Thomas is a pretty good and is more a one cutback Rb but Miller has natural vision to make a cut, then burst, then make another cut...
I just want to see it in a 2nd game first.........preferably against a much better run defense before I crown him like some are around here.
I think the logic that Lamar Miller only did his damage versus a tired and beaten Raiders defense ignores the fact that he averaged 6.25 yards per carry on his 1st half carries, and then 6.67 yards per carry in his 2nd half carries. From a statistical standpoint he essentially ran against the tired, worn down defense the same way he ran against the up beat, energetic defense. It was Reggie Bush who ran only 11 times for 34 yards in the 1st half then found another 138 yards on 15 carries in the 2nd half against a tired and worn down Raiders defense. Not to denigrate Reggie, he deserves his standing right now, but I just don't see selling Lamar Miller short on the step he took yesterday.
I missed the first part of the game, but I was thinking the same looking at the stat line. Miller had a nice Avg, but I wasnt sure if it came off 1 big run and a bunch of stuffed plays, or if he was consistently picking up some big ones. Certainly changes the equation. Either way, given our shortage of playmakers, I'm inclined to say it's more Miller time ...but admittedly, thats a fan gut reaction. Miller is a threat to take it to the house on any play, and I find it much harder to say the same for Dtrain. He just doesnt have the same burst from what I've seen.
He ran for 5, 9, 6 and 5 yards in the 1st half. He ran for 3, 1, 15, 3, -1 and 19 yards in the 2nd half. This is a harsh business. You don't get many 2nd, 3rd or 4th chances unless you've done something dazzling that earns you those chances, and the reason is because there's usually someone behind you who can do it better. People keep insisting that Daniel Thomas had these wonderful performances against the Texans and Browns "before he got injured" in 2011. Except if you really watch those performances they were neither that wonderful nor was he any healthier during those games than he was for most of the rest of the year. The simple fact of the matter is, with a guy like Lamar Miller sitting behind him, showing bad judgment both on and off the field and then fumbling the football in a situation where the coach is calling your number specifically because there's minimal chance of a turnover...that could easily be enough. It gets Lamar Miller's foot in the door and from there you're not surprised if he runs away with it.
This perception that the Raiders were worn down by the heat or their travel across the country is purely conjecture. There's no evidence to suggest that definitively. It's just as possible that they were worn down by being beaten up by our lines on both sides of the ball.
Also, in 150 less carries, Miller now has more rushing touchdowns than Thomas. Miller may have to improve on his blocking, but there's nothing wrong with him running.
Daniel Thomas has a lot of talent, but the BIG difference between him and Miller is instinct. Thomas just doesn't seem to have that instinct of where the hole will open up. When the hole is where it is suppose to be he is a great runner. He just doesn't seem to see the field when things don't open up where they should be. Miller on the other hand really impressed me yesterday. Not because of the stats or the TD, but because of the instinct it appears he has. It seemed he always made the correct cut and knew where the holes would open up, even when they were opening in places the play was not designed for. I would like to see it in a few more games before I declare him anything great, but I really liked what I saw from him yesterday.
I think Thomas will keep 3rd down duties because of his ability as a pass protector. But I think we might see Miller get more early-down snaps if possible.
So what do you do with a logjam at RB? Do you wait for a teams primary back to go down and trade D Thomas? What's the most we can get, a 4th?
Definitely Miller, and they used Lane as the bowling ball at the end of the game. I must admit that Lane is the first FB I've been excited about since Rob Konrad! He is more of a Mike Alstott though...
Miller was very impressive Sunday and should continue getting worked into the offense. Miller and Bush are really our only two big play, homerun type threats so if you can keep one of them on the field at all times it can only help the offense.
Nothing. You can effectively use three runningbacks, especially in the situation that the Dolphins are in. I think people are forgetting that Daniel Thomas looked pretty good in his action this year too.
^^this. Haven't we seen teams with a squad of rbs do well in the past couple of years? I say keep them all as all are shining right now. My only question would be how it would affect the game day roster.
Running Backs get injured all the time. Keep all three. I doubt we could get anything more than a 6th rounder for Daniel Thomas.
