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Free agency starts tomorrow -- enough about Manning already.

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by cdz12250, Mar 12, 2012.

  1. cdz12250

    cdz12250 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    In this three ring circus about Manning, this board, which would normally be abuzz with speculation about free agency, which starts tomorrow at 4 P.M., is distracted instead.

    Who is available to us? Whom are we going after? Whom SHOULD we be going after? Forget Manning. Let's talk about filling the holes on the team with the money and cap room we'll save when Manning goes elsewhere.

    Any of the gurus among us have any ideas? Inside info? What to address in free agency and what through the draft? Let's get this offseason back on track.
     
    BlameItOnTheHenne likes this.
  2. BlameItOnTheHenne

    BlameItOnTheHenne Taking a poop

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  3. The Aqua Crush

    The Aqua Crush New Member

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    Manning is potentially the highest profile star ever to hit free agency, so i can understand the "distraction" of a franchise that hasn't found a long term solution to the position in over 12 years.

    However, you are right, there are other free agents we as football fans can discuss/talk about. I think VJackson is going to be way too expensive. I would also guess we have no shot at Mario Williams. But a pass rusher would be ideal in my opinion, or RT if there is a suitable one on the market. I don't see us too active in free agency. If we are switching to the 4-3 on D and not retaining Langford or Solia, i imagine some FA who fit the front of a 4-3 will need to be looked at. I'm just not that familiar with who's available this year.
     
  4. dWreck

    dWreck formerly dcaf

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    At this point at the very least i'd probably say Flynn is the "tangible" for this organization....... but I'd really REALLY like Mario Williams...... pipedream? probably...
     
  5. cdz12250

    cdz12250 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    If we see Philbin going aggressively after Flynn tomorrow, we'll know it's because he thinks he can be a franchise QB. Unlike with Manning, we have an inside track. If we don't go after him aggressively, it'll be because Philbin doesn't think he's franchise QB material, and we'll address that position in the draft or next year.

    For right now, absent Flynn, I think Mario Williams would have the biggest impact. A pair of pass rushers like him and Cam Wake would be hard for a lot of offenses, Patsies included, to deal with. Imagine those two arriving at Brady simultaneously. Or which one do you double team? I would mortgage the future somewhat if we could get Mario Williams.
     
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  6. AdamC13

    AdamC13 Well-Known Member

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    Flynn first and foremost.

    Will need to address the defense in FA as well imo. Only 3 serviceable DL under contract and this draft is weak on defense. Not sure where the pass rush is going to come from other than Wake. Can see going after Jeremy Mincey or perhaps Brodrick Bunkley. Not much out there FA or the draft for safety help either...LaRon Landry, but he is a huge risk by deciding to forgo surgery again. I would not be surprised at all if Miami improves significantly on offense if Flynn is signed and our defense slips as JT retired, Langford, Soliai hit FA and Bell gets a year older. I could see Miami re-signing Langford.

    A couple of interesting possibilities on the OL. Nicks too pricey, Mathis too old (?) and injury concerns, so maybe go after Grubbs or Gaither and spend the #8 pick on Decastro or Reiff depending on who is signed.

    Wouldn't be surprised to see a RB signed if the new coaching regime doesn't think Thomas is legit...Bush (?).

    It will be interesting to see if Miami aggressively goes after a WR or two. Does Philbin/Sherman think Marshall/Hartline/Bess are good enough to implement his system? I don't think so. Given the talent at the position in Green Bay and Marshall's propensity to drop passes in the end zone I can't imagine this is not a group Philbin identifies as needing a big upgrade.
     
  7. skippysphins

    skippysphins Well-Known Member

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    Flynn
    Williams
    And a te or a w hopefully both
     
  8. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

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    I see Miami being a lower bidder for Matt Flynn than Cleveland. Cleveland doesn't know either Flynn or Tannehill and so they'll probably steer toward the veteran since the latter would require they pick him at #4 overall just to be assured they get him. They made it public how they're not getting involved in the Peyton thing which to me is posturing so that they can claim with Matt Flynn that they only had eyes for him (and Robert Griffin). I expect the Seahawks to be the first to bow out at the sign of any kind of significant dollars. The bids will be Miami and Cleveland, and Miami's bid will be significantly cheaper because between Joe Philbin and Mike Sherman, we know and are comfortable with both Matt Flynn and Ryan Tannehill. Either would be acceptable to us. Also where the front office is probably a little more skeptical of Flynn than Philbin is, the front office loved Tannehill even before Sherman arrived. So I see some push by our front office not to get into an outrageous bidding war over Matt Flynn.

