I sure hope this guy becomes one of our best players.

 

I personally think he's going to be a boom or bust type of player.

If he can't understand the playbook and scheme's of an NFL defense, he fade to a backup and probably out of the league in a short amount of time.

If he does get it, he'll be a star.

The key will be his confidence, if he can find success early and believe he's reading and making smart decisions, that's where his physical talents will be hard to stop and he'll start playing at the NFL level at an instinctual level. Ie: get to the qb, defend passes, attack the running back or slot recievers.

I believe JT noted an important point about timing. The right place at the right time. I think our coaches know what he'll need to succeed. How to handle his confidence.

From that thought point i believe early on in the season he'll be place in situations where he really only has to focus on one or two main tasks. Put him in easy pass rushing situations where before the snap all he has to do is get after the qb. The more his confidence grows the more i could see them putting him in more difficult situations. Once his feet are wet.

I really believe not only will he succeed, i think he will be a star. And not just because of his physical gifts, but rather because we finally have a coaching staff sophisticated enough of knowing how to handle a player of his nature and knowing early on when to put him in a situation so he can succeed and build a positive feeling about himself. All he has to do is listen to the coaches in Miami and they'll make sure he becomes a star.

 

I like the depth we brought to the LB group. I can't even imagine what kinda talent we will have there after next year's draft when we are supposed to go for the LB's. Can't wait.

 

wake is a 10

 

Well honestly padre, what was he going to say?

"Can Wake make an impact? Probably not, I just don't think he has what it takes"

Of course he's going to give his teammate a vote of confidence in the press, this is no different than Sanchez saying something positive about Turner. :wink2:

 

Let's hope JT can make the jump from last season back to his old self in some manner.

 

I also see JT's endorsement as a good thing... something that won't be taking likely by even Wake himself...

But am I also the only one reading into JT's statement when he says about being in the "right place and the right time?"

I see JT as thinking that his ring is now closer than at anytime before. I think he feels something about this team and its attitude that he probably has not felt in the last 5 years on the footbal field...

Believe some of what he stated earlier that he expected to play a few more years, and only by the FO kicking him out would he expect to leave the team...

 

:pointlol:

Hold on, before I watch that youtube clip, I'll have to go look for my homer glasses for the lesson to really sink in. :tongue2:

I wonder what Taylor said about Eddie Moore back in the day....

...just sayin' :wink2:

 

Do me a favor bro, if I'm one of the few people not pulling their hair out on week one after every play due to overly high expectations, please don't ruin my positive vibes with negative ones. :wink2:

I'm just being cautiously optimistic, I want the Phins to do very well next year (every year, infact) but I'm going to wait for them to show me something out on the field before I get all geared up over a CFL player.

 

Maybe, but I'm seeing alot of folks who are setting themselves up for a letdown. Not all of our players are going to meet their expectations, infact alot of them won't, I hate to see our folks get kicked in the nuts year after year because of unrealistic expectations. :wink2:

 

Cautiously optimistic, padre

....cautiously optimistic :wink2:

 

Shawn Murphy?
Ernest Wilford?
Josh McCown?

:wink2:

They've done a pretty decent job, but I think they get too much credit for the turnaround. The 1-15 team was hampered with injuries and was much more talented than what the record indicated, it was commonsense that they would do better once everyone was healthy. The FO and coaching staff did a great job getting the players prepared for every game, but they FO has made their share of blunders. But to hear some folks tell it, the FO is "divine" in their abilities to bring in players via the draft and FA.

The FO isn't infallible, there are going to be more Wilford's in our future and Wake could very well be one of them, it happens to every team and we're no different. :wink2:

 

I don't know....
When it became evident that we were going to sign Trent Green, JT's opinion wasn't so optimistic. He mentioned something about another hit and Green's brain turning into scrambled eggs.

L2G: as to McCown, Murphy and Wilford..
I'll give you Wilford - bad decision
McCown - I think they knew what they were getting with him. But Pennington fell into our lap at the last minute. So he became expendable.
Murphy - the jury is still out on him.

 

I think it depends on how he is approached. They are only taking snippets of what is being said and unless we get the full transcript, we can look at it as half full or half empty.

It could go "do you think Cam Wake can succeed in the NFL?" or "Anyone new on the team you feel can be a big success in the NFL?" which totally change how you look at it.

I mean, you got a point... but your point has just as many flaws as the other. :wink2:

 

:pointlol:

Genius is a strong word, no? He's done a good job so far, but he is prone to making a "Wilford" every now and again just like any other GM.

I don't know, the Saints has a pretty good turnaround as well, infact they did it twice since the late 90's.

If you truly believe that the '07 team was as bad as the record appeared and that last year's team didn't benefit from an easy schedule or a trick play that took the NFL by surprise, then I can understand the manlove for the Trifecta. But I tend to be a little more objective and feel that the past 2 years have been mirror opposites, one team wasn't as bad as their record appeared and one wasn't as good as their record appeared. :wink2:

Shouldn't your aqua and orange tinfoil hat be blocking them? :tongue2:

 

blaber :tongue2:

 

It was a bit before Green had been traded for, so he spoke his mind. I don't necessarily agree with the way that he did it, it ended up as front page fodder once Green became a Phin.

