Speculation...put yourself in Sparano's decision making loop
40 replies
padre31luxury_boxOPAlright, this may seem premature "there are two preseaon games to go"
That is true, however there has been 54 workouts and 46+ practices, if a player was going to catch Sparano's eye, or the positional coaches eye, they will have done so by now.
Sparano has said his 53 man roster changes every night as his head hits his pillow, the question is...why?
Let's examine some players to answer that:
Lex Hilliard, Lexy has fans, but he also has played against 2's and 3's, he has not played FB, and his hands are still questionable, but we have Ronnie with 1 16 game season under his belt, and Ricky W.
So how would Lexy stay on the roster when his skills mirror Cobb's?
Look at the Oline situation, our 5 Starters are now set into stone, Carey. Thomas, Grove, Smiley, Long...but what about the backups?
Berger, Garner, Gardner, Frye, Murphy, Ellis, we clearly need a swing tackle, Garner is a swing tackle, Frye can play G or T, Murph is a lock, Gardner is a great propsect, who is kept, and why keep them? Can Gardner slide unto the practice squad? Is he a good enough LT prospect to be poached off of the practice squad?
Look at OLB, JP and JT are the starters, but after that things become fuzzy, especially with Roth on the PUP, do we keep Moses as JT's backup? And can he play ST at the level of even Charlie Anderson?
Erik Walden, Charlie Anderson and Cam Wake are interchangable, to muddy the waters further, each one has played well on Special Teams, Anderson created a Fumble on ST, Walden and Wake are the team leaders in ST tackles in the preseason...do we keep all three?
And why? Especially when none of the three can also play ILB.
At DE, Merling was annointed as the "starter" lost the role to Starks, who has been outplayed by Tony McDaniels, McD has played at the highest level, Starks can play NT and Merling is the player with the most upside?
Do we keep all three? Why?
Would we remove McD from the rotation because he cannot play NT as well as Starks can?
Fun stuff, to me, Hilliard should inherit the Wilford TE/HBack role, Walden is on the bubble as his LB play is not very productive, and Frye is the G/T backup, Garner is leaving and Gardner remains Long's main backup who hopefully can play Swing Tackle at a high level.
What say you? Basically our 25 "starters" have room for only 2 new players, Cb and DE...
the 23rdNew MemberI say we'll just have to wait & see
won't be long & the decisons will have been made
- Competition is the Elixir of Success -
cnc66luxury_boxAlright, this may seem premature "there are two preseaon games to go
"
yes
padre31luxury_box"the 23rd wrote:
I say we'll just have to wait & see
won't be long & the decisons will have been made
We already have a punter 23rd....:lol:
Well this is one of the few times in an entire football season cycle that we can guess at what HC Sparano may do with the roster.
Make a guess Bro...it won't hurt....:yes:
padre31luxury_box"cnc66 wrote:
"
yes
Marty...you know very well that the third preseason game features the starters, most decisions that needed to made already have been made.
Take a shot and see what you think and do spare the "it's too early" claptrap, you know better than that, unless one thinks Hartline is running with the first team offense is a motivational tool with less than 18 days until kick off in ATL?
the 23rdNew Member1) Hilliard kept as FB & Polite traded or cut. could also use JT as a Long snapper & open up another spot on the roster, possibly carrying both Hilliar & Polite. Hilliard has to show his worth on special teams to cement a position on the final 53.
2) OL: Gardner to PS, Carey can cover left in a pinch & Frye can cover the right, go with Berger, Frye & Murphy
3) OLB: (Roth to Pup, traded or cut) JP & JT, Wake, Moses, & Anderson (Walden)
4) DE: keep the three because of rotation considerations @ NT & DE (McD can play NT)
5) I say it will probably different then either of us suspect, depending on the next two games & practices. things change.
- Competition is the Elixir of Success -
23rd, for the last time, Jason Taylor is not going to be our long snapper.
the 23rdNew MemberFriend Ashraf:
I said it was only an option, not that he would be used on Special Teams in that capacity.
I mention it as a one of the ways of creating an extra spot on the Roster of 53.
Taylor has played the position before (early 90's) & although he was a backup, he did very well.
