Well not exactly a "draft" thread per se, however it is a player acquisition topic, so for fun, pick 5 impending NFL Free Agent names to watch this offseason: http://www.footballsfuture.com/freeagents.html Qb: Yes it would mean the end of the Henne Experiment. Running Back: http://www.footballsfuture.com/2011/fa/rb.html Buried behind LeSean McCoy, he would instantly upgrade the speed on offense And he would come cheaply as well. TE: http://www.footballsfuture.com/2011/fa/wr.html Either one would be an instant upgrade for the passing game: Bo Scaife would be an interesting darkhorse. OL http://www.footballsfuture.com/2011/fa/ol.html Huge list, but to me the guy who would fit what we do and will be available: C/G, with the team up for sale, and a new Head Coach coming in along with a horrid season, I suspect the Panthers will be picked over in FA, Kalil would be a solid addition. The list is prior to the 2010 season, so obviously some guys have signed longer deals, or have been injured, or had a down 2010 season. If Orton and Kalil were added, that would be a good offseason, if Harrison were also added inexpensively, to me that frees up draft choices, and removes some of the doubts heading into 2011.
RB is an incredibly easy position to fill. Alot of good names on that list. Tolbert, and Ahmad Bradshaw are inetresting guys. Makes no sense to spend a 1st rounder on RB. If you make the big splash with Mankins I think we're fine on the o-line as something will shake out with Incognito/Berger/Jerry/McQuistan. Additionally, if you sign Orton, it frees you to take a guy in the 1st round. I imagine that would be the plan.
I suspect Bradshaw will be retained by the Giants and Tolbert by the chargers and Sproiles will be allowed to walk. Patriots are going to do what they always do, slap him with the Franchise tag (if there is one) and then look for trading partners. Mankins along with "do whatever it takes to trade up for Andrew Luck!!" Are two of the more annoying lines of thought, or non thought, the Panthers are NOT going to trade out of the #1 pick, Mankins is NOT going anywhere without the Pats having draft picks in return..draft picks the Dolphins really do not have to trade anyway. There are several names of interest among the Olinemen and Tight Ends Of all of the names this offseason, that is the one I am focused upon, people see Orton in the Broncos offense (gee, he had no problems finding Marshall in the endzone in Denver..) I recall when he played in an offense that does what we do in Chicago. I'd love to have see him land in Miami, he is my #1 guy this offseason, #2 is Carson Palmer.
Sproles would be a great choice for us in addition to Ricky. And I'm not really suggesting we trade everything to get to the #1 pick. I don't think that's realistic. but if you have a conviction on a Cam Newton and he makes it to the 8-10 range, that's an area where you can do business from pick 18-20. Orton, if available would be a great short term choice, who could likely help you win immediately while buying time for the young guy. I think you and I are of the same mind that if this regime is back, Henne is done as our starter. Doesn't Mankins have an agreement with the Pats where they can't use the tag on him? I thought that was the case and was part of the enticement for him to report. I could be wrong on that, but that sounds familiar.
Whomever they added would have to play for less than 3.5 million as that is Ronnie Browns' salary this yr and they match outgoing salaries with incoming salaries as much as possible. Sproiles is making 5 million this yr, why would he come to Miami for a pay cut? I do like his multi talented skillset, Returns, Running Back, 3rd down back, but too much money. Harrison I'd guess would be a 2 million per kind of FA. Orton is 29 or so, if he is signed the #1 pick can be traded out of and a G or Te or BPA added, no need to mortgage the future for a Rook Qb trade up when the Oline is a mess and we have questions at Rb/Te/Oline and maybe ILB. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/7282/career;_ylt=AqyI4Q5Pzsu3p3LZUZt9b3v.uLYF AFAIK the Patsies have never offered such a clause, but then again that is not a facet of their organization that I pay much attention to what they are doing.
The o-line is a mess because of this regime. Just one of the reasons I'm not sold on continuing with them. We've drafted two busts at guard (Murphy and Thomas) and John Jerry can't even put this slob McQuistan in the rear view mirror, which elads me to believe he is headed for bust territory as well. And Orton has been deemed "not good enough" at both stops in his career thus far. He is a better fiedler. If you sign him, you are still searching for the franchise guy.