You don't cut a player if he has value, had Pennington not been released it would have been a competition between McCown and the two young players. If McCown was brought in to be a big part of the team and ended up being released, I think that's an indication that signing him was a mistake. The one thing that I will give credit to this staff for, without a shadow of a doubt, is that they will keep the best players for this team. If they cut McCown, to me that says that he wasn't any better than the two young players.

I could look at it just the opposite and say that it was odd that he decided to make a general point about being in the "right place at the right time" instead of highlighting what exactly it is that Wake does well and brings to the team. :wink2:

To me it was just a general vote of confidence that all players give to their teammates in the press, nothing more and nothing less.

 

:pointlol:

Agree to disagree, padre. It's not being negative, it's hoping that you're team kicks some serious keister, but also keeping things in perspective. :knucks:

 

A couple of clarifications bro.
JT made those comments about Green once it was evident and obvious that we were working on acquiring him. They were made, as you said, awhile before the trade went through. But if you will recall, it was a long drawn out thing between Mueller and Peterson. But - everyone pretty much knew Trent Green was going to be a Fin. It was only a matter of finding that middle ground that both sides found as acceptable. So he was making this statement about a player who he knew was going to be a teammate.
As to Josh McCown - I agree you generally do not cut a player with perceived value. However, McCown wasn't cut. We traded him.
My take was that coming in the FO wanted to draft a QB, wanted to see what they had in John Beck and wanted to bring in an inexpensive vet to play until "their" QB was ready to start. I never got the impression he was brought in to be a big part of the team. Again McCown became unnecessary when Pennington fell out of the NY sky.

 

McCown was traded, not cut.

 

Wake is going to be a very special player for us for a very long time. And JT & JP will mentor him as well as Pasqualoni and Parcells to be a beast for us. May take a few games or even half the season before we really see what this kid can do. CFL or not, DPOY two seasons in a row along with 39 sacks in 2 years is enough to get me pretty pumped up. especially considering the size of the CFl field and the Dl having to line up a yard off the LOS. You should just ry a sip of the Cam Wake koolaid L2G, it's yummy and sweet!

 

Jason Taylor telling him where to run and who to hit, then letting that freakish athletisism take over, sweet.

 

Yea man.

If nothing else, Wake has some of the best teachers possible.

Couldn't ask for more when he's learning from JT and JP.

 

must... see... him.. in a dolphin uniform, on a real football field. Have purposely not thought about his impact on our defense, until i see it, JT is the 3rd outside backer off the bench and i see him getting a lot of playing time. Wake is gonna have to make plays or were gonna have to have a plan to get Wake, JT, Porter on the field at the same time..sweet.

 

yeah there's nothing cautious about your optimism PR. I think this is a bit crazy. I mean, how many players have actually been "very special for a very long time", in the past decade? 5-10 tops? you kinda blurt that out there recklessly. for every Zack Thomas, there's 50 Yatil Greens. but i certainly hope you're right.

but L2G, there is cautious optimism, which has been my mantra since day 1 of the Saban era, and then there's negativity. i think you've been falling on the negative side lately. one thing i'll say for Wake, he does have that great Penn State pedigree. but im not holding my breathe for a double digit sack season either. that would be an enormous success.

 

Cautious optimism is the best approach.

Forget Yatil Green, look at Vernon Gholston, so far.

 

Wait, did you just tell L2G to a little, faith baby.:shifty::lol:

 

No FO is infallable, but this one has done a pretty good job - quite good. why, because they use a system, and don't deviate from it.

what we have seen from this FO is that they will sign some FAs prior to the draft as an insurance policy ... Wilford as an example -- was a needed possession receiver. The problem we all have with him is not so much that he hasn't panned out -- but in the $$$$ we are paying for him. Green is another example this year -- as we were in great need of a CB before the draft.

McCown was merely an inexpensive insurance policy - but lets just be happy that it didn't work out. We know that this FO did not want to start Beck and Henne was a rookie. I really don't think the FO thought there was even a remote chance that they had a chance at an 11 win season at this point last year.

Murphy takes a beating because Thomas did so well ... I have to believe that the FO knew that Murphy was a work in progress - but determined his 'upside' to be high. this year will either prove or refute this.

you are correct, no FO can hit on every signing ... but i do like thier system, it has worked in the past ... and will likely continue to do so here.

i too have some guarded optimism heading into this year ... however, both sides of the ball 'should' be better -- so whilst we may not reach 11 wins (and i believe we certainly can if we start off 4-2), we should win no less than 9 games.

 

My big issue with what (limited) film I've seen on Wake is his lack of consistent hand use. He relied a great deal on athleticism in the CFL, not technique. I will be very curious to see how he adjusts to the fact that there are players who can mirror him, have the length to neutralize his speed and the strength to not be put on their butt via his speed rush.

I know this will draw some ire, but he has similar traits to Gholston; which could be trouble. I'm not saying he is Gholston, but his lack of an arm over, swim, rip etc. is very reminisent of Mr. Gholston's game.