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The OL

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by Galant, Aug 1, 2021.

  1. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    Once again, the conversation turns to the Offensive Line. It's important. Will the Dolphins finally turn a weakness into a strength?

    Dave Hyde has a piece focusing in on the OL coach, not the players:


    By DAVE HYDE
    SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL |
    AUG 01, 2021 AT 4:34 PM

    "For years, the Miami Dolphins have spent massively and futilely on the offensive line. They’ve used four, first-round picks in the past 10 years on it.

    They also signed four free agents over that period to contracts in the double-digit millions — like last year with guard Ereck Flowers’ guaranteed $19.5 million. He’s now in Washington.

    They’ve doubled-down on the draft in this rebuild, too. In the past three years, they used more than one collective draft on the line: one first-round pick, two second-round picks, one third, two fourths and a seventh-round pick.

    But what if everyone’s paying attention to the wrong investment?

    “The offensive line coach is a helluva lot more important than any of his players,” Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson said. “That’s probably the only assistant you can say that about.”

    If you were to rank positions that have been franchise embarrassments to the Dolphins in the past decade, the offensive line coach would be No. 1. It’s like the position is haunted.

    Jim Turner was fired for being in the middle of Bullygate. Chris Foerster was fired after video of him snorting a white, powdery substance in a team office was released by a Vegas model. Pat Flaherty was fired four practices into Brian Flores’ head-coaching era.

    Lemuel Jeanpierre is Flores’ third line coach in three years. He was an assistant line coach last year and was promoted to coach his first line this season. What a chance to shine, too. He has more potential to mold and more decisions to make than any peer in the league.

    Robert Hunt, last year’s rookie right tackle, is now at right guard. Maybe. Rookie Liam Eichenberg, the expected right tackle this season, practiced in three positions Saturday. Was that for depth, as happens? Or is something changing?

    And center? Who will it be? Third-year Michael Deiter, a mostly reserve guard the previous two seasons, was the starting center in the first week camp. Truth is, the only position set in concrete is left tackle Austin Jackson, last year’s No. 1 pick.

    “Lem is cool,” Hunt said. “Lem is one of us.”

    He meant Jeanpierre played six years as an offensive lineman for Seattle until 2015. He also meant Jeanpierre is in his first year as a top assistant. So he’s starting his job just as these young linemen are.

    “He’s just like us,” Hunt said. “He helped the rookies last year a ton and now [helps us] try to take a second-year leap. He’s a fun guy.”

    This offense and the development of Tua Tagovailoa go nowhere if the line isn’t better. Dolphins quarterbacks had the least time to throw in the league last year. The offense ranked 27th with a 3.9-yard rushing average. Flores opting to go for a league-low eight fourth downs was surely in part due to a lack of confidence in the line.

    Many of those problems could be explained by starting three rookies on the line. But this year is about results. No team has invested in the line of late like the Dolphins. Many great teams never do. All have great offenses and have a good offensive line coach, though.

    New England used two first-round picks on the line to the Dolphins’ four over the past decade. But Bill Belichick had Dante Scarnecchia polishing lesser investments into a solid line. Scarnecchia retired in 2015, the line floundered and Belichick got him back the next year.

    Johnson took Tony Wise with him from the University of Miami.

    “Tony was the worst recruiter in the world,” he said. “But he was the best offensive line coach I’ve been around.”

    Johnson never used a first-round pick on an offensive lineman. He thought that was where you got playmakers. His Super Bowl line still was full of Pro Bowlers. An undrafted and converted defensive lineman (Mark Tuinei) and third-round pick (Erik Williams) were tackles. A guy thought too fat (Nate Newton) and a seventh-round pick (Kevin Cogan) were guards.

    At center? “I said, ‘Tony can you take this 245-pound guard and teach him to play center?’ " Johnson said of Mark Stepnoski, who became a three-time All-Pro center.

    All of which explains Johnson’s belief the line coach is more important than any lineman.

    “Offensive linemen are in a world of their own,” Johnson said. “The guy they’re blocking almost always is a better athlete. If they make the wrong step, the better athlete is going to beat them. If they screw up an assignment, the play is dead.

    “But you can get guys that are smart and do the right thing, that have some ability and size and they can be taught how to play — if you have the right teacher.

    “I was lucky. I had Tony. He made that line in Dallas. If you’ve got someone in the quarterback’s face and he’s running for his life, the play’s dead. Maybe the series is dead. Maybe the game’s dead.”

    For years, the Dolphins have been dead. Only part of that’s on the offensive line. But it’s been a loud, expensive and often embarrassing part.

    They’ve spent big on it again in this rebuild with draft picks and money. But the most crucial player on the line doesn’t play there. Jeanpierre molds the clay. Flores’ third line coach in three years needs to be the right one."