    Question is, will Flynn accept our offer anyway? Cleveland's offer already has to be X dollars above our offer just to be tax-equivalent. If the Dolphins make up for any missing money through incentives, it could be enough for Flynn to choose Miami anyway. The real delta between Cleveland and Miami are Brandon Marshall and Joe Philbin. Cleveland does not have a player of Brandon Marshall's caliber. Also, he has a relationship with Philbin, who seems to inspire loyalty in his players. There's got to be a comfort level there. Flynn could see Matt Cassel and Kevin Kolb as cautionary tales for going to unfamiliar places with unfamiliar coaches running unfamiliar systems. If I am Flynn, as long as there's some effort by the Dolphins to allow me to earn more through incentives, I would take less money to play for Miami. Unlike the Peyton Manning situation, this one makes sense.

    However, the bidding could very well not go in our favor. I could foresee a problem of friction between the front office and Joe Philbin on the issue of Matt Flynn. I've already seen one front office official say to Barry Jackson under cover of anonymity that he questions how much better Matt Flynn is compared with Matt Moore. That's a bad sign, and it may have been retaliation for earlier statements made by Joe Philbin that made it seem like he was not 100% on board with Peyton Manning. The issue of incentives being stuck in the contract to give Flynn the excuse to sign here, could be the stage for a battle between Philbin and Ireland. Philbin may have to appeal to Steve Ross on the issue and Ross may relent, which brings Flynn here.

    Remember that Jeff Ireland did not want Joe Philbin. He wanted Mike McCoy. I thought Jeff showed a little bit of his attitude on this when in the wake of all the feel-good stories being written about Philbin, Ireland joked with the press that he keeps reading what a great person Philbin is but all he wants to know is if the man can coach. Well, at that point, you'd already HIRED Joe Philbin, Jeff. You're supposed to ALREADY be sure he can coach, hence hiring him. I thought it was more evidence that Jeff Ireland really wanted Mike McCoy and isn't sold on Philbin yet. Notice Mike McCoy is probably the guy that is going to get to coach Peyton Manning in Denver.
     
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  9. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    The primary targets this off-season are QB, safety and pass rusher (from DE, not LB). The secondary targets are OL and a move TE.

    QB
    Flynn, (once this ridiculous Manning pursuit ends)

    S
    Nelson

    Pass rusher
    Mario Williams will be the top target if we don't go for Flynn
    Calais Campbell could be an option if Manning goes to Arizona and they have to drop him to get the salary cap space

    That's a very preliminary and off the top of my head guess as to our primary FA targets.
     
  10. Dol-Fan Dupree

    Dol-Fan Dupree Tank? Who is Tank? I am Guy Incognito.

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    The thing that surprised me is the little amount of moves Miami has made so far.

    And by moves, I mean restructures and releases
     
  11. BicketyBam

    BicketyBam No Fist Pumps Allowed

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    How much cap space do you guys have right now? Just curious.
     
  12. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    :confused1: What moves do you feel they should have/could have made by this point?
     
  13. Dol-Fan Dupree

    Dol-Fan Dupree Tank? Who is Tank? I am Guy Incognito.

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    Restructuring Jake Long's contract, and maybe Dansby's.

    Also releasing or restructuring Y. Bell.
     
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  14. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    I don't think they want to do those things unless they have to. Restructuring extends contracts and that's not always the best plan with injured or older players. I think they would pursue it if they talked to Flynn and Williams and those guys both were willing to agree to contracts, but until then, they may just wait and see if that's a possibility first.
     
  15. Sumlit

    Sumlit Well-Known Member

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    I'm curious to what people would rather have as a combo.

    Matt Flynn and a O-lineman or DE first rounder, or....
    Matt Moore, with Tannehill as the 8th pick and sign Mario Williams as the free Agent.

    Tough choices, even for me, who is not very high on Tannehill.
     
