Some shameless fodder for the offseason, brought to you by a football starved correspondent. Enjoy!
1) Sign Julius Thomas. See an earlier article to this effect, but Thomas will be cut by the Jaguars and will move into the free agent market this spring. When that happens, a reunion with Adam Gase and an upgrade from Blake Bortles to Ryan Tannehill will resurrect Thomas's career... And save the Dolphins an early pick at a position of need.
2) Lock up Kenny Stills. I'm still angry about the drop in Seattle, but I am also fully aware of what Stills does to coverage schemes. Tannehill's above-average deep ball and scrambling ability make Stills a unique threat on our roster. We need him to ensure that we don't waste any picks at WR again this season. Our budget for receiver projects (Caroo, Parker) is already spent. This must be a defensive draft.
3) Draft linebackers early and often. We need mobility and toughness in the middle. Until Atlanta imploded, they showed what a pursuit defense can do to New England and its crew of small but agile skill players. Draft two or three LB's and get with the speed on defense movement.
4) Draft a physical corner who can jam at the line. Our D line needs cover to earn its (inflated) pay, and physical, big DB's are at a premium in the wide nine system.
5) Anticipate expiring contracts and get extensions for key players (Landry, Jones) done right. Send a message to the NFL that the new regime in Miami rewards gifted contributors with sound deals. We need to reverse the perception that we are a tight-fisted, exploitative franchise that would rather bargain shop than protect its own. I still miss Charles Clay- let's not do that again.
6) Move on from BA and let Tunsil move to guard. I like Albert- when this line was healthy, we were terrific. However, we need to get younger and healthier. It may be time to free up some cap room on the offensive line so we can attract some free agent guards and a higher quality backup center. Doing so would also allow us to distribute more money to skill positions and the defensive secondary. The Dolphins have more money caught up in their O-line than most other teams in football.
7) Overhaul our scouting department. We over draft players that can be had in later rounds and whiff too much with high picks. We need depth; teams with no depth generally can't scout.
8) Maintain draft day discipline. No more trading up for non-impact players (Caroo.) Lost picks hurt so much in the depth department and lead to a roster stocked with linebackers no one else was willing to draft. Trade down, not up. Know your targets and stop chasing the draft.
Share your thoughts- and let's hope some intern somewhere is reading and taking a note here or there.
Jay Lopez
1) Sign Julius Thomas. See an earlier article to this effect, but Thomas will be cut by the Jaguars and will move into the free agent market this spring. When that happens, a reunion with Adam Gase and an upgrade from Blake Bortles to Ryan Tannehill will resurrect Thomas's career... And save the Dolphins an early pick at a position of need.
2) Lock up Kenny Stills. I'm still angry about the drop in Seattle, but I am also fully aware of what Stills does to coverage schemes. Tannehill's above-average deep ball and scrambling ability make Stills a unique threat on our roster. We need him to ensure that we don't waste any picks at WR again this season. Our budget for receiver projects (Caroo, Parker) is already spent. This must be a defensive draft.
3) Draft linebackers early and often. We need mobility and toughness in the middle. Until Atlanta imploded, they showed what a pursuit defense can do to New England and its crew of small but agile skill players. Draft two or three LB's and get with the speed on defense movement.
4) Draft a physical corner who can jam at the line. Our D line needs cover to earn its (inflated) pay, and physical, big DB's are at a premium in the wide nine system.
5) Anticipate expiring contracts and get extensions for key players (Landry, Jones) done right. Send a message to the NFL that the new regime in Miami rewards gifted contributors with sound deals. We need to reverse the perception that we are a tight-fisted, exploitative franchise that would rather bargain shop than protect its own. I still miss Charles Clay- let's not do that again.
6) Move on from BA and let Tunsil move to guard. I like Albert- when this line was healthy, we were terrific. However, we need to get younger and healthier. It may be time to free up some cap room on the offensive line so we can attract some free agent guards and a higher quality backup center. Doing so would also allow us to distribute more money to skill positions and the defensive secondary. The Dolphins have more money caught up in their O-line than most other teams in football.
7) Overhaul our scouting department. We over draft players that can be had in later rounds and whiff too much with high picks. We need depth; teams with no depth generally can't scout.
8) Maintain draft day discipline. No more trading up for non-impact players (Caroo.) Lost picks hurt so much in the depth department and lead to a roster stocked with linebackers no one else was willing to draft. Trade down, not up. Know your targets and stop chasing the draft.
Share your thoughts- and let's hope some intern somewhere is reading and taking a note here or there.
Jay Lopez