The interest in fullbacks continues. Chicago cut him because he was arrested twice in four months. Surprising Miami would pick him up.
Not that I have watched him play in Chicago much but you will notice in his PFF rating that he has a +2.8 for his Run Blocking grade versus a -1.5 grade for work in the passing offense (routes and catches). It certainly suggests that this is yet more interest in a guy that can block...which would be in line with their interest in Ina Liaina, Rupert Bryan and Ryan D'Imperio.
Live in Chicago. Currently sitting next to a Bears fan (they all are). As I type this he is still pissed they got rid of him and we claimed him. The guy is a bum. I see him around the city all the time. He is literally out every night. He won't make it through camp. May not even make it to camp!
Essentially this is a potential pure upgrade on Jorvorskie Lane. He's been graded by one service as a better lead blocker (don't know if it's actually true), he has a background that suggests he's a more agile and accomplished pass catcher (based on what I saw of him coming out of college), and the only thing he does NOT do that Jorvorskie Lane does is he does not run the football in short yardage situations. But then, when they tried to get Jorvorskie Lane to do that in 2012 he couldn't stop fumbling the damn ball, and he also came up short several times in those short yardage situations...so arguably, Jorvorskie Lane doesn't run the football well in short yardage either.
He was a TE in college, so I'm a bit surprised to see him graded out better in run blocking than passing game.
he also gets in trouble better. My guess is hes a camp body being given a chance to show if hes worth the trouble. Otherwise he'll be gone. Hes talented but hes a mess up who plays a position thats not highly valued and therefore few coaches/organizations are going to tolerate his stupidity.
Lane has to be feeling the HEAT. He still has a chance, hope it motivates him. Have there been any pics of him, wonder if he is in better shape?
1) Paging Jorvorskie Lane: Your job is in jeopardy if your blocking does not improve. 2) Could this rash of FBs being brought in around Leach's release in ANY way be playing chess to negotiate a deal for Leach, but first making sure there are no other cheaper options?
Consider... Statement A: Guy #1 is a bum, literally out every night Statement B: Guy #2 sees him all the time. Therefore, Statement C (Transitive Property): Guy #2 is literally out every night and is a.... Kidding! I like to kid.
Is he a FB or a TE? I read he was a TE in another article. Sounds like if anyone is in trouble its Clay.
Anyone know Toby Gerhart's grades for blocking? I would consider converting him into a fullback if he can be had for little to nothing. It's not like he's about to unseat Adrian Peterson in Minnesota.
If he came in and was great I could see Lane and Clay going away (unless clay actually stays healthy all preseason and executes and produces in all his opportunities.. you know, does what he hasn't done yet in his career).
Even guys who date sluts say "My woman's not a ****." Wishful rationalization. Anyways, he's not likely to be out partying much in Miami. Wait, what?
I think Lane is gone for sure now with all these FB's we keep bringing in and I agree with Clay I started the thread about him a few weeks ago, it drives me crazy when he has great games like he did against Seattle then completely dissappears for weeks.
Guys really???????? We have several guys that have been given chances by this club who would have to be considered way more questionable than this kid including murder. Guess no one here has EVER been in jail for being "under the influnce" right? Yeah right!!!!!!! Spent half my shore leave "under" and came back to the ship, on my own or under guard, to recover. I guess I'll join the Bum line forming up on the right! Thanki God the US Navy doesn't hold it against our young people.
Hahaha. When I wrote it, I knew someone was going to say it. Am I over-exaggerating? A little, yes. Do I go out a lot? Yes. Do I drive? No. Do I do it after a history, thus putting my job and career in jeopardy? No. For an exact idea...in Chicago we have festivals and ba crawls by the handfuls every weekend in the summer. I've been to 4 since May, he's been at every one. I've seen him out on the weekdays 2 of the last 3 weeks. Also, the night he was reprimanded he went out. All that said, Bears fans were VERY high on him and hated to see him go.
Amen to that. Only reason I didn't get hauled on board by the SP's, or worse, thrown in a local hoosegow a couple of times was because of a good 2nd class, and an even better chief - kept my tukkus out of the sling a couple of times I can recall, probably more that I can't. Bloody 1st class almost got me into a really bad bar fight one time. San Miguel beer, Ouzo, and whatever that stuff they sold in Portugal was will do it to you. But, that's only if you're out there to do it. I stayed away from him the rest of the cruise!
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with what he's doing. I'm not judging him for that. My judgements are based on the fact he's been told it's an issue and continues to make the same exact mistakes. Those mistakes cost him a job. For someone that has a God-given talent to do something, yet throws it away with poor decision-making, well I don't know what to say, call him. Are the mistakes/acts wrong and judicable? For me? No. I do those things. However, I don't commit those acts when my job and career are on the line - especially after I've been told what the consequences will be if it happens.
