Miami Dolphins: B+
Top needs: CB, RB, G, ILB, DL
Bizarre circumstances, great player. Let's just go with that for the short version of how the Dolphins ended up with arguably the single-best prospect in the draft all the way down at No. 13. Laremy Tunsil has so many natural gifts for the tackle position, it's just now a matter of where he plays. Left side? Right side? Either way, if he's on the field, Miami gets better. Not many people know Xavien Howard, but that's not much of a reach in Round 2 -- he was going to go there. From there, this was all about getting Ryan Tannehill and Adam Gase more weapons. Kenyan Drake is Reggie Bush-lite, Leonte Carroo is a productive threat who can make catches down the field, and Jakeem Grant is a jitterbug who is electric in space if you can get him the ball. Thomas Duarte is one to watch, a hybrid wideout-tight end split who could develop. The Dolphins didn't do much for their defense, but they sure as heck tried to help their QB and ended up with a major steal early in the process.
1/13
Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
2/38
Xavien Howard, CB, Baylor
3/73
Kenyan Drake, RB, Alabama
3/86
Leonte Carroo, WR, Rutgers
6/186
Jakeem Grant, WR, Texas Tech
6/204
Jordan Lucas, S, Penn State
7/223
Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky
7/231
Thomas Duarte, WR, UCLA
What do they normally run for a defense in the secondary? He's definitely more a zone guy than a man guy.Yea this is sort of they year of no excuses for Tannehill. They're going to put a brick wall in front of him and they have some major depth and talent at all the skill positions. If he falls on his face this year, I think they look for a QB in 2017. Gase and Tannenbaum aren't married to Tannehill. He wasn't their draft pick.
The defense does concern me still. They're counting on Maxwell returning to his Seattle form and Alonso returning to his Buffalo form for their to be a significant change in what they put out last year.
I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't excited to see what the offense does in training camp.
Well a lot of the early talk was they're going to run a scheme that's a lot of press man and cover 3, so they'll be asking him to play in a fashion much more like his Seattle days rather than his Philly days where they played a lot of off man. That's why there is optimism surrounding Maxwell and him returning to form.What do they normally run for a defense in the secondary? He's definitely more a zone guy than a man guy.
That's playing right into his strengths so they should be all set on one side at least.Well a lot of the early talk was they're going to run a scheme that's a lot of press man and cover 3, so they'll be asking him to play in a fashion much more like his Seattle days rather than his Philly days where they played a lot of off man. That's why there is optimism surrounding Maxwell and him returning to form.
I think the biggest factor was they were very likely to receive a 3rd and 4th rounder next after losing Miller and Vernon. They were pretty open about not wanting to sign any more FAs that would potentially jeopardize them receiving the comp picks until after the deadline passed.I happened to be reading some Dolphins draft analysis the other day and it led to a bit of an epiphany regarding the Carroo trade.
I know giving up the two future picks led to consternation on various sites I frequented after the draft, and my take crept toward the "good player don't love the trade" crowd, but it dawned on me that it really is a shrewd move that carries little risk.
You can make that trade every year for the rest of eternity, and unless the NFL decides to ban trades, you never would feel the repercussions.
And this doesn't even take into account the compensation situation next year which likely played into the situation.
If there was a guy you loved there this year, why not take him?
Next year maybe there isn't that same value there anyway, and if there is, then as I said....just make the trade again.
Granted you need a trade partner, but if you're going over-value with 2:1 future picks 3rd round and beyond, those deals seem to get done pretty easily.
That was just a random thought I had that did make me feel even better about the past draft and the FO strategy/conviction they had for players they were targeting during it.
