2007 Player Rankings: Kick Return Yardage Ted Ginn #3 on the list as a rookie. In a league where there are no promises, your promise was fulfilled.
can't make a silk purse out of a sows' ear: we need a ReturnSpecialist on SpecialTeams Sparano has repeatedly said he wants diversity from his players we ranked around 30th overall on SpecialTeams last year it is our most grievous flaw, our Achilles Heel if you are serious about the SpecialTeams dilemma then, very simply, GinnJr is needed to return kicks I see neither conflict nor conundrum. GinnJr is our only & best Return Specialist on SpecialTeams & plays WR on offense. the game is 1/3 offense, 1/3 defense & 1/3 special teams. you have to win @ least two of the three to win a game. we need to play our best on offense & defense that best fit the special team or it will continue to flounder. think about it. GinnJr needs to play SpecialTeams too!
The main problem with our special team was the inability to tackle. Should Ginn be a gunner? Matt Schaub ran a QB draw to a beat us. Should Ginn play DT? Our DBs couldn't stop Fitzgerald and Boldin. Should Ginn play DB? Ginn is a WR. And last time I checked, this is a team game. Blaming defiencies in the special teams on Ted Ginn not returning as many kicks is silly. Devin Hester doesnt return kicks. He is a WR now. Steve Smith doesnt return kicks. He is a WR now. Ted Ginn doesnt return kicks. He is a WR now. Do you see the pattern? You dont risk your top playmaking WR by having him as a fulltime return man.
BTW here our are ST rankings from 2008: 30th in kick off return average, that is crappy. In 2007...we were 4th with 26.2. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/stats/b...rt=234&old_category=Kicking&old_group=Special
sarcasm curdles the milk of human kindness GinnJr should do what he does best: return kicks. you play where you're needed. football is a contact sport. injuries are to be expected. not much difference in being hit blind side in full stride receiving the ball as a WR or ReturnSpecialist. Our SpecialTeams require our best talent, if we are to be successful this year. we don't have the luxury of not playing the very best we have to play @ every position.
the only name I'm familiar with that you dropped was Tony Sparano I'm not a pundit, only a devout fan however Tony Sparano has indicated many times: 1) that we will do what is necessary to win games 2) his expectation is that everyone should be prepared to play where they are needed, when they are needed. the more you know & can do increases your value to the team. 3) that SpecialTeams is a priority in 2009 & must be brought up to speed for the Dolphins to be successful this season 4) in a recent interview he did not rule out GinnJr returning kicks two plebeian observations: 1) the WR corp is wide open, with no Franchise WR established & several people stepping up. they appear to be a solid unit evolving into a very good group of receivers. there is no one man (predictable) who will make or break this group over the extent of the season. 2) we are in year two of a four year plan & have already become AFCE Champions. the expectations have decidedly risen throughout Dolfandom. However, the reality is we confront a more difficult schedule w/o a Franchise WR, very thin @ NT & ISL, a promising, but unproven defensive backfield & needing to bring up to speed our SpecialTeams. we were #30 in SpecialTeams in the NFL last year. I don't know how it will turn out. I do have great hopes. one thing I do know is everyone has to do what they do best for us to be successful in 2009. we need GinnJr to return kicks on special teamsRun GinnJr Run!
Well, that depends, we did go 11-5, however the idea that less yardage on kick returns was the reason for the record seems a touch odd mi amigo. Look at it this way, ST yardage and field position is an untapped resource simply waiting to be used, Ginn has shown he can do that, Cobbs had a flash, and Williams was a NCAA yardage leader on returns at NMSU. Tell ya the truth though, the thought of Ginn with 2,300+ total yards and a couple of return TD's this season is awesome man, a season like that would shut Ginn haters up.
If Ginn catches 80 balls for 1000+ yards this year, then I dont care if he returns one single kick. Ginn can score 10 tds on offense. We dont NEED him on special teams. Sure we can still use him sometimes in that role, and he may get us some great returns or even a TD or two. But when evaluating Ted Ginn, and what he can do for our team. He is the only WR we have that can stretch the field vertically. There's not a single DB in the league who hears the name Ted Ginn and doesn't respect his speed. If Ginn gets popped on a return and breaks something, he could miss significant time. At the end of the day, we want to limit the number of BIG HITS Ginn is going to take. If he isn't on the field, then that changes our WR set completely. Camrillo is not a deep threat. Neither is Bess. Neither is anyone else on our team at this point. Ginn is the only one who demands that level of attention from the defense. It's not about whether Ginn is our best returner, and whether we can get more yards. It's about the risk vs reward of using him in that role. Its a decision that other coaches have had to make, and its a decision that Tony Sparano has made. Think of it this way. If Chad Pennington was fast as hell and could return kicks, would you want him doing it at the risk of losing our starting QB to injury? NO! The difference between Cobbs and Ginn returning kicks isn't great enough to warrant using Ginn in that role. I feel like I've said all that I can on this subject. We can agree to disagree if need be, but I know I'm right.
