Let's be honest here: Anderson and Wake have not shown any starting ability. Cam Wake is one dimensional. I'd resign JT for a couple more years. I felt he had a good season and fits the 3-4 OLB system very well.



Sun Sentinel

I was thinking about this earlier today. Right now, OLB is our biggest need, even if JT does come back.

1 ILB, and we're set over there. But there is no guarantee Wake can start in a base D, JT is not an every down player, and Anderson and Moses are not exactly legitamte starters. I think you have to go out and get one in the first 2 rounds, and also bring in a FA to compete.

at this moment i can only think of scott fujita as a pure UFA ,who would help us out
at olb

others like dumervil,merriman,d johnson are all RFA [and in all purpose off the /our radar]

so help from the draft it is ,i have said b4 that i feel we draft 3 linebackers this off season

and its well needed ,4me i resign taylor just as a pass rusher ,we may have to go with anderson and wake splitting time at wolb for next year ,as it would be a hell of a off season if we could replace both olb starting spots and a new ilb starter ,thats whats needed but in 1 off season not sure it happens

So you're saying we NEED 3 LBs (that would be 3 of 4 for the folks counting at home)? I thought we were close. I mean we only need to replace 3/4 of our LB crew, our FS, get another NT, and get a true #1 fight for the ball receiver to have a shot right? I mean we only need to replace what 7 of 22 players who start?

Hey guys! We only need 1/3 of a new team and we're set!

And that's forgetting that we still have a RG spot that needs plugging too.

I did not say we needed to replace 3 LB's, nor did I say we needed to replace our FS or NT, because I don't think we do.

I like Soliai in there as long as he has someone to push him. I also like Clemons in center field. JT is a starter on the weakside...if you can add a potential starter on the strong side, someone to split time with Wake, than I think you're good. Another OLB should probably be brought in though for depth.

And btw, since when is RG an issue??

Nose tackle is most certainly a need. In fact, it's the most pressing. Then it's ILB, then OLB. If those are there, Miami is contending. Receiver would be a luxury, and we still don't know exactly what Clemons can do...especially in a new defense.

So that is three needs.

I would argue that OLB is more important than ILB in a 34, and right now we have less proven starters at OLB than ILB. To me, outside backer has to be the biggest need defensively right now.

I think WR will be taken care of w/ Boldin. Clemons is fine at FS. NT should be set with a mid round pick to push/spell Soliai and (hopefully) Ferguson. Go with LB in the 1st 2 rounds, and Miami should be in business.

E:leaf....you act as if this is a 5-6 win team.....This is a team that despite suffering the most and most devastating injuries in the NFL last year, with the league's toughest schedule, was still able to stay in contention till the final whistle blew...Don't tell me we're not close. A couple of moves, and we are very close, IMO, if not there.

Jason Pierre Paul and Julius Peppers

But we saw Soliai, and he brings nothing. He isn't quick enough to generate any sort of pass, and isn't strong enough to demand a double team. When Ferguson went down and Soliai was in there full time we got to see what we had, and it was pretty pathetic. To think we can go in with a very old Ferguson and a very untalented Soliai would be suicide. I thought that even last year Miami was playing with fire when they didn't get anybody to even come in for rotation at that position.
They can't go another year without addressing that position.

if dez bryant or r mcClain are gone

any1 of these 3 would do for me in the 1st nd
[be nice to trade down a bit and still get 1 of them]

jerry hughes
brandon graham
everson griffen
derrick morgan

Sergio Kindle over any of those guys.

I won't agree, but I won't disagree either. It all depends on what is important in your defensive philosophy



So you're just going to assume that we somehow land Boldin, no matter how far fetched the idea may be? I'm all for it, but I would argue that the odds are against us.

Clemons is fine at FS? He is so fine that he didn't really get all that much playing time from Gebril Wilson, and the opportunities he did have ended him right back on the bench. I'm not sure that "below the level of an already terrible Wilson" = fine. You have a lot of confidence in a guy who didn't see that much time.

Again, if we are finding a player to spell Soliai, we're in a whole heap of trouble. He has done little more than show a few flashes here and there. He has NEVER been consistent, and when he took over as starter, our run D was terrible. And since when can we count on a guy who is not on the roster? Ferguson is not a Dolphin as of 3.5.2010. Maybe we sign him, maybe we don't.

And you somehow are okay with"we'll be fine once we draft just 2 guys (who may or may not work out). You have an awful lot of faith in the infallibility of the draft process, and in those players coming in and being day 1 starters.



No I don't. I act as if this is a 7 win team (which isn't that much better than a 5-6 win team). And being close in some games does not = wins. A lot of teams can keep games close, even mediocre ones.