  16. Dol-Fan Dupree

    Dol-Fan Dupree Tank? Who is Tank? I am Guy Incognito.

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    Yea that is true. I am still surprised. Especially with Bell. There is no way he is going into the season with his contract as it is. If they are going to release him, I think it is always better to do before the start of free agency.

    However I could be wrong and they could want to pay him that money.
     
  17. Dol-Fan Dupree

    Dol-Fan Dupree Tank? Who is Tank? I am Guy Incognito.

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    I would choose the one with Mario Williams. Would be crazy to have Williams and Wake.
     
  18. DOLFANMIKE

    DOLFANMIKE FOOTBALL COACH 32 YEARS Luxury Box

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    All the movement in the top 10 picks of the draft could lead to WR Blackmon sliding to us at 8 overall. I wouldnt mind picking him up to become our legitimate WR2...maybe WR1.

    We can land our RT in Round 2 or in FA.
     
  19. sloppyjoer

    sloppyjoer New Member

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    Yep, FFFFF Manning. And I don't mean forget. If we have to roll into FA to find a guy to go with MM, then screw PM. Can't blow our load in FA then he wants to come and hang with us. Too bad, move along Manning.
     
  20. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    I mentioned this in another post in the club. My top combos are:

    Flynn/Kuechly
    Tannehill/Mario Williams

    While I have Tannehill above Flynn, I 'm a huge Kuechly fan. And since I don't see Williams as likely, Flynn/Kueckly would be my top choice.
     
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  21. AdamC13

    AdamC13 Well-Known Member

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    After Blackmon ran a 4.48 in his pro day I can't imagine he makes it past the Rams at #6. But I hope you are right. Outside of Luck and RG3 there is no other player I would rather have Miami take than Blackmon. I think if either Blackmon, Claiborne or Richardson slide to #8 those are three players whose value should supersede Miami's needs at other positions. Unfortunately, Ireland hasn't contacted me yet to inquire what I think. But I am still hoping!
     
  22. PhinsRDbest

    PhinsRDbest Transform and Transcend

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    the next dimension
    I think neglecting to give Wake an extension is going to bite them in the butt, this may be his last year as a Dolphin, so I would sign Mario if they don't plan on signing a free agent qb or giving Wake his extension.
     
  23. PhinsRDbest

    PhinsRDbest Transform and Transcend

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    the next dimension
    Eric Winston just said he was released on Twitter. Wouldn't mind him for RT.
     
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  24. UCF FINatic

    UCF FINatic The Miami Dolphins select

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    I second this. Essentially we could then use our 1st for whatever we want. He fits our offensive philosophy too.
     
  25. slickj101

    slickj101 Is Water

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  26. Alex44

    Alex44 Boshosaurus Rex

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    The thing is that whether or not we sign Manning (and Flynn for that matter) has an impact on who else we will be capable of signing. So it's hard to discuss free agency without Manning.
     
  27. slickj101

    slickj101 Is Water

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    Michael Bush for the 139th time.
     
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  28. bakedmatt

    bakedmatt Well-Known Member

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    :thumbup:
     
  29. Georgia Fin

    Georgia Fin Fin For Life

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    O.J. Atogwe just got cut. We targeted last offseason and might shore up Safety without breaking the bank. Of course this is after Flynn. Why else do you think he is hanging out in Destin?
     
  30. dsteve

    dsteve Banned

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    Manning, wayne and draft best available o line at 8 to play RT, RG

    Flynn, mario williams and draft stud WR or best available o line


    If we have to reach on a qb at 8 maybe we'll have some money to chase more FAs like mario williams, vicent jackson or a top FA OL. I really feel you build winners from the ball out. Our Oline sucks, we lose the first 7 games last year and beat up on some cupcakes to wreck our draft position. priority one should be fixing the o line, priority two should be generating a pass rush which can hide our obviously weak, inexperienced secondary and getting a qb should be third on the list. The problem is our quarterback situation is so bad right now that something has to be done. If they jumped my order and went all out for a qb i wouldnt fault them. I don't think i can stand another ugly season of matt moore. The dude is worse than jay fiedler and coming from me....that's pretty harsh. If we pick a qb int he first round, he better start to open the season.
     

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