2014 Miami Dolphins: Raw Doggin' It

sodenj5 · May 9, 2014

pdaj said:
Fins had that option, but opted for Ju'Waun James instead. He looks to be a gifted pass protector, and supposedly made Dee Ford look like a clown 1:1.

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/ja'wuan-james?id=2543755

OVERVIEW
Started in all 49 games played, setting a Tennessee record for career starts for an offensive lineman. 2013: Started all 12 games at right tackle. 2012: Started all 12 games at right tackle. 2011: Started all 12 games at right tackle. 2010: Started all 13 games at right tackle and was named to the Freshman All-SEC team.

ANALYSIS STRENGTHS
Outstanding size, girth and overall body mass. Good hand placement. Can steer and control blockers once he gets his hands on them. Very patient pass protector. Matches up very well vs. size and power (see Alabama). Battle-tested, experienced four-year starter in the SEC. Outstanding personal and football character. Very smart, mature and highly respected.

WEAKNESSES
Raw footwork. Has a lot of heaviness in body and can improve sustain. Lumbers to the second level and struggles to cut off and adjust to moving targets. Does not roll off the ball with power and generate strength or movement in the run game.

BOTTOM LINE
Big, strong, heavy pass protector with good balance, anchor strength and hand use to handle power and speed. Does not affect the run game the same way and almost appears more destined for the left side in the pros. Has instant-starter potential.

Here's my thing: if you told me Miami filled their biggest hole with a guy that started every game since his freshman year in the SEC and is a natural right tackle that excels in pass protection, I'd say awesome! Is it the sexiest pick? No. Could they have traded back and gotten an extra pick and still gotten James? Probably. You never know for sure, but Hickey said yesterday that James was 100% their guy all the way. From what I've read, he seems to be of high character and fits the bill of what this regime is looking to add. You have to trust in the guys making the decisions. Also, CJ Mosely and Zack Martin were both off the board. It's not as if they passed on another player that would have been a superior option. All the mocks said Miami was sort of in a valley as far as talent and need matched up at 19.

Miami filled their biggest hole headed into the draft and now have a wide range of options with a lot of talent left on the board in round 2. I would be elated if Miami took any of the following:

Marqise Lee
Xavier Sua Filo
Carlos Hyde

Super Nomario · May 9, 2014

I really like James. RT is almost as important as LT nowadays, and James should be plug-and-play day one while still having big upside due to his length (6'6" with 35" arms) and athleticism (very good 7.42 3-cone and 4.56 short shuttle).

Clears Cleaver · May 9, 2014

This pick was made knowing they face Mario Williams, chandler Jones and Ryan six times a year.

I can't tell if he's good or not. But if nothing else allows them to take anyone in next two picks. They need an ILB, G and safety/cb

soxfan121 · May 9, 2014

sodenj5 said:
Here's my thing: if you told me Miami filled their biggest hole with a guy that started every game since his freshman year in the SEC and is a natural right tackle that excels in pass protection, I'd say awesome!

Yup. Adding a bookend to Albert was a great move. The new guy is getting a pretty high grade thus far for his rational, needs-based approach.

That said, someone needs to take Pouncey's twitter account away. Hickey, Philbin, Ross...someone. Guy is apparently rock stupid.

Clears Cleaver · May 9, 2014

a WR and a OT/OG. I have no opinion on either. happy they added a net pick, but I can't say i ever saw either guy play. a WR means matthews is toast?

Dallas Thomas has some competition as well I suppose

sodenj5 · May 10, 2014

Love the selection of Landry. After watching his highlights, the first name that came into my mind was Hines Ward. Great fit for Miami's slot. Catches everything. Savvy route runner. Tough. Physical. Will go up and contest the ball in the air.

Gives Miami some really good depth at WR, and is a nice insurance policy in case either Hartline or Gibson aren't 100% after their knee injuries ended their respective seasons.

CouchsideSteve · May 10, 2014

Echoing the sentiments above, feeling really good about this draft so far. Reinforcements for the OL that should be able to step in and play immediately, plus a tough and battle-tested guy for the slot. Interested to see what today brings.

(As an side, painful reminder of that NDSU game last year: physically dominated by an FCS school to open last season... was devastating.)

Clears Cleaver · May 10, 2014

Seems they've done well today, too. Lots of captains and speed. I like the Montana linebacker from what I've heard

I'm sure the pundits will give them a c+ because they are the dolphins. Lol. I hate draft pundits

SMU_Sox · May 10, 2014

wrong thread.

soxfan121 · May 10, 2014

Clears Cleaver said:
Seems they've done well today, too. Lots of captains and speed. I like the Montana linebacker from what I've heard

I'm sure the pundits will give them a c+ because they are the dolphins. Lol. I hate draft pundits

Yeah, grades and pundits are largely irrelevant. Did the team address the obvious holes? Does there seem to be a coherent plan in place? Do the players taken have some common attribute that the team needs?

