Of course there is no guarantee that the Dolphins are going to have a dominant offense line. Last year Carey was having a terrible year, even before he was injured. I think his best years are behind him and he is just an average to below average right tackle at this stage of his career. Jerry was not the player last year that the coaching staff thought he was when they drafted him and I wouldn't be surprised if he is nothing but a backup on the offensive line again this season. While it appears that many on here think Pouncey is the answer at guard or center. The fact is that he is not his brother and there are still a lot of question marks about his ability to play in the NFL. Incognito, Berger, and the rest of the backups on the offensive line are average to below average and would have a very difficult time making the rosters on the better teams in the NFL. Jake Long is the only true top caliber offensive lineman on the roster and anyone who thinks that drafting Pouncey will suddenly turn this inferior line into a dominant unit, is in for a rude awakening once the season starts.
I think these guys actually get it. They may not have made all the right choices but they've showed they get it. From the time they've came to Miami they have tried to fix one of the most important parts of an offense. The offensive line! When you build a team, you should always start with the line of scrimmage. Was it a safe pick? Yes, it was a very safe pick and considering there were no trading of players for draft picks, I'm happy they went safe but make no mistake about it. They got a damned good player! One that should boost the non existent running game we saw last year!!!! I'm willing to bet that with a good running game, even Chad Henne will improve. They've also shown that they're not afraid to spend in free agency so lets hope they get a good running back tonight and fill in some other pieces that might stick. Then once free agency starts, I bet they try to land some more quality.
I agree with all of your post except maybe this. I don't think they concentrated on getting the OL built directly but how can you blame them really. This team was a ghost on both sides when they took over. They spent a lot of their interest in fixing the defense which is now in real good shape. Next form of business was OL and they chose that path. It was what some call a safe pick but for this team it was a natural progression. I'm happy with the pick too. Good post Oz!
Long was their very first pick. Incognito was a cast away no one wanted. Grove and Smiley both had injury history. Jerry was the only real investment that panned out on the OL since Long.
So we give a 3rd round olineman time , but somehow we can't for a qb or for skill positions? just saying.
The expectations for a QB are instant Marino....... everyone knows that. Pod don't believe in QB development.
LT and AP were worth it. Bush (the highest pick) was essentially a bust. Jackson, Williams, Mendenhall and Johnson were late first rounders. I'm just not a fan of a pretty good RB in the Top 15. They'd better be AP or LT. Nobody in this draft comes with anywhere near the grade LT and AP did.
i'm with Muck ... RB MUST be special for a top pick or even RD 1 ... we should have learned that with Ronnie same thing for a QB -- if you don't think he is special, then you don't draft him in RD 1 ... how well you think he could develop doesn't factor into the equation -- that is just a guess, and one that 'usually' fails more often than it hits.
Which QB or skill position player didn't get more than a year? How long did Shawn Murphy get? The reality is, if the player shows promise, he'll earn time to develop.
I am only upset if they either cant/dont get up into a higher position for mallett or are ready with a trade for a vet like Palmer when the lockout is over.
Let's not pretend their attempts to shore up the offensive line over the past 3+ years haven't been disappointing outside of Jake Long. Were Wanny, Saban, and Cam in on the past three drafts and FAs? It's time to stop blaming people who have been gone for years for the Dolphins problems.
You also dont have to have a line full of 1st round picks to have a solid line. It might help if somebody int he FO or coaching knew what they were doing when they put the line together. Probably wouldn't be such a big deal if we hadn't wasted numerous picks in the past few drafts on dud O-Linemen. These guys just figure the only way they can get it right is if all the analysts are telling them its a good pick. What a joke.
The only way I'd justify a train accident is if you were tied to the tracks..... in a Jets uni. just sayin.
This is down right hilarious! I'm laughing at everyone that is jumping off the local bridge because Miami drafted an offensive lineman in the first round, thinking that it is more important to get a running back or a stinking wide receiver with that pick. Y'all really don't have a friggin clue about what it takes to win in the NFL, do you? Skill positions mean absolutely nothing if you cannot block up front. Games are won and lost in the trenches, not on the perimeter. Miami was piss poor in the trenches this past season and have been for a while now. The wild cat covered up our lack of talent up front for a while, but it got exposed last year. The line was OK at the point of attack, but this may have been the worst second level blocking line in the NFL last season. Miami had to get someone that can move and give them some second level blocking. They drafted the best pulling lineman in the draft in Mike Pouncey, and he brings the ability to win the battles at the POA as well. Mark Ingram will be a great runner in the NFL, but he won't be great without a good offensive line blocking for him. There is no such thing as a great running back without a good OL in the league today. As far as quarterbacks go, the worst mistake people make in the NFL draft is overdrafting a quarterback. You do not draft a quarterback unless you have conviction that he is the guy and there are no red flags. I like Ryan Mallett on the field. He's the best passer in this draft by far. It is obvious that off the field issues kept teams from drafting him though. There is a great chance he falls all the way to the 5th round if New England doesn't take him in round three. Why did NE take him? First, they don't have to rush him onto the field. Second, they have a strong locker room that can keep him in line. Third, this was one of mulitple third round picks they have, and they have done such a great job of manipulating the draft to get multiple picks in the 1st and 2nd round next year that they can afford to take a chance and potentially blow a high draft pick. If Miami takes Ryan Mallett in the first round, then I'm 99% certain that neither Jeff nor Tony would have been allowed to stay to follow through with him. Mike Pouncey makes this team better. He makes this team stronger in the trenches, which is an area this team absolutely had to get better with. There is still more work to do. John Jerry absolutely has to step forward in his second season and become what this team envisioned when they took him in the third round last year. If Mike Pouncey plays guard, this team needs to add a center. If Mike Pouncey plays center, this team needs to add another guard, preferably one that can pull and block on the second level. My hope is that they use their fourth round pick on an offensive lineman. I'm a little miffed that they traded up for a runner, though I do like him, because I would have preferred to stay at 79 and take Jah Reid.
