Jeff Ireland..strategically speaking.

"padre31 wrote:

Let's for the sake of discussion assume that Jeff Ireland was the driving force behind this season's draft.

We came out of 2008's turnaround with essentially Nick Saban's players playing a prominent role as starters as well as Joey Porter having a career year wherein he equaled the sack output of 5 Starters on the Defense (Holiday, Langford, Merling, Roth, Crowder, Ayodele).

Our offense was solid but lacked quality Wr depth, but everyone was still under contract except for Vern Carey.

As the GM looking at those bare facts, a passrusher was clearly on the "need' list going into the draft, at least that is what "us' fans assumed heading into the draft.

What Ireland did, was completely different, we signed Wake to try and bolster the passrush and we drafted Secondary help and Wr depth and maybe some developmental types.

Most fans assumed that Wake would be the passrusher, and Eric Green was to be the "other' Cb, replacing Andre Goodman, but Ireland flanked that thought and went Db in the Draft with Davis at #25 and Smith at #61 and Clemmons in the 6th round.

Which would violate the Ireland "rule of 2" any position of importance will have at least 2 players acquired in order to fill it, and we only had Wake and had passed on a slew of OLB/DE types to compete with Wake.

Enter JT, Rule of 2 satisfied.

If we step back and look at what Ireland accomplished, we have 3 guys to compete for one Cb slot, Green has experience, Davis is a pure cover corner, and Smith is a fascinatingly large Cb prospect, whomever wins the job, the other two Cb can play in nickel and dime packages and our coverages are upgraded with good, young athletes with lots of upside.

We signed G Wilson to team with Bell, but Clemmons physically is incredible, and some of the holdovers like Culver were not stiffs last season, so now not only do we have depth in the Secondary, we also have upside potential.

In one offseason, Ireland has upgraded our secondary to levels we haven't seen since the late 90's.

Which brings up the OLB corps, the key to the 3-4, by adding Wake and JT, we are three deep in pass rushing OLB's, with Roth having a chance to improve on his 5 sack performance from last season, in one offseason, Ireland has given us solid OLB depth, but it's experienced OLB depth with the opportunity to contribute...right now...not in 2010.

Very clever, the only legit complaint is the lack of proven interior offensive line depth, Grove has missed games, Thomas is out again, and unless a UDFA like Quinn or Lewis steps up, we have Berger and Ndukwe for depth.

Our depth at Wr is improved, but young, but when we consider that Ireland inherited Greg C and Ted G last season, then found D Bess, strategically speaking, picks on Turner and Hartline we well spent.

The other legit, unfilled hole on the team is ILB, Reggie Torbor did not impress last season, but Ireland did not address that, we are a touch vulnerable there, unless of course a UDFA shines, or there is an acorn on another team's practice squad, or a vet who will be cut who is perfect for our defense..

I wouldn't underestimate Jeff Ireland, he has an eye for talent, and he knows were the squirrels hide their acorns..

I agree, getting Jeff Ireland was a great move for the organization. The Cowboys were dealt a serious blow when they lost him to us. Last years draft was a good indicator of what kind of talent evaluator he is. Jake Long was a immediate impact player who will be with us for 10-15 more years. Phillip Merling was a guy who was drafted to be a contributor in 2009. He got his feet wet last season and I expect him to be even better this season. Chad Henne is our quarterback of the future, and has a lot of the traits you look for in a field general. And how can anyone forget the small school product in Kendall Langford? B-E-A-S-T from day one. I also really liked this years draft. We picked a lot of guys who will step in and immediately contribute. Guys like Davis, Smith, White and Turner will all see significant amounts of field time this upcoming season, and that's what you want in your rookies.

It's safe to say, I'm so glad Ireland is the general manager.

I love the way Ireland and the rest of FO have put the team together. With the two drafts they have been in charge of, they utilized their picks where the draft was the strongest. In 08, OT was arguably the strongest and deepest positions in that class. We ended up taking the best one right off the bat. Phillip Merling was in the top 5 of DE's. Henne was probably the third best QB. I just thought they did a real good job of taking the top talent regardless of position. In 09, they did the same thing. DB was probably the most talented position in a weak draft and we took two of the top 5 corners. I just love how they draft.