Sorry 23rd but your out of your league against Gish. Gish and Stitches both destroyed this topic. Winner Gish and Stitches.
Seyz the buckeye fan...that is a bit like asking a tiger if it likes meat BK... I think it is clear that a focused Ted Ginn would pump up the return game just as it's clear that HC Sparano doesn't plan on using roster spots just for a returner. So P Cobbs will have to shine.
he had some explosion from what i saw on some of his returns.....is he ted ginn-like? nope. but he can get the job done, giving ginn the opportunity to focus on WR
See, I despise the thought that in any area we are not putting someone on the field who can make plays and effect the game even in the return game. I'm not a fan of "make do" we had 10yrs of that in miami Sick, and it sucked. Pat Cobbs is soo under the radar, I tried to find his 40 time coming out TTU (Tiny Texas University) and...nothing, in a alot of ways he is far more under the radar than Cam Wake.
Being a Buckeye fan has nothing to do with this discussion. Assuming that Buckeye fans can't be objective is a bit disrespectful. Anyway, we're not talking about whether we like Ginn or not. We're talking about how he should be used WITH THE DOLPHINS.
what is bess' 40 time? what does it matter? some guys are 40 time fast......and some are football fast. id rather have football fast. cobbs is a good kick returner here is some examples of his speed http://www.nfl.com/players/profile?id=COB753658 videos on the right hand side of the page
Its about priorities. #1 WR is more important than KR. If the coach decides that his #1 WR is not going to also return kicks, then its not "making do", its being smart. The best of the rest will get the job done. Why? Because there are 20+ guys fighting to make the roster who know they can increase their chances by competing for the return job. Competition breeds success. Have some faith in the system.
Joey Galloway used to return kicks. As for having faith in the system, Gish my man, the system produced worse results last season than even during the abysmal 2007 season, that is how bad we were.
And that makes it a tiny university? Not to mention, if it were indeed a tiny texas university (which it isn't), it would still be bigger than most universities in other states.
showing that STs are not the most important thing on our team..... better special teams......ginn with a below average season = 1-15 season worse special teams.....ginn has a standout WR campaign = 11-5 season ill take that all day padre
PS: How hard was it to find a 40 time? It was the 1st and 6th result under "Patrick Cobbs Pro Day." http://www.gomeangreen.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=26902&mode=threaded&pid=207948 4.71 w/the wind, 4.94 against it. http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/sports/stories/DRC_Chosen_or_not.81c66ee5.html He ran a 2nd time under better conditions and posted a 4.47 and 4.51.
What is not apparent Sick, is things will be tougher this season, we were 30th in the NFL in special teams performance, the worst of any team in the playoffs, how long do you suppose we can allow the Ellis Hobbs of the world to average 40yds per return and still beat teams like the titans and patriots?
Pro day times are unreliable Stitches, there was nothing at Scout.com or SI.com, in fact his faster times were on turf per this story: http://www.skysportsagency.com/commerce/inthenews/inthenews.asp?reqdate=10/25/2008&id_passed=11 "...they grumbled that it was the surface and the shoes..." And that is still does not sniff Ginn's 4.3
Brian Hartline is actually a 4.4 guy, he was a 4.4 coming to OSU and just ran a poor 40 of 4.59 at the combine, his pro day was 4.4 as well: http://www.fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/profile_display.cfm?prospect_id=1771 His acceleration is interesting even if he doesn't have Ginn's speed.
95% of the league can't touch Ginn's speed. That should not be a knock on Cobbs. He's (Cobbs) plenty fast with the ball in his hands.
last years system was like having a honda 4 cylinder engine in a ford mustang. you gotta give them time to get the players they want. as the players came and went throughout the season, the ST got better. ST is mostly driven by the bottom of the roster. you cant expect them to build that kind of depth in one year.
Well, actually "yes" you can build a Special Teams unit in a single year, we just chose not to because Sparano siphoned resources off to the "O" and "D" as well as player development. Being a pro bowl caliber special teamer means -0- under Sparano and that is one of things he is not handling correctly imho.
