriots can deal with that via great Qb play recognition, this is a part of the reason why I've banged the drum for A Thomas or more 4-3 formations.
Anderson should get some help from Odrick at DE ... which will make him 'acceptable' as a rusher from the weak side ... the problem is as Padre points out - holding the point against the run, albeit ... that wasn't JPs strong suit either -- in fact, JT wasn't very good at it. i would still love to see Misi at WOLB, and pick up someone to fill the gap at SOLB on 1st and 2nd down - not named Moses. The challenge is that still leaves us vulnerable on 1st and 2nd down to the TEs and RBs in the flat, since Edds (ILB) will only likely play in nickel situations. Next year, if Edds gets much stronger ... his role can increase. Maybe Johnston or McCoy could surprise ...
Yes, even in the 3-4, just like last year. Last year our athletes outside were rarely, if ever beating people with their athleticism and we were 3rd in the league in sacks. And they weren't being helped by innovative schemes either. Whatever proclivities Nolan may have towards predictability, he is less predictable than Pasqualoni. And great QB recognition works against every defense. A. Thomas or any other over priced, under-achieving OLB isn't going to change that.
Misi is a SOLB. If he succeeds, that's where it will be. Anderson and Wake will split snaps at WOLB. Misi, Moses, Walden, Johnston and McCoy will battle it out for snaps on the strong side.
Perhaps, but alot of the burning of Vontae and Smith came from DC P running blitzes, the same thing Nolan is planning on doing. Not if they don't have time to execute, which requires a passrush..something we lack.
We don't lack the pass rush. We were one of the best in the league last year. And most of the burning of Davis and Smith were b/c of their mistakes. We need them to improve, but don't pretend it was a pass rush issue. Their improvement should lead to some coverage sacks, something we didn't get last year.
Anderson & Wake should equate to Joey Porter and Jason Who? And I think Nolan's aggressive style of D will make up for the rest.
one of the best in the league in sacks which doesn't necessarily equate to pressure. go back and watch. our pass rush was very lacking from a continuous pressure stand point. too often qb's stood back there and picked us apart. that is why i thought before the draft we needed to add a pass rusher to develop like brandon graham or a jerry hughes. instead we are stuck with a project on one side and a backup on the other. we better hope that our coverage produces time for these guys to get there. wake has the speed but only has one move and anderson is similar but less effective. nolan is creative and that may be a saving point. his defense tends to blitz a lot and take chances of getting killed by the run.
I think everyone is jumping to conclusions based off of OTA's. Just because they were running first team means VERY little. Sparano just wanted to get certain guys reps. I would be shocked if Anderson starts. I also disagree that we don't have the talent to run a good 3-4. I still believe that if we were short one LB on the outside we could also move Crowder back outside and put Dobbins in with Dansby. Luckily there is plenty of time to sort those things out, not to mention FS.
There definitely was not enough of a consistent pass rush last season. The sack total is deceiving. I agree with killerphins....I remember watching many games where I was like "Ok, someone can get to the QB any day now". I think PP was scared to blitz a lot of the time. He seemed like more of a passive coordinator to me. I'm still not sold on Dan Henning either. Way too many questionable play calls last season, especially in the red zone.
Go back and watch the rest of the NFL and you'll see that's the way it is everywhere. The fact is that no team in the NFL has a consistent pass rush. And BTW it wasn't just sacks. We were also top 10 when you look at QB pressures and hurries.
