Well, with Nolan Carroll emerging we now go 4 deep at cornerback.

 

Well, I'm definately not worried about the CB position. Davis, Smith, Allen, Carroll, Sapp. Nicely done.

 

Awesome. Glad he is staying.

 

Seriously, is there a better combined group in the NFL? I mean if you average them out, what team has five better?

 

Great! That should set us at DE and CB at least. Franchise Soliai and that will take care of DT. OLB/ILB
are alright. If we can get a deal done with Incognito the OL will be at least stable.

Doors open to bring in a playmaker in the draft.

 

Franchising Paul Soliai is just not economically wise to do. You cannot guarantee him $12 million over a single season. He's good, but he isn't that good. Instead of taking the lazy way out and putting the tag on him, the Dolphins need to work closely with his agent to see if they can hammer out a 4 year deal. Considering that he's likely not going to sign till after the draft, nose tackle may move up the priority list on draft day. With little to no depth behind Paul Soliai at nose tackle and uncertainty over whether he will be kept, the Dolphins have to go into the draft with an idea that they may need to draft someone who can step in and replace Soliai.

 

Well, I'm just saying that if we can't get a deal done. I think it's probably more wise
to get a reasonable deal done, but, who knows if PS is going to be reasonable?
Then what if his history of underproduction and over weight rear thier head after his
long term deal? Now were stuck with dead money, whereas if you have to bite down
on a bad apple for one year, at least it's only one year. Saying we need to get
a deal done and getting one done are two different things.

 

A CBA conscious move perhaps?

 

Disagree, the Franchise designation is far far removed from actually paying them Franchise tag money, you use the tag to freeze into place, then you attempt to trade them, that is what the Patriots do, it is smart Gming.

This "either/or" line of thinking is fantasy football stuff.

IE, what Mando would think.

 

What's your opinion on Paea? I hear he's a strong as a house and pretty raw, but sounds like a guy that might make a good space-eating NT

 

You sure about that franchise number? Historically DT franchise numbers have been towards the lower end compared to other positions. Aubrayo Franklin was franchise tagged last year at $7.003 million. Just find it odd in one season that number would jump $5 million.

 

Let's hope he's got something in the tank, I don't think my soul can take any more of this SS24 and Sapp coverage-tackling stuff.

 

Hes a beast. Hes a little undersized and probably under 300 pounds. not sure how his body would take on the extra 20-30 pounds. But he has the skill set to be a monster NT.

 

Lets not forget that it's also extremely rare that you can plug and play a NT from the draft. They generally take a few years to develop. Hence why teams generally convert veteran DT's instead. Sounds like a bad idea to let Soliai walk and rely on the draft for a position we'd have to rely on Starks (another bad idea) to play if it didn't work out.

 

Letting Paul walk would be a huge mistake. Sure he only has one season of production under his belt but the guy was dominate for us last year... You can not build a successful team by letting guys that are just hitting their prime go. Like everyone else I worry about the type of player he could turn into if he gets a big contract but this is not baseball, money is rarely guaranteed in pro football.

 

He's pretty much maxed out size wise.... and I probably wouldn't draft him to be a 3-4 NT. I'd go with Phil Taylor (or trade back to right before the Jets and snatch Taylor from their grasp).

Soliai is quick & agile enough to play DE ala Ngata, so drafting Phil wouldn't be overkill if we re-sign Paul. IMO. That would just mean us definitely not re-signing McDaniel. Soliai - Phil Taylor - Starks (with Odrick & Langford in rotation) would be nasty.

.......... and if Odrick is playing well, that could probably make Starks trade-worthy for a high pick or a decent player of need. Let's send him to Dallas for Dez. :shifty:

 

Yup..... especially at one of the more difficult positions to fill. This defense's success is contingent upon Soliai's outstanding play. W/o him, our defense won't be the same.

IMO he's well worth the franchise tag if we can't get a deal worked out (if nothing more than to allow us a smooth transition in grooming his replacement so that our team's success isn't affected by Paul's absence. And who knows, maybe another great year as a Dolphin on a "playoff?" team will keep his heart in Miami.)

 

I think this is exactly what the team needs; more post thirty something washouts to accompany Bell and Williams in last place, and doubtless the fact that he was very injured and hasn't played in a while sealed the deal for the Dolphins. First they make the WR coach the QB coach and now they are signing grandfathers. They are making this team a punch line one transaction at a time.


