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Author Topic: Dolphins Top 10 offseason priorities  (Read 1445 times)
DaLittle B
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« on: January 02, 2018, 01:18:17 pm »

http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2018/01/01/top-10-miami-dolphins-offseason-priorities-2/

I think Joe Schad tweeted this Monday,then retweeted this Monday...

I'm curious what you think the top 10 Priorities are this offseason?

Do you agree with the article or have your own?


I've been in the GET IT DONE,Sign Jarvis Landry camp,but have taken pause after his last couple of outbursts (Getting ejected in the last game).I love his throws his body around,trying to make plays,he blocks,plays though even when not 100%.After he got ejected, I kept thinking this game didn't mean much to us,but what if we needed this game to make the playoffs,or it was in the playoffs.It was a bit of a belief shaker.

I still want to sign him for I feel the good out weighs the bad,but I completely understand the people that hate him for his actions.

I got to run, I'll add another post when I'm not so busy
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Tenshot13
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« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2018, 02:08:29 pm »

Keep Ryan Tannehill healthy. Last year, our top offseason priority was to “get Ryan Tannehill healthy.” At the time, it was unknown if Tannehill was definitely going to be able to bypass surgery and well, he did, but it did not end well. We may never know if Tannehill would not have sustained a season-ending ACL injury if he had had the surgery instead of choosing rehabilitation. At some point, Tannehill will be asked if he has any regrets about his decision. Last year, Tannehill was the NFL’s 12th-rated passer. This year, Jay Cutler was the NFL’s 23rd-rated passer. There are two or three wins in that discrepancy.Agree, but I would add drafting his successor this year, have the drafted rookie QB battle with the backup QB and sit until we're done with Tannehill

Sign Jarvis Landry; consider shopping DeVante Parker. We are of the belief that this Landry deal is going to get done. Because Landry wants to be in South Florida. And the Dolphins want to keep him here. We also estimate the final landing spot will be a 4- or 5-year deal worth in the $13.5-to-$14.5 million annual range. So Tannehill will keep his favorite target. We’re not sure what Parker is worth on the open market and we realize Jay Ajayi brought back only a fourth-round pick. But we would consider moving Parker for a second round or high third-round pick, if some NFL team sees all the good in Parker and is willing to overlook the bad.Agree

Figure out any coaching staff changes. With the departure of Chris Foerster, Miami obviously needs a new offensive line coach. Would Adam Gase add a veteran presence to the offensive and/or defensive sides of the ball? Both are worthy of consideration. Each of Miami’s defensive position groups failed to live up to expectations at various times throughout the season, especially the secondary. It would not be shocking if Gase shook up a few positions on this coaching staff. Let’s be honest, at times, he openly questioned if the staff needed to explore different methods of teaching.Agreed

Evaluate why there is an absence of discipline. Speaking of which. Miami had way too many penalties this season. And they had way too many penalties last season. And there were times that a few players seemed out of control on the field and on the sideline. This is a game of emotion. And Gase wants players who exude passion and commitment. But Gase must do a deep dive into why the team hasn’t played smarter football. Does he need smarter players? Does he need to tweak coaching methods? Does he need a few new coaches?Agreed

Get Laremy Tunsil right. This one is a bit under-the-radar. But Miami really needs Tunsil to play like the high first-round draft choice he was — next season. Something seemed off about Tunsil all season. His transition to left tackle, was not smooth. Tunsil seemed a step slow. Coaches talked about how he needed to stay focused at practice. Tunsil talks about how he wants Gase to not worry about the left side of the line. But Miami sort of had to this season. Tunsil has all the tools to be a Pro Bowl tackle. He needs to find the right mindset, in preparation and during games (way too many pre-snap penalties), in order to maximize his worldly potential.Agreed...too talented for his play this year

Add a linebacker better than Lawrence Timmons. Our number two offseason priority for the Dolphins in 2017 was “Add two linebackers, at least one terror thumper.” In essence, the Dolphins are going to be adding a brand new one this offseason in middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan, who missed all of last season with a knee injury sustained on his first preseason snap. The Dolphins may have a developmental linebacker in Stephone Anthony worth exploring further. But they could really use a linebacker with speed and power, sturdy enough against the run but capable of also providing occasional coverage. Oh, and no, we don’t expect Timmons to return.Agreed...McMillan back will be huge, Timmons would likely be gone...I liked what I saw from Anthony yesterday

