I'd rather see what Lex can do rather than taking bets on what week Ricky hits the wall.

 

Tough all, RB signing for 1 million sends a clear message to ricky williams though.

 

I've seen it. It's not much.

 

If we go into the season as is at Tailback that will be the nail in the coffin for me on this regime especially considering we are supposed to be a run focused team intent on pounding the rock.

 

Only time will tell if Thomas is the guy our staff was excited enough about to trade up for, if Reggie stays healthy, and if Lex becomes the 1000 yard caliber back that Ireland feels he's capable of. Grigsby is a dark horse to surprise us.

For the simple fact that we'll be using more spread formations makes Thomas & Lex a considerable improvement over 2010 Ronnie & Ricky IMO.

 

Even if Thomas is the next hot back you still have rookie issues to deal with and "the wall" they all hit.
As the Eagles said when they added to their already stellar backfield by signing Brown "you can't have too many good backs in this league."

We still need a known commodity at the tailback position.
Do you guys really think Lex is all of a suddent going to flash something he hasn't before at this point? I have not seen anything stellar out of him.
You can only go into a season with so many question marks and expect all those gambles to pay off.
If your expecting to be an offense that relies on the run then you better damn well get the talent to do so.

I agree with you on a lot but this one theres no way.
If they go into the season with this backfield they are flat out negligent.
I see no signs whatsoever that point to Lex and Thomas as being an upgrade over Brown and Williams.

 

I just read Ricky is talking to the Patriots and on the radio he said he isnt returning http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5987009

 

Im all for Ricky. I think he would fit well in this type of 3 back system.

 

If we're gonna be running more spread formations & some zone blocking schemes, then I think both Lex & Thomas will be an improvement over vision-impaired Ronnie. (no offense Ronnie)

They're both more decisive 1 cut runners and IMO are a little more physical (around the LOS), have better vision, pose better options in the passing game b/c of their decent initial burst & good hands, and are more likely to pick up solid yards on first down b/c of it all.

I could see both of these guys identifying the crease and bursting or plowing through them for more 4-10 yards gains than dancing Ronnie was capable of.

For as smart of a player as Ricky is, he also lost a step that I can only assume will continue worsening. When I rewatched the games, there were too many plays where Ricky's burst was just a smidge too slow to get through to the 2nd level or break a big play. I really didn't see Ricky or Ronnie doing much of anything on their own that would lead me to believe a trio of Thomas, Bush, and Lex wouldn't be an improvement.


But I have no problem if we disagree. I still share your concern about the position based on the simple fact that 2 of these guys are basically unproven and a 3rd is injury prone.
I just happen to like Lex for this new offense (IMO he's due for a Mike Tolbert type season); I was a big fan of Thomas's last year....... and I like that Daboll has had success utilizing a big bruising back who can catch, and hopefully he'll find a way to get the most of these two as well. I'm more concerned about Reggie staying healthy than I am about Lex & Thomas stepping up. If Reggie goes down, I pray explosive Grigsby is ready to pick up the slack.

I'd also like to know what's in store for Clay....... if they plan on giving him reps carry the ball or not.

 

Jason Snelling would be a great insurance policy. His YPC was down but he was much better on 1st down than Ricky or Ronnie FWIR when I went through all the Falcon games. Good out of the backfield, too.

I honestly feel Lex will perform as well when given the chance, but I wouldn't object to a Snelling signing.


Snelling should come at a reduced price considering what Bradshaw signed for.

 

Ricky was one of my all time favorite players because of how he turned his life around - BUT - that all changed when he opened his mouth and turned on the coaches last year. It's pretty hard to un-ring a bell and what was said will be impossible for him to take back. I think that will loom large as one of the main reasons that we won't see him in Miami.

 

I highly doubt Ricky comes back. His comments near the end of last season about this regime pretty much sealed the deal there.

 

Logically and fiscally it doesn't make sense to not bring him back.

One could logically assume that Charles Clay will take one of the 3 TE slots on the roster, clearing room for another 4 backs (as this coaching staff has carried 4 backs each other past 3 years.) You've got Reggie Bush and they're talking him up, but by week 1 I hope Daboll and Sparano come their senses and realize he's not a guy you can run between the tackles 15-20 times a game. Daniel Thomas will also clearly make the team. The last 2 spots will likely come down to Grigsby, Hilliard and Sheets. Sheets value is diminished by the new kick off rule and Reggie's presence. And if Grigsby is as good as many believe him to be they would be a fool to let him go. And one thing that the Dolphins have been much better about under this staff is not letting talent on our roster end up as talent on another team's roster.

