What is your take on how we should stay with the pack,the elite teams of the afc...Pats and broncos.? Is it to just stay consistent with your evaluations, keep picking best players available, no matter which side of the team they fall on, stay balanced with your talent?, or, should we take on an offensive or defensive approach to an identity? What should the mindset of Hickey be?, a little anxious right now to make a strong move that could change the dynamics completely, or, should he take a deep breath, trust the evaluations, and build a balanced team.? I'll be damned if i'm Hickey I'm gonna sit back and let Manning and brady taking over the afc for the next few years. I'm thinking there is room for 1 aggressive out of the box move, I'm thinking about trading a player or players of substance for an additional hi pick. just thinking out loud at this point, and don't want to become non relevant while brady and manning are in our conferece..their immobile qbs, we can beat them, trying to really hone in on whats the best way.
Out of the box and aggressive? Gimmie Jimmy Graham... **** the 2 first round picks. Wait until after the draft so they're 2015 and 2016 picks... draft OL high in this years draft and bank on us being good that our firsts in the coming years are low anyway.
After last year I'm more about the Bills than the Pats. Offensively, gotta be able to run the ball. If we stay with Miller gotta be able to open holes consistently and use RTs legs to keep people honest. Ideally we add a more physical runner to complement LM. Albert is a big deal at LT. He opens up a whole nother aspect of the pass game. More 5 man protections with vertical routes and backs checking down instead of stayin in to protect. Still need a big physical WR or TE for the red zone and to attack the middle while Wallace and Hartline work outside. Gotta have a guy who can go get those 50/50 balls, can't rely on RT to be pinpoint accurate 25 times per game. A guy who can take a short throw and do major damage in YAC would be icing on the cake. Defensively, wow. Can we get all our guys on the same page? Especially up front. I'm a traditional run the ball play defense guy. I don't think a team from Miami can pass their way to the Super Bowl, not when they've got to go to Foxboro, NY, Cincy, Denver, etc in the winter. Gotta be able to grind games out late in the year, not even Marino could throw his way to a title.
At RB: Blount and/or Sproiles Draft a receiving threat with 1 of your 1st 2 picks. Niklas? Cooks in the 1st? At LB: sign Spikes Use other top pick on Oline. Moses and Dozier? Still a long way too go. Either way...it's on Tannehill
We need an elite QB if we want to be an elite team. Failing that, you need an elite defense. Problem with building an elite defense is that there are a bunch of moving parts and Free Agency is a *****. One elite QB is easier to maintain.
I don't think we need to over react. The Broncos will only be elite one more year, cause this is it for Manning. The Pats will only keep Revis one more year as well. No one, not even our most die hard homers believe we'll be elite this year anyway. Just let Hickey get what Philbin wants. It'll either work out and Philbin is a genius or it won't and we'll be in play for Malazhan (preferred) or Harbaugh next year.
Add Devin Hester, add a better Kicker, sign Kuhn and MJD or CJ2K Shore up ST, allow Clay to move to Te full time, improve talent at the Rb position. I'd be sorely tempted to add Justin Hatcher or Julius Peppers We revolve around Tannehill, no way around it really, those moves would help
Keeping pace with Denver and NE isn't going to happen this year. Period. They've spent the last few years building great teams and adding pieces in FA/Draft along the way. Let's not throw more (wasted) money at the problem. Don't worry about them and focus on getting the best 53 together for the long term. If Tannehill is a franchise QB, we've got plenty of time ahead of us.
We have a team built to beat NE, what we need is a running game so we can handle the other teams we face, like Buff and NY. He'll, two of our best games were vs NE and 3 of our worst were vs Buff and NY.
I think we need playmakers. We can build our OL in FA and middle rounds and then draft playmakers early. How can we compete? Score more points! Why not take skill players with our first 2 or 3 picks? I was thinking one big bodied WR such as Matthews/Benjamin/Robinson and one fire cracker WR like Cooks or Beckham. Adding a RB like Mason or Seastrunk wouldn't hurt either. Can you imagine if we took 2 of those WR and a solid RB with our first 3 picks? Comon, really think about it. I know most of you want to draft OL with our early picks but does that beat NE and Denver? When have we ever had a home run draft with skill players? Even Jimmy couldn't draft offense right. How many great players have we missed through the years by drafting linemen early or less than stellar players at other positions? Remember Jamar Fletcher instead of Brees?? Carey instead of Moss?? I wanted Cordarrelle Patterson last year and instead we trade up for a DL. I like Jordan and think he will be a stud but we didn't need him!! We needed Patterson. Play makers!! You can never have too many. We are NOT set at WR (mediocrity) and definately not RB Wallace.....He's not a #1......Great #2 Hartline.... A scrappy player but nobody fears him. How many TDs did he score again? Gibson..... Another player that is solid but doesn't scare anyone. Matthews...More upside than Gibson. I actually like him as a #3 Clay..........I have no problem with Clay. A bigger athletic TE would be nice but we need a Big WR more Miller.........When DJ said something about him being afraid of space he was right on. Can't figure him out. Thomas......Please cut him. What a waste of a pick The defense will be good enough. Lets get more offense and score some points. Should have done it last year but that stooge we had at GM the last 6 years was never going to give us a good draft. New GM. New way of thinking? Please draft us some playmakers. -Just my opinion.....First post......30 years a fins fan.....Thanks!
