I really think Minkah epitomizes our entire franchise. At the #11 spot in the draft, we pass up on Edmunds and Lamar Jackson in order to draft Minkah. Here is the thing, at #11, there are only so many outcomes that could happen early on in the draft, so going through every possible scenario is not that hard to do.
Needless to say, we drafted this guy with absolutely no plan on how we are going use him. Prior to this week, he was doing an outstanding job, but was barely put on the field. Finally, after almost half a season, there was an institutional priority to put him on the field. This ROOKIE has had to play safety, nickel back, and outside CB. Hey rookie, learn all of the positions. I mean, we are setting this guy up to fail, and he somehow continues to succeed.
I absolutely love his passion, willingness to study, and reliability. But he is a rookie, and soon enough, he is gonna realize the Dolphins are doing him dirty. If it wasn't for his exceptional character, I would guess he'd be pulling himself out of games in a few years.
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He'll be a great chess piece for a better coach.
Looking like a great pick for once. We just need that better coach and that (much) better QB.Da 'Fins and Surfs Up 99 like this. -
I am talking about this: What position does Minkah even play? He has played over half a season, and I couldn't even tell you. Week to week, we are asking something different from him. Do you know how frustrating that is?
Imagine going into your job, and one week you are working in sales, the next week you are in marketing, and the following week you are working in accounting. But hey, they are all "business jobs." Wouldn't you want to really work to get better at one position. Even after the game, they asked him how he felt, and he said he has a headache. I wonder why!
This isn't Madden. You can't just move him to another position on the field, and his rating will go up or down. -
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Literally, we did deserve him - at least as much as anyone else. Why? Because we picked him. In the draft there's literally no question of whether a team is deserving or not. I know that's not your point, but you did use the word 'literally'. Pet peeve.
To your actual point, though, here are some pieces on Minkah, and quote from him, on his role prior to and after the draft:
https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2018/4/26/17186694/minkah-fitzpatrick-dolphins-draft-alabama-db
"Alabama listed him as a safety during his junior and final season there in 2017. But he played more at nickel cornerback than anywhere else. The year before that, he was often an outside cornerback. He thrived in every role and could do the same at the next level.
In any other era, it would be unusual for a team to invest such a high pick in a nickelback. But the proliferation of spread offenses means defenses now use three corners more often than they don’t, and by playing there, Fitzpatrick’s able to do a lot of things.
“It’s a different type of position,” Fitzpatrick told SB Nation at the NFL Combine. “It’s kind of a combination between corner and safety. You can make calls like a safety. You can make calls like a (corner). You can rush, you can fill the holes and the gaps like a safety. But then you can cover man to man on pass downs when you need to, just like a corner. So I like playing both corner and safety, so I think slot corner’s just the optimal position.”"
https://tdalabamamag.com/2018/06/30...three-different-positions-for-miami-dolphins/
"His ability to quickly adjust that he possessed at Alabama has followed him to the National Football League, as Minkah Fitzpatrick looks to do everything he can to make the Miami Dolphins a formidable team in his rookie season. After being selected 11th overall in this year’s draft, Fitzpatrick is working three different positions for an opportunity to start in the fall.
According to an interview he had Friday on NFL Network’s Total Access, Fitzpatrick said the team is featuring him at strong safety, free safety and in nickel.
While many draft analysts were reluctant to pull the trigger on him – due to not seeing him master a specific position – the two-time All-American selection (2016, 2017) said “he’s comfortable just being on the field.” "
http://www.espn.com/blog/miami-dolp...inkah-fitzpatrick-has-star-power-as-hybrid-db
"DAVIE, Fla. -- Minkah Fitzpatrick is the Miami Dolphins' chess piece, constantly roaming and strategizing how to capture the opponent’s king.
The Dolphins drafted Fitzpatrick in April with this in mind. His versatility is a perfect fit as NFL defenses continue to make a transition to more position-less football. Fitzpatrick is the type of player who can help change the Dolphins' culture with his play on the field and his mentality in the locker room."texanphinatic, MikeHoncho, resnor and 6 others like this. -
Frustrating to who? You or him?