And finally, after seeing Hilliard's performance when he had to step in during the 2009 season I would much rather have Ricky Williams as the #3 RB on this team and an in case **** back than Hilliard. To me he just looked slow, with little (and even no) burst most of the time, poor field vision and poor balance. I'm not an NFL talent scout, so he could prove me wrong and the next big thing for this team. But if he couldn't manage a single carry in 2010 with as anemic as our running game was, and we felt we had to trade up in the second and trade for reggie bush to have a competent RB corp it doesn't speak very highly of the coaching staff's faith in him either.

 

Ricky turned into a cancer with his negetive lip service. The team needs to cut the cancer. I've enjoyed him as a phin but the negetive attitude is not tolerable.
Sadly many here have become the same type of cancer.

 

Wow...that's quite a statement since Thomas has never played a down at this level and Lex has been a perennial 4th option during his couple of years here...

 

Isn't Snelling more of a 3rd down back like Bush ??

 

Putting all our hope on a rookie RB who's never played a down yet in the NFL and the expectation of Bush with his injury history carrying a significantly heavier load and I'm not even going to debate Lex (you got to be a big dolphin fan to see that one..) seems to be something that could easily turn around and bite us ...


Starting the season on "Expectations" at RB IMO is more of a amateurish approach then a wise one in which we should have a dependable stable of RB especially since we are going to be depending on it so much .............

Don't get me wrong Bush is basically the only real deal they've done on Offense and his game only adds another dimension that we've lacked, but must go along hand and hand with a successful pounder.......JMO

 

I'd love some more depth at RB but I'd like to see some of these new guys (Thomas, Grigsby, Sheets, Bush) before we go out and spend on a FA back.

Ricky is still unemployed and Ronnie signed for 1 year and 1 million. I think that speaks volumes as to what the rest of the league thought about our backs and when I watch them on tape I feel the same way.

 

an obvious move & correct decision
the return of Williams to the stable
is the predicted & right way to go
would like to see both Jason & Ricky
eventually retire as Miami Dolphins

 

If you're the 3rd RB on this team you MUST play ST.

 

How many RBs do the Patriots need anyway?

 

You're right, it is quite a statement, but that's how I feel.

Cobbs was a coaches pet so to speak, and we ran Ricky & Ronnie so much that our #3 & #4 never had a chance to see the field. IMO it's more the case of Lex being buried behind R&R just as Wake was buried behind JT & Joey. I'm not putting Lex in Wake's class, but this wouldn't be the first time a guy received less playing time than he deserved. I firmly believe Lex would've been an upgrade over Ronnie last year (no offense to Ronnie fans).

It's not uncommon for backs to not do much their first few years until finally given a chance to carry some of the load.

Mike Tolbert- 185 yards rushing his 1st 2 years, then in year 3 had 951 total yards & 11 TDs.
Michael Turner- 1200 yards & 6 TDs in his first 4 years, then broke loose for 1699 & 17 TDs in year 5.
Peyton Hillis- 73 total yards & 1 TD in 08, then wins the cover of Madden after 1654 yards & 13 TDs.
Derrick Ward- 123 yards rushing in his 1st 3 years, then busted out for like 2200 total yards in year 4 & 5.
Jason Snelling- 194 total yards in his 1st 2 years, then totaled up 872 with 5 TDs in year 3.


I think Lex could be like a poor man's Michael Turner if he's learned to keep his pad level low.
IMO Thomas is an instant upgrade. He has what Ronnie doesn't---- natural running ability, and that should aid him through his first year of developing.

 

Good thing Houston didn't have expectations for Arian Foster.

 

Especially when they have a whole law firm representing them.

 

I would be shocked if he goes to New England. They currently have signed the "Law Firm" - Ben Jarvus Green Ellis, Kevin Faulk (re-signed), Woodhead, and two rookie backs they drafted in the 2nd and 3rd round. That's 5 RB's. They are going to sign Ricky as well? That would be stupid in my opinion.

 

4.2 yards per carry is a more than serviceable back in this league, especially behind that offensive line, except for the fumbles, of course.