wow this guy is a train wreck.....sad really....and if it is a non-football injury, I hope they dont pay him.... like get with the efffing program!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This just in, Merling jumps off bridge while trying to evade swarm of Africanized bees, gets eaten by sharks...
QUESTION: If he was probably looking at a suspension in the 1st place. Is this a slip up in letting the world know he has an injury? Couldn't this have been held under wraps until we knew what the league was going to do with him????
If Merling really is gone, at what point do you admit that the cast of players Miami has assembled is more suited for a 4-3 Under than a 3-4? Let's run it down here. Cameron Wake: Is there any doubt that this guy is suited to be a primary pass rusher at RDE? Everything we keep hearing about the man, and everything we see and say ourselves, takes for granted that coverage is the guy's biggest weakness. Jared Odrick: Again, this guy's specialty in college was being a pass rushing defensive tackle. The 3-Technique only suits what he's done best so far. He likes to shoot gaps and make plays in the backfield. He's physically gifted, you could teach him to play with better balance and awareness. He's a young, ascending player. What could he be this year if you didn't ask him to switch gears so much? Randy Starks: When he first arrived, he hailed from a 4-3. When we tossed him in the game, it was mostly at the DT position and not even so much at DE. He played well at 3-4 DE last year, but we were about to shift him to Nose Tackle this year. If he can play that, he can play the 1-Technique. In fact, he might be better at it, since pass rushing and collapsing the pocket seems a big part of his game. Koa Misi: The big concern floating around there about him right now is, can he rush the passer. People have seen him play in space and strangely enough even though he was mostly a DE at Utah, that's not even that much of a question. He's so fluid and natural out there that when I took a look at him before the draft, I thought he was so suited to the conversion that he could be a 4-3 SLB or maybe even a 3-4 ILB. A.J. Edds: What were we going to do with this guy? Immediately he was going to try and come in on passing downs but he's physically gifted and very smart, specializes in playing over the Tight End. He's had trouble protecting his legs and he hasn't been asked to be a forward-moving banger, and hence you worry about making him a 3-4 ILB in the long run. But what about 4-3 SLB? Would make for a heck of a competition between he and Koa Misi. Edds is already a specialist at the things he would be asked to do as a 4-3 SLB. Tim Dobbins: When I saw him playing his best football in San Diego, it was really when he was allowed to line up as a true MLB. I'm not saying he can't play the 3-4 ILB position but I do know he can be a nice banger in the middle in a 4-3 at MLB. Karlos Dansby: He's not the truth 3-4 ILB extremely physical banger that some would hope him to be. Some of his best work in Arizona was definitely playing the outside in their 4-3 sets, one year he spent as a SLB and one year as a WLB. He's very athletic, big, strong, and I think he could watch Odrick's and Wake's back to keep a lid on things on that side. Channing Crowder can play MLB in a 4-3, I have no doubt of that. The biggest question mark would probably be Langford, who has played a 3-4 style defense his entire college and pro career, but would he really be that lost trying to be a run stopping 4-3 LDE? I doubt it.
Well we will see how bad it is come the end of the month. Atleast it didn't happen Sept. 10th or somthing like that. If it is going to last more than 8 games dump him, but if somehow Goodel does not suspend him and he does not do time, then see if you can package him with thigpen and some other trade bait and see if we can get a 3rd or a 4th out of them. Anyone here anything about Hartline?
To CK's post above, it already looked inevitable to me that we would see a lot more 4-3 looks this year mixed in.
I've said the same thing for months now. My one caution, this situation has the faint odor of Matt Roth's mysterious "injury" last season, as in Sparano and Co. may have decided to put Merling into the potential limbo of the PUP (unpaid, as good as suspended). Which also fits Sparano's "don't pound square pegs into round holes" philosophy, he wants the best players on the field..period. True, however is Odrick a Day 1 Starter type in a NFL 4-3? I'm not sold on that one. Or LDE/DT in a hybrid. My one quibble would be a Wake/Starks/Soliai/Langford front 4 would be our best 4 man Dline imho, rotate Odrick in on passing downs to replace Soliai. Or look at it his way, Charlie Anderson could easily start in that rotation as the Sam as it fits his skillset better, put Misi as the Will, or Anderson and Misi as the Sam, Dansby as the MLB, Edds rotates in for Misi on passing downs, and we're good. Backup DE's would be Q Moses (who would offer lots of flexibility) and McCoy, Dobbins can stick to ST, and Channing could seek to pursue his vocation elsewhere as Edds is Dansby's backup in that scenario. Odd thing is, the last SB the Tuna made it to, he was running the 4-3..
Yikes. Certainly could spell the end for Mr Merling. What a shame too, I thought he was going to be a good pick for us at the time.
Yeah it is really a damn shame it had to turn out this way. Everyone just thinks I hate the guy but I'm not happy about this at all. Anytime a high draft pick doesn't pan out it is just bad for the team. I was excited when we drafted him but when he put on the weight he just didn't seem to get better inside which was the plan I guess. I agree his value is pretty much shot. I would guess they might put him on PUP and hope to get something but more than likely he will be cut. I wished things would have been different but you move on.
Merling done for the year per Mando. Well now, seems Disgustipate and myself were just discussing Merling being gone. \ Well now what are the options: Ryan Baker? Paul Soliai? Open Competition among Francis, Baker, Dotson, Odrick, Soliai, whomever?
Miami Herald confirms he's done According to Armando... http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/22/1743063/miami-dolphins-phillip-merling.html
I would like to know how he injured it just out of curiosity because it sounds like it wasn't on the field.
Yeah I did notice you posting that after the threads got merged, don't matter really it just sucks all the way around. He was a player Sprano and Tuna had real high hopes for, maybe this will give him time to reflect what kind of football player he wants to be. Other than that there is not one silver lining in all this.
Well, I can see why you'd think that, however imho we are loaded enough that such a clear competition for a Starters role is healthy, if anything if this happened during the preseason then I'd agree, as it stands we are on the brink of Training Camp kicking off with a host of prospects to fill his role.
Well, imho Ryan Baker, or in my world, Paul Soliai, and Lionel Dotson are the top 3, on the outside looking in is Ikaika Francis who has more physical talent than any of those three, including Odrick. Competition is the elixir of success....
damn, losing merling AND ferguson before the preseason even started is not good. We really cant afford any more injuries to our defensive line
Whaddya?!? your Alous are on the tele... As for Merling, come on folks, 2.5 sacks, 1 in game #1, what are we losing here?
I wouldn't mind Marcus Spears. He's been decent for the Cowboys. I wonder what this means for Merling, though. I wouldn't be suprised if he's released and they just move on if we acquire Spears.
He provided a pretty good passrush, Padre. He didn't turn into Richard Seymour 2.0, but his pass rush was solid.