Here is what intrigues me about MJD, he may never again be the fantasy football terror he was, however his all around game is excellent, surely better then Daniel Thomas's.
Adding a true feature back would be a game changer at this point. It seems our RB situation from last season is being swept under the rug as an offensive line issue... but I hope we aren't going into next season with the Exact same backfield! Not a sexy Denver or New England type move though. Seem crazy to say that... wasn't long ago running backs were all the way sexy.
I think there are payers on the roster that we should think strongly about moving for picks. Lamar miller. Jared Odrick. Daniel Thomas. Matt Moore.
No one is giving more than a 5th for Miller or Moore, no one is giving anything for thomas because he stinks and running backs are easy to find, and we would be very stupid to trade Odrick considering a DT won't net us any significant pick and he is a beast when playing his natural position inside the 4-3 or at DE in a 3-4. He was fantastic last year.
Carlos Hyde and Tre mason must be in the mix in the 2nd round., sproles should be on our radar, and an explosive returner to catch up in the game in the third dimension...lets say d' Anthony Thomas.. We must be aggressive with attacking where we are weak.
Yes, someone capable of overtaking Miller as the primary ball carrier. I'm not opposed to bringing back Miller, but I don't want to open camp with him as the favorite to start. Not sure he has much trade value anyway right now.
1. I would try to sign one other OL that I could pencil in as a starter. 2. Sign another WR (Jones or another) to fit in at #3. 3. Sign a vet CB. 4. Look at RBs on the market but don't go crazy over one. Preferably one that can block on 3rd down. Cut Daniel Thomas. 5. Hope Zack Martin is there at #19. Otherwise, go BPA there and OL later. 6. Draft a TE & RB. 7. Just needed something here to have a 7th point.
Jared Odrick is not a beast, nor was he fantastic last year, he's solid, we just signed Starks and Mitchell to multi year deals, Odrick will be free agent next year..I don't see a former first round pick giving you value being the third wheel in a rotation.. Miller and Moore may get more, I'd put them out there to find out.
Welcome bud...So you'd be on board with Ebron/Cooks in the first then Hyde/Mason in the 2nd..Dakoda Dozier in the third..D'anthony Thomas in the fourth? Just full metal on offense.. Try to get an extra pick in a loaded draft is something I'm thinking hard about..that's why I'm thinking about who I can afford to move.
Defense - Retaining Starks indicates more 4-3 sets. Pressuring QB and backs on more snaps can solve the issues with the under-performing blitzing LBs and under-utilized Dion Jordan. Revis may no longer be dominate, but smarts and confidence guarantees the defense frequently blitz with single coverage on the outside. And if this defense can be dominating, then overpaying Revis means the investment in other players start to pay off. Offense - I have a theory that Tannehill is very dependent practice reps and some of his non-instinctive play is due to his mindset to only execute on what he's practiced/visualized. After losing specific skillsets from Keller and Binns, he was not very adept at expanding the roles of existing players. Therefore, the missing piece someone very good at a specific role that can start practicing immediately. My out-of-the box pick is Santonio Holmes, who should have never been signed by the Jets to #1 WR contract, since he only runs 3 routes. However, he's quick to get open, has large hands, and can track the ball in the air when he gets CB to bit on a slant. IMO, Holmes skills are needed more than what Hartline excels and Brian would have to be dealt to make it happen.
