Absolutely. Having two SS makes as much sense as thinking the wide 9 is a defensive scheme, and it's effectiveness is nullified as soon as we need run help from the 2ndary.
We COULD draft Minkah Fitzpatrick, and bump McDonald to slot vs. TE or nickel LB should the Phins feel the same way.
DE or LB first round, can never have to many people who can impact the QB. LB is biggest area of concern, we seem to be unable to remember that TEs catch footballs at all. Damn sure can't cover one. Our run D got better but we need upgrades. I think they look for a TE or RB like Kamara if available (Miles Gaskin pretty please) in the 2nd FA targets interior Line, a trade at WR either Landry if the $$$ forces it or Parker. Should be looking to upgrade some coaching spots, OL TE especially, maybe an OC or an assistant HC to game manage while Gase runs Offense. I would really like to see veteran DC who has HC experience for an Assistant HC for Gase. Jack Del Rio would be a good hire. HC experience and LB specialties. Jim Caldwell would be another. QB not going to happen til after 4th rd, too much top talent elsewhere in areas of more need. Give up on the dual threat fad, get a leader with a cannon and some balls and coach him up.
Fair enough. That'd obviously help in theory but I think we're ok enough at safety to focus on LB instead at this point. No SB team has pro bowlers at every position.
It's not an outcry for a Pro Bowl FS, but a true FS with range who can make the proper calls in the presnap phase and then be able to quickly diagnose route concepts post snap and get there to make an impact would be a start.
I'd rather run a base 4-2-5 with Rover, Whip, and Free safeties than the 4-3 Over wide 9 crap were running now. I'd be alright with Jones and McDonald in the Rover and Whip roles as long as there as a true FS over top.
I agree, that is the main problem I had with our McDonald signing. He is not a true free safety and is not very good at deep coverage and playing center field. We essentially have two strong safeties starting in Jones and Mcdonald with no true free safety on the team other than the undrafted rookie smith.
Exactly. Then when (not if) we struggle to defend the run with our blase' wide set front and have to bring an 8th man in the box, we have to abandon our proclaimed Cover 2 press defense. We end up putting a SS at the Free spot which in turn forces us to play more off man coverage with our CB's b/c we don't have a guy with S2S range that can get over the top of perimeter vertical routes.
We have Jesse Davis at one spot. He played well. Pouncey played all 16 games and should be better at run blocking once he regains his strength two years after the injury. He was good at pass blocking this year. If we resign jawuan James to a new contract we will be set at tackle with tunsil and James starting and young and Eric Smith backing up. If asiata can start then we don' need any linemen. If not there is a guy on Carolina Panthers andrew norwell that would be a great pickup at guard. Don' see is drafting a lineman unless it' a third day pick
Yes, that's why I really wanted us to draft Marcus Williams this past draft. We need a rangy center fielder like him. If only we had traded down instead of picking charles harris. At this point however we are stuck with Jones and Mcdonald as our starting safety duo. They are both getting paid starter money under long term brand new contracts.
You are making too many assumptions and hoping for the best with our current personnel. Davis played very well toward the end of the season, but he struggled early on and is not a bonafide starter. He was practice squad material up until this season. I would not go into 2018 counting on him as a solid starter. Pouncey was ok pass blocking, but had his worse season run blocking. He has a degenerative hip condition. James is going to cost 9.5 mil against the cap next season unless he restructures or takes a pay cut I don't se tbaum keeping him on. Asiata has shown absolutey no signs of being ready or able to be a solid starter at this point. As far as norwell he is good but he is going to be commanding 10+ million in free agency. We don't have the cap space to sign him with all of the bad overpaid contracts we already have on this team. Our best bet to address the oline is early in the draft since we are absolutely terrible at drafting oline in the later rounds.
We're stuck with a lot of bad contracts on defense. Not insinuating Jones or McDonald are bad but there's a definite need for FS and they're tying up safety money. Then there's those of Branch, Alonso (he's horrible), Timmons, etc. the astounding cap it of Suh, and toss in an under qualified DC in Burke and I don't have much hope for the defense in the coming year.
Don't forget, the original premise here wasn't what would you do, or what do you want them to do, it's what do you think the Dolphins are going to do.
Sorry for the off topic responses. Though before I post what I think the Dolphins will do, I'm gonna have to figure out a way to shove my head up my *** to properly simulate the FO's decision making process. I kid. Sort of. Not really.
Tunsil..X..Drake..Grant..Raeqwon..Tank..Harris..God..Taylor..Chase Allen..Davis.. two drafts...A..B..C..D..F.. Grade?
James will either be cur or restructured. Timmons and Julius Thomas will be cut. And they will probably try to restructure suh. We have enough money for norwell or whoever else we want
The drafts have a potential and some have already proven themselves. My snarky response there was more about FA and offseason moves.
The major problem with the FO is TBAUM. He is the one who handles free agency, trades and contracts, all of which he has done a horrific job of during his time here. The last two drafts have been ok because Grier is the one responsible for Drafting. He has done a good job of finding some value in the later rounds. I would give Grier a B- for Drafting and give TBAUM an F for the contracts, trade and free agency work. If ROSS had any football sense he would have fired TBAUM two seasons ago.
While that has been the story for more than a decade I think we can have a lot more confidence in the current team. The last two drafts have been very solid IMO. And I really don't see this group having an Eddie Moore or Jamar F.N. Fletcher kind of brain fart.
I agree on the wide 9 but Jones has shown coverage ability and ability inside the box. Many defensive schemes now are using left and right safeties as opposed to free and strong safeties or range and box safeties. I’m actually a big fan of what we did there as McDonald adds an element of thumper we haven’t had in quite a while. By the way...welcome