Gates Showing Signs of Improvement

Obviously it is a slow news week regarding the Dolphins if an article is being written about Gates. He has ONE catch this entire season. He hasn't shown the ability to get off the line of scrimmage and he has not been able to make adjustments in his routes. He also has been terrible on kick returns. So I would much rather actually see Gates show improvement instead of reading about his improvement. Right now I would take Ginn over Gates, any day of the week.

Pouncey is the only draft selection from the 2011 who has actually shown the ability to be a long term player for the Dolphins. Thomas had two decent games earlier in the season but other than these two games, he is averaging less then 3 yards a carry. Wilson has been so-so as a cornerback and I don't see him being around for very long after the new regime takes over.

 

I think you're dramatically underrating the play. Besides Gates, who has really done nothing at all to suggest he's going to be worthwhile, the rookie class has been quite good early.

Daniel Thomas has had hamstring issues. Those can linger and be subject to setbacks. I don't think there is any question though that Thomas has what it takes to be successful. He's got good vision and moves, and that'll get you pretty far.

Jimmy Wilson has been way better than "so-so" in the context of being a rookie cornerback, and I don't think there are any circumstances where he's going to get jettisoned. His game as a starter was better than most of what Sean Smith, Vontae Davis, and Will Allen have done this year.

You're not mentioning Charles Clay, either.

 

I am merely rating these players based on what they have done so far this season. As I stated, Thomas did have two good games but in the other games he has either been out injured or he has not played very well. He may end up being a good NFL running back but two decent games does not prove anything. Until he is healthy and shows consistent running ability, I still have a big question mark about his overall running back skills at the NFL level.

Wilson played okay in his one start but I have seen him make enough mistakes in coverage that I still question his ability to be a quality NFL cornerback over the next few years. I think the fact that the defensive line has finally started applying some pressure on the QB has helped all the defensive backs. I actually like Wilson more than Carroll, but I still have my doubts about him once the new regime takes over.

I did leave out comments on Clay. That is because he has played one good game so far this season. I think next to Pouncey, Clay could end up being the best pick in the 2011 draft. Yet I have to see more from him similar to how he played in the Redskins game. Prior to the Redskins game, he had done about as much in games as Gates has done, which was not much.

All these players may end up being good players for the Dolphins eventually. I just haven't seen enough from any of them, except perhaps Pouncey, to declare them solid draft picks. It is actually very difficult to praise any player on the Dolphins at this time, when you consider that they are 2-7 at this point in the season.

 

this has been a very solid draft class. Pouncey has the potential to be spectacular if he continues to develop. Thomas can be a starting RB. Wilson, Clay can be very solid contributors. The jury is still out on Gates, but it would be dumb as hell to give up on him now when he's still learning to play at this level.

 

Gates is a work in progress. Which is pretty normal for a rookie.

 

He's 25 years old,better expedite the process.

 

I've seen nothing, outside of speed, that suggests Gates will ever amount to much as a kick returner. He just doesn't seem to have the ability to make people miss and his vision seems questionable.

However, he could be a big part of this offense if he can learn the receiver position. The fact that he only has one catch so far this year is a bit disconcerting, but since receiver can be a difficult position for a rookie to play I'd give him a pass and hope he shows some flashes the rest of the way.

 

Especially a rookie from a smaller school and who really got by on natural ability like the article states. Hes a project but probably a worthwhile one for a rebuilding team and a team that has lacked a vertical threat for quite a long time. It probably pays to let him earn his stripes on ST's for the rest of this year and next much like some other successful receivers have done in the past such as Miles Austin and more recently Victor Cruz. Gates is far from a finished product but he does have the upside to make the time and effort being put in to his development pay off.

As for the rest of the draft class Pouncey will be a starter in this league for a very long time. Thomas, Clay and Wilson should be in the league and contributing for a long time. Thomas in particular probably will have a good 5-7 year run which for a running back is about normal. A lot of backs have trouble adjusting to the speed of the game even ones drafted higher then Daniel Thomas. Ryan Mathews comes to mind last year as does C.J. Spiller.

 

Tight end… vertical threat?

We're screwed.

 

He is a rookie who went to a school where he dominated from bubble screens and fly routes. He had practically no offseason to learn route running, what did you expect?

 

I see it as a very solid draft. And Gates' development curve is about what should have been expected. I think that if Henne had stayed healthy and the OL hadn't been so poor in pass pro that Gates would have had about 10 catches at this point. I've seen him get open on plays where the QB just didn't have time to get the ball out.

 

Improvement?

 

Johnny Knox went to the same school just a few years ago and had 45 catches his rookie season.

Besides, I did say I'd give him a pass. But one catch is still one catch. And you can't blame that entirely on the lockout.

 

Yea, but that is meaningless because Johnny Knox is a different person than Gates and also had an offseason to learn how to route run in the NFL.

 

In what context? There are a lot of unquestionable "NFL cornerbacks" who pretty frequently have worse stretches than anything Wilson has had thus far.

You need to watch him as a blocker, then. He still needs to develop physically, but he's thrown some nice blocks, in both pass protection and run blocking from multiple positions. Guys who can do that tend to stick around, even without the receiving upside Clay has shown.

 

Gates developing into a credible #2 WR would probably make this the best draft class I can remember for Miami. WRs often times take time to develop I wouldn't count Gates out after 10 games especially when playing at flanker. Some guys make an immediate impact at the position, others don't.

 

Clyde has been..underwhelming, as mch as I like him...there is no other way to say, dude has been mostly invisible in every phase of the gm, Wr and KR.

I suspect his speed is not translating to the field as of yet, could be the fact he has not played a ton of football, but either way, Mike Wallace he ain't.