I just wanted to ask, will the FO get aggressive this year to go out and spend money, make trades and add players to core of guys we have now? Seems to me that they should have added to the team we had last year to get farther then the 1st round in the playoffs? Thanks
If I had to rank the biggest needs, I'd say WR, ILB, NT (always can stand to upgrade there in a 3-4 system unless you have a star) and maybe S.
Thanks so much, Mari0k! I don't expect people to like everything I write, but the fact you can disagree and still want to read is important to me. Can't tell you enough how much that means to me.
I wouldn't totally dismiss Pennington coming back for 2010. If he wants to keep playing, Miami might be his best opportunity. He won't be a starter anywhere. No team will give him that shot. So if he has to be a backup somewhere, why not in Miami, where he can keep tutoring Henne?
lets say that scenario plays out and henne hurts his wrist or something.....pennington plays lights out for 3 weeks....does/will that cause a problem in the locker room and will it have players choosing sides? (even media and fans)
You asked this question long before I was assigned this analysis, but I'm getting to it just now. I filed this AFC East season wrap-up today. In it, we were asked to affix an up arrow or down arrow to reach team to indicate which way they were trending. http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/8741/afc-east-team-wrap-ups
I think Polite had a great season and will be a factor for the Dolphins in the future. The problem is, only one fullback makes it. So I just couldn't bring myself to consider him "snubbed" as so many others did. Sometimes a great season isn't enough.
Welcome to the site Tim Graham! Does the NFL release the names of the pro bowl alternates? And if not, would you know if Ted Ginn may have made it as an alternate on kick returns/Special Teams?
Hey Tim good to see you here. You're AFC East Blog does a helluva job keeping me away from doing anything at work. I just want to know if you heard any wind on two Dolphins... Did you hear anything on the exact reason why Matt Roth was waived? Did they even try to deal the guy before they put him on the PUP List? Any news about how the front office feels about Ted Ginn and their plans in 2010 for him? Thanks!
1) Don't have one, which I'm thankful about because it makes my job a lot easier. I'm from Cleveland, so I grew up a Browns fan. But when they moved to Baltimore, I lost interest and haven't been a fan of anything other than the game ever since. 2) I am big into the draft process, but I'm not a big film watcher. It's folly. I can get an impression on a lot of skill players, but I have no clue what I'm looking at when I watch linemen. Kim Bokamper and I have this discussion often. Even people who played the game don't know what to look for on film. I'm not one of those guys who's going to feed you a line of BS on how a guy sinks his hips or needs to work on his lateral movement. Ninety percent of the people who say those things are just repeating what someone else told them anyway. ... So always know that I won't feed you a line of crap by making it seem like I break down all these players. I speak to a lot of scouts I trust and lean on their knowledge. I'm not egotistical enough to present myself as any kind of expert. 3) Tough to say in January. So much will happen between now and the draft. Players will get reshuffled all over the place. Skeletons will come out of the closets of some key players. This time last year, I would have been certain Percy Harvin would be off the board at No. 11. 4) Hate to waffle, but I don't think Roger Goodell knows. I covered the NHL lockout of 2004-05, and it took on about eight personalities before it was all done. Right now is a period of high posturing. Both sides are bluffing and neither is ready to give. It's too early in the process.
Very impressed Tim, look forward to having someone of your talent to read on here. And thanks for your time
I'm not going to pose any questions just yet as I'm still absorbing the season and getting rid of the sour taste it left. I did however want to take the time to say say thank you for coming to this site and answering our questions. I'm sure you will find this is a top notch site filled with quality people.
Tim Again, thank you for doing this. Topic that is discussed alot on these boards. Teddy Ginn. What is your opinion on him as a player?
Very honest and refreshing to hear! Hey Tim, since somebody stole my first question and you already answered it, I was wondering if I could get your thoughts on the evolution of the NFL. I know it's always been said that defense and a running game wins championships. It seems to me that in today's NFL offense rules the day, and a great offense can really make a not so great defense better. Defenses don't have to play honest when they are ahead by 3 scores. It also seems like the best defenses in the NFL can no longer stop the best offenses, but best case scenario, can only slow them down a bit. And lastly, I get the sense that teams that have adjusted to the rule changes regarding the limited contact defensive backs can have with WRs are thriving, while some teams stuck in the mindset of defense and strong running games, while ignoring the QB and WR positions are struggling or floundering in mediocrity. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks in advance!
He's a great return man, below average receiver. He has value to a team, but ninth overall for a kick returner is a monster bust.
And would you say that when Cam drafted him at #9 as a return man/ WR project.....the odds of him not being a bust were pretty slim? I mean isn't that committing a cardinal sin on draft day to begin with?
Unfortunately, I don't have any insider info on what the final straw was with Matt Roth. I was generically informed it was a numbers issue, and the front office wanted to get Cameron Wake more involved. But I'm sure there was more to it than that. As for Ginn, my sense is that he'll be back next year. But don't hold me to that. He's a frustrating player. And Bill Parcells has been known to junk a guy for that reason alone.