You act as if we have a little cut that can be easily bandaged by a couple of draft hits. What you've described isn't a couple of moves, but a major re-shifting of the roster, and a major coup or two in getting some highly sought after players (you don't think we are the only team interested in landing Boldin, right?).

A little reality could do you some good.

And I will tell you again. We are not close. We need a lot more than "a couple of moves" to do what we would like to see our team do.

Like I said in an earlier post; for the sake of this argument, I'm going to assume we do get Quan.

Clemons got more and more playing time as the season went on, and when he was in there, teams did not challenge us deep down the field. I went to the Patriots-Dolphins game here in Foxboro. Whenever they brought Clemons into the game, NE was forced to dump it off somewhere. The kid has great range and was ready to jump a couple of Tom Brady passes if he had pulled the trigger.

A lot of teams' rush yards, I thought, came to the outside and took advantage of 1) Our OLB's failures to defend the run, and 2) Our lack of speed defensively. While Soliai was not great, remember that he was playing through an ankle sprain, and was without Crowder for a few games. I think that he has a lot of potential, and it takes NT's (for whatever reason) a while to reach it. I think the chances of Ferguson coming back are actually better than you think. He has said that he will decide whether he wants to play another year or not, (although by the tone of his voice, I can't imagine him retiring), and the only team he would play for is Miami. I think he'll come back. Even if he doesn't, I think a 4th round type of a guy to push Soliai and give him a little compeition could do the trick.

I have a lot of faith in the organization who has not missed on an early round pick yet, and who has picked more Pro Bowl caliber players in the first 2 rounds over their 15 year history of drafting, than they have busted on.

If this team can stay healthy, with a couple of additions to the front 7, IMO, we are good enough to beat any team in the NFL. With the mindset of this coaching staff, and our ability to dominate games up front, we are in every game we play, as proven over the last 2 years. IMO, a couple of big plays made here and there, and those 7 wins are easily 10 or 11. Add a couple of playmaking LB's, something Bill Parcells should have no problems doing in a very LB-talented draft, and I think we can contend.

If people are concerned about Cam Wake because he is a "one trick pony", what would you call Porter? Porter was terrible against the run and even as a pass rusher he was extremely inconsistent all year.

He is a no trick pony, so a one trick pony is actually an upgrade.

The difference is that Wake is a strong side OLB, to Porter who was a weak side guy.

To be honest, I don't know the specifics on why (I'm assuming it has to do with playing over the TE); but at SOLB you have to be very stout against the run, where the weak side guy is more of that pure pass rusher.

I think I would agree there, Iowa. The centerpin of the 3-4 defense is the NT. Got to have that fixed this year. Soliai may take the next step forward, but he has been too inconsistent. I will be worried if we are depending on him this year in the middle.

And we got run over more and more and more as the season moved onward. I'm not sure that plugging in a guy who hasn't shown he can stop the run is a real improvement in the long run. I'd like to see him get more field time, but not at the expense of allowing our run D to continue being as bad as it got by the end of last season with Porter playing terribly.

You'd like to get the run defense addressed certainly, but the reason it fell apart was Soliai could not fill Ferguson's shoes.

My point was simply to ask how starting Wake would be a downgrade over Porter considering how terrible Porter was in virtually all aspects of the game. At least Wake brought the pain when he was in as a pass rusher.

If Peppers hits the Market the Phins will make a strong push for him. Out with the old JP bring in the new JP

Why can't Wake be moved to the weak side?

I think if we got 1 OLB, 1 ILB and a Nose Tackle we'd be fine.

I don't really want Crowder here anymore, but he fills a spot for now... allowing us to possibly snag McClain or Dansby and fill Ayodele's spot.

Anderson, Wake and JT would do a fine job filling one OLB position, just get a young guy in the draft to work the other side... LB's generally do well translating into the NFL anyways.

Then comes Nose Tackle. Dan Williams is a good option if he falls to 2nd round... highly unlikely but anything is possible. I don't like Terrance Cody that much, but if he's there you almost have to take him...

Porter is good in coverage and he is a talented pass rusher when healthy

Change the word "is" to "was".

He's had hamstring issues for 3 years now. The decline of your body is part of the decline of your ability. A big part.

Wake is a better pass rusher now. If he can develop the rest of his game. He will be much better for us then Porter would have been. I've never seen anyone with that kind of power and flexibility.. cept for maybe Dwight Freeney.

You guys forget that Wake was basically a rookie last year. Give him time to develop his game.

very true

That's somehow supposed to help our run D?

Teams run to the weak side too. Ask Porter who had a very difficult time stopping the run all season.