To hasty on the trigger with John Jerry it can take time for an Olinemen to develop. Er, no? In Chicago he led them to a 10-5 record as a Rookie, hurt his ankle, they then drafted Grossman in the first round the following season, then they packaged Orton in the Jay Cutler trade. In Denver McDaniel drafted Tebow, and they have a Top 3 pick in a good draft class for Qb's and he is on a 1 yr deal. More or less, Circumstances not play.
I wouldn't say it's circumstances. 3 staffs (he was drafted by Jauron) have deemed him not good enough and have drafted first round QBs to replace or traded for an established guy. Orton had a good year last year. No reason for Denver to take Tebow in theory but obviously they wanted an upgrade.
Or The Bears blew their opportunity as Grossman was last seen with a clipboard in DC after spending a couple of yrs not playing, and a Cutler for Orton+draft picks trade made sense? McAdolescent took Tebow for pretty much the same reasons we took Pat White.
Padre, I don't know if you heard the interview with Michael Lombardi on ESPN radio last week or not. A disclaimer, I love Micheal Lombardi , I think he shoots straight , value his opinion , insight and analasys. I would hire him in a moment for a position with Miami. The talk was about the firing of Josh McDaniels and turned to Orton. Lombardi didn't tip toe around things , he emphatically said Orton is not nearly as good as his stats indicate. He said to look at his completon % in the 4th quarter , to see where he gets his yards from. He compared him to a basketball player who gets a lot of rebounds but when you delve into it , you see an innordinate % is from missed free throws. I haven't studied Orton , but hearing this from Lombardi makes me extremely cautious in regards to any thoughts about acquiring him.
Yes , olineman can take time to develop. However Jerry is an overage ( albeit not severely ) draft selection , His brother who entered the league a year earlier is actually younger than him. I see red flags for older players that don't dominate pretty much. He should have been able to come in and play , and play well for being a relatively high draft pick and he hasn't ,at all. He can still produce , but we have seen hopes for that before from similar draft choices on the oline with no realization of that. So , very cautious in counting on anything beyond avergae at best from him at this point for me.
Well D22, keep in mind it is quite easy for NFL commentary types to toss a player under the bus if they feel a HC was fired unjustly as in the big picture, McAdolescent will be in the NFL, in management, for a very long time, Orton or really any player has a finite time in the league, so it is relatively painless to shift blame. The thing with Orton is when you play him in a ball control offense, he does just fine, when you take away the running game (as McAdolescent did in Denver) and solely rely on Orton playing behind a bad Oline it will not be pretty. Glancing at his career stats, the one that troubles me is bumping his head on a 60% completion rate. Other than that, I have no problem with his game and would like to see Orton or Palmer in Miami for 2011.
Carl Nicks was 25 when he was drafted and he did not dominate in his initial season, he did develop into a great Guard and this after playing Tackle at Nebraska.
Their are lots of examples and don't want to bring up the one here re age. Like I said , I love Lombardi , so I take his opinion to heart . Palmer looks like he is done , he really does...certainly nothing he has done indicates that he will perform well next year. I am all for upgrading the QB position , but don't see that signing either does that .
I think Kamerion Wimbley is a name to look for this offseason. He has six sacks for the Raiders this season and is only 27. He has a history in the 3-4 in Cleveland, including an 11-sack season a few years ago. He would fit nicely into a rotation with Misi and give us another edge rusher.
And , we aren't talking dominating , we are talking about being able to start over a journeyman that can be acquired virtually anytime for a low draft choice. I expected more, and fully admit I did not like the choice in April at all. Now in December, don't like any more than I did then , I like it less to be honest.
Team went from being a top 5 in rushing squad to throwing the ball all over the field thanks to TO's presence, when I watch Palmer I see a Qb they are asking to do to much in the passing game. How is he going to throw a shallow out pattern to a Wr who is not getting seperation? How is he supposed to feed TO when he is doubled? Yet that is what they ask him to do, he has done "okay" in the situation, but probably needs a change of scenary imho.
I think he would fit in nicely, but he is not what is needed per se, sign him to a large contract paying starter money means Misi is strictly a Special Teamer and occasional rotational OLB in running situations. That is why a Merriman or CFLer like Phil Hunt makes more sense as we are only looking at that role to fill maybe 200 snaps on defense..tops.