This year I expect them to go LB heavy. To many good OLB rushing prospects. They seem to use three draft picks at a position and next year I believe LB will be it with probably 2 OLB's and 1 ILB depending on how the year goes.

What I am thinking of is the fact that unlike Dolphins teams stretching all the way back to the JJ era, we have intelligent depth with either experience or tremendous upside.

Look at it this way, in 2004, we lost Ricky W and we were finished, in 2009, we can lose Ronnie B and have Ricky W or Cobbs step in and our season won't be over, not by a long shot.

We've moved beyond the stage were losing one player means our season is over, in fact, you would be hard pressed to pick the loss of one player were we don't have a good backup for them.

Ireland has not only found good starters, our depth at 90% of the positions is much better then it has been since Dan Marino's achilles meant Scott Mitchel got a chance to play.

Jeff Ireland has quitely built a very good, very deep team.

"PerfectTeam wrote:

This year I expect them to go LB heavy. To many good OLB rushing prospects. They seem to use three draft picks at a position and next year I believe LB will be it with probably 2 OLB's and 1 ILB depending on how the year goes.

Why? Worst case Roth and Porter or Wake are the OLB's.

We also passed on Rey Mauluga, they might like Crowder and Torbor.

I'd suspect maybe NT, or G, and they will take two of them, one to play, one for depth.

What I really appreciate is our sudden depth at Cb, if Will Allen tumbles down the stairs tomorrow, we have 2 good rookies to insert into the lineup, Green then takes the other spot, or we start the two rooks, Green is the nickel back, lose Allen and Green, we have Davis, Smith and N Jones or Jason Allen to fillin.

That to me is amazingly clever, and very very unlike the typical Dolphins for the last 10 years.

we're right on the mark in the process

"the 23rd wrote:

we're right on the mark in the process

Maybe, seriously, maybe we are.

We need a UDFA type to step up at ILB for depth, Martin, Walden, maybe Folsom, we are to thin at ILB, maybe at NT.

The thing about Fergie is, he was a part timer last season, 30 or 35 snaps a game last season, he may not be as irreplacable as it would seem.

Unlike how much we depended on Keith Traylor in the past.

Nice work Andrew, I enjoyed the read.

Padre wrote:

That to me is amazingly clever, and very very unlike the typical Dolphins for the last 10 years.

I agree with this and would add that we are really early in the potential relationship. Further, Coach said we he will have some tough decisions at WR, and LBer, that having to make these sort of decisions means the team is beginning to be where they want to be.. lots of tough decisions. Soon, everyone will be combing through our scrap heap like we have all been doing to NE for years. It keeps them in talent, depth and future picks, I can see the Ireland/Parcell plan coming to fruition in a like manner given two more drafts.

This year is pivotal Marty, (not that they all aren't), our last 6 games are all in the AFC, we can't afford to lose a single one down the stretch into the playoffs.

On the plus side of the ledger, "what if" Wake and JT really can sack the Qb in the NFL? What if Smith and Davis are Day 1 ready?

Our defense could be 07 Giants like "if" that happens, and it is not outside the realm of possibility, 3 guys who can get after the passer and 2 lock down Cb's (Will Allen and Davis or Smith) and one of the top 3 Safety Combos, we "could" see something really special this season.

Keep in mind, E Green moved Antrolle Rolle to Safety, and he was a #1 pick..

That is why I say Ireland is a very clever and very smart GM, adding JT, Wake, Wilson, Green and McDaniels and no one is considering how much those upgrades will mean to our "D".

Heck, most Dolphins fans have pretty much written off Joey Porter as a one season wonder..why? If anything we've put better pieces around him in Wake and JT.

"us" fans are already marking our own players down as not being able to approach what we did last season, and our "D" was mediocre talentwise, but top notch coaching wise, and we've added better players and kept the Staff intact, if Goodman can shine, why can't Green?