C'mon GA... Neither of us could have lost our jobs in the Navy (well, AF for me) for being drunk on leave, but this kid could have/did. I spent 30 yrs under the auspices of the FAA and never once did I get drunk and arrested off duty (even when I was younger) because it would have meant my job and in my case, I would not have been brought back by anyone in the industry. The problem is that someone somewhere will give the kid a job in the NFL because of his special talent and he'll continue to do these things until he learns to control himself and grow up some... I just hope we aren't the next one to have to dump him due to his immaturity...
not over yet: Dolphins are first team on FB Vonta Leach's free agency tour http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/...chs-free-agency-tour-20130611,0,1959368.story
Just because he could lose his job are you really sure that he is old enough to fully understand all that, remember at that age we are invincible, so we think. Add to that he's got some talent and has been under a HC who is not considered a taskmaster and the results are what they are. Now he gets a dose of reality, will he man up or go home? My guess .... man up. Either way I find it laughable that some are so judgemental. BTW you, on the other hand, had a job that demanded your total attention .... lives are on the line and was/is smarter than this guy appears to be. One of my jobs after making E5 was Air Control (the picture below shows my work space when controling). I would have NEVER been anything but cold sober and totally focused while at that job ...lives were at stake.
Yeah, I think some of the responses are provoked by the stigma that Philbin and Ireland only want squeaky clean guys and not guys who continue to cause problems outside the football arena... That said, I really hope the kid wakes up...here for us.....hehehe
One of the things that first attracted me to Joe Philbin was the fact that he and his wife have 6 kids, the oldest of which was a problem child. You could just tell when the young man lost his life that Joe was and had not been judgemental and truly loved his son. Yet he knew when it was time to regain his life and move forward. To think that type person is unwilling to consider troubled guys, IF they are willing to own up and man up, to me is just not in his DNA. Now if we are talking about somebody like say Pac Man Jones then we are in a whole different game and I think Joe would not be willing to allow his locker room to have to deal with such a person. JM2C
I could see why Ireland and Philbin would like him: [video=youtube;lD0wCu8gmzo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD0wCu8gmzo[/video] He's a good blocker. He's physical, has good range, and is technically sound. He wasn't bad with Chicago either, whom seemed to use him more as a straight I-formation guy than an H-Back. I wonder if they aren't looking at potentially more separation between the two roles.
I think you're right with the offense having traditional FB. The bread and butter play for the base offense will be sideline throws, which sets up the running game with 1st downs and a wide field. And running sets-up play-action deep passes to Wallace or double-move passes to Hartline and Gibson. With pass rushers and disruptive DL lighter than a few years ago, a traditional FB has a greater chance neutralize their target than when Miami used a FB to open a hole occupied by a 330 lb DT. Evan Rodriguez played for Al Golden at Temple, which makes it likely that the team was effective with its due diligence. He seems very capable to run FB routes, which makes him a good fit with an offense with Mike Wallace. He can throw a shoulder into a pass rusher as he heads to flat under a deep route. Clay, I believe, has been moved to TE/H-Back. The experiment should be over as he was never able to improve his ability to turn his head and body on flat routes. Sherman likes a thumper and he's well-aware of how Leach can improve a running game. If they can't get Leach, I suspect that Lane will stick as it takes awhile for a thumper to perfect their craft and his athleticism should make him productive as a safety-value receiver. It might seem that the team has too many TEs now, but let's remember that Green Bay kept 5 TEs 2d seasons ago. I suspect that sub packages for tight coverage situations will use lots of bigger players. The wildcard are the QBs-- Tannehill is capable of absorbing a large playbook and Matt Moore is more proficient at middle of the field throws. The depth players are getting lots of practice reps, which hopefully results in some of them starring in the game by taking advantage of matching up against a defenses' less skilled players.
Evan looks like he has the versatility of an Aaron Hernandez, and perhaps best case scenario he could fill a similar role for us.
I suspect Leach will go with Houston if they offer given his roots there. So getting Leach might be a long shot given Houston is reportedly interested. I just wonder what this means in terms of the team's view of Lane? Then again, it might be more of a reflection of their view of Leach and how good he is.
I wouldn't be too sure, considering they already invested in Greg Jones this offseason and are up against with the cap. It depends on how much we offer. I don't think it is very likely the Texans can come close to matching our offer if we really want him.
thats good, he's already building relationships down in s beach, shows he's thinking ahead and planning for the future