I think Miami gets an "A" on those questions. There's obviously a plan. They filled glaring holes. And they went after high-character, team-captain types knowing they needed to change the culture. Hopefully, the players pan out for Hickey and you fans. Personally, I hope they all break their legs in a staircase accident.

sodenj5 · May 10, 2014

I went back and checked out Mel Kiper's pre-draft sleeper list. Billy Turner (3rd Rounder), Walt Aikens (4th), Jordan Tripp (5th), and Matt Hazel (6th) were all on Mel's first tier of sleepers.

Tripp has Day 2 potential as an explosive downhill tackler who makes great reads.

Miami seemed to have a plan in place, filled all the holes they needed to plug going into the draft, and added depth in a couple of key areas that needed depth (DB, LB, TE). You can say they could have maximized value a little better, but from a team roster perspective, Miami got significantly better this weekend. As mentioned by Soxfan, they went after high-character, highly productive college players. All but one of their picks were also seniors in a draft with a record number of underclassmen that declared.

Going back through some of the pre-draft stuff, I took a look at the listings for guys like Turner and Tripp, who I was unfamiliar with.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player/_/id/34601/billy-turner

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/player/_/id/34487/jordie-tripp

Jordie Tripp
Overachiever with great work ethic and passion. Elite football character and intelligence. Exemplary leader. You want this guy in your locker room. Works with special needs children. Team captain.

jk333 · May 27, 2014

pdaj said:
It'll be interesting to see how 2014 goes. I think most would agree that Tanny has to make a significant jump for the Fins to be a playoff team in an improved division.

2014 will be interesting because it could be the end of Tannehill or the beginning of at least a handful of playoff years. Tanny's play (along with offensive playcalling) will dictate how the team performs. They have enough weapons that he should be able to produce. The O-line should be stable, the RBs are adequate and the WRs are both good and deep [if overpaid]. On defense, they look to be a little bit above average as well. Below average QB play will net them a 6-10 type record while above average QB play could get them to 9-7 or even 10-6.

I think they have a better team than Buffalo and NYJ but Buffalo is improving. EJ Manuel vs. Tannehill will be important for both teams. Coaching will also be important, last year Buffalo was coached well while offensively Miami had a poor year.

If Tannehill is the guy, he needs to win 9-11 games next year. Otherwise, they need to move on. Buffalo is on the right track and the Jets can win some games but realistically, neither team is a playoff contender right now. This is Miami's and Tannehill's chance to prove that they are the 2nd best AFC east team. If not, it's time to start over at QB.

sodenj5 · Jun 11, 2014

I know it's hard to make any kind of real judgement until pads come on, but I really like what I've heard about Finnegan. Not only about his play thus far, which had been good, but the fact that he had immediately taken on a veteran leadership role and has been working late after practice with both Jamar Taylor and Will Davis.

Also, Mike Wallace has become the Reggie Bush of OTAs. He's been the last man of the field every practice thus far. Good to see from him as well.

dwainw · Jun 17, 2014

Interesting and comprehensive analysis on Tannehill:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2097520-why-ryan-tannehill-is-the-best-franchise-quarterback-nobody-is-talking-about?hpt=hp_t2

The section on his pocket presence probably struck me the most. If this year's O-line can go from historically bad to, oh, say AVERAGE, and if the new offensive scheme can play to his strengths, will the cautious optimism this article instilled in me be justified?

Tony C · Jun 18, 2014

from an outside perspective I'd say it's justified. The Jets and the Fins were 8-8 last year, but the Jets were a pretty lucky 8-8 (terrible point differential) while it's sort of remarkable that Miami ended up at .500 (not too far below even in point differential) given all their turmoil and how an already mediocre O-line disintegrated. They have a strong defense and I think they've made significant improvements offensively, and that given some protection Tannehill can be above average.

sodenj5 · Jun 19, 2014

I think Lazor's offense is going to play to Tannehill's strengths. It's largely a spread west coast offense. Tannehill was at his best last year when Miami would spread the field and he was operating out of the shotgun.

I'm also assuming that Lazor will better utilize Tannehill's athleticism. Two of his absolute best traits are his mobility/athleticism and his ability to throw accurately on the move, yet with a terrible offensive line, Sherman insisted on dropping Tannehill back and making him a stationary target. One of many reasons he is no longer the coordinator.