Regarding the lack of linebacker picks in this years past draft, I think they weren't satisfied with the talent that they saw on the board. I, among others, was a fan of Clint Sintim but they apparently were not, which surprises me because he's an ideal strong side linebacker. I think the acquisition of Jason Taylor was a stop gap one. I agree with PerfectTeam's post below.

"PerfectTeam wrote:

This year I expect them to go LB heavy. To many good OLB rushing prospects. They seem to use three draft picks at a position and next year I believe LB will be it with probably 2 OLB's and 1 ILB depending on how the year goes.

I agree. Here's to hoping they go with a strong side (or weak side) rusher that we're fans of. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing a guy like Corey Wootton here, provided that he's healthy from the knee injury he suffered in the bowl game. Others I wouldn't mind seeing is Brandon Lang of Troy or Jerry Hughes of TCU. James Ruffin of Northern Iowa, who I want to see more of, could be an option late. All in all, I agree with you that we will double up on the position though.

"alen1 wrote:

I agree. Here's to hoping they go with a strong side (or weak side) rusher that we're fans of. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing a guy like Corey Wootton here, provided that he's healthy from the knee injury he suffered in the bowl game. Others I wouldn't mind seeing is Brandon Lang of Troy or Jerry Hughes of TCU. James Ruffin of Northern Iowa, who I want to see more of, could be an option late. All in all, I agree with you that we will double up on the position though.

Why? Unless we don't resign Roth, we won't need to go OLB early, we need ILB's though.

"padre31 wrote:

Why? Worst case Roth and Porter or Wake are the OLB's.

We also passed on Rey Mauluga, they might like Crowder and Torbor.

I'd suspect maybe NT, or G, and they will take two of them, one to play, one for depth.

What I really appreciate is our sudden depth at Cb, if Will Allen tumbles down the stairs tomorrow, we have 2 good rookies to insert into the lineup, Green then takes the other spot, or we start the two rooks, Green is the nickel back, lose Allen and Green, we have Davis, Smith and N Jones or Jason Allen to fillin.

That to me is amazingly clever, and very very unlike the typical Dolphins for the last 10 years.

We are older at the OLB position and we could very well be short on depth and talent at the position depending on how Wake does. Porter will be 33. JT is only on a one year contract. Roth could very well leave. With 3-4 OLB's being fairly deep next year I just think thats the next spot they look to add youth and talent too. We have added DL, OL, DB's, WR's, a QB. OLB and ILB really is the only position it seems that they havent touched yet with a higher draft pick.

"alen1 wrote:

Regarding the lack of linebacker picks in this years past draft, I think they weren't satisfied with the talent that they saw on the board. I, among others, was a fan of Clint Sintim but they apparently were not, which surprises me because he's an ideal strong side linebacker. I think the acquisition of Jason Taylor was a stop gap one. I agree with PerfectTeam's post below.

I agree. Here's to hoping they go with a strong side (or weak side) rusher that we're fans of. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing a guy like Corey Wootton here, provided that he's healthy from the knee injury he suffered in the bowl game. Others I wouldn't mind seeing is Brandon Lang of Troy or Jerry Hughes of TCU. James Ruffin of Northern Iowa, who I want to see more of, could be an option late. All in all, I agree with you that we will double up on the position though.

Corey Wootton would be great. That height would be a terror in the passing lane. He would play the SOLB right? Brandon Lang and Jerry Hughes I like. I also like Antonio Coleman and Ricky Sapp. Have you seen any tape of Willie Young or Auston English? Both guys have the right measurables but I haven't seen them live.

"PerfectTeam wrote:

We are older at the OLB position and we could very well be short on depth and talent at the position depending on how Wake does. Porter will be 33. JT is only on a one year contract. Roth could very well leave. With 3-4 OLB's being fairly deep next year I just think thats the next spot they look to add youth and talent too. We have added DL, OL, DB's, WR's, a QB. OLB and ILB really is the only position it seems that they havent touched yet with a higher draft pick.

*Or* JT could play at a high level, as could JP, Roth could be re-upped and Wake could end up with 10 sacks.

