DEFENSE (25)

LDE Vernon 6-2 261, Westerman 6-3 255,

LDT Soliai 6-4 255, McDaniel 6-7 310, Randall 6-4 293

RDT Starks 6-3 305, Odrick 6-5 304,

RDE Wake 6-3 250, Jaquies Smith 6-2 253

LLB Dansby 6-4 250, Guyton 6-1 245

MLB Misi 6-3 251, Spitler 6-2 243

RLB Burnett 6-3 240, Kaddu 6-2 239,

LC Davis 5-11 203, Carroll 5-11 204,

RC Sean Smith 6-3 214, Wade 5-10 195, Agnew 5-10 192,

SS Johnson 5-11 207, Rashad Jones 6-1 214

FS Marshall 5-11 198, Chris Clemons 6-1 210, Jimmy Wilson 5-11 185,

OFFENSE (25)

LT Long 6-7 317,

LG Jerry 6-5 328

C Pouncey 6-5 303, Garner 6-7 325

RG Incognito 6-3 324, Hicks 6-4 325

RT Martin 6-5 312, Murtha 6-7 315

TE Fasano 6-4 255, Clay 6-3 239, Egnew 6-5 252

QB Garrard 6-1 236, Moore 6-3 205, Tannehill 6-3 221

RB Bush 5-11 203 (PR), Gates 5-11 197 (WR/KR), Miller 5-11 212 (KR)

FB Thomas 6-1 228, Messam 6-3 245

WR1 Naanee 6-2 225, Wallace 6-4 230, Matthews 6-0 217

WR2 Hartline 6-2 186, Bess 5-10 190, Cunningham 6-1 211

SPECIAL TEAMS (3)

K Carpenter 6-2 225

P Fields 6-5 245

LS Denney 6-5 255

I'm starting Olivier Vernon as LDE in the 4-3. He's strong against the run and has pass rush potential. I'm starting Richard Marshall at FS (need a playmaker) and then moving him to nickel corner and bringing in Chris Clemons as FS in the nickel package...I think the three best DBs are Davis, Smith, and Marshall, and this way we get our 3 best DBs on the field at the same time.

I'm keeping 7 WRs, with Clyde Gates playing the role of the Reggie Bush scatback...using Thomas and Messam as bruising RBs in the mold of the 70s Fullbacks (split back formation instead of I-formation). To keep 7 WR on the roster, I'm going with just 8 OL on the roster and keeping a boatload on the Practice Squad.

Thoughts?

I don't envision him as a Pat White triggerman of the wildcat due to the danger of getting a Pat-White-like-concussion. But since Tannehill is already a polished wide-receiver, he does bring some receiver skills to the table (remember how the QB in the Wildcat formation was split out wide to draw a defender and create a blocking mismatch).

I am in no way suggesting that we use him as a WR in a standard formation even for a few snaps. The risk is too great. What we need to make this work is a running back with some decent QB skills (better than Ronnie Brown). Enter Daniel Thomas, who was a very mediocre QB at the junior college level...all this to say that throwing a forward pass - or a quick screen/smoke route is not foreign to him).

My philosophy would be to practice the formation/playbook (few plays) until smooth and use it very rarely, for those instances when you absolutely, positively have to make a play (for example, first down wins the game, other team out of timeouts or fourth down on the 5 yard line). It's a trick play that you keep under wraps until needed.

Continue reading this post »

that is the question.

What would you do if you were Steven Ross?

My view is that as owner, you want the Fins to stay competitive in every remaining game, hopefully winning as many as possible. Then you have to fork out less money to avoid a blackout and fans stay longer at the stadium...to purchase more food and drinks...and parking.

Paying 2-3 million dollars as an "insurance policy" in the event that Moore is injured is worth it if it keeps the Fins competitive down the stretch. There is no margin for error. They have to win all of their remaining games. There are two games (v the Raiders and Patriots) that Losman can not win.

Orton will be very motivated if put into the starting role to audition for a new contract next year and put a good spin on a bad start to this year. He does have some experience with Brandon Marshall who is the most talented player on the team and perhaps the key to winning out down the stretch.