He has played numerous positions because, guess what, he knows how to play numerous positions. One of the main reasons we drafted him was for his flexibility. Instead of looking at it and being frustrated for some reason, you should be thankful that we snagged an awesome player who can basically play all over the field and make plays.Puka-head, resnor, Phin McCool and 4 others like this. -
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We have sucked a long time.
We deserve some good talent.
Geesh. -
I said before the draft that Minkah was the easiest HOF lock out of the top 15 picks and I still believe it today. When you have a player that intelligent, you play him as much as possible and let him learn the entire defense. We've seen him blow up screen passes he anticipated at the snap (week 1!), we've seen him make goal line tackles in open space (week 2!), we've seen him break coverage to jump other routes (weeks 1-7)....this is 10 year vet kind of stuff he's doing. The kid is phenomenal and he's only going to get better in time.
Plain and simple, we got the best overall player in the draft at #11. If we can manage to hit that well in 2 or 3 of the next 5 years, we're going to have an extremely competitive team for a very long time. I have no idea how the Dolphins realizing that is a bad thing though like the OP said..coaches love players who could be a day-one starter at multiple positions.
Fun fact, Minkah also occasionally lined up at LB and DE some in college. Don't act shocked when we have a LB injured and we plug him right in for a few series. He really can play anywhere on the field.Last edited: Nov 5, 2018resnor, Phin McCool, Two Tacos and 2 others like this. -
Jesus H Christ on a popsicle stick....another Gase sucks, doesnt know what he's doing, fire him thread.
adamprez2003, Puka-head, resnor and 1 other person like this. -
Okay, how many NFL players can you name that play safety, boundary corner, and nickel corner? Hmmmmm, I can't think of many. In fact, it is far more common to see corners play only one side of the field than play multiple positions. The idea of learning and honing your craft in one particular area instead of trying to learn three different positions at once.
The juvenile concept of him being a Swiss Army knife is great and all, but devoid of reality. Assume you ask too much of him, and place him in a position that he truly doesn't belong. Let's say he gets picked on, and it hurts his stats. This impacts him come contract negotiation time. Furthermore, when it comes time to negotiate a second contract, what position do we base that our negations on? There is a big difference between Bobby McCain money and Derrell Revis money. If you think that this is not a real issue, remember when Jimmy Graham was tendered, and he argued that he should be treated as WR not a TE.
I am telling you guys, we are screwing him over. We are just lucky that he is talented enough to transcend our stupidity.hitman8 likes this. -
Only Dolphins fans would whine about a player being good enough to play multiple positions and then being played in multiple positions. lol
Puka-head, The_Dark_Knight, vmarcilfan75 and 4 others like this. -
I think if we can stop f***ing up drafts for even a few years, this guy will be a cornerstone of a playoff team assuming other things fall in place(QB, OL). He’s athletic, plays everywhere, is smart and is a team player. I think the reason he hasn’t fit anywhere is he is a hybrid player that brings our D some versatility.
Last edited: Jan 21, 2019danmarino likes this. -
Exactly. The need for some to find things to complain about has hit a new low.
I get what the OP is saying... you'd want a guy to learn one thing, and be an expert at it. This guy though, he's so talented he's clearly capable of doing multiple things, as an expert. The way were doing this is spot on IMO. If he was struggling at something, and we kept making him do it, I'd say yeah... lets take that off his plate. Clearly this is a non issue though at this point. The kid is so good he can handle it. Nothing to complain about here IMO. -
I still think some agreed upon number of pointless threads started by the same person should be a bannable offense.
IMO.adamprez2003, Puka-head, resnor and 1 other person like this. -
Well, Minkah was a home run pick. Baker looks like he's really adapting and making strides in the run and the pass. Gisecki's a project sort of on hold...especially since our QB can't throw more than 12 yards. Ballage looks like he will be a solid rotational back- we really didn't miss in the first four rounds.
