Going from Long, even a diminished Long, to Martin is a downgrade...JM was abysmal as a rookie, it's not realistic to expect him to improve that much in just one season...maybe by 2014, if he's still our starting LT.

everything else I pretty much agree with.

 

My disagreements.

I don't disagree that the judgement is inconclusive. I disagree with you that Lamar Miller hasn't decisively beaten out Thomas. Lamar Miller is by far and away the better RB and it's not even debatable. Whether or not he's better than Bush, I don't know. I would of liked Miami to work a deal with him, but I'm still excited to see what Miller brings to the table.

I think Wallace will be far more productive than Hartline in all aspects in 2012. Catches, yards, tds, YAC, YPR, etc... As well as opening up the offense for others.

Richie's weight loss makes me hopeful he'll improve upon his impressive 2012 campaign. As long as he didn't lose strength, I can't help but believe the extra mobility and stamina will give him a slight edge over his 2012 performance.

 

Kevin Burnett didnt do sh&$ for this team,

 

I don't know... I don't even know where Miller lost his hype. I thought he had a good preseason, with over 4 ypc. I thought he looked fast, and quick, and I think that after Sunday there will be plenty of hype around him. The only thing that will slow him down is inadequate blocking.

Ellerbe looked like twice the MLB Dansby was just in the preseason! Wheeler I need to see more of.

CB1 - DEFINITELY agree!

 

I would normally agree with you, based on Martin's 2012 play, but he's improved markedly in the offseason and PS, again based on his 2012 season...so to say that he'd match the broken down Long is not a stretch at all....

 

Somewhere along the line the RBs in general lost their luster, that's for sure. And look a bit closer at the Tampa PS game and you'll come away with a different view of Miller's blocking prowess...however, the question for Miller is can he do it over the long haul. IIRC, he never finished a college season healthy, so hopefully he's hit the weight room and is better conditioned this year...

 

No major disagreements, except for -

I think Dolphin fans on this board and in general are undervaluing Jake Long. Yeah, last year was a bad year but overall he's still a much better than average LT. While Martin hasn't even come close to proving he can effectively play the position. It's recognized as one of the biggest question marks and a huge potential weakness for this team. To call it even is failing to take into account the talent lost and the question mark in Martin.

Really whether or not the Dolphins are better or worse will come down to Tannehill's progression or lack thereof. But shaky to poor O-line play could prove a huge road block in his development. I hope you end up being right and Martin proves serviceable. I just think it's a mistake to assume he can live up to even a lesser form of Jake Long.

 

We could debate the merits and usefulness of individual OT rankings all day, but I'm just going to leave it at this: I think there is a very real chance that overall the offensive line play on this team might be significantly worse than it was last season. If this proves to be the case, it will be most likely be due to Johnathan Martin replacing Jake Long at left tackle.

Like I said, I hope you are right and Martin is up to the task. I'm not so optimistic but I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

 

Reggie Bush replaced by Miller is one I worry about. It's a big question mark.

Then loosing Keller was terrible, someone must step up in the TE position are we might be in trouble.

Nice write up.

 

Clabo is an upgrade over Martin and Martin is an upgrade over Long ....so Clabo>Martin>Long?? Don't see it.

 

Even if LT stays the same (bad/poor), there is an upgrade at RT. Overall its better, though not stellar. I do expect Martin to be better overall this year

 

agreed on the most part, not sure about long and martin though, that will probably answered after a few games, i also think that Lamar Miller is a better runner than reggie, vision wise...no dancing stuff, take whats there and run with it, this will probably the biggest improvement from last year....hit the hole....fast

 

That's just the point, we are looking at it from a perspective of last year, ergo, at this time, while we all acknowledge that Martin is not a healthy Jake, we haven't seen that Jake for a couple of years, therefore Martin and Long are a push, at worst. Martin does appear to be better than he was last year so far in TC...the rest remains to be seen.

Then you say that the key to our progression is based solely on Tanny's continued progression but make the argument that the OL could hinder his development ?? I still think the progression of the OL is paramount to all the other improvements this team has made, both offensively and defensively. Tanny can be 'as good' as he was last year, but with more time behind a better OL, could show improvement, if that makes any sense...Add in the extra targets he's got this year, and we can reasonably expect to be a better club than last year. But, imho, it hinges on the OL...period...