Is it possible that pass rushing role of a WLB is overestimated due to past Dolphins teams and Elvis Dumervil's success? Reading through Mike Nolan's Ravens defense, the WLB is frequently schemed to provide flat coverage and run support. My guess is that staff is projecting Charlie Anderson as a base defense WLB, which would have a bend-not-break look in order to slow down an offense's high percentage run and pass plays. Anderson is assumed to make less mistakes than playing an inexperienced LB. To stir up the base defense, the staff would use Dansby in run/pass blitzes to try to quickly generate up-the-middle pressure from Starks or Dansby. Reports from mini-camp that indicated that Misi was getting lots of reps and Wake was playing some SLB make offer a hint on the potential pass defense line-up. I think this is recognition that opposing offenses are likely to shift a TE toward Wake; resulting in Misi being uncovered with WLB responsibilities. Unreported was the DL formation changes, which seems to be a key feature for a Nolan defense. The attacking strategy of a Nolan defense seems to rooted in moving DL and LB around to exploit weaknesses in an OL. This requires non-attacking LBs to cover new gaps in run support or coverage, which seems like the role for when Crowder, Misi, and Anderson are on the field. Finally, I think pressure from other DL and LB will lead to indirect sacks by Anderson and Misi rather than these players attacking and beating the OT. Such plays may be when the QB has a planned roll-out beyond pocket or is flushed. More importantly, I think this will lead to traditional linebacker read/react plays by Anderson and Misi, which is a welcome change from having Porter and Taylor absorbed by an OT and then watch the defense get cut up by screens, draws, and cutbacks.
not that i don't believe you cause you are usually pretty dead on with your stats but i need to see that one with my own eyes to wrap my mind around it. you got a link to that list. it seemed so often we didn't get pressure on the QB and allowed too much time in the pocket.
Crowder would certainly struggle as a 3-4 OLB. He doesn't have great pass rush skills and we know for a fact he has no coverage skills. We used him when he first got here as an OLB, but in more of the 4-3 mold of OLB. He was mediocre at that spot. Once inside, he was better as his obvious missing skills were covered up. Dobbins would do ok inside, but Crowder outside ?? I don't know about that... But you're right about the supposed roster. Who is in there now doesn't guarantee anything regarding what we probably will see come late July...
I agree about the 4-3, but Im more concerned about run defense than pass rush. Pressure can be manufactured via scheme (see Jets) but run defense is about size, strength and attitude. Moses can set an edge, Wake, Anderson, Misi etc, I havent seem the do it. And we'll need two starters out of that group. Hope is definitley them operative word.
Here are PFF's team rankings sorted by pass rush (I just did the top 5): Defense Pass Rush Minnesota Vikings 69.0 Dallas Cowboys 55.7 Pittsburgh Steelers 37.6 Miami Dolphins 35.6 Washington Redskins 33.3 http://profootballfocus.com/by_team.php?tab=by_team As you can see, per PFF the Dolphin's pass rush was ranked 4th in the NFL. These rankings are always somewhat subjective, though. After sacks and passes batted at the line, everything else is a judgment call. What constitutes a hurry or a pressure? QB hits are more objective, but even they involve judgment calls regarding timing and effect. I added up the raw numbers for sacks, QB hits, QB pressures, passes batted at the line and QB hurries after the season and the Dolphins were either 9th or 10th (I can't remember exactly). I've looked since and I can't find the team stats for QB hurries so I can't replicate the full numbers. Excluding hurries and using PFF's numbers for the other categories, the Dolphins had the 16th highest total. Looking in any single category they were never lower than 16th. Basically by any measure I've found the Dolphins were at worst in the top half of the league in pass rush and most often in the top 10. So when I compare the Dolphins to the rest of the league I don't find any evidence to support the conclusion that our pass rush was as horrid as many here claim. IMO what hurt our defense the most was big pass plays as a result of poor tackling/coverage and a philosophy that used two SSs instead of a SS/FS combo. Hopefully the off-season emphasis on the FS position (pursuits of Rolle, Clark and now reportedly Atogwe) indicate that the team has realized the folly of not prioritizing pass defense skills over run defense skills for a S in a passing league.
I realize we're fans of this team, and want to be optimistic, but this dude's entering his seventh NFL season and has never jumped out as a talent. Never had 3 sacks. Never had 40 tackles. Nor will he this year. For every James Harrison there are 3423 LB's who come and go quietly through their career. Anderson's one of them.
