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Dallas Thomas' Improvement and Oline Shuffle we saw yesterday

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by Conuficus, Nov 3, 2014.

  1. Conuficus

    Conuficus Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Just wanted to note that at least to me Dallas Thomas is playing much better than he has done previously. Just going back to this preseason, one would have been wise to assume that Thomas was on his last legs in Miami this season. His reputation was well deserved as he had been very close to a turnstile thus far in his young career. Thomas saw action earlier this season as well and again looked rather hopeless in all aspects of his job.

    However, having moved forward in the season, Thomas' play has taken a turn for the better the last two weeks. The former Volunteer has not had an epiphany by any means, but he has been steady and rather inconspicuous in his recent game action; which when talking about offensive lineman is a compliment. Thomas recent upswing in his play could be attributed to his change in position. Primarily Thomas had seen time as a RG during his time in Miami including the preseason. The last two games have seen him man the left guard spot. Is this the primer for Thomas producing capable play in recent weeks? The only real answer I see to this question is that the sample size is far too small for anything conclusive to be drawn from it, but that it does bear watching should Thomas see any further extended playing time this season.

    Thomas' recent improvement could be due to plain old coaching and refinement of technique. Maybe Benton has changed the way the electricity is being delivered to the lightbulb that is Dallas Thomas. Again the sample size on playing time is far too small, but today looking back on it, Thomas has played fairly well; which for him is a huge step forward. I'd rather have Colledge out there this week if possible, but should Thomas come in or have to spell Colledge for another week, I am not as fearful as I would have been roughly a month ago. Should Thomas turn himself around a bit, it would help to stock the pantry at the guard position, which is in dire need of a stabilization.

    Now, looking back yesterday I thought the idea to switch James over to the left side was brilliant. Why? Why not do it. We are ahead in the game and lets see if the kid can handle it. James has so far proven to be a solid pass protector on the right side. Allowing him to have game experience at left tackle is invaluable for several reasons. One is in case of injury god forbid. The other is for future considerations relating to the left tackle position as Albert ages and or nears the end of his acceptable contract (I am not referring to his contract itself being acceptable only his level of play versus his payrate per year over the life of the contract - ROI). Obviously a quarter of play is not nearly enough to make any serious decisions with or assume he can just fill in on the left side without issue but yesterday he did alright. James did have some issues initially, but he played well enough overall in my eyes being a rookie in that position.

    With that said it must be noted that the pass rushers he was facing are not great by any means, and the game was already well decided and there were only four snaps that required pass protection. I did like the idea though, it allowed players to get reps that ordinarily would not; which is never bad when it is under your terms rather than forced via injury.
     
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  2. VManis

    VManis Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    IIRC They played James at LT towards the end of the Raiders game as well.
     
  3. Conuficus

    Conuficus Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Didn't watch the end of that game as I was traveling that day. Thanks for the info. Thats even better as it just means we are giving him time in that position which will only help us in the long run should he need to step in.
     
  4. phinswolverinesrockets

    phinswolverinesrockets If he dies, he dies

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    The last 2 games he's only given up a total of 2 QB hurries at LG. He should continue to get the start over Colledge. He's been vastly superior.
     
  5. adamprez2003

    adamprez2003 Senior Member

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    The oline is everything. People talk about tannehill improving as the season went on. I don't think that's true. I saw the improvements in tannehills game from last season to this as early as week one and even in the buffalo gm. The real story of why tannehill is looking better is the improved play of the oline the last couple of weeks. Detroit will be a huge test to see how far the oline has come. If the oline has a bad game, expect tannehill to get the blame. If they have a good gm expect tannehill to get the praise
     
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  6. Ohio Fanatic

    Ohio Fanatic Twuaddle or bust Club Member

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    It seems like it's been better. pretty big task this week (and the next several weeks) with dominating Dline's on our schedule, certainly much better than San Diego's Dline.
     
  7. CrunchTime

    CrunchTime Administrator Retired Administrator

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    He has improved on the left side but PFF has him rated as the only OL that played on Sunday with a negative grade.
    IMO he benefits by playing next to two saavy vets like Albert and Satele.
     
  8. Canad-phin

    Canad-phin Active Member

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    Thomas is mush better suited at the left guard spot. Did anyone see the great pull around the tackle and destroy the MLB. Great show of his movement ability. He was playing the best player on the SD front in Luiget. I think he gave up one pressure. I think Thomas is the starter going forward at LG or at least I think he should be.
     