 

Good thread!

I wouldn't call it optimistic, though. I'd say it very realistic. The improvements are areas that reasonably and in all probability will improve. The one that's drawn the most comments seems to be Long v. Martin. Long has not been a good LT for a couple of years now. He hasn't even played to the level that Martin this preseason for a couple of years. And I'm not of the belief that Martin has been more than adequate this preseason. Sure, he may have been the first or second rated LT according to PFF this preseason, but IMO I would just say he was good enough or adequate. However, I haven't been able to say that about Long for the last two seasons.

The one I would question is Clemons. I'm not sure he'll be better. I wonder if he just is what he is. That's a solid, non-play making S.

The other improvement I would add is kicker. IMO Sturgis will almost assuredly be much better on kickoffs and probably be better on FGs. I could see his percentage being lower if they try him on longer kicks that they wouldn't even have tried with Carp, but on the kicks in the same range I expect he'll be at least as good. The talent level for kickers has reached the point where they almost all make 80% or better. If you have an 80% kicker then odds are pretty good that you could find another one at that level or better. And the odds are tiny that you'll end up with one that's worse.

 

On paper, the 2013 version of the Dolphins appears to be better than the 2012 team. Of course on paper, the 2013 schedule looks tougher than the 2012 schedule. So while the team may be a little better this year, I would not be the least bit surprised if their won-loss record doesn't end up being about the same as the 2012 squad.

 

I'm disappointed at the assessment of Jake Long - He was plagued with a shoulder all last season, had a down year with penalities and a couple sacks, and now he sucks.

When Jake was right - Jake was a bad *** and a SHUT DOWN LT. He was also a mover at the line of scrimmage on runs. I'll miss him.

 

Hi Jake.

 

Qb Ryan Tannehill VS Ryan Tannehill – Better – Tannehill should show improvement from last year

Rb- Reggie Bush Vs Lamar Miller - Even – I like Lamar Miller will be a better between the tackle runner than Reggie Bush, I also don’t think he will have as much negative yardage. However, I think we will miss Reggie’s big play ability and receiving ability. Lamar Miller really is an unknown at the time but I have high expectations.

Wr1- Brian Hartline Vs Mike Wallace – Better – Wallace will bring a deep treat to offense that was not there last year. I think Wallace goes over 1k and has more td’s then Hartline did last year

Wr2- Davone Bess Vs Brian Hartline - Better – I think Hartline has more TDs this year but not as many yards. I do think Hartline’s overall statistics this year will be better than Bess’s last.

Wr3 - Marlon Moore Vs Brandon Gibson – Better- I put Marlon Moore in because he probably was the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] best receiver last year. I think Brandon Gibson has a good year with around 600 to 700 yards and with 5 or 6 touchdowns.

Te – Anthony Fasano Vs Charles Clay – Worse – I don’t know what Egnew or Simms will do but just comparing Fasano and Clay I feel this is a pretty big downgrade.

Lt- Jake Long Vs Jon Martin – Worse – I think Martin has a better season then last and I don’t think he will be a major liability however I can’t put him above Jake Long yet until I see it.

Lg – Richie Incognitio Vs Richie Incognitio – Same

C – Mike Pouncey Vs Mike Pouncey – Better- I think Pouncey continues to improve and makes the probowl and may all pro

Rg – John Jerry Vs John Jerry or Danny Watkins – Same- I don’t see Jerry improving very much and from what I have seen of Watkins I think he might be a little better than Jerry but he isn’t the starter yet.

Rt- Jon Martin Vs Tyson Clabo – Better- Jon Martin wasn’t very good last year and while Tyson Clabo isn’t in his prime anymore I don’t think we are looking at Marco Columbo 2011 either.

Le – Cameron Wake Vs Cameron Wake – Same

Re – Jared Odrick Vs Olivier Vernon – Same – Odrick better versus the run Vernon better versus the pass

Dt 1- Paul Soliai Vs Paul Soliai – Same

Dt 2 Randy Starks Vs Jared Odrick – slightly worse- I do think Odrick will have a good year and will prove to be a better tackle than an end.

