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NFL Football Players Draft Injuries Rookies Season SuperbowlPublished: July 17, 2009
Part four of a seven-part series previewing the Miami Dolphins. The articles will focus on dissecting the team’s most crucial positions before the start of training camp.
The Miami Dolphins are doing everything possible to improve last year’s 25th-ranked pass defense.
They let Andre Goodman and Reynaldo Hill sign with Denver, but so far their replacements have struggled. Cornerback Eric Green and safety Gibril Wilson looked bad during organized team activities, particularly against the deep pass.
Rookie corners Sean Smith and Vontae Davis impressed coaches, and both seem to have moved ahead of Green on the depth chart. Nothing is certain during OTA’s because in reality, it is more like flag football.
The good news is the pads start popping in August and the secondary will be taller and more physical.
The Cornerbacks
Will Allen had his best season as a Dolphin in 2008 and was given a two-year contract extension.
He is the oldest member of the secondary and will be counted on to cover some of the best receivers in the game. He will face Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Terrell Owens, and Lee Evens and that’s just in the AFC East.
Davis is a very physical corner and he could really stand out once he’s allowed to hit somebody. He is still a very raw talent and it is still not certain whether he will be a corner or a safety in the NFL.
Smith lined up with the first-team defense during the last round of OTA’s and the early reports on him are solid. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, he gives the Miami the size to match up against Moss and Owens but he may not be ready for that just yet.
All three will be Dolphins in 2009 but the rest of the corners could be fighting just for a place on the team.
Green lost his starting job in Arizona to a rookie and this year a pair of rookies could move him down to fourth on the depth chart.
Green is an experienced NFL corner, making 33 starts in four seasons with the Cardinals but has only two career interceptions.
Jason Allen could be on his way out if he struggles during pre-season. Nathan Jones is a cheaper alternative. Both played on special teams last year but Jones played in nickel and dime formations. $1.9 million is too much to be paying a fifth-string corner if Allen drops that far he will get the axe.
He was torched by former Arena League player Anthony Armstrong and that is defiantly not a good sign. The Dolphins struggled defending the deep pass last year and it could be a problem again.
The Safeties
The Dolphins needed to upgrade the safety position, so they signed Gibril Wilson who played strong safety last season in Oakland. He too was burned by Armstrong and now enters camp needing to prove he should be starting.
Wilson will be the starting free safety but that doesn’t necessarily mean the pass coverage will improve. He is a proven tackler, 129 tackles in 2008, but the Dolphins don’t need another strong safety.
Yeremiah Bell came back from an Achilles tendon injury and led the team with 120 tackles last year. He will struggle at times in coverage and has only one career interception.
Tyrone Culver impressed the coaches at OTA’s so much so that he earned a new two-year contract and should see some time in dime formations. He made several pass deflections and could earn a starting spot if Wilson continues to struggle.
Rookie Chris Clemons has blazing speed and garnered some praise from Sparano after the rookie camp ended. He won’t be needed right away because it looks like the Dolphins are confident in Wilson and Bell but in a few years he could be taking over.
The off-season makeover may pay off down the road, but this year the Dolphins might struggle in against the pass again.
This series will continue every Monday and Friday in July only on The Bleacher Report. Look for Part Five: The Wide Receivers on Monday, July 20.
Published: July 13, 2009
Part three of a seven-part series previewing the Miami Dolphins. The articles will focus on dissecting the team’s most crucial positions before the start of training camp.
Part Three: The Running Backs
The Miami Dolphins are a running team plain and simple. They don’t have the receivers or the quarterback to spread the field like New England or Arizona but the “Wildcat” might be changing the way NFL teams run the football.
Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combined for 1,575 yards and 14 touchdowns. When they ran out of the “Wildcat” formation they averaged 6.4 yards a carry. It is so exciting to watch and it drives defenses crazy. Brown controlled the formation and it was primarily used to run. This year opponents will be more prepared.
One concern is that the running attack is depending on the middle of the offensive line to stay healthy this year. Justin Smiley and Jake Grove are coming back from injuries and Donald Thomas might be ready for the start of the season after a pectoral tear.
Brown is entering the final year of his contract, he wants to be regarded as an elite running back and he should be. In 2007 he was on his way to stardom but was cut down by a knee injury. He totaled 991 yards in seven games as the primary back in 2007. After splitting carries last season he looks primed to carry this offense.
He has shown he can handle the running aspects of the “Wildcat” but only threw three times from the formation. It is still uncertain what his roll in the formation will be because the organization is guarding those plans like the Arc of the Covenant.
The Dolphins need Ronnie to be effective in more traditional running formations. With out the “Wildcat” Miami’s rushing attack was mostly ineffective. Grove was brought in to fix that problem and there should be no more excuses now that Samson Satele is gone.
If Brown wants to be considered an elite runner he will have this is the perfect year to do it. Ricky Williams seems to be declining at age 32 while Brown has shined in offseason workouts.
Williams should resume his role as the primary back up for one more year. He could see a decrease in playing time as offensive coordinator Dan Henning tries to use all his new weapons. Pat White will eventually work his way into the “Wildcat” which could push Ricky out.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, head coach Tony Sparano would love to give Patrick Cobbs more carries. The five-foot-eight roadrunner from North Texas had 16 tackles on special teams and could be more involved in the “Wildcat” this year.
Cobbs can be effective if the Dolphins copy what San Diego did with Darren Sproles. Miami’s special teams unit was horrible last year and his role as a kick-off return man should increase with Ted Ginn Jr. and Davone Bess becoming more active in the passing game.
He could develop into the perfect complement to Ronnie Brown and that could happen as soon as this year. The “Wildcat” is based on creating mismatches and Henning needs his most dangerous pieces on the field to make it work.