Pound the rock. Like many said...we need a legit feature back. Hell, I was calling for a high draft pick RB this time last year. They're invaluable to developing a young QB. Wilson, Kaep, RG3, Flacco, Matt Ryan w/ Turner, Rivers w/ LT, young Brady - these guys had phenomenal backfields to help them through the early years. Hickey has shown, recently, that he can evaluate RBs. While he was director of player personnel ('11-13), Tampa scooped up: Blount as an UDFA, Doug Martin, Mike James 6th round, and Bobby Rainey off waivers. All very good gets, imo, especially given where he got them. They're certainly doing better than us lately. Tampa has a nice FB too in Erik Lorig. I think Hickey thinks he has a good eye for the position, and it looks like he does judging by that list. I feel like our offense lacks real attitude, probably because we can't run the ball. Just so finesse, and every yard and first down feels like a major accomplishment - nothing ever comes easy. I think we also need to figure out what kind of personnel Tannehill works well with, whether it's 2TEs, 3WRs, whatever. I think we need that kind of identity established. On defense it's the same as ever: get to the QB. Gotta find guys who win one-on-one. That's football. It's how the Giants beat the Pats twice, and it's how the Seahawks dismantled Denver (well, that and a safety with ludicrous range). On the bright side, this extreme "win NOW!" stuff Denver and New England are doing is kinda cool. Least those two guys will be outta here soon.
To think we actually gave up 2 1st rounders for Ricky and drafted Ronnie Brown (who's a free agent by the way) 2nd overall not too long ago...
I'd much rather have Seastrunk in the 2nd or 3rd. I love watching him run, just like I liked watched Shady at Pitt. Perhaps I've got blinders on, but I don't want to miss Shady twice. I guess a lot depends on how Philbin feels about Miller going forward.
The needle is moving too far. Workhorse RBs are being wrongfully de-valued, imo. Look at this list of QBs who, when they came into the League, had an outstanding/reliable RB behind them: Kaepernik Wilson RG3 Joe Flacco | Rice Matt Ryan | Turner for 1,800yds in Ryan's first year Philip Rivers | LT Ben | Bettis Eli | Tiki Brees | LT Brady | run-first offense & Dillon Peyton | Marshall Faulk and Edgerrin James I don't know, I see a trend here. A stabilizing guy you can fall back on and just hand the ball off to...that helps a QBs development immensely, imo. Let that RB do the grunt work while your QB endures the growing pains and figures his stuff out. I get the whole backfield committee because it's cheap and low-risk...but there's just something about having that workhorse, man, that stabilizing guy with real attitude, just a tougher, rugged, old school mentality. Anyways, great RBs seem to be around at the beginnings of these guys' careers, and these are the guys winning or making Superbowls.
Overreacting to NE and Denver's moves and sacraficing draft picks now likely still won't get us to a superbowl and you screw up the future. Our goal should be making the playoffs and trying to win the division this year. after Denver sees Manning retire in a year or two and they end up in salary cap hell, our window will hopefully open.
Trading Odrick would be dumb DJ. We'd just have to turn around and replace him... The others? Meh. Don't know if we could get anything with a damn but late round picks. And acquiring late round picks aren't "bold and aggressive moves".
Odrick is going to start this year next to Starks DJ... It will be a 3 man rotation for the sake of beig fresh (which is a very good and wise thing to do with your DTs)... but Mitchell is the guy coming off the bench. And Starks only signed a 2 year deal... and will be 33-34 when he comes off of that contract. Odrick is here for the long haul. And he's a very good player...
What are we gonna do about it? Were gonna sit and watch another Manning and Brady lead teams cruise to 12+ wins and the playoffs. We can hope to steal one against the Pats. But I still have the last two weeks of the season stuck in my craw. I have little faith in Philbin right now. I like what I'm seeing from Hickey thus far, but I have no delusions of competing with the elites of this league at this point. I'm not sure how anyone could. You can keep on waiting for Brady and Manning to "get old"...don't hold your breathe on their play tanking. I think the fate of this team lies on Ryan Tannehill this season.
I agree with this 100%. Just keep building. We absolutely get more solid players on the OL, and one way or another, develop a running game. Doing this will allow Tannehill to play to his abilities. The man played great last season when he was given time. We don't have the league's best WR corps, but I like them a lot more than most of you do. Once Ryan has time to throw and gets onto the same page as Wallace, I really think that they're going to be dangerous. I think that with just a few tweeks, we have a team that can be one of the AFC's best for years. The team does't have to take huge steps. They just have to improve enough to not lose to crappy teams like the Bills and Bucs last year. 10 wins in 2014 is very achievable, and then build next year to take the next step.
Personally....I dont even think about Denver. Win the division. Is this version of Revis that much better then Solidify our OL. Improve our Linebackers? We need to be able to run the ball. If Im Hickey stay the course as he has done.
Start with a big OL that has no serious question marks, a big physical TE and a better running game on offense. LBs that make big plays. Must keep a strong D at all times.