I'm cautiously optimistic at this point. We've all seen flashes of Tannehill's ability. I'm willing to give him a pass on last year as he was largely pummeled every game while operating a generic, predictable offense.

This is the year he needs to put it together. If Miami fails to reach the playoffs, that's likely the end of the Tannehill/Philbin era. The upcoming draft class at QB is looking fairly loaded. If Tannehill can't prove that he's the long term answer this year, I wouldn't be surprised to see Hickey draft his own QB.

jsinger121 · Jun 23, 2014

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter 31s
Dolphins Pro-Bowl C Mike Pouncey underwent hip surgery today and is expected to miss at least three months, per ESPN sources.

RedOctober3829 · Jun 23, 2014

He'll miss the Week 1 game vs. the Patriots. Huge break for the Pats.

SeoulSoxFan · Jun 23, 2014

RedOctober3829 said:
He'll miss the Week 1 game vs. the Patriots. Huge break for the Pats.

Especially since it'll be in Miami heat. Need any edge we can get.

Tony C · Jun 24, 2014

did the dude who put a hex on Ronaldo's knee practice on the Dolphins' O-line?

soxfan121 · Jun 24, 2014

Tony C said:
did the dude who put a hex on Ronaldo's knee practice on the Dolphins' O-line?

Karma karma karma chameleon.

mascho · Jul 3, 2014

Per rapsheet, Dion Jordan suspended four games for PEDs.

Link: http://www.miamidolphins.com/news/press-releases/article-1/PRESS-RELEASE-Dion-Jordan-Suspended-Four-Games-By-NFL--/c03e7774-f1f9-4316-bd48-8aea7e4eca10

EDIT: Hilarious given this article: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/27/dion-jordan-bulked-up-this-offseason/

That appears to be the case with Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports that Jordan looks like he took an air pump and plugged it into his arms and shoulders this offseason as he bulked up to over 265 pounds. Jordan played at 248 pounds last season and admitted on Tuesday that he felt too light to do the job the Dolphins were asking him to do.

jsinger121 · Jul 3, 2014

No Pouncey and now no Jordan. Breaks are coming New England's way.

RedOctober3829 · Jul 3, 2014

jsinger121 said:
No Pouncey and now no Jordan. Breaks are coming New England's way.

Before you know it, it will be 65 degrees in Foxboro for the AFC title game or something.

Clears Cleaver · Jul 3, 2014

I blame Ireland.

but seriously, WTF...it is so hard to be fan of this team. I told my friends I have almost no interest in the NFL anymore and came up with a bevy of reason why (game is all passing, its touch football, fantasy football sucks, rules suck, QB can't be touched, etc etc). But reality is I am fan of a team and organization that has totally and absolutely sucked for 20 years.

CouchsideSteve · Jul 3, 2014

Trying not to have a knee-jerk reaction, but to (potentially) whiff so badly on a top-5 pick is incredibly frustrating.

Shitty rookie year, followed up with a suspension in year two. Not looking good.

sodenj5 · Jul 3, 2014

Jesus fuck this sucks. I guess it wouldn't really matter if we selected him or Lane Johnson, as they're both serving suspensions for PEDs to start the year. That's a bummer. I wonder if he took something in order to promote healing in his shoulder, or if he just plain old shot up on steroids or HGH.

Either way, disappointing. Jordan better make the most of his 12 games this year.

dwainw · Jul 5, 2014

Clears Cleaver said:
I blame Ireland.

but seriously, WTF...it is so hard to be fan of this team. I told my friends I have almost no interest in the NFL anymore and came up with a bevy of reason why (game is all passing, its touch football, fantasy football sucks, rules suck, QB can't be touched, etc etc). But reality is I am fan of a team and organization that has totally and absolutely sucked for 20 years.

I'm with you here. "Looking forward to Dolphins football" during the preseason has turned into a matter of just going through the motions. Obviously we're not the only fans who've been in that position for a while (I write this in the heart of Vikings territory), but we're one set of a relatively select few and it sucks.

That said, I'm a sports fan--I'm programmed to get crazy about my teams. I can't envision ever not caring about the Dolphins or Red Sox, no matter how bad it gets. So here we sit. Feasting on one stale shit sandwich after another, clinging to the remote hope that they'll eventually capture magic, if only once in our lifetime. 2004 made all the difference, of course, in our ability to be "patient" about the Red Sox, but it had a big impact on all my sports rooting interests in general. 2007 and 2013 haven't hurt either.

Fuck Dion Jordan (at least for Weeks 1 - 4) and fuck the Dolphins' personnel who've made it harder to like this team lately. There are still a lot of story lines of interest on the upcoming team as well as developing talent and presumably likeable individuals to heighten my ability to care about 2014. Anyway, that's my story (for now), and I'm sticking to it.

