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JMO: How to Build This Team for Super Bowl Contention

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by shouright, Oct 1, 2012.

  1. jsizzle

    jsizzle Banned

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    Easy Ed was like 6'5" or something.
     
  2. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

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    The body type, and the way their bodies move loosely make Ed McCaffrey easily the best comparison from those standpoints. However the big problem with that comparison is in the strength, physicality and explosiveness. Ed McCaffrey was a fantastic RAC player. He was strong, physical, mean. He may have looked lanky like Hartline and he may have had that lanky and loose way of moving around, combined with probably about the same speed, but he was at least 15 lbs heavier than Hartline, all muscle, and it showed in what he could do after the catch. He was a stronger, more explosive player IMO.

    If you're going with more white guys you can't really compare him to Don Beebe because Beebe was a much more low stepping, compact runner that was tight in the hips and the legs. Ricky Proehl was a lot looser and more natural but not in any way a lanky player like Hartline. Joe Jurevicius was again too strong especially after the catch to really be a great comparison to Hartline.

    Hines Ward is as different from Brian Hartline to me as chocolate and mayonnaise. And I'm not even trying to be racial with that. Wes Welker and Hines Ward are much closer to one another than Brian Hartline is to either one.

    I don't really know who to go with.
     
  3. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

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    It's not that surprising. That offense likes to run the ball into the end zone. Plus let's spice in a little bit of "what he didn't say" by mentioning that one of the years he caught 8 TDs in only 9 games before getting hurt. If you account for games missed in his career then AJ really averages about 7 touchdowns per 16 game season.

    Hey if Brian Hartline was out there averaging 7 touchdowns a season I don't think we'd be having this discussion. But he's averaging 2 touchdowns in a 16 game season thus far. He's only got to score about 24 or 25 more touchdowns before the year is done to catch up to Andre's averages. No biggie.
     
  4. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

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    You are correct. But the body build is the same. Just bigger.
     
  5. shouright

    shouright Banned

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  6. Dol-Fan Dupree

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

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    His offense didn't always like to run the ball
     
  7. gamblerx

    gamblerx New Member

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    Just draft a top WR. Make things a lot easier on the offensive side. Then address the other positions...
     
  8. GMJohnson

    GMJohnson New Member

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    100%.

    I think we've got people saying "need" when "want" is far more appropriate.

    A pass rusher opposite Wake? C'mon man. 90% of the league doesn't even have a Wake to complain about. A FS better than Clemons would be nice, but it's hardly necessary. I don't see blown coverages or balls flying over the top of the defense, I don't see opposing teams taking advantage of this perceived weakness. We've got two starting quality CBs in Smith and Marshall. It'd be nice to have 3 or 4 of them, but again, that's a luxury not a necessity. The only position I see as a need is WR.

    With the way we run the ball and stop the run, we can beat just about anyone. But we won't be a good team until we can put teams like the Jets and Cardinals away. Physically dominating teams is nice, but having play makers who can put points on the board is what we lack. Playmakers allow us to put teams away, and they allow us to come from behind, two things we are basically incapable of doing right now. Fix that one area and we'll be contenders IMO, outside of that I'm on the BPA bandwagon. CB, S, TE, LB, DE, I don't care, just keep the good players coming in and trust the coaching staff to know what to do with them.
     
  9. shouright

    shouright Banned

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    But as soon as you get playmakers and start scoring more points, opposing teams are going to be coming from behind by passing the ball, and at that point you'll need a much better pass defense to keep games from being close like they were Sunday, potentially losing them in the end when your kicker doesn't make a field goal, for example. And that means adding another pass rusher and a ballhawking safety IMO.

    You think we need playmakers at WR, and I agree, but you also have to think about the impact that's going to have on the games you play if that strategy is effective in the way you want it to be (i.e., scoring lots of points).

    This is why the Colts had a defense that was geared to play against the pass, with two stud rushers on the edges, because they knew they'd get out to big, early leads with Peyton Manning and company, and they'd be defending the pass the rest of the game as opposing teams tried to come from behind. The whole team, defense and all, was structured around the passing offense.
     
  10. Trowa

    Trowa A world of pain

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    Easy to say we need x and we need y. Harder to find it.
     
  11. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    Jersey
    I would be absolutely shocked if we didn't get a WR in free agency or via trade this offseason. Don't even wait until the draft. Go get a proven guy right away.
     
  12. ToddPhin

    ToddPhin Premium Member Luxury Box Club Member

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    To take your opening post a step further, Shou, I'd roll with a true hybrid defense that's capable of stuffing the run early [when some opposing offenses will attempt to slow the game down with the run] but has the pass rushers capable of pinning their ears back later in the game when opposing offenses are playing in catch-up mode.