Add a tight end better than Julius Thomas. We understand why it made sense to take a flier on Thomas. But he was washed. It was easy to see very early in camp that he lacked the explosiveness and the speed that made him special in Denver. Of course, Peyton Manning can make a lot of players look special. The Dolphins may have found a solid #2 tight end in A.J. Derby. But Gase could really, really use an explosive threat at tight end capable of attacking the seam and also emerging as a red zone threat. Oh, and no, we don’t expect Thomas to return.God yes, Thomas was beyond terrible this year

Add an upper-echelon guard or tackle. We totally understand that the Dolphins don’t want to spend too much money on their guards. And it’s possible Ted Larsen may be fine at one spot (perhaps right guard, his preference) next season. But it would behoove Miami to pay a little more attention (and dough) the guard spot opposite Larsen in 2018, if in fact Jesse Davis is the right tackle, with Ja’Wuan James moving on. If Davis and Larsen are the guards, and Miami thinks they can upgrade over James at a fraction of the cost, let’s see it happen.Ja'Wuan James was one of the better RT in the league before he got hurt, so no, don't move him.  Find a guard somewhere, FA or draft, and continue to establish depth

Add a complimentary back for Kenyan Drake. Someone like say, Jay Ajayi. We kid. In an ideal situation, Miami would add a back capable of bringing power to the offense in 2018. But if the complement to Drake is someone not entirely unlike Drake, that’s OK, too. Gase is going to want another back to compliment Drake, even if Drake ends up with the most Miami carries next season. It’s uncertain if Damien Williams will return, but if not, another player like him, one who can catch passes on third downs (as Drake can as well) would provide Gase another valuable weapon.I guess...seems low on the priority list, but still needed.

Re-sign Jupiter’s Cody Parkey. Oh, we could get into who will be the backup quarterback. Or how much longer Mike Pouncey and Cameron Wake will play (we fully expect them back in 2018). We could wonder if Miami can find one of those hybrid linebacker/cornerback/safety types to cover Rob Gronkowski next season. But instead, we will pound the proverbial table for Jupiter’s own, Cody Parkey. In all seriousness, he had one of the best kicking seasons in the NFL this season. And he even converted four onside kicks. Perhaps Miami can pay the man something in the range of $1 million to $1.4 million a season and we can all celebrate together at Square Grouper Tiki Bar.Agreed...Parkey was one of the best parts of Miami's season
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masterfins
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« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2018, 02:36:54 pm »

I think I'd agree with practically all of the (10) priorities listed in the article, with the exception of signing a complimentary back, I don't think that's a top 10 priority (and I'm not sure re-signing Parkey makes the Top 10 either).

Better Defensive play before half-time is a big priority.  Whether it's play calling, or execution, the Dolphins gave up way to many points in the waning minutes before the half.
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Downunder Dolphan
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« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2018, 12:39:03 am »

First priority has to be offensive line, followed by offensive line, followed by offensive line...

I don't care how much the Dolphins have burned in picks and money over the years, until that mess gets sorted out this team is going nowhere. Left guard must be finally addressed properly and be the very top priority, get a stud player there then Tunsil will improve enormously and that side will be fixed for good. Depth to cover (or even replace) Pouncey and possible tweaks to the right side should be looked at too for that matter.

Other than that, I agree a good tight end to replace the useless Julius Thomas would be next on the list.

I am sure everyone like me is sick and tired of watching Gronk (apart from Hoodie) and other tight ends tear up our defense, and at least one of those dream hybrid linebacker/cornerback/safety type to deal with them should be the next priority.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2018, 12:41:40 am by Downunder Dolphan » Logged
fyo
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« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2018, 08:10:30 am »

Offensive line, linebacker, coaching. Those are the big 3 in my book.

The Dolphins still haven't figured out how to cover those huge receivers / tight ends and that's a bad thing in the AFC East. I like the passion Alonso plays with, but he can't cover anyone more than a yard off the line of scrimmage and his open field tackling technique is more than a little questionable. Alonso was awesome as MLB last season and they moved him outside this season and he really declined. Some of that arguably due to having to cover for Simmons, but the linebacker situation needs to be sorted out. Every indication is that Raekwon McMillan will be the starting MLB next season.