ShaneTrot · Jul 8, 2014

Obviously, this is Florio click-bait but Profootballtalk ranks the Dolphins 31st in the league.

mcaqua · Jul 8, 2014

Having five picks in the first three rounds of the '13 draft and coming away with Jordan, Jamar Taylor, Dallas Thomas and Will Davis is quite the haul.

Its obviously still very early in their respective careers, but it certainly doesn't look good one year removed.

sodenj5 · Jul 22, 2014

mcaqua said:
Having five picks in the first three rounds of the '13 draft and coming away with Jordan, Jamar Taylor, Dallas Thomas and Will Davis is quite the haul.

Its obviously still very early in their respective careers, but it certainly doesn't look good one year removed.

Definitely way too early to make any type of conclusions. Jordan right now is a disappointment, however, if he comes in from his suspension and starts to flash the ability that made him the #3 overall pick, things start to look a lot different.

Reports from OTA's had Dallas Thomas and Jamar Taylor generating quite a bit of buzz. Taylor basically redshirted last year, but he has first round ability, but dropped into the second due to medical concerns, which are now obvious.

Several people said Thomas was the surprise of OTA's and that he looked like a totally different player out there. He hired a nutritionist in the offseason to get in shape, and they made the decision to stick him at LG, and let him have a shot at it instead of bouncing him around in 4 different positions.

Also, don't forget that the 2013 draft was incredibly thin in truly elite, A level talents. Jordan was one of the 3 or 4 guys that had that A level talent, and he still does.

With training camp starting up this Friday, 90% of the focus will be on the offense. Will Lazor's new system be the catalyst for Miami's success? Will it cater more to Tannehill's strengths of rolling out of the pocket and throwing on the run? Can 5 new starters (Pouncey on the shelf) come together and from a line that isn't historically bad like last year? Can Tannehill make the leap and learn a new system and put the pieces together to cement his status as the franchise quarterback? Can he hit a wide open Mike Wallace with the deep ball?!

One thing I want to find out would be is Charles Clay for real? Defenses will start to key in on him after last year. Can he still produce and be a dangerous weapon in the passing game, and how will Lazor move him around in the offense? He can line up virtually anywhere and be a threat.

Kenny F'ing Powers · Jul 22, 2014

Ah, NFL training camp.

Where even Dolphins fans are cautiously optimistic.

mcaqua · Jul 23, 2014

sodenj5 said:
Definitely way too early to make any type of conclusions. Jordan right now is a disappointment, however, if he comes in from his suspension and starts to flash the ability that made him the #3 overall pick, things start to look a lot different.

Reports from OTA's had Dallas Thomas and Jamar Taylor generating quite a bit of buzz. Taylor basically redshirted last year, but he has first round ability, but dropped into the second due to medical concerns, which are now obvious.

Several people said Thomas was the surprise of OTA's and that he looked like a totally different player out there. He hired a nutritionist in the offseason to get in shape, and they made the decision to stick him at LG, and let him have a shot at it instead of bouncing him around in 4 different positions.

Also, don't forget that the 2013 draft was incredibly thin in truly elite, A level talents. Jordan was one of the 3 or 4 guys that had that A level talent, and he still does.

With training camp starting up this Friday, 90% of the focus will be on the offense. Will Lazor's new system be the catalyst for Miami's success? Will it cater more to Tannehill's strengths of rolling out of the pocket and throwing on the run? Can 5 new starters (Pouncey on the shelf) come together and from a line that isn't historically bad like last year? Can Tannehill make the leap and learn a new system and put the pieces together to cement his status as the franchise quarterback? Can he hit a wide open Mike Wallace with the deep ball?!

One thing I want to find out would be is Charles Clay for real? Defenses will start to key in on him after last year. Can he still produce and be a dangerous weapon in the passing game, and how will Lazor move him around in the offense? He can line up virtually anywhere and be a threat.

I'm not sure I'm buying any of this. On one hand you're saying that its definitely way too early to draw any type of conclusions on our '13 class, yet you condemn the entire draft by saying that it was thin in truly elite talent. Which one is it?

These guys generating 'buzz' at OTAs doesn't really move the needle for me. Every year we hear about someone improving dramatically in May/June... and then the pads come on, the games have meaning and they become afterthoughts once more. Legedu Naanee quickly comes to mind.