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  9. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    He should have been at left guard from the very beginning. I would like to see him more in live action to see whether or not his average play is a consistency or a 2-game revelation. While the staff likes versatile lineman, it would appear that Thomas isn't really one, which is fine if he locks down that left interior convincingly.
     
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  10. Fin4Ever

    Fin4Ever Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Yes he should have always been playing LG. He was drafted in the 3rd round out of Tn. because of his stellar play at LG and I also give much credit to Benton as well. WOW he has our OL playing very well and again how great it is for our team to have hired Dennis Hickey..what an awesome job he has done to date. Lastly, I will be happy when Billy Turner is healthy because I think he is going to be a great player for us and I think a ways down the road he will be our LT !!....GO FINS !!!!
     
  11. the 23rd

    the 23rd a.k.a. Rio

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    t-Albert g-Colledge c-Satele g-Pouncey t-James
    one good game does not a career make... let Thomas earn the start. competition is the elixir of success.
    we need to win now, not experiment with an established offensive line.
    no doubt this will put Colledge on the hot seat: hopefully, the off-week has served him well.
    don't fix what's not broken! we already start the best five until proven otherwise.
    Thomas is developing well & has time to become one of the best, but he's not ready to send Colledge to the bench.
     
  12. Dol-Fan Dupree

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

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    ewww, get Colledge out of there!
     
  13. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    2nd round pick bro, I haven't isolated on him but I'm going to later..they p,aye that I did see he got blown up on.
     
  14. dolfan40

    dolfan40 Well-Known Member

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    Dallas Thomas 3rd round pick (77)
     
  15. Disgustipate

    Disgustipate Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I think you've go to wait and see more of Thomas before you get to the point that you're not concerned he's going to be a significant danger to any given drive in a game. He hasn't been that the last two weeks, but I think it's certainly one of those things that depends on the matchup, the quality and style of the opponent, etc.

    There's no reason not to start him over Daryn Colledge, though. They're about equally as dangerous, and I'd much rather take the lumps with a guy who isn't on his last legs.
     
  16. mroz

    mroz Fix the OL Club Member

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    Dallas Thomas was a third round pick right after the chargers took Keenan Allen... And a couple picks before the steelers took Wheaton out of OSU
     
  17. 54Fins

    54Fins "In Gase we trust"

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    Pegged it! :up:

    Lions, Bills, Ravens, etc. Great showing yesterday but now is the time to see how Playoff worthy we are.
     
  18. mroz

    mroz Fix the OL Club Member

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    All things being equal I think I would rather start a younger guy who may not have reached his ceiling. We know Colledge is not going to get any better then he is right now. I am not 100% certain we can say that about Thomas. I mean, who knows maybe the light is coming on for Thomas and we have a more then serviceable guard by the end of the season.

    lastly, while idk if Thomas is worth a crap or not.. I really don't have a lot of confidence in this coaching staffs ability to see talent sitting right under their collective noses. I mean how hard was it to tell the Jenkins was better then Ellibre and Wheeler? Yet if was not for injury Jenkins would still be on the bench playing some minor role on this team.
     
  19. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    My bad..
     
  20. RickyBobby

    RickyBobby VIP DIY

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    If he can play good, that's great but the 1 I'm more excited about is turner.

    Albert-thomas-pouncy(contract) turner-james in 2015 can be even better.

    And just wait until we get a real power back. Lamar is doing well but he needs a good compliment to really feel his full impact. If only Moreno didn't get hurt...
     
  21. 77FinFan

    77FinFan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I didn't realize that he had that long hair; I though Billy was making an appearance. The few plays I watched him specifically he played well. Glad to see it.
     
  22. Fin4Ever

    Fin4Ever Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    No problem :)Please keep in mind everyone that I did not say that he was going to be the saviour at LG..all I was saying is that the team has played him out of position his whole time here until Benson put him in two games ago to fill in for colledge and it is nice to finally see him get a shot.at.his natural position.
     
  23. Fin4Ever

    Fin4Ever Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Also I think that The23rd is a troll and a Patriots fan! All I have seen from him is negativity and believe it or not since my time in the forum I think that Linebacker's Finest has.actually been more positive than The23rd and at least finest has shown me respect for my opinion on some of the threads! 23rd Marcia needs you over in the Patsies forum.
     