So I was thinking about Miami's guard woes the last day or two, and I think a big reason they've struggled is because they keep drafting tackles and moving them to guard. Billy Turner and Dallas Thomas were tackles in college. Tunsil was and will be a tackle eventually. I think the requirements for being a good guard and a good tackle are different.so, nearly unanimous that Tunsil has been very disappointing so far performance-wise. Also, that the Alabama RB has been great. Gase has players respect, Alonso looks great, Phillips starting next to Suh. Maxwell ehhhh
reshad holding out. Tannehill taking too long in the pocket (nothing new)
Really? I've read otherwise. How has he looked bad?so, nearly unanimous that Tunsil has been very disappointing so far performance-wise. Also, that the Alabama RB has been great. Gase has players respect, Alonso looks great, Phillips starting next to Suh. Maxwell ehhhh
reshad holding out. Tannehill taking too long in the pocket (nothing new)
I'm not the least bit concerned about this, as the pads haven't been put on yet. I'm sure Dallas Thomas looks like a great football player without pads on. Additionally, I'm fine with Gase not "handing" Tunsil the spot right from the jump. I think this is the right message to send.http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/2016/07/tunsil-has-ground-to-make-up-dolphins-rookie-talk-bosh-durant-heat-free-agent-loria-um-golden-walton.html
smh...is the o-line coaching in miami just awful?
But they did hand Tunsil the spot and he sucked so he got demoted. Holding Tunsil accountable to a high level of performance is all well and good but there's a distinct possibility that he's not ready to play guard yet (which makes some sense--he's a long athletic tackle and playing inside isn't really his game; it's not shocking that it's taking time for him to adjust).I'm not the least bit concerned about this, as the pads haven't been put on yet. I'm sure Dallas Thomas looks like a great football player without pads on. Additionally, I'm fine with Gase not "handing" Tunsil the spot right from the jump. I think this is the right message to send.
Unless Thomas has been working out with Peyton this off-season (HGH), he'll be service a backup role this upcoming season.
I'm a fan. Pretty much a no risk signing by Miami. If he comes in healthy, with something to prove, he's the 1a and Ajayi is the 1b. A savvy vet on the offense that does everything well, he's a good very good insurance policy in case Ajayi doesn't step it up.Arian Foster signs on a 1 year deal per Schefty
1. Coaching: Joe Philbin was fired a year too late, but Stephen Ross didn’t double down on his mistake, axing Philbin four games into the 2015 season.
And despite support in the locker room to keep interim Dan Campbell, the Dolphins hired Adam Gase, viewed by many as the best candidate available.
Under Philbin and later Campbell, the Dolphins were often out-schemed on Sundays. That shouldn’t be the case with Gase, who has gotten the most out of Peyton Manning, Jay Cutler and Tim Tebow in his still-young career. He’s now tasked with getting the most out of Ryan Tannehill.
Any thoughts or insight as to how the new system might offset Tanny's weaknesses such as pocket awareness? Or would receivers gaining separation more quickly be enough? Seems like that's a combination mental/physical attribute that, if anything, he's shown regression on.So, on the eve of training camp, here are the things I'm most interested in following:
- Ryan Tannehill's command of the new offense. It's basically going to come down to how quickly can he pick up the new offense and execute? I think Gase gives him as much freedom as he proves he can handle. They start slow and he opens it up to Tannehill as he proves himself. I honestly think it's more of a physical execution rather than a mental execution that needs to be seen from Tannehill. Everyone says the dude is bright and works his ass off, it's the consistency that has stopped him from elevating himself and the team to the next level. He needs to stop having so many highs and lows and just go out every week and play well. No more excuses this year. The offense is loaded with talent.
pdaj says it'll be fine so don't worry.and the media at practice saying Dallas Thomas outplayed Tunsil at guard today. yup. The statistically worst guard in the league outplayed the 10th pick in the draft today. Yes I know the caveats, new position, no pads, just a few practices....but that is a disasterous piece of news
I originally advocated for kicking Albert inside and having Tunsil play LT. On paper, it still makes sense to me, but I like Gase's approach of making all of the rookies earn their spot so far.pdaj says it'll be fine so don't worry.
A few commenters thought the way to go woould be Tunsil at LT and Albert at LG--as a crazy athletic, long lean power who lacks power and experience inside LT is just a more natural spot for tunsil Albert should be able to fit right in at this guard. I would hae been inclined to go that way as well but as a Pats fan I'm glad to see the Dolphins playing a super talent out of position.
The last decade's been tough of Miami fans; for CC, it's clear to me that among the fans on this board, he's absorbed the most shrapnel. (Trust me, I get it.) I haven't been quite as traumatized, so I still tend to see the unclear, fact-limited media reports more positively. There's a lot of bullshit that gets written by the writers in the Miami area, especially during this portion of the off-season.I originally advocated for kicking Albert inside and having Tunsil play LT. On paper, it still makes sense to me, but I like Gase's approach of making all of the rookies earn their spot so far.