Devin Hester made some otherwise sane-thinking people drunk over the possibilities. And two years later, Hester wasn't effective enough to be his own team's kick returner anymore. It was a classic example of somebody trying to get in at the beginning of an NFL trend. Only the trend was misguided.
Hi Tim, Tanks for answering all these questions. Since the Dolphins are out of the playoffs a lot of attention has turned toward the new Stadium design. Have you seen the new plans and what do you think of them? Is there anything you would change about the current plans? (Like that hideous roof)
ALRIGHT TIM. Lets get to the really important stuff. Are you a fan of the original Miami fight song or the new Miami fight songs that our new ownership is pushing
Thanks. Now for the important questions: Which stadium has the best food or do you just sort of wait until after the game?
Tim, Do you have any inclination as to whether either of Miami's coordinators, Dan Henning and Paul Pasqualoni, could be replaced? If so, any ideas who they could be replaced by? I did notice your mention of former Virignia Coach Al Groh on the AFC East blog as a potential candidate to replace Reid and Edwards as a LB coach.
Love the answer.....I used to refer to what happened as Cam and Mueller having a case of "Devin Hester Syndrome". Being insanely infatuated with those "possibilities" you spoke of, is the only explanation there could be for that selection. I wasn't bothered by Cam's comments about how we were "getting the entire Ginn family".....what got me was him walking out there after he just used our top ten pick and informing us that we need to get prepared for the excitement that Ted Ginn Jr would bring to the return game. I just sat there in my chair for a while, catatonic as Capt. Pike........not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Thanks for your time Tim, it's really great to have you here like this
Thanks Tim. I seem to remember several fans getting bent out of shape on your blog over criticisms of early moves - like keeping Ricky and signing Pennington. With that said, if you don't remember then I probably remember wrong. Hey, its a blog, and so it really doesn't matter what you say, just as long as they are talkin' about you. What do you think about the bad calls that have gone against the Phins in the late season? Its almost as if Bellicheat is calling up his buddy the commish and begging not to have to face our Phins in the playoffs.
This is pretty much the same line of thinking that led to the Pat White pick wouldn't you say? It's what I've concluded anyway. Our FO people got stars in their eyes after the success we had with the WC plays the previous year. I think the idea of revolutionizing the game kind of blinded them to White's limitations. So...can he make it as a WR in the NFL? Does White really have potential to play in the NFL at any position?
Hey Tim, This question is in regards to this blog by Armando Salguero. Rather than just arbitrarily looking at each teams line I decided to use the only source for Olinemen than I am away of and have access to. Well here it is. Just like many of you after reading that article I did a double take. So much so that I decided to crunch some numbers (stats). As we all know Statistics for O linemen are hard to come by so I went to a trusted and reliable source Pro Football Focus. I then took each teams top two tackles, Guards and a center and did the math, well I let Excel do the crunching but you get the idea. According to these numbers we rank #2 right behind.. well I'll let you see for yourselves. Also another interesting note if we swap Thomas for Garner out total and average jump to 56.8 and 11.36 respectively. Which would put us as the top line in the NFL. If you can I would like your thoughts on how the leagues Olines are ranked.
I thought the team spent a lot of money last year. Bell, Wilson, Carey, Grove, and Crowder were all signed to good $, and only Crowder didn't get a pretty big contract. JT and Berger had pretty cheap contracts. I mean, there is only so much money you can spend, and we certainly weren't penny pinching.
Last year we spent a lot of money. Most money spent by the Dolphins in any offseason last year i believe. Don't forget we extended Will Allen too.
You're 100% correct. As already reported we had the 2nd highest payroll. It's hard to spend much more than that.
What the FO did and I like is that instead of giving the money to one big name player they shored up lots of positions in FA. The corollary to that is when you do things that way you have to draft your superstars because you're not buying them on the free agent market. Last season the Dolphins had some hits like Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, and Brian Hartline. And they had some misses like Pat White and Patrick Turner. I think the FO needs to take fewer gambles with their picks personally.
Tim, I love your stuff and follow you on twitter and facebook so it's really good seeing you here. I have a couple of questions for you. First, you say that you think the Dolphins need a WR, ILB and NT in that order. If we get to #12 and Dez Bryant and Rolando McClain are somehow still there which one would you draft and why? Second, what moves MUST the Dolphins make to be strong playoff contenders for next year? What reasonable moves can they make to almost certainly guarantee they are in contention for next year? Thanks!
Well, I was asking more of getting playmakers such as WR "yes I said WR",maybe a LB, just getting aggressive with playmakers. Sorry if I confused anyone.
Well who do you suggest we spend our money on? Most WR's that are good will be restricted andthey will be tendered. Its not about money but about picks. Our FO does not wanna trade away our future like that and I agree. Tim Graham feel free to jump in with any comments you may have