What would Ireland do in that situation? JP is still under contract, Wake we have for 4 years and we will know what Roth can do in his second season.

That is the problem of saying "we will take a OLB", we have no idea what Roth, JP and Wake will do this season...

I know it ain't the PoFo cause I agree with Paddy.:lol:

The only thing I'd add, is that when you draft/acquire two at a time, there's less holes you can fill in a given offseason. We had holes on the OL, WR, D Backfield, ILBs and pass rusher. I think they knew coming in, they'd only be able to solve a couple of those, and they let the draft and market dictate which they'd fill. Which is brilliant.

I may be wrong, but I have a quiet theory, that if they only draft one player at a position, then those are the players with the biggest boom or bust factor. I say that because, it means if they draft 2 for need, then when they draft one, its because of a high potential ceiling.

I really think that all the descisions that are made will show its roots later.

"Mari0k wrote:

I really think that all the descisions that are made will show its roots later.

That sounds like it came out of a fortune cookie!:lol:

But you're probably right.:up:

"Finascious D wrote:

I know it ain't the PoFo cause I agree with Paddy.:lol:

A momentary lapse of reason to be sure.:wink2:

The only thing I'd add, is that when you draft/acquire two at a time, there's less holes you can fill in a given offseason. We had holes on the OL, WR, D Backfield, ILBs and pass rusher. I think they knew coming in, they'd only be able to solve a couple of those, and they let the draft and market dictate which they'd fill. Which is brilliant.

Therein is one of the hidden geniuses of Ireland, he knows how to seperate "core" positions and specialists, for example we have 3 new Cb's, but only 1 Pat White.

I may be wrong, but I have a quiet theory, that if they only draft one player at a position, then those are the players with the biggest boom or bust factor. I say that because, it means if they draft 2 for need, then when they draft one, its because of a high potential ceiling.

Exactly, and the players Ireland does find, are multi talented, reducing the "bust" factor, for example Sean Smith could play safety, White if he washes out as the Wildcat Qb could do very well as a Wr, Wake if he just cannot play OLB, can be a nickel DE on passrushing downs.

Almost every draft pick or signee has a main role, then a fall back minor role.

Ireland plays three level chess and it goes beyond a "draft grade", he plays vertically (long term) and horizontally (short term) all the while providing players to Sparano and DC Pasqualoni and Bowles who can play...Day 1.

And THAT is why we didn't take a OLB/DE, we have no time for a learning curve, we need players who can contribute quickly and it takes time to develop a DE/OLB.

Look at it this way, Clay Matthews jr was there at #25, we passed because we had no place to play him on Opening Day, but Davis can play Opening Day and we did not miss out on Matthews as JT and Wake can contribute much faster then Matthews Jr.

"padre31 wrote:

*Or* JT could play at a high level, as could JP, Roth could be re-upped and Wake could end up with 10 sacks.

What would Ireland do in that situation? JP is still under contract, Wake we have for 4 years and we will know what Roth can do in his second season.

That is the problem of saying "we will take a OLB", we have no idea what Roth, JP and Wake will do this season...

JT could and so could JP but with their advanced age, how long do you count on them? Eventually we need to start thinking about having their replacement groomed depending on how the season goes. Having someone like Lang or Coleman sitting behind Porter for a year or two and learning isn't such a bad thing. Will they pick a LB next year as of right now? I have no idea. I'm just looking at the senior talent available next year and that seems to be one of the deeper positions right now and they just happen to love stock piling at that position.

"padre31 wrote:

A momentary lapse of reason to be sure.:wink2:

Therein is one of the hidden geniuses of Ireland, he knows how to seperate "core" positions and specialists, for example we have 3 new Cb's, but only 1 Pat White.

Exactly, and the players Ireland does find, are multi talented, reducing the "bust" factor, for example Sean Smith could play safety, White if he washes out as the Wildcat Qb could do very well as a Wr, Wake if he just cannot play OLB, can be a nickel DE on passrushing downs.

Almost every draft pick or signee has a main role, then a fall back minor role.