"Allen suffered tears to his ACL and MCL in Game 6 against the Saints in 2009, after which he lost his starting job to rookie first-rounder Vontae Davis(notes). Allen, who turns 33 in August, worked hard to rehab and was able to return to full drills by the start of training camp in 2010. However, he suffered a setback in the opening days of camp and underwent what was described at the time as a minor surgical procedure."


http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=teamreports-2011-nfl-mia

 

Nobody's 4th string corner is going to be a world beater.
If he can't play, they'll cut him.

 

I hope this glue's Sapp's butt to the bench, I can't take another season of watching him look lost out there on the field.

 

Boy I hope you're right. I can't figure out why they waste their time or money on these old guys. For a 4th stringer I'd get a young prospect that they could bring along and make into a starter not a "hasbeen", and if Bell doesn't go this year, I will. Lets build a team of young / fast a$$ kickers and let the old guys collected their pensions. I won't shed a tear for Allen, Williams or Bell when their replacements put us in the play offs.

 

Excellent post and point. Four players older than thirty is simply asinine! The roster is too old, time for turnover.

 

Well, what folks are missing is Coverages are as important as the passrushers, with WA coming back now they can flip SS24 to Safety, or move WA to safety on third and longs/passing downs, he gives Bowles and Nolan flexibility and provides insurance in case Smith or Davis goes down, or if both go down we'd have WA and Carroll to take their place, which would be a fine Cb duo in their own right.

People seem to have forgotten how good of a player WA is, he is also younger than Charles Woodson so the "too old" stuff is funny.

WA and Carroll means we can go 4 deep at Cb as they all can play man to man really well.

 

You can never have enough good corners.

 

Good move. Opens up a little more cap space I'm assuming for this off season and gives us back that veteran help we need in our secondary. Think about it guys...If Allen was cut (like a lot of you wanted) and Bell was traded or cut within the next season or two (like a lot of you want/I want), that leaves us with zero true veteran presence in our secondary.

I'm sure WA will be able to hold his own as a nickel or dime corner for a couple of years.

Anyone know the exact numbers on his new contract? I'm hoping it's something like 2.5mil for 2011 and signed through 2013. Right now, he is at 5.5mil for 2011.

 

I asked this question last year before the injury. I am wondering if Allen can be moved to FS, similar to Philly doing the same with Troy Vincent years ago, when he went to the Pro bowl.

 

We'll see, I'd suspect WA has to play better in Training Camp and in the preseason than the young guys can show a potential.

I think he can do so as he has had a yr and a half off, his health problems should be behind him and his body fully healed.

 

I agree to an extent. But you cant have a team full of 26 and under guys. IMO you need those handful of vets sprinkled throughout the lineup. Guys who command respect in the locker room and can hold younger/struggling players accountable. Right now we've got Crowder, Dansby, Bell & Allen on defense and I think we can do w/o one of those guys, depending on our depth behind them. On offense I think we are completely lacking that veteran leadership. Penne was the emotional leader, even as a backup. Henne offered next to nothing, as did Ronnie and Ricky. Marshall seemed like more of a bully than a leader, Long is our best player but not a guy who gets others going. Either someone will have to step up on offense, or we'll have to acquire a guy who can.

 

You're assuming that Allen is the same player he was when he suited up vs Nawlins in 09. If he was, I don't think he'd be taking a paycut prior to the draft/free agency. But that's just a guess. I'f he is the same guy, then he's our best corner. Gotta see him on the field first though.The tackling is probably still there. But I'm interested to see if he still has the long speed to play outside or the quickness to play inside. Personally, I'd like to cut Allen & Bennie Sapp, and make a run at either Cromartie or Johnathan Joseph. That'd give us Davis, Cromartie/Joseph, Smith, Carroll & Ness at CB, a damn good unit. However, I can see why we'd want to stick with the guys we have and go all in on fixing the offense.

 

I can see him as a playmaker at FS or in the nickel. I was far from impressed with Sapp. Hell, if he can teach these young guys how to catch picks, he is well worth whatever we are paying him.

 

Or SS24 finally moves to Free Safety and Will Allen takes over at Cb, if WA goes down again they have the option of Clemons at FS and SS24 back to Cb, or they can start Nolan Carroll over at Cb and leave SS24 at FS.

 

Will needs to have stem cells injected into his knees...

 

Like Fred Barnett the cadaver ligament? :lol:

 

Completely agree.

 

How much did he settle for?