Why?? Why not? Best thing that could happen for 2014: Ireland gone. 2nd best: Ross sells the team to an excellent and super rich owner. My choice for GM: Eric DeCosta, assistant GM for the Ravens; and a whole new scouting staff. This would take an owner who would offer unprecedented benefits to pry DeCosta away from Baltimore. Others have tried and failed. Philbin needs new coordinators: My choices are Eric Mangini OC and Lovie Smith DC. These two guys would cost a fortune. Need a serious owner. Lovie Smith may get the HC job in Tampa, but if he doesn't he might take a DC job for a couple years if the price is right. The 49ers have raved about Mangini's input as offensive consultant and have said that he is playing a much bigger part in things than originally expected. I would love to see them woo Chad Pennington in to be QB coach/Assistant OC and the guy who actually does the offensive play calling. I would like to see Starks,Soliai,Incognito, and Carroll all back but I don't see it happening outside of at least an appearance in the conference championship. There has been well publicised ill will with both Soliai and Starks. Incognito is not young anymore and Carroll will be able to get starter money elsewhere. With Jamar Taylor and Will Davis I doubt they give Carroll a big enough offer. Hopefully Grimes will take a 4 year front loaded contract commiserate with him starting at boundary corner for 1 more year and then moving to the slot. Clemons needs to be given a contract because it's either draft a safety high or pay just as much or more for an older veteran with 0 upside. I'm drafting Pierre Desir but you don't want to start small school rookies. This is where Ireland's horrific contracts really burn. We could lose Clemons as well because Jones was grossly overpaid. My choice for old veteran stopgap ummm.....Antoine Bethea is going to be 30 next summer. He just never gets injured. Can still play. Dmitri Patterson,Vaughn Martin and Matt Moore released. Dolphins need this cap room to build a new OL. The old one needs to be blown up!! Previously I believed Jared Veldheer would be untouchable in free agency. That has changed for a few reasons: 1. Lamarr Houston is playing like a world beater and could eat up the franchise tag. Raiders are going to have a ton of other holes as well to deal with. 2. Of course, the injury to Veldheer. 3. Florida may be a lot more appealing to a fellow like Veldheer. Veldheer went to Hillsdale College even while being hotly pursued by bigger schools. Hillsdale has just over 1000 students. It is a school for Neo-Cons usually with political ambitions. Veldheer would obviously prefer the tax situation in Florida and a more conservative state may suit him politically as well. Free Agency additions: Roughly based on these estimates: http://www.thephinsider.com/2013/9/16/4738406/phinsider-mailbag-dolphins-2014-salary-cap-projection Jared Veldheer..........LT.....Greatness?? How much?? Gotta get that.......Boom Boom Pow! and it ain't cheap. Jon Asamoah............RG....Just a perfect fit, if he hits the market. KC may let him go, they have some depth. Antoine Bethea.........FS.....I fear Clemons will leave because of the offer he gets compared to Jones contract. Ben Tate.................RB......Dolphins obviously need to make some changes. DT needs to go. Use Daniel Thomas and Jonathan Martin in trades, maybe draft day. Draft: Based on the 16-24 range..........Trade down out of the 1st into the top of the 2nd and gain an early 3rd. Trade up in the 2nd round using players and a high 2015 draft pick. Good news: Peter King is saying there may be as many as 9 QB's with 1st round grades next spring. That should mean a few more talented position players sliding. 2nd round..........Cameron Erving...........RT....This is the OT from this class that will be the best pro IMO. He is projecting as the 6th OT. I could live with Mewhort or Hurst if they are the ones to slide. 2nd round...........Kyle Van Noy..........LB...I greatly covet this player. Greatly! This is where Ireland's abominable contracts to Wheeler and Ellerbe really burn. http://www.optimumscouting.com/scou...he-nfl-s-future-as-a-read-option-stopper.html 3rd round............Pierre Desir............DB....The total package, including outstanding leadership,character, and intelligence. A cross between Eric Reid and Xavier Rhodes but in the early 3rd because of small school prejudice. Desir is near the top of draftcountdown.com's sleeper list. 3rd round...........Ryan Carrethers.......DT...Freaks List Dude. Very strong.http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...-the-20-craziest-athletes-in-college-football 4th.................Caraun Reid..........DT.....Tops sleeper list:http://www.draftcountdown.com/Rankings/SLEEPERS.php Again, Ivy leaguer, should go higher but probably won't. 5th.................Jay Prosch............FB/H-back.......The Dolphin run game needs even more help:http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2013/09/jay_prosch_adjusting_to_varied.html 6th..................Jeff Janis..........WR...Another sleeper list guy. If he really runs a 4.3 this spring he will probably be drafted this high. If Wallace continues to drop passes he may have to be replaced in 2015 or 2016. 7th................Stanley Jean-Baptiste........DB/OLB/ST's Undrafted FA's: Logan Thomas......QB Tim Flanders.........RB Matt Hall..............OT Keon Lyn..............CB Roster: QB.................Tannehill,Devlin,Logan Thomas RB..................Tate,Miller,Thigpen,Tim Flanders WR..................Wallace,Hartline,Gibson,Matthews,Jeff Janis TE..................Clay,Simms,Egnew FB...................Jay Prosch OT..................Veldheer,Cam Erving,will Yeatman,Matt Hall OG/C...............Pouncey,Asamoah,Dallas Thomas,Danny Watkins,Garner DT.................Odrick,Ryan Carrethers,Marvin Austin,Caraun Reid DE..................Wake,Jordan,Vernon,Shelby LB..................Van Noy,Ellerbe,Misi,Wheeler,Trusnik S....................Jones,Antoine Bethea,Pierre Desir,Stanley Jean-Baptiste CB..................Grimes,Jamar Taylor,Will Davis,RJ Stanford,Pierre Desir
Back injury, had some time to kill. My first hard look into next year, just figured I might as well dial up some thoughts.
