All very exciting things to hear. Thanks for posting that. Now all we have to do is wait for LbsFinest to come along and ridicule the whole thing, and throw in a few lols for good measure.
I'm excited for the additions as well, lots of folks like to live in the past and base their projections off that, don't agree, if you have a read on the talent, and the talent is healthy, then go ahead and have some fun. Finnegan over Carroll Delmas over Clemons Misi over Ellerbe Dion over anybody If Lazor runs Tannehill as many times as Kelly ran foles Ryan will have 500 yards rushing. Here's a novelty, ready, because we have limited explosive weapons on offense how bout using your Qb as one. Wallace and Clay are a nice inside out combo but I think it's imperative that this offense does not function strictly from the pocket, I think the opposite actually.
if there's one thing I've learned from watching this team for the last decade, it's that offseason praise from coaches literally means NOTHING.
Will Davis is a gambler, and it might not ever change. You take the good with the bad in a player like that, but hey, maybe he ends up being like Asante Samuel.
Interesting that they moved Thiggy to Wr, no real reason not to put him out there. Misi has been unsung in Miami for awhile, granted he is not a passrusher, just a good all around player
My thought would be that he's good in space. Philly had their weapons in space last year, and I doubt Marcus Thigpen is taking traditional carries as a running back any time soon. Might as well see what he can do, much like against the Saints and Patriots last year. That, and they're presently short a slot receiver with Gibson on the mend.
Thing is R4, it is exactly what Thigpen did in the CFL, and he does offer explosive play potential Still he has a steep climb this year unless he can show more in the offense.
biggest issue with him in Detroit was nagging injuries and he always wants the big hit but misses........ALOT.
I do not care to search back and find the posts, but after he was drafted in 2010, I suggested Misi's best pro position could be ILB, because I saw similarities between he and Tedy Bruschi, another undersized college 4-3 DE who converted to ILB in the pros. Good to see the coaches searched back and found my posts and took heed. It did take them a while to get around to it though.
It's just way too soon to pass judgement on Davis, or Taylor for that matter, either way. He seems like a good kid and a willing worker. Most of all he has some rare physical skills that just cannot be taught. He has the 15th best three cone of any position at the combine going back to 2000 for example. With agility like that, ya either got it or ya don't. His biggest weakness is he just isn't physical or aggressive when it comes to tackling. That's Taylor's forte though.
Funny I read it just the opposite. I saw it as the coaches trying to increase his role to help justify keeping him.
Somehow I always liked Misi but at the same time felt he could do much more and should have a bigger impact. I hope that Rookie Jordan Tripp will be a surprise at ILB but if MrClean is right it's ok. Let's shine Misi in the middle.
Inside linebacker was probably the right eventual position for Koa Misi all along but I think he's taken the correct route to get there. I don't believe he even would have survived his rookie contract if you had tried to put him at inside linebacker right out of college. He was a defensive end in college and has never been known as a particularly studious player. I've heard Crowder talk about that before, that he has that "young, dumb, energetic" look to him but that he's receptive to what his fellow teammates are telling him to do. The whole concept of playing in space was new to the guy so putting him at mike linebacker right away probably would've drown him. He needed to be learning things on the field, but at positions simpler to understand than mike linebacker. I think this is the right year to finally do this. He worked his way from a 3-4 OLB in 2010 and 2011 to a 4-3 OLB in 2012 and 2013 and now he should be ready to shift to MLB in 2014. If it's going to work, 2014 and 2015 will be the the window for it to be most likely to work.
You could look at it either way. I agree with DJ though because what it means to me is he's no longer claiming a roster spot JUST by being a return guy. He's got to be something else too. To your point they're giving him what they view to be the best shot at being something else, but at the same time it means his bus pass has expired and he's got to buy a new one.
He even played DT some at Utah if I recall correctly. Dude has come a long way. Can't wait to see him this year.
We need someone to step up and plug our leaky middle run defense...Misi will at the minimum be stout enough to hold his ground we just have to hope he can diagnose quick enough to have an impact.
Finally the coaches are listening to you. Seriously though I agree that physically Misi looked more like an ILB than OLB to me. The question in my mind was whether he had the leadership, experience to QB the D. Early reports are that he has been that vocal leader the position demands.
The thing they're missing from the receivers unit is size. You could tell that by the simple fact that they were touting the 6'0" & 210 lbs Brandon Gibson as being a "bigger" target over the middle. Brian Hartline is about 6'2" but he's feather soft. They need someone bigger on that unit that they can trust with the ball in the air on crossers and scramble drills. They need a Riley Cooper (6'3" & 222 lbs) or Jordy Nelson (6'3" & 217 lbs). They have guys that are as big as James Jones (6'0" & 207 lbs) but they don't have anyone that's as physical as James Jones. Last year they were pretty serious about using Armon Binns (6'3" & 209 lbs) in the slot and they also took a pretty hard look at Brian Tyms (6'3" & 210 lbs), Keenan Davis (6'3" & 215 lbs) and Marvin McNutt (6'3" & 216 lbs). The other guys on roster in preseason included Kenny Stafford (6'4" & 204 lbs), Jeff Fuller (6'4" & 223 lbs), Andrell Smith (6'3" & 217 lbs) and Julius Pruitt (6'2" & 206 lbs). I think there's a reason that nearly every one (except for Chad Bumphis) of the group of guys they were sifting through to see if they could find a fifth receiver were all bigger guys. Now they're taking a hard look at Stephen Williams (6'4" & 208 lbs) and they're giving Armon Binns another shot.
Looking at these player and coaches interviews on the Dolphins website, it seems like everyone is focused on getting better and has an overall positive energy. I think this might be the year when we take big step forward, both offensively and defensively... then again I'm probably just a babbling homer who is optimistic year in and year out.
I liked him coming out of Cincinnati. I can't speak for what he is in the NFL though. Coming off injury as he is now, I can't help but wonder if he's damaged goods.
Yeah we've heard all this stuff every year, I'm not gonna fall for the banana in the tailpipe.. But chemistry is something that has to manifest and there are some signs that some is happening.. The problem is the venue and the fanbase, these players don't have any source of motivation but themselves.
Omar and Chris Perkins talking about OTAs. Harping on Miller getting 1st team reps and Moreno shuffling between 1st and 2nd team and putting on a "little weight". Said Moreno wasn't "sharp". Tannehill was "sharp". Offense was good and had defense reeling. Grimes struggled and the entire defense was "confused" by the offense. Pace was best since 2012 camp. Lots of motion from receivers and backs. Defense struggled to adjust. Koa Misi predicted to "stick" at ILB. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/videogallery/80380154/Omar-Kelly,-Chris-Perkins-talk-OTA-4