Dt 3 Tony McDanial Vs Randy Starks - Better – Starks is probably a top 10 tackle in the league and he’s the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] string on this team. This is def and upgrade.

3[SUP]rd[/SUP] down pass pusher – Olivier Vernon VS Dion Jordon – Better- Vernon wasn’t much of a 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] down pass rusher last year where I expect a lot from Jordon in that role this year

Olb – Koa Misi Vs Koa Misi – same

Olb – Kevin Burnett Vs Phillip Wheeler – Even

Mlb – Karlos Dansby Vs Dannell Ellerbe – Even

Cb – Sean Smith Vs Brent Grimes – Better

Cb2 – Dimitri Patterson Vs Dimitri Patterson and Richard Marshall – Better Patterson joined the team late last year with a full off season I feel that he is better.

Fs – Chris Clemons Vs Chris Clemons – Same

Ss- Reshad Jones Vs Reshad Jones – Better- I think Jones continues to improve and make the probowl and maybe all pro this year.

 

I do not really care about how any of it looks on paper. This season is going to be a reflection on the coaches. They chose to jettison the talent on the roster and they hand picked their replacements. If it does not improve the team then they failed. If they did improve the team then they succeeded. Its really as simple as that for me.

We will see if Coyle can make use of the new players he has and adjust to the loss of the ones that are gone and the same can be said about Sherman.

 

Dansby had 101 solo tackles for us last year. He is also very durable, hardly ever missing a game his entire career.(8 total games in 9 full seasons) Meanwhile, Ellerbe has never played a full season in 4 years in the NFL (18 games missed in 4 seasons). His highest tackle total was 66 and his highest number of games played in a season is 13. His tackle totals compared to Dansby is merely the difference between MLB and OLB. I think the biggest concern with Ellerbe will be can he stay healthy, especially when the switch to MLB will see an increase in the physical pounding he takes. Talent and Ability might be a wash in comparison, but durability is the issue here.

Philip Wheeler had his breakout season last year in Oakland, recording 78 tackles and 31 assists while Kevin Burnett had 80 and 29 here. Before last season, Wheeler averaged 36 tackles a season. Wheeler had 3 sacks and 6 Pass Defenses and Burnett 2.5 sacks and 5 Pass Defenses. Neither player had a pick. Both Wheeler and Burnett have both been very durable, missing very few games, less than 1 a season over their careers.

We lost a couple of Solid Vets at Linebacker and it remains to be seen whether the new and younger acquistions can fill these shoes. Dansby and Burnett were tackle machines and they were reliable, Dansby playing almost all of last season with an injured bicep and still recording 100+ tackles.
Dansby was also the signal caller for the defense, a roll that Ellerbe must be able to execute this season and being a rookie to MLB, it may take him some time to settle in.

If these two positions come out in the even column by seasons end - Dolphin fans should be extremely happy.


Koa Misi (The last of our linebackers) - 47 solo tackles and 13 assists 3.5 Sacks and 2 Passes Defended. (All career highs)

 

He hasn't been "right" for a couple of years. It wasn't just one down year. And he's looked just as broken down in the preseason this year. I'll miss the player he was originally, but the current assessment of Long is accurate.

 

I really still dont understand why people are so down on the rookie season that Martin had. Was he below average as a starter in the NFL? Yes, but he was still much better than anyone we've had at RT in years, and that was as a rookie playing out of position, playing next to another guy who was struggling. It would be suprising if he wasnt much better in year two.

Through 15 games last season, Dansby and Burnett had a combined zero sacks, zero picks, zero forced fumbles, and zero fumble recoveries. The also sturuggled in pass coverage, despite others saying the opposite. They were a pair of very overpaid run stuffers who offered almost nothing else. Whatever we might lose in run defense with Ellerbe and Wheeler, I think that we can absorb it with our stout DL and Misi, especially when you take into account that the two new guys will almost certainly deliver big plays, something that the old two literally had zero of for almost all of last season.

 

It's time to revisit all your garbage rants and see who is right and who is wrong, and GRILL the people who were wrong, LETS BEGIN.

 

You first pancake.