Personally i would sign peppers to be on the other side of Wake, which in terms means neither will be double teamed constantly and as we seen in the Superbowl pass rush is the key. Do this and you can take the pats out of the divisions its been proven bradys not a pressure handling qb. I would sign a deep running back like blount or MJD and double it up with miller. I think with the offensive line improvements miller will do just fine. In the draft id trade to get two first round picks and pick up a big wide receiver/te or some db/safety help. It was ok last yr but we have been known to suck in that department. There were many bad decisions on ireland and philbins parts which now we have to correct, if we kept Reggie bush and carpenter, im not sold on sturgis we dont have to find replacements Reggie mostly. But in all we will probably sign a place holder from Appalachian state or something that's not in integral part of the game. I say we get back to the dolphin powerhouse D we once had. I dont think tannehill is our man, after this yr we are going to be looking for another qb this is his and philbins last yr to prove, philbin will be gone regardless i think. But if tannehill gets a running game and still doesn't improve he can no longer be the go to guy!!! All personal input!!!!
Stay the course and don't panic or look to make a splash for the sake of making a splash. Here's what I'd do: Sign Strief or ACollins to play RT (something like 4 yrs/$22-26 million) Sign Shelley Smith (est. 4 yrs/$20-24 million) Sign Brandon Spikes (I'm guessing something like 2 yrs/$6 million might get it done -- as a 2 down guy I don't think he'll command all that much) Re-sign DPatterson (1 yr./$2-3 million depending on incentives) Trade Matt Moore for whatever pick you can get for him (free up cap space) I think these moves pretty much keeps us where we were on pass defense (I would have resigned Carroll for what he signed for in Philly, but we should be OK with Patterson and the rookies from last year), which was very good. And if Patterson stays healthy and plays at the level he did last year in limited time, we could be improved there. I see the Delmas/Clemons "exchange" as basically a wash. As for the run defense, I'm not sure what the Soliai/Mitchell "exchange" does. In isolation, it may be a downgrade, but Mitchell may be the better fit for the scheme we are playing. Adding Spikes here should upgrade the run defense from last year. Thus overall, the defense should be at least a little better. And I think there is the potential for it to be much better if any of the following happen: 1. Development/improvement of Dion Jordan 2. Return to 2010-12 form of Cam Wake after an injury-plagued and "slightly" down year 3. Return to 2012 form for Reshad Jones 4. Healthy season for Patterson 5. Any development from Taylor or Davis On offense, we will have added 3 new starters to the OL. We will have replaced some awful pass blocking at OT with two bookends that are among the best pass blockers in the league. We will have added a quality run blocker at OG. This should be a dramatically improved OL. The rest of the offense is basically intact, but there are several opportunities for significant improvement: 1. Potentially better offensive scheme and play calling with Lazor 2. Continued development of Tannehill, especially with improved pass protection 3. Development of Tannehill/Wallace chemistry 4. Continued development of Clay after breakout year 5. Get something/anything out of DSims or Egnew 6. Get a healthy Brandon Gibson for full season 7. Continued development by RMatthews I think we can go into the draft with a true BPA mindset. If a great impact player falls, we can take him. If there are no unique opportunities there, I think we can play it "safe" in the first and take a Zach Martin or the guy from UCLA to play the other guard spot. I think both can be Pro Bowl guards for a long time. Or we could add a LB like Shazier or Mosley, both of whom I think are pretty safe, solid picks at a position of need. Or we could add an offensive playmaker like Ebron, Mason, Lee, Cooks, Benjamin, etc.
This mindset seems to make sense Fineas, however, I don't think it's enough.. I think there are players on the roster where I cannot simply just hope to take us over the edge..not with manning and Brady continuing to play and loading their teams.. Your talking about improvement from R Matthews ( which I expect), Gibson being healthy, getting something from Egnew and sims, Miller being the cowbell, Thomas, thinking we don't need to be looking to improve the receiver unit with Hartline being our #2, I think this might be the wrong approach.. I think we need to do something to improve the talent on the roster pretty dramatically, and to me that comes down to trading some players that we might be overrating, and are from the past regime, and gather some more resources and attack this particular draft because of it's depth...because with the skill players we have, combined with amount of help we need on the oline,I don't think we have enough resources to compete at a high level, now if your telling me next year is a sort if rebuilding year then lets have that conversation. Once we get to the draft, and maybe have some extra ammo, we can rely on great evaluation skills to secure the right players that this particular regime wants..
We need a power back who can pick up the tough yards and who can be a threat at the goal line and if Tanne can get sufficient time and improve his deep throws, that already can make us division contenders. Obviously, the D has to step up and get TOs and key stops, etc. I hope Dion Sims can develop into a solid player. That would really help, especially in the red zone.
We have to get the foundation solid before you start going offensive crazy though, IMO. If we did anything like Fineas is talking about we are contenders. We THEN go all out on offensive firepower, then we're serious contenders. Regardless, we cannot go from where we are to serious contenders in this one offseason.
I disagree. I think our line needs to improve their run blocking and we need a short yardage bruiser.