  24. emocomputerjock

    emocomputerjock Senior Member

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    Not that we should have posts about board members, but Rio's been around forever, and isn't a Pats fan. Let's not talk about other members anymore and keep the board civil.
     
  25. Conuficus

    Conuficus Premium Member Luxury Box

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    He has his quirks, like pretty much all of us. Hell, I can be a royal pain in the *** when the mood strikes and I have to agree, he has earned his stripes here.
     
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  26. Fin4Ever

    Fin4Ever Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I am pretty sure that I have shown everyone alot of respect since I have been participating in the forum and was basically replying because of posts I have read from the member in regards to posts that I have made..My apologies 23rd..It is never my intention to upset anyone..wow though..I have never seen this type of post defending finest..my apologies emocom.
     
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  27. emocomputerjock

    emocomputerjock Senior Member

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    No worries man, things can get heated on the board quickly. We all have our quirks.
     
  28. Piston Honda

    Piston Honda Well-Known Member

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    Cant say it any better than that.
     
  29. Zeke0123

    Zeke0123 message board ******* Club Member

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    you would have to dig deep but 23rd was a superhomer a few years back..."orca 5" was his nickname for the first Parcells/Ireland Oline with Long Grove Smiley DThomas and that crew that looked really good when they played together..He had a lot of prose in his post and they were fun and completely positive now he isnt a believer currently.. and thats OK the Dolphins have disappointed us their fans quite a lot recently so I get it and he gets a pass from me.
     
  30. Fin4Ever

    Fin4Ever Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Thanks Zeke..again my bad..I understand as I have been a Dolfan since their start in 1966 as a 6 year old and believe me when I say "I Bleed Aqua & Orange."
     
  31. Zeke0123

    Zeke0123 message board ******* Club Member

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    PS I happen to agree with him that Colledge should still start but it is nice to see him (thomas) not completely suck.
     
  32. Fin4Ever

    Fin4Ever Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Yes and I have no problem with colledge either..my overall point was that I am glad that if they are going to play Thomas that it is finally at his college position and where he got his draft projection from LG.
     
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  33. PhinsRDbest

    PhinsRDbest Transform and Transcend

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    Would love to see Bootstrap out there myself.
     
  34. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    I see Dallas Thomas as basically a Nate Garner with a suntan, when it comes to talent level. Granted their skills sets are not the same, just their talent level in their individual skill sets.
    I'd keep the current line intact this year, but in 2015 and beyond I'd rather see Billy Turner and Shelley Smith as the guards. Both of those fellas are much more physical and talented than Thomas, IMO. Thomas, as with Garner, is a versatile guy who can get ya by at various positions in a pinch, but not someone you'd want as a long term full time starter.
     
  35. LBsFinest

    LBsFinest Banned

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    Shelly Smith is still better, probably Billy Turner too.
     
  36. VanDolPhan

    VanDolPhan Club member Club Member

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    Shelley Smith won't be here next year at his number. Suffice to say he was a disappointment. I think we will see Satele get an extension and Pouncey's move made permanent. Go into next season with only LG up for battle between Thomas/Turner etc.
     
  37. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    That would be fine with me too. I have always liked SS more than most people.
     
  38. Larryfinfan

    Larryfinfan 17-0...Priceless Club Member


    I like the improvement we've seen in Thomas. The thing is, when putting him in, you still have to look at best 5...is it better to leave Thomas in (when Colledge returns) or to move Pouncey back to C and sit Satele...etc...is Colledge better at RG than Smith or Pouncey. Is Pouncey better at C than Satele...There is just so much that goes into it, and then if you start moving guys around, you're ultimately messing with chemistry too...


    Too bad we don't have a Kuech anymore that we could plug into ANY OL position and get superior play....
     
  39. MrClean

    MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member

    The consummate warrior and team player. Too bad he retired a couple of years ago. :) Then there was the poor man's Keuch, Jeff Dellenbach. Now we have the very poor man's Dellenbach, Nate Garner.

    I don't expect to see Satele or Pouncey moved barring injury. Either Thomas stays at LG or Colledge retains his job when healthy.
     
  40. Zeke0123

    Zeke0123 message board ******* Club Member

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    Mark Dixon was my second favorite Swiss army OL.
     

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