Once again, I agree it probably will never be a serious consideration, but it is an option. You never know what they're thinking, especially in the midst of a rebuilding process.:wave:we are still rebuilding the Franchise
who knows the logic behind these things
when you're trying to maximize growth & allow time to develop
& analyse the talent on your roster,
a creative move like replacing the Long Snapper
might present itself as a provisorial opportunity for development
I try not to second guess the Front office
or limit any possible options in the rebuilding process
truth is we may win the SuperBowl in 2009, but probably won't
however
I can assure you: We will Contend in 2010!:up:
- Competition is the Elixir of Success -
I see us keeping 5 backs and we are not rebuilding. There is my guess.
.
Paul 13moderatorI posted this in the club section after the Panthers game... so some of the names are already gone, but I'm feeling pretty confident about the list.
QB's
1. Chad Pennington
2. Chad Henne
3. Pat White
RB’S
4. Ronnie Brown
5. Ricky Williams
6. Patrick Cobbs
7. Lex Hilliard
Outside looking in: Anthony Kimble
WR’s
8. Ted Ginn
9. Greg Camarillo
10. Devone Bess
11. Patrick Turner
12. Brian Hartline
Outside looking in: Brandon London, James Robinson, Ernest Wilford, Anthony Armstrong and Chris Williams.
FB
13. Lousaka Polite
Outside looking in: Joe Kowalewski
TE’s
14. Anthony Fasano
15. David Martin
16. Joey Haynos
Outside looking in: John Nalbone
OT’s
17. Jake Long
18. Vernon Carey
19. Andrew Gardner
Outside looking in: Brandon Frye & Nate Garner.
OG’s
20. Justin Smiley
21. Donald Thomas
22. Shawn Murphy
Outside looking in: Mark Lewis, Ikechuku Ndukwe & Andy Alleman
C’s
23. Jake Grove
24. Joe Berger
K/P/LS
25. Dan Carpenter
26. Brandon Fields
27. John Denny
Outside looking in: Connor Barth
DL’s
28. Jason Ferguson
29. Paul Soliai
30. Kendall Langford
31. Phillip Merling
32. Randy Starks
33. Lionel Dotson
34. Tony McDaniel
Outside looking in: Joe Cohen, Ryan Baker, Rodrique Wright & Louis Ellis.
LB’s
35. Joey Porter
36. Jason Taylor
37. Channing Crowder
38. Cameron Wake
39. Quentin Moses
40. Akin Ayodele
41. Reggie Torbor
42. Charlie Anderson
43. Matt Roth
Outside looking in: Tearrius George, Erik Walden, J.D. Folsom, Orion Martin & William Kershaw.
CB’s
44. Will Allen
45. Vontae Davis
46. Sean Smith
47. Nathan Jones
48. Jason Allen
Outside looking in: Joey Thomas & Will Billingsley.
S’s
49. Yeremiah Bell
50. Gibril Wilson
51. Chris Clemons
52. Tyrone Culver
Outside looking in: Courtney Bryan
Notice there are only 52 players... I think we'll go looking for another offensive lineman... although I want to look at the NFLN replay tomorrow and watch the current linemen very closely, didn't get a good look at the group tonight. I also think Joey Thomas could make the squad as that last spot. So I'll pencil him in at 53 for the time being.
Practice Squad guys...
1. JD Folsom
2. John Nalbone
3. Chris Williams (one that I missed, because I didn't know he was injured)
4. Nate Garner
5. Brandon Frye
6. Ryan Baker
7. a corner from another team
8. a quarterback from another team, since we need someone to run the scout teams during practice, and I think both Henne and White are going to be busy.
Walden, Kershaw and Thomas are fighting for #53 IMO...
Twitter @Silver_Hornet (follow me and I'll follow you, just let me know who you are on here!
Maybe, instead of having 9 OL, the FO will keep Rodrique Wright to have 8 DL. Or, keep Brandon London because he is a ST Standout and a WR with high potential.