If you replace the GM and the offensive and defensive coordinators, then you are setting up Philbin to fail and be a lame duck coach. Philbin picked Sherman because they are on the same page for Philbin's system that he wants to run. Bringing in Mangini isn't going to improve the situation. I could live with it if they decide to part ways with Ireland but I don't see it happening. Here's a novel idea, how about we avoid the knee-jerk reaction and give Philbin a couple more years to see if his system will work with Ryan Tannehill? I for one, am sick and #$@!#ng tired of constantly starting over from scratch with each new regime.
Hypotheticals galore!!! [video=youtube;P9Xv-qgdJn0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Xv-qgdJn0[/video] I'm really just kidding around. I think about moves the Dolphins could make, too, but... not like this. You have me beat.
My plan is quite similar except the cleaning staff part.... Free Agency: Jon Asamoah- G Chiefs, Sam Shields- CB Packers, Jared Veldheer- OT Raiders Mock Draft: 1. Haha Clinton-Dix- FS Bama (If he’s gone ASJ) Then sign FS stopgap (Antoine Bethea) 2. Daniel McCullors- DT Tenn 3. Spencer Long- G Nebraska 4. James Wilder Jr. -RB FSU 5. Glenn Carson- ILB Penn State Resign: Grimes, Incognito, Starks Walk: Clabo, Jerry, Soliai, Keller, Carroll, Clemons
I don't want the same top 4 receivers next year that we have this year. We need an upgrade over Hartline and Rishard Matthews isn't the answer.
I agree that Ireland and the entire scouting team needs to go. I also would have no problem with Ross selling the team. He is the fool who has stuck with Ireland ever since he became the majority owner of the team. He showed his lack of expertise as an NFL owner by extending Ireland during the off season. The best thing that could happen for the fans of the Dolphins is for Ross to just stick to the real estate business he made his fortune in and get the heck out of NFL ownership. I would hope the next GM is given control the hiring of the next HC. I'm not sure Philbin is the right man for the job, but I'll leave that decision up to the next GM. I agree that DeCosta would be an excellent choice for the position, but Ross really hasn't shown the ability to hire the best people for jobs with the Dolphins. He ends up settling for average personnel at best. Just as Fisher, Harbaugh, and even Manning wanted nothing to do with Ross and the Dolphins. DeCosta will probably wait for a better job offer with another NFL team or just wait until Newsome retires and take over the Ravens GM position. As far as the players you would like to see the Dolphins resign in free agency. I don't see both Starks and Soliai remaining with the Dolphins past this season. Perhaps one of them will remain, but I just don't see the Dolphins giving both of them the money they will be looking for in free agency. Of the two, my preference would be for them to sign Soliai. I have to question your player evaluation ability if you honestly think Nolan Carroll will receive starters pay from any other team in the NFL. He is a barely adequate backup for the Dolphins now and I just can't see any team in the NFL giving him the type of money starting CB's in the NFL make today. He might end up coming back to the Dolphins next year when he finds out that there is no market for a below average CB in the rest of the league. I hope another team takes him off our hands by signing him, but I doubt it. As far as your fear that Clemons will leave after this season. I also have a fear concerning Clemons. My fear is that no one else will want him and he will end up coming back to the Dolphins. He is a very mediocre safety who NEVER makes any impact plays in the secondary. He merely watches the receiver catch the ball and then tries to tackle the receiver. This safety position is a definite need going into the draft or in free agency after the 2013 season. Incognito is getting older, but he is still by far the second best offensive lineman on the roster at this time. The Dolphins need to replace their LT, RT, and RG before next season. This makes it imperative that they resign Incognito or they will have to go out and find a LG also. I am not nearly as high on Devlin as you are. I don't ever see him being a quality backup QB in the NFL. He is okay as the teams third option, but I'll take Moore over him any day of the week. I have also watched Logan Thomas play on several occasions and I am not impressed. I don't see him as an NFL QB, not even a third string NFL QB. He would be a wasted draft pick, as far as I am concerned. The only way I would want to see him in the Dolphins training camp next year is if he is signed as a free agent after not getting drafted. At least this way, after he is cut, it wouldn't have cost the Dolphins a pick to bring him in before cutting him. Hopefully Ireland will be fired soon and the next GM can start building this team in the right way. If there is a new GM on the horizon, I would expect this mediocre roster to be completely overhauled over the next two to three seasons. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if only 10-15% of the players you have listed on your want list for next season are even on the Dolphins roster by the time the 2015 season is completed.
