http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/thed...olding-back-o-line-with-a-lot-invested-in-it/ Clowns. It's what's beside them, but on the inside. I think the TEs are o.k. for now. Yikes! That doesn't sound too good I thought he was going to turn out to be a really good player. Oops! Who?? I was really surprised that he was still on the board that late and we didn't take him. Oh well. Yes. Very!...but just with the interior.
I think Brian Waters represents an easy, low-hanging fruit. He wants out of KC, and they aren't really in a great position as far as that goes.
He'd be a nice pickup for us, but is he even up for trade? I know he wants out of KC, but Pioli just doesn't give players away.
Time for more trick plays. We're not going to be bulldozing anybody even with Groves at center, unless Coach DiGuglielmo can get the line so on the same page that having no talent at guard at all becomes irrelevant. On the other hand, though; you never really know about talent. Look at Kooch. Fourth round pick of the Eagles; cut almost immediately. Had to play semi-pro ball for some sandlot team in Chicago before the Dolphins signed him as a tryout player. Tough is its own kind of talent. One of these guys might be tough. Remember Kooch when his arm was broken, using his cast to hit people?
Exactly, I "know" some phinfans are concerned about D Thomas's being injured, to me though, this is an opportunity to find some players who can do the job. Our Staff is talented, we can develop a player, one that we will need anyway, as our only proven G/C backup is Berger, and he has been in the NFL for 5 seasons and never started, what is so terrible about developing our own guy? Which brings up another point, raise your hands if you are a Dolphin Fan and sick and tired of watching players we had in Camp, or who we drafted, going elsewhere and becoming a good to very good NFL player for some other team? I know I'm sick of it, the way to avoid that from happening is to give the guys we already have a shot to show what they can do. Players like Lewis, Quinn, Murph, SirVincent, Gardner, Alleman, give them a shot and then maybe make a move for a G like Steinbach with the Browns who is sure to be a cap casualty at 3.6 mil per yr and playing as a backup behind Hadnot of all people.
Who knows what we really have until the coaching staff has a chance to polish and tweak. Look at Larry Little, one of many great offensive linemen in Dolphins history. Larry Little played college at Bethune-Cookman and was an undrafted free agent with San Diego in 1967-68 and came to the Dolphins in 1969, and played with the Dolphins until 1980 the rest is history. How about Jim Langer? Langer was signed by the Cleveland Browns as a free agent in 1970, but was cut during training camp. Langer signed as a free agent with the Miami Dolphins where for his first 2 seasons he saw limited action. Langer became the starter at center in the 1972 season and played in 141 consecutive games over 8 seasons until a knee injury ended his playing days with Miami nine games into the 1979 season. He is considered one of the greatest NFL centers of all time. Langer was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. We may have more than we realize on the offensive line, but we wont know until the coaching staff has a chance to work with them and try to bring out the best in them.
Langer, Little, Kooch, they were the nucleus of our SB runs, but I hope folks keep in mind how rare it is to find players like that simply via coaching them up. I do think we can mine some more gems in UDFA or cut players, heck every year there are over 1,000+ players eligible to be drafted and only 255 are taken, that is a huge pool of guys who never really have much of a chance to play even in mini camps. A part of the fatalism is every phinfan has heard the "we will coach them up" spiel from lil' Nicky and Cam Cameron and they failed miserably to pan out any gems for us, but Sparano is an Oline guy, they'll get it done.
Man everytime I think about that offensive line of Larry Little, Bob Kuechenberg, Norm Evans, Doug Crusan, Jim Langer and later Dwight Stepenson I feel a sense of pride knowing they were one of the best offensive lines ever and they were Miami Dolphins.
While I appreciate your sentiments and agree that at one time we had one of the top OLs year in and year out....you do know that Crusan wasn't a starter for long? In fact did he start at all? Wayne Moore was the starting LT I thought?.....
We had the best Oline coach in the NFL in that era Onehondo, he placed 4 Olinemen in the HoF. * Bob Sandusky, Little, Langer, Stephenson, Webb(?)
The nostalgia involved within this thread is outstanding. Reallistically, not many SOLID O-lines are made up of high draft picks or high profile players. It always seems to take a particular nucleus of talented guys that function well together. Throw in the fact I feel we have perhaps one of the absolute best pair of bookends in the league....which helps provide optimism
Thomas will probably return in July & we have depth @ guard if he doesn't Alleman, Quinn, Lewis, Murphy, Berger, Ndukwe, Garner & Frye can all play the position the new coach will have the material he needs to work with on the current roster with Thomas or w/o him things have to be coached up across the board & they will be the Orca-5 will thrive!