Ireland plays three level chess and it goes beyond a "draft grade", he plays vertically (long term) and horizontally (short term) all the while providing players to Sparano and DC Pasqualoni and Bowles who can play...Day 1.

And THAT is why we didn't take a OLB/DE, we have no time for a learning curve, we need players who can contribute quickly and it takes time to develop a DE/OLB.

Look at it this way, Clay Matthews jr was there at #25, we passed because we had no place to play him on Opening Day, but Davis can play Opening Day and we did not miss out on Matthews as JT and Wake can contribute much faster then Matthews Jr.

It will be a grand day when the talking heads mention the NFL's reigning genius, it will be Ireland and not Bellicheat.

"Finascious D wrote:

It will be a grand day when the talking heads mention the NFL's reigning genius, it will be Ireland and not Bellicheat.

Nahh...to be the king you have to defeat the king.

How many Dolpfans are considering that JT still has gas in the tank, Wake could be Ware Jr, and JP isn't done yet? Or we have a top 7 pair of safeties, or we just upgraded the Corners tremendously?

Not many, we downgrade our players, no matter what the results Sparano's coaching has had in the past.

"What if" JP,JT and Wake all have ten sacks?

Fun stuff, we made do last season, when the cupboard is stocked this year it will be interesting to see what our Staff can do with them.

"padre31 wrote:

Why? Unless we don't resign Roth, we won't need to go OLB early, we need ILB's though.

That's the question. Do we sign Roth? What about Jason Taylor? He's not young either. Cameron Wake hasn't proven anything (yet). Who knows if he pans out? Whose going to replace Joey Porter in a couple years?

"PerfectTeam wrote:

Corey Wootton would be great. That height would be a terror in the passing lane. He would play the SOLB right? Brandon Lang and Jerry Hughes I like. I also like Antonio Coleman and Ricky Sapp. Have you seen any tape of Willie Young or Auston English? Both guys have the right measurables but I haven't seen them live.

Good call on Sapp, I like him too. I haven't seen any of Coleman though. I've seen Willie Young tape and he's real inconsistent from what I've seen but that's speaking off of two games or so games. Every time I want to watch English he's injured so I miss out on him lol.

"alen1 wrote:

That's the question. Do we sign Roth? What about Jason Taylor? He's not young either. Cameron Wake hasn't proven anything (yet). Who knows if he pans out? Whose going to replace Joey Porter in a couple years?

Good call on Sapp, I like him too. I haven't seen any of Coleman though. I've seen Willie Young tape and he's real inconsistent from what I've seen but that's speaking off of two games or so games. Every time I want to watch English he's injured so I miss out on him lol.

Well then Im guessing English may not be on the radar if he is injured a lot lol. My mention of Willie Young is strictly just based off his height/weight/speed.

"alen1 wrote:

That's the question. Do we sign Roth? What about Jason Taylor? He's not young either. Cameron Wake hasn't proven anything (yet). Who knows if he pans out? Whose going to replace Joey Porter in a couple years?

Yes, we resign Roth, depeding on how he does this season.

JT? Who knows? If he has a great year and still wants to play in 2010, why not?

Cam Wake has proven exactly as much as a Sintim or a Matthews Jr has in the NFL, the difference is, Wake's upside is huge, and he does have a college and CFL track record to base a decision on.

This regime doesn't "do" in a couple of years, if you are an early pick, you will play, and be expected to play at a high level, Joey P is "the guy" until someone else knocks him off the hill, that is how they do things.

The only time they risk results on a single player so far has been Big Jake, and in that case, they had no choice.

"PerfectTeam wrote:

Well then Im guessing English may not be on the radar if he is injured a lot lol. My mention of Willie Young is strictly just based off his height/weight/speed.

Lol. And to answer your question earlier that I missed, sorry about that by the way, Corey Wootton would be a strong side 'backer for us. Another name that always intrigued me was Arizona State's Dexter Davis at strong side linebacker. He struggles with body control when getting under the pads of blockers if I remember correctly but he's not a bad player somewhere in the mid-rounds.