If Moore stays healthy, and that's a big "if" behind our Offensive Line, then we can roll with him. But if he gets injured, you are going to need a backup ready to step in to win out with the slim margin of error left. The sooner we pick up Orton, the more time he has to get ready to play versus the Raiders..the greater the chance of success.

Time is of the essence...IMHO

What do you think?

Looking at the remaining schedules for the nonPats AFC-East teams, I could see (rather optimistically) that

Bills remaining schedule

L NE

W @CINN

L PHI

L @NYG

W WASH

L NYJ

L @DAL

L @MIA

L @NYJ

L TENN

L @SD

L MIA

W DEN

W @NE (NE clinched)

Bills Season: Approximately 6 – 10 after a 2-0 start [Sounds likes Fins last year]

 Jets remaining schedule

W @OAK

L @BALT

L @NE

L MIA

L SD

W @BUFF

L NE

W @DEN

W BUFF

W @WASH

W KC

L @PHI

L NYG

L @MIA

Season: Approximately 8 – 8 after a 2-0 start

 Fins remaining schedule

W @CLE

L @SD

W @NYJ (we have a bye to get ready)

W DEN (Gator Day!)

L @NYG (they have a bye)

W @KC

W WASH

W BUFF

W @DAL

W OAK

L PHI

W @BUFF

L @NE

W NYJ

Season: Approximately 10-6 after a 0-2 start

Definitely some things have to change and improve ALOT in order to be able to beat the Bills twice, but it just seems to me that the other teams (besides the Pats) have had an easier schedule on the front end and the Fins have had two tough teams to start the season.

Some questionable FO moves haven't helped...Nolan Carroll > Will Allen?

It all starts with a convincing win over the Browns this Sunday.

Mike McGlynn looks like a possible roster cut of the Philadelphia Eagles that could really help our O-Line. He is likely to be cut because he doesn't fit the O-Line mold of the current O-Line coach, but he can still play. He's 6-4 315, played college at Pittsburgh and can play Center, Guard, and Right Tackle...sounds like he can help us, if nothing else, provide some veteran depth.

Here's the story from CSNPhilly.com

Continue reading this post »

Here's an article from the bleacher report projecting what the Dolphins will do after cuts for their 53 man roster.

Here's what I would do. I'm not trying to predict what the FO will do, just hoping that they do something close to what I think they should do...they obviously know better, but as an armchair fan I'd like to think I see things clearer...

I'm going with 7 CBs (including Will Allen for insurance late in the year) and using Jimmy Wilson as a backup safety...I think Rashad Jones needs to move to strong safety. I'm keeping Polite (better than Larry Johnson) and Grigsby (we need speed and flash). I like to think out-side-the-box, but sometimes that's too crazy or risky

Interested in your comments.

also included is a game by game prediction of how the schedule will turn out...I'm predicting 11-5 with two losses to the Pats.

Enjoy!

DEFENSE 25

LDE Langford 6-6 290, McDaniel 6-7 310

NT Soliai 6-4 345, Fields 6-2 314

RDE Starks 6-3 305, Odrick 6-5 304, Philip Merling 6-4 295

LOLB Misi 6-3 251, Alama-Francis 6-5 275

LILB Dansby 6-4 250, Mitchell 6-3 249

RILB Burnett 6-3 240, Edds 6-4 246

ROLB Wake 6-3 250, Taylor 6-6 250

LC Smith 6-3 214, Allen 5-10 195, Agnew 5-10 192

RC Davis 5-11 203, Sapp 5-9 190, Carroll 5-11 202

SS Bell 6-0 205, Jones 6-1 214

FS Clemons 6-1 210, Wilson 5-11 185

 SPECIALISTS 3

K Carpenter 6-2 225

P Fields 6-5 245

LS Denney 6-5 255

 OFFENSE 25

SE Marshall 6-4 235, Bess 5-10 190, Wallace 6-4 225

LT Long 6-7 317,

LG Incognito 6-3 324, Feinga 6-4 337

C Pouncey 6-5 303, Berger 6-5 311

RG Carey 6-5 340, Garner 6-7 325

RT Colombo 6-8 320, Murtha 6-7 315

TE Fasano 6-4 255, Epps 6-3 250

QB Henne 6-3 230, Matt Moore 6-3 202

RB Bush 5-11 203, Thomas 6-1 228, Grigsby 5-10 190

FB Polite 6-0 245, Hilliard 5-11 240, Clay 6-3 239

FL Hartline 6-2 186, Marlon Moore 6-0 190, Gates 5-11 197

 Season Prediction: 11-5

L MON New England

W Houston

W @Cleveland

L @San Diego

           Bye

W MON @NYJ

W Denver

L @NYGiants (Giants have a bye)

