Your thread title says otherwise....

 

LOL WEEK 4.

This article is ten days old and this issue has already been discussed. Just because negotiations fell through a week or two ago doesn't mean either side won't move by the time actual free agency starts.

 

Posturing by Cantor, end of story. $$ will be determining factor, as with most FA decisions. Meh.

 

What's Soliai's injury status? Because if he doesn't continue play like we expect this season his FA value will be diminished.*

Think about this season first.

Brent Grimes is a FA after this year too. Assuming the Dolphins become a winning team with a lot of young players on the defense, why would a player leave just cuz?*

 

There's a lot of time before we get to this point and how well this team does this year has a lot to do with whether he will actually want to test FA. IMO, he's a bona fide stud who'll garner a lot of attn from both 3/4 and 4/3 teams looking for help. I would more likely say that Starks won't be back than Soliai and besides, isn't the tag an option to keep him ??

Don't count all those chickens before FA even starts is all I'm saying...

 

This is gonna be a tough decision on who to bring as Starks is so dominate in the pass rush but soliai being dominate in run stopping. We do have Odrick who is similar to Starks but Starks showed last night in the second half that he is capable of making big stops in the run game

 

I'd be more terrified at losing one of those guys if Jared Odrick hadn't come into his own. Seems he was worth using the #1 pick on.*

 

I doubt there are hard feelings.

Its just as likely Cantor is trying get Ireland to make a deal early then it is that he really hates Ireland won't do business with him. In fact, its more likely. You believe the Ireland hate angle because you hate him as well.

 

Dline is the one area where Ireland has excelled in bringing in new guys or FA, or undrafted rookie FAs. Even if he lets Soliai and Starks leave, I'm guessing we'll draft a good prospect that will eventually be just as good. Having said that, I'd rather let Soliai walk and pay Starks the money. Starks and his added pressure on the QB is more important IMO. Jordan-Odrick-Starks-Wake.

 

They both really want to be Miami dolphins, I'm just gonna chill and see what happens, no reason to stress mun, irealnd knows how important his Dline is..

 

Was just in Miami listening to Joe Rose. Him and someone (from the Herald) were going over the injuries.
They are still not sure on Wake yet. Patterson might have aggravated his injury more last weekend and Big Paul should be back in a week or 2.

 

Thank you, mods, for fixing the title.

 

There are a few big DTs in the 2014 draft I like.

 

we will retain Soliai & Grimes. Starks is a real long shot to return to the fold...

 

This is my gut feeling as well.

 

Ireland values the DL, especially big DT's like Soliai. I doubt he doesn't return. Especially after seeing how bad our run defense was without him against Atlanta.

 

Our rush defense versus the Colts wasn't much better with Soliai

 

Soliai indirectly affects our pass rush. Now that we no longer have Odrick at RE to bolster the run, I personally would rather re-sign Soliai to help shut it down on 1st down so that Wake & Jordan can be afforded greater opportunity to pin their ears back in more-obvious 2nd & 3rd down passing situations.

 

For reference, here's PFF's rankings for the past couple years

2013 so far: +5.2
2012: +1.7
2011: +1.1
2010: +13.8
2009: -3.9

I don't think Soliai at his best qualifies as a dominant defensive tackle.

 

Players just don't go up and leave like that, it's a lot more complicated personally and financially than just going to another team. I'm sure Soliai's priority is getting a fair deal here. By the way, it's freaking Week 4. This is an offseason type thread. I bet even Soliai wouldn't know where the hell this person got their source from.

 

That makes the most sense. Or of course you could decide to post threads blaming Ireland for something that may or may not happen next season.

 

I agree it wasn't much better against the Colts, but Soliai is still a must sign for the Dolphins. I think the problem with the defense against the run has more to do with the LB's than it does with the defensive line. Ellerbe and Wheeler just aren't as stout against the run as Dansby and Burnett were. I also haven't seen that they cover TE's any better. Right now I would have to rate both these new LB's as very average. I also am not a big Misi fan and I don't think he has played well so far this season.

Fortunately the offense and Tannehill have stepped up in the first three games and that is the reason the Dolphins are 3-0 right now. Perhaps as Ellerbe and Wheeler get more playing time with the defense, they will improve in their play. Right now I am not sure they are an upgrade over what was here last year.

 

Lol..what an *** man for maybe not keeping Solai or Starks or both.

 

Both Soliai and Starks are hoping to sign large contracts which will probably be the last big money contracts they will sign in the NFL. They both might want to remain in Miami, but I have to think that they will end up going to the team that offers them the most money at the end of this season. I can easily see the Jets, Patriots, or Bills trying to sign these players. This would benefit these teams in two ways. It would upgrade their defensive line, while severely weakening the Dolphins defensive line.

Hopefully Ireland will get them signed before they reach free agency. If they are allowed to become free agents after this season, I think it is very likely they both will sign with another team.

 

Thread is way premature, even with Soliai and Starks the DL hasn't really shut down ANYbody's running game very well but overall the D has kept us in all three games in the second half and come up big when we needed them to. Suspect Ireland and Philbin/Coyle have a plan and at this point I'll just leave this one alone till late season at the earliest.

Seems we should have some decent cap/FA $$ available next offseason again, and more holes to fill. Going to be another very interesting offseason and draft. Especially if we make the playoffs. This coaching staff is pretty good at surprising us, very few on this forum would have believed we would be 3-0 right now, let's see how the rest of the season plays out, that will go a long way toward indicating what Ireland/Philbin do in FA & the draft. Also a successful season, playoffs particularly, will go a long way toward helping re-sign some players and attracting good players in FA. Way too early to predict what Soliai or Starks will do, or Ireland as relates to either.

 

I don't think it's that bad considering the double teams he often faces and occupies well, the freeing up he does for others, and the clogging he does in the middle that limits the type of run-calling OC's can do. I'm guessing in 2010 he saw fewer double teams b/c he wasn't heralded at the time, which allowed for better PFF numbers. IMO our net impact against the run with Soliai on the field is significantly higher than his individual PFF stat conveys.

 

That doesn't really stand up. Guys who are doing the same general things in the same general positions(big space eating 1-techniques, run specialists, 2-gap players, etc.) are pretty capable of getting good grades on PFF, and self-sacrificing play in the run game is something I think is pretty easy to identify and grade appropriately. They're not being scored for making plays on the ball.

I understand to a degree an unwillingness to mess with something that seems to work, but it's not Soliai that makes it work. He's a solid cog in a machine that has worked pretty well.

 

I think your underselling him a bit Dpate, would Andrew Luck telling him on the field of play that's " he's a menace" mean anything to you.?

 

It means he had a good game, but I think it firmly belongs in context. Soliai has good games, even dominant games.

It's just he doesn't have enough of them to justify the cost.

 

Who knows where we draft next year? Just curious, but seems like it cd be relevant.