Ahmad Bradshaw definitely has me interested. I realize he has ball security issues but heck, this year so do Ricky and Ronnie. I think Miami should really delve into the free agent Tight End class. I say that because there aren't many TEs I like that much in the Draft and we need help immediately at that position. I agree that Bo Scaife is really an interesting dark horse at the position. PFF has not liked his blocking this year, but it's been better in other years. And 434 of his 1343 receiving yards over the last 3 years have come on passes that traveled beyond 10 yards off the line of scrimmage. He is about 6'3" and 250 lbs, ran a 4.75 at the Combine, 32.5" vertical, 4.14 shuttle (very good) and 7.21 cone (good). Dante Rosario is another intriguing option. PFF hates every part of his game this year but the entire Carolina offense is wallowing in bad grades, they're not playing as a team. He's gotten much better grades in previous years. About 338 of his 779 receiving yards over the last three years have come from passes traveling 10+ yards beyond the line of scrimmage. He's pass protected 114 times the last three years and allowed 1 Sack, 2 Hits and 3 Pressures. He's 6'3" and 241 lbs, ran a 4.78 at the Combine with 36" vertical (very good), 4.47 shuttle (throwaway), and 6.96 cone (very good). Since he's really not that bad of a pass protector, you don't have to feel pressured to have Anthony Fasano stay in to block way more than Rosario does. If you want a blocker, then I don't imagine it gets much better than Ben Patrick of Arizona. He's about 6'3" and 250 lbs, ran a 4.74 with 34" vertical, 4.31 shuttle and 7.21 cone. Nobody is confusing him for a good pass catching threat despite the decent athletic numbers. The thing that'll attract you to him is he's one of the few TEs out there that has consistently drawn positive ratings from PFF in run blocking, and that's one of the things Miami wants, a guy that can help them start to run out of 2-TE sets again. Maybe there's upside to his passing game? PFF says that 176 of his 424 receiving yards over the last three years have come on passes that travel beyond 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. He's got an 8.5 yards per attempt figure over the last 3 years, caught 86% of the passes thrown his way. Since he's a young player, you wonder if he might have been ready to break out a little bit more this year but then they're mired in a bad situation out there with Derek Anderson, Max Hall and now John Skelton. And of course then there's Tony Scheffler. The prototypical pass catching TE, about 688 of his 1353 yards over the last 3 years have come on passes thrown 10+ yards down the field. He's produced 8.6 yards per attempt, but has only caught 67% of the passes thrown his way. The downside here is that he doesn't stay in to block much, only 56 times the last 3 years. He's only allowed 1 Sack and 2 Pressures in that time, but still obviously his coaches have never really been tempted to keep him in. PFF had a blocking grade for him at about neutral (0.1) for 2008, a really negative grade in 2009 (-4.9) and another negative grade in 2010 (-2.3). You're not buying him as a blocker. He's 6'5" and 250 lbs, ran a 4.54 at the Combine, 33.5" vertical, 4.04 shuttle and 6.82 cone. All except the vertical are premium numbers. But then there's who caught 719 of his 1260 receiving yards on balls that traveled 10+ yards beyond the line over the last 3 years. He's had an 8.3 yards per attempt figure even though he only caught 65% of the passes thrown his direction. He's 6'4" and 260 lbs, ran a 4.86 with a 33.5" vertical, 4.34 shuttle and 6.94 cone (excellent). He's only 26 years old, too. The best part is PFF has had good run blocking grades for him for all three years. They had him as one of the best run blockers in the league in both 2008 and 2009. Still positive in 2010. He's allowed 4 Sacks, 5 Hits and 13 Pressures in pass protection, which is a lot, but he's pass protected a staggering 402 times the last 3 years. Definitely a premium target. Can we afford him?
Exactly, add in Zach Miller and Mercedes Lewis and Owen Daniels and this is a very deep Te FA class. The only real downside is Sparano expects a lot from his Te's, as in he is dead serious about their role as blockers some of the less inclined to block Te's will bypass Miami this yr. Jeff King from Carolina is another interesting name as I expect the Panthers will be raided as their owner has sewn his wallet shut as he attempts to sell the team, he went so far as to fire his son who worked in the front office, and he has let it be known he has no interest in paying large money for another Head Coach.