We have a lot of options for this roster. I'm excited to see what Sparano and the FO are going to do.
the 23rdNew Member"huck1974 wrote:
I see us keeping 5 backs and we are not rebuilding. There is my guess.
agree w/ the RB Stable carrying five. In the pro-set we are a run first offense & will rely on the WildCat increasingly more in 2009, which is a system that is set up to maximize the running potential of the game.
however
I disagree with the notion that we have terminated the rebuilding process of the Franchise. Do not be deceived by early successes & an AFCE Championship. It is not over. We will require this year to develop & solidify our gains. Next year will be used to acquire special pieces to complete the team offensively, defensively & on special teams that will allow us to get to & win a SuperBowl. Everything takes time. Three years is the minimal time to rebuild a Franchise from the bottom up.
We Wiill Contend in 2010! :yes:
- Competition is the Elixir of Success -
padre31luxury_box"Ashraf wrote:
Maybe, instead of having 9 OL, the FO will keep Rodrique Wright to have 8 DL. Or, keep Brandon London because he is a ST Standout and a WR with high potential.
We have a lot of options for this roster. I'm excited to see what Sparano and the FO are going to do.
To be honest, I think Rod Wright is trade bait, and Ryan Baker has a shot to be on the PS:
Trades, trades, come our way:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/
Maybe Rodrique Wright has value somewhere. Maybe somebody gives up a seventh-round pick for Ryan Baker. Maybe some needy 3-4 team gets a crazy notion that Dotson can be a starter and offers a fifth-round pick for the guy. Who knows? The point is anything can happen
In fact, GM Jeff Ireland has been working the phones with over a dozen teams in the past 10 days, I'm told.
'Nando speculates we will make a move for a Kick Returner, I'd love to see Roscoe Parrish in miami, but maybe a cast off or Stephon Logan from Pitt, ex CFLer is picked up.
funkdatNew MemberPadre31 I don't see how Lex and Cobb's are anything alike at all other then Lex can catch a football.
Cobb's is more of a 3rd down back that you want to put in space and Lex is a 240 pound guy that you'd run up the between the the Ot's and can make his own space by running people over.
I think at this point Lex has forced us to trade him because he does have some value but he can't beat out Cobb's and i don't see him as being one of our top 3 ST players.
I'd like to keep him but this team has to many OLB, DL, and WR they like to keep over 4th RB that would never play on Sundays.
If any team call us and offers a 5th round pick he's gone IMHO but we may have to take less because most teams know we won't keep him.
:hammertime:
rafaelforum_veteran"funkdat wrote:
Padre31 I don't see how Lex and Cobb's are anything alike at all other then Lex can catch a football.
Cobb's is more of a 3rd down back that you want to put in space and Lex is a 240 pound guy that you'd run up the between the the Ot's and can make his own space by running people over.
I think at this point Lex has forced us to trade him because he does have some value but he can't beat out Cobb's and i don't see him as being one of our top 3 ST players.
I'd like to keep him but this team has to many OLB, DL, and WR they like to keep over 4th RB that would never play on Sundays.
If any team call us and offers a 5th round pick he's gone IMHO but we may have to take less because most teams know we won't keep him.
You keep Hilliard b/c as Parcells said we're in the talent acquisition business. And I wouldn't be to sure that he won't play on Sundays.
Nice article about Mr. Hilliard by our guy Ethan:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/m...5953351.column
Quote:
According to two sources, Hilliard is not only likely to stick, but is also likely to be active on many Sundays, with offensive coordinator Dan Henning already working on ways to use him. Hilliard's progress gives the Dolphins flexibility should some team show interest in Ricky Williams (unlikely for now due to the abundance of unemployed running backs), and maybe even in the Ronnie Brown contract negotiations down the road.
MrCleansubscriber"funkdat wrote:
Padre31 I don't see how Lex and Cobb's are anything alike at all other then Lex can catch a football.
Cobb's is more of a 3rd down back that you want to put in space and Lex is a 240 pound guy that you'd run up the between the the Ot's and can make his own space by running people over.
I think at this point Lex has forced us to trade him because he does have some value but he can't beat out Cobb's and i don't see him as being one of our top 3 ST players.
I'd like to keep him but this team has to many OLB, DL, and WR they like to keep over 4th RB that would never play on Sundays.
If any team call us and offers a 5th round pick he's gone IMHO but we may have to take less because most teams know we won't keep him.