W @KC

W Washington

W Buffalo

W @Dallas (Thanksgiving)

W Oakland

L Philadelphia

W @Buffalo

L SAT @New England

W NYJ

I'd like to see Tony McDaniel and Jared Odrick become the starters and Randy Starks moved back to back-up Nose Tackle and here's why:

I feel that Randy Starks, Kendall Langford, and Phillip Merling have a great deal of untapped versatility that could be used even more effectively in a hybrid 3-4 4-3 front and used with a nickel defense 4-man line.

Our starters would be:

LDE McDaniel 6-7 310

NT Soliai 6-4 345

RDE Odrick 6-5 304

Langford, Starks, and Merling would be more than capable backups sent in waves, but they would be even more dangerous used on third and long and in passing situations because they are outstanding pass rushers and natural mismatches in quickness and power. Nickel DL specialists if you will.

I would hope that Nolan would use Wake/Taylor on either end with his hand on the ground:

Wake - Langford - Starks - Merling       OR      Langford - Starks - Merling- Wake

Taylor - Langford - Starks - Merling      OR     Langford - Starks - Merling - Taylor

I believe that the additional benefit that the mismatches/shifting would create in addition to having Starks/Langford/Merling fresher would outweigh the loss of Langford and Starks on the starting lineup. IMHO, McDaniel and Odrick are more stout against the run anyway, perhaps slightly less proficient at pass rush.

The nickel defense would include AJ Edds as linebacker with Dansby/Burnett and the nickel corner Sapp/Allen or

AJ Edds with Sapp/Allen and Jimmy Wilson as the dime safety.

One interesting feature is when the Langford-Starks-Merling rotation is in the base defense, you could morph more easily between 3-4 and 4-3 and cause more confusion...

4-3 look

LDE Langford, LDT Starks, RDT Merling, RDE Wake

LLB Misi, MLB Dansby, RLB Burnett

********************************************************

3-4 look

LDE Langford, NT Starks, RDE Merling,

LOLB Misi, LILB Dansby, RILB Burnett, ROLB Wake

With the return to health (and practice of Will Allen), Miami would have a surplus in the CB area. However, we have a big need for a stretch the field and/or blocking tight end. Would you consider upgrading the Tight End position via trade?

There is no rumor associated with this, but I am curious what you think. The Dallas Cowboys are literally hurting at CB with their starting CBs out. Their secondary when healthy was terrible last year. They have a surplus at TE with Jason Witten, John Phillips, Martellus Bennett, and Martin Rucker. The Cowboy organization is familiar with Will Allen since he played for their rivals, the New York Giants, early in his career.

I have three questions for you:

[1] Would you be willing to trade Will Allen to the Dallas Cowboys for Martellus Bennett?

[2] Do you think the Cowboys would be willing to make that trade?

[3] How likely would such a player-for-player trade be in reality?

For those not familiar with Martellus Bennett, here is a draft scouting report:

http://warroomreport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=174&Itemid=1

They played their hearts out in spite of the disparity in time of possession. I bet they were dog tired after a short week and on a depleted team that got even more depleted and they still played hard to the end. I can't wait to see them when they finally get all the pieces back (especially Merling and Odrick). I also look forward to watching the young guys get some playing time...sign Tony McDaniel please!

We got to recover those fumbles...especially that one caused by Cam Wake...maybe he needs to find the football first, then celebrate his sack.

On the Offensive side of the ball I think we need a new Offensive Coordinator...like right now. Promote him to Senior Vice-President of Non-football operations or something and let's let David Lee and Tony Sparano call the plays. Maybe tailor the offense to the strengths of the players. Oh I don't know, maybe some 4 wide spread sets for QB designed run plays instead of sitting deep in the pocket and scanning the field and then getting sacked or running I-formation play action on third and long...