Bush did help them win a SB. Eh, undetermined Muck, so much of Rb success revolves around which team they go to and how much they are used and how good the Oline is or is not. BTW: Ireland moving up makes more sense, the Redskins gave us a deal.
Really think the team will look back on this as a pretty solid draft, especially if they add a H-Back like a D.J. Williams. Now that would really change the issue. Perhaps they sign a speed WR and trade Bess if they get a high pick for him. Regardless, I would most definitely trade a third next year to draft Kendall Hunter tomorrow. Just excellent value to do it. Hunter is a third rounder any year.
i'm really liking this draft. we addressed our most pressing problem which was the run game. pouncey, incognito, jerry or gardner, long and carey will be a dominant run line and d thomas gives us a solid if unspectacular back. henne will be better next year even if he doesnt improve one bit and i think he'll improve so i'm excited for next season. henne wont have to carry this team and that allows him to play within the sytem. the only question mark i have going into next season now is Daboll. I have no idea what to expect from him
I think he's essentially a younger version of Ronnie Brown. He is experienced as a wild cat trigger man and can make plays in the passing game. I am completely against trading future picks for picks now. That's what stupid teams do, and that's what smart teams like the NE Patriots get stupid teams like the Oakland Raiders to do. Miami needs to learn to start stock piling draft picks instead of dealing them for overpriced wide receivers. I think the line still has a way to go. If Pouncey is playing center, then I don't like Incognito at left guard at all. He cannot block in space. I would rather have someone that can pull and block on the second level at that spot. Because of that, I'm hoping we get someone that can do just that in the 4th round.
A center and a rook Rb does not a running game make Adamp we still need a mashing run blocking Te and more depth at Rb and a LG as betting heavy on Nate Garner is foolish and we have nothing behind him.
i dont see pouncey as a center except if there's an injury. i actually see incognito as the center with pouncey and either jerry or gardner flanking him. i wouldnt mind us drafting a OT to groom behind Carey or a WR like Dwayne Harris who brings some playmaking ability. I think the TEs left are developmental types so I think we go another year without picking one. Greg Jones as an ILB prospect wouldnt be too bad a pick IMO and I love OLB Mario Addison out of Troy as another pass rushing prospect
tons of RBs in FA plus there's still a couple of interesting RB prospects left on the board in Johnny White, Bilal Powell, Jordan Todman and Da'Rell Scott. John Jerry should improve dramatically in his second year at OG so I dont see the holes we had last year interior wise. Bit worried about Carey thats about it.
I'm just going by what the team is saying right now, and they are saying that Pouncey was drafted to play center.
Carey has to get his weight under control. He's running into injury problems because he is carrying too much weight, and it also effects his mobility. If Nate Garner can keep his feet healthy, he will eventually unseat Vernon at right tackle.
I'm assuming (as per the Jeff Ireland comment) that Pouncey plays C. That gives you Incognito and Jerry at Guard with Berger and Feinga in reserve. It wouldn't bother me if we went OL in the 4th rd, but I'm thinking that it isn't a crying need now and we'll go elsewhere, probably/hopefully BPA.
I'm willing to give Jerry another year before giving up on him. I think his missing time with that undisclosed illness really ******ed his development.
Remember that all Thomas has to get consistently is 4 and a little more yards a carry. Csonka averaged 4.27 yards a carry over his career and it seemed as though he couldn't be stopped. We need a speedster like Merc to pair with him, preferably someone who can catch, but watching the film of Thomas, it's hard to be angry about the pick. Highlight films of college games are no predictor of NFL performance, but this kid makes up his mind and hits a crease FAST, and stays on his feet after contact. He may be upright and fumble prone, and not fast enough to do a juke step and outrun corners and free safeties once he breaks into the secondary, but he isn't indecisive like Ronnie and can break tackles unlike Ricky (at least at the college level; we'll see in the NFL). Just get us four and a little every time, Daniel.