Tunsil has started with the second team and has gotten some work with the 1's. It looks like they're saying, here's your competition. Play better than him and you'll start. If he can't outperform Dallas Thomas, he doesn't deserve to be on the field yet.
Unlike Clears, I'm still fully confident that Tunsil is a starter Week 1.
I'm not 100% sold on the issue being Cameron sucking. I think some of the blame should fall on Tannehill's shoulders. The reason Landry sees 160 targets is because those are easy, high percentage completions. Cameron works the intermediate middle of the field where LBs and safeties lurk. Those passes are a lower percentage completion and present a greater risk of generating a turnover.Its going to be interesting to see how the receiving targets shake out over the course of the season. Targeting Jarvis 160+ times last season was stupid and Tannehill needs to start developing some chemistry with the rest of this WR unit, Parker chief among them. Question, what's a reasonable expectation for Parker's production that you would consider a successful 2nd season?
I think Cameron's complete ineffectiveness, basically from the moment he signed in Miami, is quite an underrated subplot heading into this season. From all reports, he's been equally useless in camp. Not having a reliable option at that position is going to continue to hurt this offense moving forward.
This is all well and good, but the point is that targeting Landry 160 times is not an efficient or effective use of perhaps your most talented skill player and, quite frankly, its going to get him hurt. That excess volume needs to be redistributed.I'm not 100% sold on the issue being Cameron sucking. I think some of the blame should fall on Tannehill's shoulders. The reason Landry sees 160 targets is because those are easy, high percentage completions. Cameron works the intermediate middle of the field where LBs and safeties lurk. Those passes are a lower percentage completion and present a greater risk of generating a turnover.
I'm not trying to say that Cameron is an all-pro and all Tannehill has to do is throw him the ball. I'm just suggesting that I don't think it's as simple as he's flat out bad. I just think his strengths don't necessarily match up with Tannehill's strengths.This is all well and good, but the point is that targeting Landry 160 times is not an efficient or effective use of perhaps your most talented skill player and, quite frankly, its going to get him hurt. That excess volume needs to be redistributed.
Its silly to sit here and partially or fully absolve Jordan Cameron of that horrific season he put forth last year because his QB isn't perfect. Charles Clay had no problem leveraging Ryan Tannehill into a new contract. Hell, Dion Sims has been more productive in the extremely limited opportunities he's had. And oh by the way, there's been absolutely no evidence to suggest Cameron has done a better job asserting himself into the offense this offseason.
Interesting counterpoint to your take:I'm not trying to say that Cameron is an all-pro and all Tannehill has to do is throw him the ball. I'm just suggesting that I don't think it's as simple as he's flat out bad. I just think his strengths don't necessarily match up with Tannehill's strengths.
Clay and Tannehill were a very good match because Clay could catch a 5 yard pass out of the slot and turn it into a 10 yard gain. That's not what Cameron is good at. He's more of a seam threat TE for a more vertical offense.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/2016/08/ums-biggest-2016-needs-being-filled-lots-of-um-nuggets-dolphins-and-marlins-items.htmlByron Maxwell noted the Dolphins quarterbacks aren't challenging corners down the field, though we saw a couple of deep balls today that were successful (Tannehill to Ajayi, Moore to Carroo). And Gase gave an interesting answer for why he's emphasizing shorter patterns
"The whole league is 10 yards and under," he said. "Maybe 1, 2 teams that do it [with longer passes] – Pittsburgh and Arizona. That’s where the passing game is [in the NFL]. The d-ends are too good [to repeatedly wait to set up longer throws]. If you want to have your quarterbacks get his brains beat out, go out and do it.... There is a time and place for it. There is a time and place to not get sacked 60 times a season."
Apparently the deal is for something like 18 years, which is cool because the stadium has been a bunch of things since I've been a fan... Joe Robbie, Pro Player, Land Shark, Dolphins Stadium, Sun Life.kind of cool.. even to a Pats fan:
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet 12m12 minutes ago
The #Dolphins will officially announce their new stadium name — Hard Rock Stadium — at a news conference today at 2 pm.
per Rapp "The #Dolphins will officially announce their new stadium name — Hard Rock Stadium — at a news conference today at 2 pm."