Bingo! I was going to say the same thing. The rest of your post I mostly do not agree with. Keeping Lex is not difficult at all. Teams carry 5 OBs all the time. He can do more for the team than a 6th WR, and he may well be one of our top 3 STers on kick coverage units. He is sure around the ball a lot when he is out there.
Keep 8 OL, since never more than 8, sometimes just 7, are active on game day. Keep 5 Wrs which is the most common number for teams to carry and keeping 5 offensive backs is easy. You don't even have to worry about the numbers on defense, which will probably be 8 DL, 9 LB, and 9 DB, IMO. Combined with 24 offensive players, 3 QB, 5 OB, 3 TE, 5 WR, 8 OL, that makes 50 between offense and defense and leave 3 spots for PK, P, and LS.
“... I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
funkdatNew Member"rafael wrote:
You keep Hilliard b/c as Parcells said we're in the talent acquisition business. And I wouldn't be to sure that he won't play on Sundays.
Nice article about Mr. Hilliard by our guy Ethan:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/m...5953351.column
Quote:
According to two sources, Hilliard is not only likely to stick, but is also likely to be active on many Sundays, with offensive coordinator Dan Henning already working on ways to use him. Hilliard's progress gives the Dolphins flexibility should some team show interest in Ricky Williams (unlikely for now due to the abundance of unemployed running backs), and maybe even in the Ronnie Brown contract negotiations down the road.
When i read that Quote all i think is Bill's trying to get a higher draft pick for him.
I'm all for keeping good players but i'm not for cutting one of our best ST players just so we can keep a 4th RB.
And i sure don't want Lex taking carries away from Brown or Ricky.
:hammertime:
the 23rdNew Member"rafael wrote:
You keep Hilliard b/c as Parcells said we're in the talent acquisition business. And I wouldn't be to sure that he won't play on Sundays.
Nice article about Mr. Hilliard by our guy Ethan:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/m...5953351.column
Quote:
According to two sources, Hilliard is not only likely to stick, but is also likely to be active on many Sundays, with offensive coordinator Dan Henning already working on ways to use him. Hilliard's progress gives the Dolphins flexibility should some team show interest in Ricky Williams (unlikely for now due to the abundance of unemployed running backs), and maybe even in the Ronnie Brown contract negotiations down the road.
MAKES SENSE TO ME :yes:
- Competition is the Elixir of Success -
MrCleansubscriber"Ashraf wrote:
Maybe, instead of having 9 OL, the FO will keep Rodrique Wright to have 8 DL. Or, keep Brandon London because he is a ST Standout and a WR with high potential.
We have a lot of options for this roster. I'm excited to see what Sparano and the FO are going to do.
I would. Wright is a starting quality DE in this league who is just stuck on a deep unit. But, you don't give away good DL and I would want a 3rd to let Wright go. If a couple of starting ends get banged up all the sudden Wright is in the rotation. Also, remember, we kept 6 DEs and 8 DL total last year. McDaniel, without an s, replaces Holliday in the DL contingent, and other than that I see no reason to change anything.
No reason to keep 9 OL when the 8th AND 9th OL basically never play. Remember how many games the 8th and 9th OL last year, Murphy and Garner, played? You don't because they didn't.
“... I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
TiP54New MemberIt will be silly to get rid of Cobbs.
Ricky will be gone in 2 years max.
We are not sure what is going to happen with Ronnie, and while I love Cobbs, I dont see him as a every down back, while Lex is a very solid between the tackles runner. No way we are getting rid of him.
MrCleansubscriberIn the spirit of Paul13's roster post and Padre's thread, here is my speculation on the 53 man roster, knowing what we know today.