You mention Jordan as being a disappointment and while you would expect more immediate dividends out of a top 3 overall selection, he's the one guy that I don't really worry about from a productivity standpoint moving forward (aside from his violating league policy). I think his struggles last year stemmed from a shoulder injury that was never completely right and a coaching staff that couldn't decide how to properly deploy him. That said, when he was given an opportunity on the field - he flashed (complied a pressure rate of 11.7% and while that's hardly elite, it was superior to Vernon's 9% for instance), which is a hell of a lot more than you can say about the other three picks made in the first three rounds, combined.

soxfan121 · Jul 23, 2014

pdaj said:
Why didn't the Fins just draft a tackle in '13?

A. Jeff Ireland was an incompetent asshole.
B. When you have a chance to take a 230 pound defensive end in the top three, you gotta take it.

Perhaps Jordan returns from his suspension for "bulking up" and makes good on his potential. But more likely, being caught for PEDs won't help him get big enough to play DE/OLB and he ends up a colossal bust.

Should have just paid Jake Long OR traded the 2nd round pick to KC for Albert; might have avoided all the ugly that's happened since.

SMU_Sox · Jul 23, 2014

soxfan121 said:
A. Jeff Ireland was an incompetent asshole.
B. When you have a chance to take a 230 pound defensive end in the top three, you gotta take it.

Perhaps Jordan returns from his suspension for "bulking up" and makes good on his potential. But more likely, being caught for PEDs won't help him get big enough to play DE/OLB and he ends up a colossal bust.

Should have just paid Jake Long OR traded the 2nd round pick to KC for Albert; might have avoided all the ugly that's happened since.

Wait, why not just take Lane Johnson? When they traded up that's whom I thought they'd nab.

soxfan121 · Jul 23, 2014

SMU_Sox said:
Wait, why not just take Lane Johnson? When they traded up that's whom I thought they'd nab.

See A.

SMU_Sox · Jul 23, 2014

soxfan121 said:
See A.

That goes without saying, my friend. But when you listed what they should have done I'd say my option is probably up there too. Riskier? Sure. Higher upside though at the time (and now). What do you think?

SMU_Sox · Jul 24, 2014

I think that's the biggest blunder. Either get Albert or draft Johnson but you really have to do one or the other. Felt that way when they drafted Jordan and I think I posted in that draft thread to that opinion. I think they are at least 9-7 and possibly 10-6 even with the bullying incident if that happened.

Edit: assume Martin is always in the backup gig maybe the bullying thing doesn't happen? If we go down the rabbit hole a bit it's not too hard to see a pretty good fins oline with incognito at guard the whole year. I don't think I'd run that far with that train of thought but who knows, right?

sodenj5 · Jul 24, 2014

mcaqua said:
I'm not sure I'm buying any of this. On one hand you're saying that its definitely way too early to draw any type of conclusions on our '13 class, yet you condemn the entire draft by saying that it was thin in truly elite talent. Which one is it?

Look at any of the pre-draft material from 2013, and they'll echo exactly what I've said. It's not too early to say that before the draft, nearly everyone thought that there was a dearth of players with elite, game changing potential. Jordan was considered to be one of those very few. In a few years, it may turn out that there are a handful of all pro's, but the sentiment before the draft was that it was thin up top. At this point, it's too soon to make a definitive judgment as to whether or not Jordan will make good on said talent, but it is certainly there.

SMU_Sox · Jul 24, 2014

Look, this story bored me so I stopped following, but did we ever determine if incognito was truly unique in his acting out? Or are there 1 to X number of guys on any given team like him? Like I said the nature of the story wasn't really interesting enough to follow for months but if someone has a quick answer I'd appreciate it.

sodenj5 · Jul 29, 2014

pdaj said:
Sorry SMU, I'm bully-gated out from last season.

Looks like the initial starting OL unit will be Albert-Colledge-Smith-Thomas-James. The two Volunteer teammates will man the right side.

Thoughts on Colledge at LG?

Colledge has started 124 of his 128 NFL games, including every game the past six seasons. He played his first five seasons with Green Bay and his past three with Arizona. Last year, Colledge played left guard, and Pro Football Focus rated him 45th of 81 qualifying guards — 32nd in pass protection (he allowed two sacks) and 53rd as a run blocker.

Could be worse, right? I'll be curious to see how much Turner pushes him and Thomas this pre-season.

Do you mean Benton? Turner took the fall over the bullying. Colledge sounds like the definition of league average, which, at this point, is a huge improvement from what they've been running out there. I'd be happy with average o-line play.

Jarvis Landry was getting some hype during the padded practice. Omar Kelly said he plays fast with pads, and Tannehill connected with him on a deep seam route. It also seems like Tannehill is starting to connect on the deep ball more frequently thus far, which was a huge area that needed improvement.

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