Lex Hilliard spent last year on the practice squad and considering the depth at running back he could be headed back to the practice squad this year. The Dolphins also have rookie free agent Anthony Kimble who could challenge Hilliard for that spot on the squad.
The Fullback:
If Ronnie Brown wants to be an elite running back he will need Lousaka Polite. Emmitt Smith had Daryl Johnston, Lorenzo Neal paved the way for LaDainian Tomlinson and Eddie George. Good blocking fullbacks can do wonders for a running back.
Polite was nearly perfect on third-and-one and forth-and-one situations last year. He did not play in 2007 after spending three years with Parcells in Dallas. Polite’s success in short-yardage situations could tempt Sparano to us him on the goal line.
The rushing attack will be vastly improved if the line holds up and if Ronnie Brown takes the bulk of the carries. Cobbs and White will get involved but Brown is the going to carry the offense this year.
Sparano likes to rotate his running backs and Brown has the most talent. It is time to take the training wheels off and let him go.
This series will continue every Monday and Friday in July only on The Bleacher Report. Look for Part Four: The Defensive Backs on Friday July 17th.
Published: July 6, 2009
This is the first article in a seven-part series previewing Miami Dolphins. The articles will focus on dissecting the team’s most crucial positions before the start of training camp.
Part One: The Offensive Line
It is most thankless job in the NFL but Bill Parcells knows you cannot win with out a solid offensive line.
His first order of business as head of football operations was to build this team around gigantic offensive linemen, large men capable of uprooting solid timber. Parcells went so far as to hire his former offensive-line coach, Tony Sparano, to be head coach and to instill the fire and determination of an offensive lineman in the belly of a 1-15 loser.
This season the starters will try to stay healthy while the coaching staff looks for more versatility from the back ups. Justin Smiley is returning from a second straight season on the injured reserve list. After missing 15 games in 2008 Donald Thomas is injured again but might be ready for the start of the season.
The Center:
The Dolphins missed out on free-agent Jason Brown and had to settle for Jake Grove. After trading Samson Satele the team has few options if Grove struggles or gets injured. Here is the list of pro-bowl nose tackles that Grove will be facing this season: Jamal Williams, Marcus Stroud, Kris Jenkins, Vince Wilfork, John Henderson, and Casey Hampton.
The Dolphins are completely confident that Jake can do the job but after four unspectacular years in Oakland the Dolphins’ front office is taking a big gamble on an injury prone center.
The Guards:
The right guard position will be a wide-open competition when the Dolphins open training camp. Last season Donald Thomas started the first game, suffered a left foot injury and was placed on injured reserve list. Ikechuku Ndukwe moved in and started the rest of the way. This year Thomas is injured again with a pectoral tear.
Ndukwe should have an advantage but he will have to fend off Brandon Frye, Shawn Murphy, Mark Lewis, and possibly Joe Berger. Frye and Berger (mmm…Frye and Berger) add value with their flexability on the line. Murphy was inactive for all 16 games last year and he wants to prove he was worth selecting two rounds before Thomas.
When Thomas returns he may not return as the starter. The Dolphins have plenty of depth so they don’t have to rush him back. After missing last season and possibly the start of this season he still has to prove he can be an effective NFL lineman.
The left guard position should be locked down with Justin Smiley returning for his second season in the Miami. Smiley played well in 12 games last year before a right-ankle injury ended his season. He and rookie tackle Jake Long formed a powerful team on the left side. Andy Alleman stepped in after Smiley’s injury and the offense didn’t miss a beat.
Alleman could face some competition from a cocky young miscreant named J.D. Quinn. In 2006 Quinn was booted off the University of Oklahoma football team for accepting $8,137.17 while pretending to work at a car dealership. He also was busted with two DUI offenses while at Oklahoma and a third DUI at the University of Montana.
Quinn doesn’t fit the label of a “Parcells’ Guy” he is reckless and unapologetic but name one NFL guard that ever felt sorry for his opponent and I’ll send you a lollipop. If Sparano can get this kid to take 12 steps he could develop into a quality back up and maybe a starter down the road.
The Tackles:
Parcells’ best move of the 2008 offseason was drafting left tackle Jake Long with the first overall pick. After a stellar rookie year he should be the anchor of this line for the next decade.
No more Wade Smith, no more L.J. Shelton, no more Stockar McDougle or Spencer Folau, finally a left tackle that doesn’t cause laughter when you mention his name.
Rookie Andrew Gardner enjoyed a great four-year career at Georgia Tech receiving first team all-ACC honors twice. He missed the final four games of his senior year due to a torn labrum but playing for Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech means he knows how to run block. If he continues to work on his pass protection the Dolphins could have another late round steal.
Vernon Carey was moved back to right tackle to solidify the line. He’s deeds were rewarded in the offseason as the Dolphins shelled out $42 million to keep the Miami native. Carey has played his entire football career in Miami and it’s only fitting that he should finish it here.
Nate Garner was Carey’s back up in 2008. He played in the “Wildcat” formation for two years at the University of Arkansas. Last season he was inactive for all 16 games after being claimed off waivers from the Jets.
SirVincent Rogers could challenge Garner for the roster spot but he has had injury problems in the past. There is not much depth at the tackle positions so Rogers could make the final roster. Parcells and Sparano love to breed competition within the roster and Rogers could take advantage of it like Donald Thomas did in 2008.
The success of the line will be determined by the play of Jake Grove. He has his work cut out for him with all the pro-bowl nose tackles he will face this season. If he fails the Dolphins will be kicking themselves for not paying the $7.5 million difference it would have taken to sign Jason Brown.
Check back on Friday June 10 for Part Two: The Defensive Line