    Dave Hyde
     
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  2. tirty8

    tirty8 Well-Known Member

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    I think it is merely a matter of time before this is a really good o-line. Finally, finally, finally, we did it right. We have so much young talent up front.

    I think we might even be getting a bonus with Michael Dieter. It sounds like he is being given a real chance to start at center. I think that if he winds up being a guy that just took some time to develop, we are further ahead than what I had thought after the draft.
     
  3. mlb1399

    mlb1399 Well-Known Member

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    Like anything, I think it’s equal parts coaching and drafting talent. We’ve certainly invested some resources there. What I like about this build is been have been 2nd day picks. I certainly trust Flo and it remains to be seen if this OL coach can do the job.

    But if we can build a dominant OL, with this defense, we better put the rest of the NFL on Super Bowl alert(I know I’m getting way ahead of myself but it’s fun to dream).
     
  4. OwesOwn614

    OwesOwn614 Well-Known Member

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    Personally, I loved using our bevy of picks to select three OL last year. Folks talk about how they struggled but considering the lack of a true offseason program, I'm bullish on how well they're going to play. Especially now that they know the speed of the game. With Eichenberg, we have four young quality OL who can develop into a strong unit for years.
     
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  5. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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  6. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    A lot of writers seem to think the Ravens need help at WR. At the same time, there was talk about OL Ben Powers being an attractive trade piece. He was a backup who stepped up and performed admirably.
     
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  7. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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  8. hitman8

    hitman8 Well-Known Member

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    Dieter always projected better at center than guard. We wasted a couple of years trying to play him at guard, good to see he is now getting a shot at his best position.
     
  9. Deus ex dolphin

    Deus ex dolphin Well-Known Member

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    Lots of pieces, but I don't feel like they know who should be playing where. I hope they figure it out quick though, as the starting five need time to gel into a cohesive unit. With Tua looking like he has taken a leap it's the OL that might hold back the offense, given the talent we now have at WR/TE.
     
  10. Ronnie Bass

    Ronnie Bass Luxury Box Luxury Box

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    Feels like straightening out our OL has been an uphill battle for decades now.

    It really has to be the hardest position for scouts to evaluate, maybe even more so than the QB position.
     
  11. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    It definitely does. However, while talent has been an issue at times, I suspect it's been the coaching. We've gone from down right horrendous coaching and scandal, through multiple changes, until last year we saw what seemed like a sub-par line overachieve. We've changed the line coach again, and seen more changes, which is frustrating. We really need to get a long terms line coach sorted - and that's a part of the rebuild too I suppose.
     
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  12. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I agree with you. The Dolphins have failed to get much out of any linemen other than first round picks for an insanely long time now. Its been an embarrassing failure for a franchise to be that bad at something through multiple coaching staffs. And our new OL coach and asst OL coach are both very young - younger than some players.

    I think that things are going to get better, but that its going to be gradual, and take some time. I love that they keep drafting linemen. Now they need to let them play and hopefully develop. And they can't pull them in favor of steady, mediocre backups any time something goes sideways. Let them play.
     
  13. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    Better talent vs better coaching.
     
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  14. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    Coaching has definitely been the bigger issue IMO, in consistency as well as ability, and I do think that a well-coached OL is the secret sauce for success.

    However, we know that the Dolphins were looking for a centre and that they picked up Skura as a consolation prize. As such, my guess is that the Dolphins aren't happy with their talent at OL and that they need and want to find better talent long term.

    If they can find a stud long term OL player for some of the WR excess or picks we have, then it's worth it.

    Of course, it's a two edged sword. All the chopping and changing of free agents has it's purpose but doing that to the OL is not good. Then again, all experience in the world won't make sub-par players better.

    The Dolphins need to be surgical here. Doing no harm but making precise changes where necessary and possible.

    If we take a step back with our OL this year I for one won't be happy.
     
  15. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    Our first team line graded well against the Bears and that's with Eichenberg out due to injury. So I think we'll be okay on that front going into the season and time is on our side for them to develop into a cohesive unit. But what bites us each year is having quality depth- and I didn't see a whole lot of protection from the 2nd and 3rd teams last weekend. At times it was ugly, but I think it's important to realize that this was the first pre-season game as well.

    I am not "comfortable" with where our line is at today, but I'm not as nervous as previous seasons either. The line is always a work in progress and I think we'll get there this year.
     
  16. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    Last edited: Aug 16, 2021
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  17. OwesOwn614

    OwesOwn614 Well-Known Member

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    Hmmm... Little is a 2019 second-round OL who clearly flamed out in Carolina. I understand taking a flyer on him, just wonder what went wrong for the Panthers.


     
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  18. mlb1399

    mlb1399 Well-Known Member

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    At least we’re no longer trading 2nd round draft picks for Josh Rosen
     
  19. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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  20. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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