Going back one year, Harris is decent but not yet living up to first round status....definitely not a bust or proven yet. McMillian is playing much better football as the season rolls along and he'll be in the middle for awhile. Tank is a good situational player and rotational starter...will never be a stud but he's okay. Also got Godchux and Taylor in the 5th and 6th, good value picks. We didn't miss in the first four rounds here either, but it just doesn't compare to 2018.
I think we're drafting pretty well overall and I loved the BPA mentality this season. I agree that we need to draft a QB but that's not going to be in 2019, so I'm really hoping Luke Falk is the man in waiting. With a healthy roster I still think we're in the running for a perennial playoff team.Surfs Up 99, Puka-head and resnor like this. -
Fitzpatrick wasn't a pure CB or S coming out of college. He has the ability to play multiple positions and that was one of the selling points of Fitzpatrick. Had we wanted a more pure corner we should have looked at Alexander, or James had we wanted a more pure safety. Fitzpatrick is still a high calibre prospect and worthy of a higher selection in the draft, but he always was more of a prospect that could play CB or S or both depending on the scheme. Obviously it would be easier for him to master a single position, but when you've got a player like Fitzpatrick it is best to make use of his play making ability and versatility and that's what our team is doing.resnor likes this.
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He's a first year player - we won't be looking at his second contract for at least 3 years and who gives a s$*t about stats - it's a team game and he's playing different positions to a) aid his development, b) probably give the coaches evidence as to what his best position is and c) to help the defense. One of the comments made when he came out of college was that he did know the entire Alabama defense and if he's intelligent enough for that, give him more - he's one of those players that thrives on responsibility.
It's year one in a (hopefully) long Fins career for Minkah, just relax man. Once a position is decided on, any negotiations will take into account his play, not his stats.resnor likes this. -
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...atrick-wants-to-know-what-position-hell-play/
LOL. I got so much hate when I posted that we are doing him dirty. Then Minkah comes out and essentially says exactly what I was saying. Somebody posts it in another post, and you guys gobble it up.
How many times do I need to tell you guys, this is Madden? It is not as simple as just telling him to go out there and play. What we did to him was laughable. Instead of letting him focus his attention on one position, we had a ROOKIE learning a new position every week.
Minkah works so hard, and he does not deserve this nonsense. The guy is more than willing to put in the work, condition, and study the game, and we continue to do everything we can to stunt his growth. Minkah is a professional. We should treat him as such.
He does not deserve to be treating this way.PlayinHarder likes this. -
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He did and will continue to suck.
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No. IIRC, you were upset that we were hurting his development. He simply wants to know where he's going to play most so he can prep himself accordingly in the offseason from a strength and conditioning standpoint from what I read. Pretty big difference IMO.FinNasty, mlb1399, Tin Indian and 2 others like this.
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He will be a HIGE part of the next defense trust me!! Also I expect he will be in a fixed position
Tin Indian likes this. -
We don't deserve to listen to this weird logic about not deserving a first round draft pick.
Agua likes this. -
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Be happy we passed on Edmunds..
He gathered some stats downfield, but man, that tape is ugly..he had one decent game against us, the rest wasn’t worth the 11th pick in the draft I’ll tell you that much..danmarino likes this. -
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Yeah, I'm pretty sure if you draft a guy you deserve whatever he does, good or bad lol
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We have sucked for a while.
I say we deserve some good players.
Hate the name of this thread -
Edmunds had a very good season considering he was a 20 year old rookie. He led the team with 121 tackles and 12 pass breakups. He will only get better going forward. Sky is the limit for him. He would have been a great pick for us. I was not wrong, try again Dan.
"Edmunds led the Bills with 121 tackles and 12 pass breakups while anchoring a defense that finished second in the league by allowing just 294.1 yards per game.
He played more than 91 percent of the Bills’ defensive snaps, third-most on the team this season.
And he performed like no other, becoming the youngest player in NFL history to record an interception, and the only player in the league to finish the season with at least 120 tackles, 12 pass breakups, two sacks, two picks and two forced fumbles."
https://buffalonews.com/2019/01/10/...-earns-teammates-respect-hell-be-unstoppable/
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