    IMO we could accomplish this by drafting a solid OLB hybrid who is good vs the run, can blitz out of the base defense, and move to DE in nickel.
    The defensive front would stay similar to what it is now with Odrick, Soliai, Starks, and Wake so that we can continue shutting down the run game.
    In the secondary we'd need to add another solid corner and draft a safety like TJ McDonald who could play both FS and a safety/LB hybrid role so that verse passing teams we could roll with 2 LBs and 3 Safeties in base defense. What's great about that IMO is that it would utilize Richard Marshall to his strengths, which are nickel corner and free safety, because against passing teams Marshall could play FS while the true FS (McDonald) plays the hybrid role; then against running teams Marshall would play nickel corner while the safety hybrid is at FS. Dansby & Burnett are good enough in coverage, and Misi & Dansby are good enough vs the run to allow this to work.

    When you look at what Atlanta does, they play with 2 LBs and 5 DBs in base defense vs passing teams (like they did vs Denver), and they can do it b/c they have 2 solid LBs who can play the run & pass, solid versatile playmaking safeties, and good cover corners.... but verse running teams they revert to a traditional 4-3.

    Then there's Houston whose LBs & secondary are good enough in coverage to allow them to often run a 5-2 IIRC by rushing both Reed & Barwin from the DE position.... and then you have Seattle who has 3 hogs at LDE & DT to shut down the run, a great & versatile secondary, and the pass rushers in Clemons, Irvin, and Jones to allow them to roll with the 3 310+ pounders at DE, DT, and NT w/o being a liability verse the pass. With Soliai, Starks, and Odrick, I think we could do what Seattle does if we can add a solid OLB/hyrid pass rusher. If we can add a corner like Aqib Talib in FA and then draft a FS like USC's TJ McDonald or Texas's Kenny Vaccaro, then we'd have the talent and flexibility to alternate between a 4-3 and a 4-2 like Atlanta, strong enough in coverage to rush 5 at times like Houston, and be able to mix it up between a 3-4 and 4-3 like Seattle. Just my 2 cents.
     
  13. ToddPhin

    ToddPhin Premium Member Luxury Box Club Member

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    plus, if we stay with Odrick, Starks, Solia, and Wake rather than looking for a permanent, traditional 4-3 DE, it'd be easier now and in the future to find a decent pass rushing OLB hybrid than it would to find a great do-it-all 4-3 DE. Also, staying with how we currently are gives us the personnel to run a hybrid defense where we can mix up 3-4 and 4-3 schemes rather than being stuck in a permanent 4-3.

    IMO the best thing we could do is draft Utah's DT Star Lotuleili (who is scarily similar to Haloti Ngata) and play him at DE in similar fashion to how Seattle uses the 325 pounder Red Bryant. That way there's no running on us, and Lotuleili is enough of a menace in the pass game b/c of his ability to push the pocket and athleticism to beat blocks that he would command enough attention to free up any pass rusher next to him, but if you leave him 1 on 1 you're in trouble.

    Seriously, could you imagine a front 4 of Ngata, Odrick, Soliai, and Wake... with a guy like Connor Barwin at OLB hybrid next to Ngata..... b/c IMO we could have that with Lotuleili at DE and Stanford's Chase Thomas as the OLB hybrid.
     
  14. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I'd try to upgrade the corner spot in free agency, take a look at the safeties available in the first three rounds, match up with the other positions of need, see who's better.
     
  15. ToddPhin

    ToddPhin Premium Member Luxury Box Club Member

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    Deej, IMO what would be outstanding is if we can add Aqib Talib and Mike Wallace or Greg Jennings in FA and then add 3 impact players with the draft's first 4 picks:

    1. DT/DE, Star Lotuleili (to take over Odrick's DE spot and moving Odrick over to DT)
    2. FS, TJ McDonald/Kenny Vaccaro
    2. OLB/DE hybrid, Chase Thomas
    3. WR, Stedman Bailey

    If we're unable to address corner in FA I'd probably want Bama's corner, Dee Milliner, to pair with SS24... and then make sure to re-sign Starks to keep our defensive front four the same.
     
  16. BuckeyeKing

    BuckeyeKing Wolves DYNASTY!!!!

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    I have to agree with this.

    DE, CBx2, FS, WRx2, G.

    I'd be happy with blueprint like that.
     
  17. unifiedtheory

    unifiedtheory Sub Pending Luxury Box

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    That is a pretty good one. I think Bruce was a little faster but I may be mistaken.

    CK is right, Hartline is a bit of an oddball.
     
  18. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    All nice payers, I'm a bit concerned with how much are own players are gonna eat up that 50 mill.
     

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