Existing roster scheme-fits

The Dolphins are going to be running new schemes on both offense and defense. Pretty much everything is changing this off-season, from the tree the offensive variant hails from, to the blocking scheme and defense. While the Dolphins have had a bunch of different coaches, they've had most of their offensive and defensive philosophies stay reasonably consistent for a surprising amount of time- They've had a Coryell-based offense since Nick Saban resigned, and a 3-4 or heavily influenced defense since Dave Wannstedt was fired. While we don't know exactly what the Dolphins are doing, this year represents a pretty decent change, and I'd like to look at and/or provoke arguments on how the 2011 players fit the 2012 schemes. I'll color code them, because that's fun.

QB Matt Moore- I think Matt Moore is a negative fit. There's a reason why they brought David Garrard in, and I think that tends to be their opinion as well. He did well in 2012, and I think it's a bit of a shame he isn't getting a chance to be the guy here, but I think he's going to run into trouble. There were rumors the offense was scaled down a bit in 2011 to fit Moore's skill-set(as he acted as kind of a gunslinger), and his alleged practice habits aren't likely to earn him any fans with a greater emphasis on timing.

RB Reggie Bush- This one can go either way, I think. He took a big step forward in 2011 in terms of his ability as a rusher, but he's going to be put in a situation where he's responsible for making quick, good decisions in a zone oriented run scheme. That was part of his issue in my opinion in New Orleans. On the other hand, he's an excellent physical fit for it, and a fair amount of his college success came on zone plays that the Saints didn't utilize as much as USC or we will.

RB Daniel Thomas- He's a guy who was successful in college in a zone rushing scheme, and his strengths are basically his vision and short-area quickness rather than outstanding physical ability. I think his prospects will be improved with a scheme change.

WR Brian Hartline ckparrothead covered this well in his video. Brian Hartline made like 75+% of his catches last season in routes this new offense is going to likely emphasize. The Dolphins have made an effort to sign him to an extension now, when they generally seem to prefer doing it during the final year or after, suggesting to me they think he's got a chance to break-out.

Clyde Gates His knock was running routes, and didn't produce much despite being on the field a fair amount as a rookie. He's got a chance, but I don't really expect him to be anything, and the scheme change doesn't help.

WR Davone Bess- Bess has gone under-mentioned and been a bit maligned, and I think he's a better fit than most people give him credit for. He runs good routes and is good after the catch even if he isn't fast or particularly physical. He's not a huge threat for the entire route tree, but he excels at some bread and butter stuff.

TE Anthony Fasano- I think he's neutral. He's a fit for any scheme. There's all the talk of the Packers and receiving tight ends split out wide, but they also used non-Finley tight ends pretty heavily in a variety of roles, and Fasano is about as well-rounded as you get. I think the Dolphins are likely looking at a lot of 2-TE sets with Fasano as the in-line guy and Clay/Egnew split wide. I think there's also the idea that in a zone blocking scheme a tight end who can block as well as Fasano is a big advantage in creating an additional gap defenses have to be concerned about losing.

TE Charles Clay- Clay is a guy you expect to break out, I think. He looked good doing pretty much everything at times last year, and showed a lot of upside. The new scheme I think puts him in a good position because of the willingness to run with a tight end consistently split wide, and possibly the inclusion of some WCO-fullback stuff that would get Clay in the backfield and working from there.

LT Jake Long- I'm as much inclined to see Long as a green than a neutral, personally, but I think at his peak performance it's hard to improve dramatically. I think he's got room to improve as a run blocker in a zone scheme, as he was fairly dominant in doing such in Michigan's offense.

LG Richie Incognito- I've spent most of the off-season thinking he was going to be a net negative, but he seems to be a favorite to continue playing, and ckparrothead and MrClean have made compelling arguments that he was fairly athletic coming out of college and his relative inability to pull isn't something that inherently means he'll be bad even in outside zones.

C Mike Pouncey- A mobile center in a zone scheme is fairly important. He'll be in good position to make second level blocks in the middle of the blocking scheme, and it's rather important in pass protection as well. I think this is potentially the biggest net positive on the offensive line, and maybe the offense in general.

RG John Jerry- There's been a lot said about John Jerry being too heavy for the offense, but one of the major elements of his draft status was his ability to move well despite being a bigger guy. He's athletic enough to be a good fit in a zone scheme in my eyes.

DE Jared Odrick- I think there's a bit of a question if he's going to end up as a Closed End in a 4-3 Under or more of a "true" 4-3 DE. I don't like him as an edge rusher, at least not in passing situations like he was used last year, but I think I'm ok with him playing wide of the tackle in a base defense and kicking inside.

NT Paul Soliai- I think odds are he's not going to change a lot. I think he's most likely a 1-technique, but the change from 2- to 1-gap I dont think is extra significant.

DT Randy Starks- I don't think he's a great 2-gap player, something that was asked of him in the base 3-4 under Mike Nolan's defense. He's more likely to be a 1-gap, 3-technique play most of the time in the new defense which helps.

DE Cameron Wake- He'll likely be pass rushing near 100% of his snaps rather than 85-90%, but I don't know it's inherently a significant change.

SOLB Koa Misi- Koa might be a better fit as a "true" 4-3 OLB, or a guy who acts like one. He's also I think a good fit if he's on the line as a 4-3 OLB and positioned so he's isolated on a tight end and rushes as a blitzer rather than an usual edge rusher.

MLB Karlos Dansby- I think he's a neutral fit, but it depends on what he's asked of him. He's not inherently a "true" 4-3 MLB, but we might not be running a "true" 4-3.

WOLB Kevin Burnett If he's put in a position to flow to the ball with less emphasis on blocker than with an uncovered guard, than I think that's a positive.

CB Vontae Davis- Dunno. Kevin Coyle has done some really good work seemingly with DB's, but I haven't really seen a lot of what the Bengals do in terms of defensive backfield stuff.

CB Sean Smith- Jeff Ireland seems to have suggested that Smith will be better fit in Miami, but again, I'm not in a position to comment too much about it.

FS Chris Clemons- The Bengals have a long history of putting guys with Clemons skill-set into good positions, and I think Clemons got a little bit unfairly dumped in 2011.

SS- Reshad Jones- SEE CHRIS CLEMONS.