New to the message board and this is my first post. Howdy All! Couple of things regarding the Dolphins and free agency... *The Broncos will hire a new Quarterback so I wouldn't give any job security to Tim Tebow yet. Kyle Orton could be an option in Denver. I heard a rumor today that Jim Fassal could be of interest in the Broncos' search for a new head coach. I don't think many coaches will put their career in jeopardy with Tim Tebow at the helm. I don't think Quarterback is a position the Dolphins can address in free agency unless they fancy Matt Hassleback. *The Dolphins don't have many holes to be honest. TE, RB, QB, OG, and OC are the positions they need to address. They could use depth at OLB but that is not a priority with Wake and Misi being the future. *Offensive Line is the position where we could really improve our line. Obviously Logan Mankins would be ideal as he is one of the best Guards in the game. He won't come cheap but the Dolphins were interested in trading for him around the deadline. The Patriots have the option to franchise tag him but I don't think that will fair out too well. The guy I would target is a guy I think we should ahve drafted from the beginning in Carl Nicks. Nicks won't come cheap either but is younger and with the Saints just paying Jahri Evans big bucks I doubt they can afford to retain Nicks. Keep an eye on Marshall Yanda out of Baltimore as well. He wouldn't cost as much as Nicks or Mankins. * Owen Daniels injury history scares me off but Zach Miller I would welcome with open arms. I find it hard to believe the Raiders would let Miller walk but it is the Raiders. Isn't Mercedes Lewis out of Jacksonville a Free Agent? *Brad Smith form the Jets is an intriguing player at WR. We need a vertical threat to stretch the field and I don't know if Smith answers that void but I have not been impressed with Wallace or Moore enough to guarantee them a roster spot. I think Marshall, bess, and Hartline are obvious locks but we need someone else in the mix.
Bradshaw, Dqwell Jackson, Owen D, Zack M, Mercedes..Iam looking into all of them.. Bradshaw is a lil demon man.
Big picture on that one, not sure how a lockout will effect the Dolphins as I suspect more veteran teams will have self motivated players who know how to keep themselves in shape, the Dolphins being so young there is no way to know which way things will go as even the Training Facilities and Practice Fields will be off limits to the players. Now "if" Henning is gone, expect him to be gone quickly after the season as they have until mid March to make changes in the playbook and scheme, that is when "NFL Season 2010" officially ends. Hmm, maybe the Dolphins could start a flag football league..<wink>?
I suspect they will make the change as quick as the replacement can be hired. I also believe most teams will take direction from the nucleus of teamleaders, remains to be seen how that will unfold for Miami , but I think with Tony's influence most players will feel a want and obligation to commit to independent training, no?
Who can tell how it will effect the players D22? NFLPA strike pay may not be enough to cover living expenses and child support and what have you, let alone Gym Memberships and Personal Trainers and Physical Therapists for guys who need rehab work on their own time. All of which will of course will have an effect on Free Agency. Interesting to see how and who lands on the practice squad, as those Street FA's are all who can be signed after the season but before the lockout.
Well, some of the well off have complete gyms at their homes, however what happens if a player injures themselves while working out during the lockout? Now granted, the chances of that are really slim, but the unmotivated can surely use that as an excuse, the motivated it would never occur to.. Now it would be cool if they signed Hunt and he hung out with Wake in the offseason and became Wakes' workout partner, dude would be primed for the start of Training Camp with such tutelage.
My 5 would be: 1. Logan Mankins 2. Marcedes Lewis 3. Marshall Yanda 4. Ahmad Bradshaw 5. Jared Gaither A few other guys I'd keep my eye on: Zach Miller, Carl Nicks, Davin Joseph, Michael Bush, Ben Patrick, Kyle Orton, and Shawne Merriman.
One thing to keep in mind is that if there isn't a new CBA by the start of free agency (and I have a feeling the league will drag their feet on this to make it so) then wouldn't a lot of the guys listed actually be Restricted Free Agents because they don't have 6 years under their belts?
There won't be any feee agency at all. The league will either be locked out, which means no busines other than the draft can occur, or the player's union decertifies and sues in anti-trust, which means the NFL would simply impose a set of rules and the players would play until the mess is sorted out. Those impsoed rules likely would include only very limited free agency. Sort of like when basically Reggie White and Keith Jackson were basically the only two free agents back in 1992
Well that would be interesting. If I'm not mistaken the players have been voting very strongly toward de-certification.