You don't want to fix what isn't broken and it's not like Daniel Thomas is burning a hole in your pocket. Lamar Miller is not a power back. Reggie Bush is not a power back. Marcus Thigpen is not a back period, as far as the way this team has treated him. He's been purely a return man and slot wide receiver. Jorvorskie Lane is obviously a power back but he hasn't played tailback in like 4 or 5 years, although I would note with interest that instead of ending the Oakland game with victory formation kneel downs they ended it with a bunch of Jorvorskie Lane upback dives, almost as if they wanted to get some live reps for him doing that since they failed to do it in preseason. But you're going to give it to Jorvorskie only when you've got a short yard to go. If you're in the tight red zone looking to score, both Reggie Bush and Lamar Miller are pretty unproven there. Reggie had a nice carry I liked in the tight red area against Oakland, got about 3 yards I think in preparation for Tannehill's boot leg score. But even so that's not a strong play. The problem is, in his career thus far, Daniel Thomas has not been a strong play there either. But his size/speed ratio fits there so, what else are you gonna do? Come mid-season the Dolphins will have an interesting choice to make. That is when Jonas Gray comes off the NFI list. To my understanding, after six games he will have three weeks to practice, and from that moment you have three weeks to get him on the active roster, or he stays on the NFI list for the rest of the year. The Dolphins could just keep him on the NFI list for the rest of the year, but with Lamar Miller about to take Daniel Thomas' place as second fiddle to Reggie Bush, and Daniel himself looking awful iffy as a power back, if Jonas Gray comes back to practice and starts having strong practices...watch out, Daniel.
To me, you need DTrain, you need the larger back who can do block, run and catch. Reggie was a bit worn out Sunday, Miller played right about the number of snaps I'd hoped he get, but stick DT in there and you can do a bit more things on offense. As much as I love home run hitting backs you still need that style of running back to keep the gazelles fresh.
Find out which RB is better. The better RB is 2nd string. Done. None of our running backs are 180 pounds soaking wet, so who cares about size.
I don't think that's a fair characterization. I think 5 out of 10 coaches take a look at Daniel Thomas and see him fitting as a guy that can do things for you in short yardage and near the end zone in particular because of his size/speed ratio. And the 5 out of 10 that don't see that, don't want him period because they recognize he's a catch 22 player. And the numbers were likely higher when he came out of the Draft.
Recall when the Jets were going to AFC title games, they had a 3 headed monster at Rb which is sort of how I see our backfield, only with much better depth then they ever had w/Miller or Thigpen or Thomas. Problem with Bush/Miller is they are targeted more then Qb's are, as the announcer said defenses "Butch the Back" meaning no matter what they are doing on a given play, the defender assigned to them is going to whack them. Reggie and Miller really don't have the sort of frame to take that pounding for a whole game. That is one of the reasons why you need a larger back in the backfield. I'm not down on DTrain at all, do think he needs to find the inner strength to be able to play in the league, but think he does have it in him to do so.
I can't wait to see what Jonas Gray is gonna bring to this team. I think he will be a nice fit in Miami.
I wasnt around back then, but the Fins certainly used three backs at once well in the early 70s. You may say that the game has changed, but with a rookie Qb and a weak WR corps, running the Hell out of the ball is the best idea the coaching staff could have.
Of course you look at him and think hes a power back. Then you watch him play and theres little doubt hes not the power back you expect with his body.
I just think it's disingenuous to pretend that anyone with a brain looking at him pre-Draft would easily be able to see he wasn't a power back. Was that my evaluation? Yes. But I was in a very small minority and now it seems like people are trying to pretend that's oh-so-obvious.
All this fits right into the Coach's game plan..."We've been talking about running the football and defending the run and making a team one-dimensional," coach Joe Philbin said. Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/17/3820309/dolphins-off-to-running-start.html#storylink=cpy
I assumed we were talking about today rather then draft time. But I agree 100% if talking draft time. In fact I assumed he would develop the power aspect. He just doesn't have that mentality.
Thomas is more of a load carrying back, and yes, he looked good when he played. But thats the problem. He has been very limited by injuries. Hopefully it's not a trend with him because he is a different type of back and that's always a good thing to have on a team. Lamar would be my choice over Thomas, if I had one, but it aint by much.
His size would be the first thing. He has all the tools to be one, and has shown that he could be in College. But I don't know that we should want him to be JUST a power back because he is pretty shifty running outside and making cutbacks against the grain of a defense.
I wish we could have them all active. I love Thigpen as a punt returner but he doesn't do much for me on kickoffs.
I didn't like the Daniel Thomas pick at all but I have been willing to roll with it because he is supposed to be a big part of what we do. The injuries are unfortunate for him and if and when he gets healthy we still need to use him. 26 carries for Bush is too much in my opinion. With Ryan Tannehill being a rookie I see no reason why we can't still use Thomas even with Miller getting carries too. Bush right around 18 a game, Miller 8, Thomas 6. That is 32 runs per game not including a carry by Tannehill or Lane.. By that time we are around 33 rpg. The same amount that the 97 KC Chiefs team that went 13-3 had.
27.4 is a pretty good average on kickoff returns. Yesterday though it didn't matter who was back there since all 4 kickoffs by Oakland were touchbacks.
