Sports Buzz- Dolphins going hard after Albert and Saffold

UCF FINatic · Mar 10, 2014

ckparrothead said:

The Branden Albert I saw on Chiefs tape in 2013 was better than Bryant McKinnie, but not significantly so. Additionally, he missed 5 games in 2012 and 4 games in 2013. There were rumors of significant back issues back when the Dolphins were toying with the idea of trading for him the first time around.

Albert was a marginal run blocker in 2013. He lacked the mobility to get his hips in front of cut off blocks, and he was too cumbersome to do anything in space. He's too easy to get around, too easy to disengage from.

He's a better pass protector than run blocker, like McKinnie. The both use a significant frame to keep pass rushers at bay. There's a heaviness to Albert that way, like McKinnie.

However he clearly struggles with speed. When he has to get depth in his kick slide he ends up open to a number of pass rush moves because he's not agile enough to react to the pass rusher's leverage. He lacks the ability to stay mirrored with a pass rusher. He gets perpendicular to the line of scrimmage too early in his kick step and this allows him to be beaten. But he does it because if he doesn't then he's going to get beat anyway. He has real problems in zone protection reacting to threats to his zone and moving over laterally to pick them up.

The end result for Albert is that he can do well against some of your higher quality speed to power pass rushers, guys that have great size, but he will struggle with consistency. When a pass rusher does not execute a move that he planned for, he tends to be beaten. The consistency issue means that when he's beaten it tends to be by someone that isn't a big name like Thomas Keiser or Jerry Hughes. He will also struggle with guys stunting into his zone or linebackers making a delayed blitz call. Bryant McKinnie is similar in all respects as he can do wonderful against a high quality rusher then turn around and get whipped all day by Mario Addison or be beaten thru his zone by a blitzing NE defensive back.

When I reviewed Eugene Monroe's tape, qualitatively he was much better in both phases. He had younger legs and could mirror players easily. In run blocking he was just all the way around superior. He had the mobility to get his hips ahead of targets in zone blocking and he showed power and hand use, as well as the ability to find smaller targets in space. In pass protection he could easily pick up threats in zone protection, as well as block speed rushers. His hands are very good and he keeps them punching effectively. He completely and thoroughly dominated Chandler Jones whom he would see twice a year in Miami, due to his superior hand use. He knocked Chandler on the ground every second or third pass protection snap. Eventually the Patriots had to adjust what they were doing because Monroe was handling him so well.

There are rumors that Monroe did not buy into the zone blocking scheme in Jacksonville. I think their conclusions were premature and their having drafted Luke Joeckel (an obvious left tackle) and not giving Monroe a contract probably had a little to do with his lack of focus, if indeed there was any. Still, it's something to note. He may have treated his Baltimore games as his last and best chance to step up and put out dominant tape in order to get a contract. Even so, it was impressive. He stepped into a completely unfamiliar environment and thoroughly dominated the competition. And the film I saw of him in Jacksonville was good too.

For those that will conveniently argue that Monroe just performed that well for the contract, I would point out that Albert was also in a contract year and if that is what he looks like in a contract year, then ouch.

I haven't gotten around to looking at Jared Veldheer. My preference would have been a discounted contract for Anthony Collins or, absent that possibility a big contract for Eugene Monroe. I don't think you normally get an opportunity to pick up a left tackle of Monroe's quality without drafting one high in the 1st round or trading for one.

I don't approve of giving a big contract to a 30 year old Branden Albert. It's an upgrade. But it's not a wise way to spend the money, IMO.

I strongly approve of signing Rodger Saffold to be a right guard, in a vacuum. However, within the context of sending big money at Branden Albert, signing Saffold presents its own problems. My film study of Saffold led me to the conclusion that he has the ability to be one of the very best guards in football. But he's missed 17 games over the last 3 seasons whereas Albert has also missed 9 games over the last 2 seasons and combined if you sign both guys you're swallowing too much injury risk. By sending big money at both players you are not moderating your risk intake.

I made a similar risk control argument last year about the lack of wisdom involved in replacing both Karlos Dansby AND Kevin Burnett with Dannell Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler. A proper understanding of the concepts of risk and how to control it would not have seen the team voluntarily replacing 4/5ths (by snap count) of a WELL performing linebackers unit with unfamiliar players that have not established consistent records of high level performance...all for the purpose of getting younger and "more aggressive". They compounded that mistake by playing the players out of their natural positions.
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ck can you PLEASE apply to be our next GM? Dolphin nation and I are begging you...

Lee2000 · Mar 10, 2014

Fame said:

I should have added "...without shooting ourselves elsewhere."Resources are finite. I just don't find it prudent to devote all of them to one place no matter how bad it was last year. Winning teams make a lot of smart, frugal decisions. They don't typically make huge FA splashes.
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I like Martin, but I see the Dolphins drafting someone else, perhaps a DT or best athlete.

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Sports Buzz- Dolphins going hard after Albert and Saffold

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