Just a few things: My comments about Ross and Ireland are just wishful thinking and me kinda venting. There is no real attempt at reality. Ross and Ireland aren't going anywhere soon is my real assumption. DeCosta has been very open about not having a desire to build his own kingdom and is content to work behind Ozzie. Ozzie, however, has said he has no plans to retire any time soon. who knows? The thing with CB's is that those of us who just watch games on TV don't see what is really going on most of the time with these guys. Nolan Carroll is getting good reviews from the analysts. His stats are solid. He has good speed and prototypical size for the position. His character is exemplary and he is widely known as an extremely hard worker. Yes, he isn't popular with fans in Miami because he took a long time to develop, but his coverage skills and tackling have improved dramatically. Check it out... http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/10/05/3670219/miami-dolphins-cb-nolan-carroll.html Do you really want to sign Incognito to a 5-6 mil a year deal in his thirties and watch him decline like Clabo. Incognito has been to the pro bowl recently and has shown great durability and consistency. He will get a multi year deal some where. Dallas Thomas was drafted to fill that position. If Devlin isn't ready to be #2 after three years then there is no reason to keep him on the roster at all and the Dolphins should draft a QB because paying Moore 4 mil is just too much. He isn't that good and if he had to play behind this line he might not last more than a few games. Logan Thomas wasn't a wasted draft pick because he wasn't drafted. He was a rookie free agent addition and best case scenario would spend the year on the PS with the Dolphins going with two QB's.
The GM I thought would make the best fit here was John Dorsey considering he worked in Green Bay with both Philbin and Sherman, but he joined Andy Reid in KC. you already mentioned DeCosta, but there are plenty of other candidates that would probably be MASSIVE upgrades... Marc Ross, Giants VP of player evaluation. Tom Gamble, 49ers Director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst, Packers Director of college scouting Ryan Pace, Saints Director of player personnel Mike Maccagnan, Texans Director of college scouting Jason Licht, Cardinals Director of player personnel (he was on Jimmy Johnson's staff as a quality control coach in 96)
I'm hoping our draft goes like this 1st LT 2nd RT 3rd RG 4th LT 5th RT 6th RG 7th LT Positions can be switche depending on best player available
I don't watch the Dolphin home games on TV, I actually attend the games. I also attended the game against the Saints. So I don't listen to what the announcers are saying about individual players. I am at the game watching them play. I have seen Carroll show up on some plays and completely disappear on others. He is a backup who has been forced into a starting role only because of an injury to the starting CB. I think that he is average at best and I hope the Dolphins can upgrade from him by next year. Dallas Thomas will never be a quality starter in the NFL, IMO. He will just end up being another bad OL pick by Ireland. He just isn't very good. I agree that Incognito is getting older, but he is still the second best OL on the roster at this time. I would have no problem with letting him walk in free agency if the other Offensive linemen could step in and do what he does, but they can't. If he is let go in free agency, the Dolphins will have weak spots left on the offensive line to fill. Hopefully he will be willing to sign a 2-3 year contract and the next GM can fix the OL, because it is obvious Ireland doesn't have a clue how to fix it. If the Dolphins don't make the playoffs this year and Ross keeps Ireland, I predict there will be more empty seats than Dolphin fans in the stadium next year. Perhaps Ross won't sell the team but he has to get rid of Ireland or the stadium will be half empty in 2014.
I'm going to wait on Dallas Thomas. The injury really hurt his development this summer. I doubt we see him this year at all. I will be specifically interested in hearing about his progress in OTA's next spring.