QB's
1. Chad Pennington
2. Chad Henne
3. Pat White
RB’S
4. Ronnie Brown
5. Ricky Williams
6. Patrick Cobbs
7. Lex Hilliard
WR’s
8. Ted Ginn
9. Greg Camarillo
10. Davone Bess
11. Patrick Turner
12. Brian Hartline
FB
13. Lousaka Polite
TE’s
14. Anthony Fasano
15. David Martin
16. John Nalbone
OT’s
17. Jake Long
18. Vernon Carey
19. Andrew Gardner
OG’s
20. Justin Smiley
21. Donald Thomas
22. Shawn Murphy
C’s
23. Jake Grove
24. Joe Berger
K/P/LS
25. Dan Carpenter
26. Brandon Fields
27. John Denny
DL’s
28. Jason Ferguson
29. Paul Soliai
30. Kendall Langford
31. Phillip Merling
32. Randy Starks
33. Lionel Dotson
34. Tony McDaniel
35. Rodrique Wright
LB’s
36. Joey Porter
37. Jason Taylor
38. Channing Crowder
39. Cameron Wake
40. Quentin Moses
41. Akin Ayodele
42. Reggie Torbor
43. Charlie Anderson
44. William Kershaw
CB’s
45. Will Allen
46. Vontae Davis
47. Sean Smith
48. Nathan Jones
49. Jason Allen
S’s
50. Yeremiah Bell
51. Gibril Wilson
52. Chris Clemons
53. Tyrone Culver
Practice Squad guys...
1. JD Folsom
2. Nate Garner
3. Mark Lewis
4. Ryan Baker
5. Louis Ellis
The rest of the PS, your guess as good as mine
“... I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
rafaelforum_veteran"funkdat wrote:
When i read that Quote all i think is Bill's trying to get a higher draft pick for him.
I'm all for keeping good players but i'm not for cutting one of our best ST players just so we can keep a 4th RB.
And i sure don't want Lex taking carries away from Brown or Ricky.
I think it's much more likely that they just have a higher opinion of Hilliard than you do.
Alex13subscriber"MrClean wrote:
In the spirit of Paul13's roster post and Padre's thread, he is my speculation on the 53 man roster, knowing what we know today.
QB's
1. Chad Pennington
2. Chad Henne
3. Pat White
RB’S
4. Ronnie Brown
5. Ricky Williams
6. Patrick Cobbs
7. Lex Hilliard
WR’s
8. Ted Ginn
9. Greg Camarillo
10. Davone Bess
11. Patrick Turner
12. Brian Hartline
FB
13. Lousaka Polite
TE’s
14. Anthony Fasano
15. David Martin
16. John Nalbone
OT’s
17. Jake Long
18. Vernon Carey
19. Andrew Gardner
OG’s
20. Justin Smiley
21. Donald Thomas
22. Shawn Murphy
C’s
23. Jake Grove
24. Joe Berger
K/P/LS
25. Dan Carpenter
26. Brandon Fields
27. John Denney
DL’s
28. Jason Ferguson
29. Paul Soliai
30. Kendall Langford
31. Phillip Merling
32. Randy Starks
33. Lionel Dotson
34. Tony McDaniel
35. Rodrique Wright
LB’s
36. Joey Porter
37. Jason Taylor
38. Channing Crowder
39. Cameron Wake
40. Quentin Moses
41. Akin Ayodele
42. Reggie Torbor
43. Charlie Anderson
44. William Kershaw
CB’s
45. Will Allen
46. Vontae Davis
47. Sean Smith
48. Nathan Jones
49. Jason Allen
S’s
50. Yeremiah Bell
51. Gibril Wilson
52. Chris Clemons
53. Tyrone Culver
Practice Squad guys...
1. JD Folsom
2. Nate Garner
3. Mark Lewis
4. Ryan Baker
5. Louis Ellis
The rest of the PS, your guess as good as mine
thats my team right there :up: kershaw probably the guy who will get cut if someone better becomes available
MrCleansubscriberDid I leave the 2nd e out of Denney? It's Paul's fault. I just copied and pasted his roster and then tweaked it a little. :D
“... I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
"MrClean wrote:
I would. Wright is a starting quality DE in this league who is just stuck on a deep unit. But, you don't give away good DL and I would want a 3rd to let Wright go. If a couple of starting ends get banged up all the sudden Wright is in the rotation. Also, remember, we kept 6 DEs and 8 DL total last year. McDaniel, without an s, replaces Holliday in the DL contingent, and other than that I see no reason to change anything.
No reason to keep 9 OL when the 8th AND 9th OL basically never play. Remember how many games the 8th and 9th OL last year, Murphy and Garner, played? You don't because they didn't.
A 3rd round pick for Wright? I like him, too, but a 3rd is a too high.
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