Is Alonso the guy you want at outside linebacker? Doesn't matter, though, because the Dolphins can't get rid of him for cap reasons (cutting him will cost $3.6 million more than keeping him).  Dropping Timmons frees up $5.5 million, but Hewitt and Hull (latter being a special teams ace) are (restricted) free agents and decisions will have to be made.

Aside from Alonso (who's 27), it's a young group of guys. McMillan is 22 and everyone else is 24-25, but can anyone step up and fill that third starting linebacker position? Yes, I'm assuming Alonso is going to start again next year. This is an area where I really think the team needs to consider spending some money unless there's a reasonable certainty that McMillan's presence will elevate the whole group.

Offensive line is a problem, as it has been for years.  I don't know what the solution is, but no matter who we've stuck at quarterback and no matter who we've stuck at running back, our guys keep getting hit in the backfield (QBs and RBs, both). Drake has really amazed me. I didn't think a shifty back could manage anything behind the Dolphins line, but he's proven it's possible without running through defenders like Ajayi. That makes pass blocking a bit more of an issue than run blocking, but the line really does need to start working better. Injuries make it hard to evaluate, but the guards in particular need to be looked at. Perhaps coaching can do something about it as well, which brings us nicely to the last point...

Finally, Gase really needs to sit down and review this season critically. I like him, but he's a young coach and he needs to improve. He needs to evaluate everything, from the other coaches to the way the players are coached to the plays being called. I liked that he went away from standard (quick) receiver screens in the last third of the season, but that was an obvious issue (just like it was all of last year). I fully expect that he'll need quite a bit of time to get through it all. Personnel changes (coaching) will have to be addressed first, of course, and that will be interesting to watch.
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CF DolFan
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« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2018, 10:04:01 am »

Lots of good ideas here but we really need to figure out how to wear the throwback jerseys more often. That would definitely be in my top ten!  Cheesy
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« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2018, 11:25:09 am »

...The Dolphins may have a developmental linebacker in Stephone Anthony worth exploring further.

I'm not sure you can call a LB with a 112 tackle season on his resume a "developmental" player...but agree with most of your other LB points. Wink

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Tenshot13
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« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2018, 11:36:58 am »

I'm not sure you can call a LB with a 112 tackle season on his resume a "developmental" player...but agree with most of your other LB points. Wink


LOL I would agree with you, but he was a liability after his impressive rookie season, thus developmental.  Maybe I should say a return to greatness?
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DaLittle B
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« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2018, 02:41:16 pm »

We've added an O coordinator (former Bear OC Dowell Loggains),and and O line coach (One time Dolphins assistant Oline coach,former bears OL Caoch Jeremiah Washburn ) The OC makes a sticky wicket with out current OC Clyde Christensen.

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DaLittle B
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« Reply #9 on: January 08, 2018, 08:50:55 pm »

Err sorry,most of the thoughts I had ready to go, have been lost to stress of the past week from work...(They are slowly coming back at odd times)

Linebackers.
The Alonzo issue chaps me,they refused to move him back to MLB after McMillan injury (they blamed the LB's for our horrible 2016 run defense),so they let him flail around in pass coverage at OLB. Huh  I struggle with the idea thinking we're going to be better just adding,an essential rookie,total unknown at MLB coming off injury.I really hate to spend in Free agency here,unless it's 1 year deal.

WR D.Parker is the training camp hero this year, Great camp,everyone talking about how great he's going to be this year,and in season dud.IMO as a team we need to stop paying for small sample size (Maxwell,and Kiko anyone?).Try to trade him this offseason, if there aren't any takers see if he can be a really good WR next year. If not let him walk.

Landry-
Odd Landry thought,and why I'm sort of pessimistic on resigning him.Remember Last offseason with Dion Sims? Sims said Gase wanted him back, he said he wanted to be back,etc,We wanted to sign him...Boom,He signed a big deal with the Bears ( Production aside,he flopped with Chicago as a pass catcher).We were so sure that we would resign him,that after signed with the Bears,we seemed to have panicked making the move for Thomas,and signing Fasano.
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