I'd like to see some shuffling of the OLine: Jake Long (LT), Vernon Carey (LG), Richie Incognito (center), John Jerry (RG), and Pat McQuistan (RT). I think Long next to Carey would be awesome and Carey, Incognito, and Jerry in the middle would get some push in the running game.

I'm curious to see how many people would like to see an immediate change in OC as opposed to waiting to the end of the season...

Anybody know who is better between Clifton Geathers 6-7 300 and Robert Rose 6-4 291 who are suppose to back up Jared Odrick at RDE OR will they just use a rotation of Langford, Odrick, McDaniel to cover the DE positions? This was one of the biggest surprises of the cuts where Ryan Baker, Charles Grant, and Marques Douglas (who all have NFL experience) was cut in favor of signing Geathers and Rose.

Here's what I would do:

Start Langford at LDE and McDaniel at RDE (who looked very impressive in preseason, btw) and bring Odrick in at RDE in passing situations for pass rush. Use Clifton Geathers, who is better at stuffing the run than at pass rush at the moment, as the back up to Langford at LDE. Here Langford and McDaniel play heavy minutes with more substitution from Odrick and less substitution from Geathers (McDaniel could also help back up Langford at LDE)

My D-Line depth chart would look like:

LDE Langford 6-6 290, Geathers 6-7 300

NT Starks 6-3 310, Soliai 6-4 345

RDE McDaniel 6-7 305, Odrick 6-5 304, Rose 6-4 291 (Inactive?)

What do you all think? What would you do?

Here's some draft information that I got on Clifton Geathers and Robert Rose:

video of Geathers from a fanshot by KDog92

From Mocking the Draft

When South Carolina's Clifton Geathers entered the draft, it was greeted with little more than a groan.

He's a physical talent at 6-foot-7 and 299 pounds. But Geathers had a down year with just three sacks. He also served a one-game suspension after being charged with disorderly conduct, drunkenness and resisting arrest.

Geathers didn't have to leave South Carolina after his junior year. His coaches insisted if he returned he'd be a first-round pick.

But that's exactly the reason Geathers is a player to watch. His potential is limitless. He could be a star as a 3-4 defensive end. Or, he could be like his cousin Jeremy Geathers.

Jeremy Geathers, the son of Jumpy Geathers, entered the 2008 draft a year early and didn't get picked. He hasn't played a down in the NFL.

For what it's worth, Geathers' arms measured in at 37 3/4 inches at the combine, according to Shawn Zobel. That's longer than renowned lanky defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.

It's this kind of intrigue that makes the draft so fun to follow. Clifton Geathers could be a star. Or he may never suit up in the NFL. But today at the combine, he can go a long way in determining his fate.

From Garnet and Black Attack

Clifton Geathers

Measurements: 6'8, 307 lbs

Summary: Clifton skipped his senior season after doing spot duty in 2008 and starting for most of 2009. Clifton had a very solid 2009, registering three 41 tackles, 8.5 for loss, 3 sacks, and a forced fumble. Much of his best play came late in the season. Gamecocks fans were disappointed that he chose to forego his final year of eligibility, as his late-season improvement sparked hopes that he would be an all-league performer in 2010.

What the Pros Have Right:  Clifton is rightly prized by scouts for his tremendous upside. He is tall, wide, strong, and fast, and his large frame suggests that he can put on even more pounds without losing much in the speed department. His steady improvement suggests that he can come through on his potential if given time and opportunity.

The pros are also rightly concerned over his lack of experience. Clifton doesn't have a ton of experience and has only shown flashes of brilliance on the field. If Clifton were to bomb after being taken high, it wouldn't be the first time a player didn't pan out after being taken based solely on physical tools. Scouts know that.

The pros are also probably right that he should have stayed one more season. I'm not saying this because I resent his choice to leave, although I certainly think we'll miss him somewhat. I'm saying this because he now has everything riding on a great combine. That's not an enviable position. If he does well, he'll be an early round pick. If he bombs, he risks not being drafted at all. If he had stayed for 2010 in Columbia, he would have likely been our sack leader and an all-league performer. That would have guaranteed him a first- or second-round selection, meaning he wouldn't have to be worrying over his status as he is right now.

What the Pros Have Wrong: Some scouts have expressed concern over Clifton's behavioral issues. I think they should be a non-issue. Clifton's run-in with disciplinary problems at the beginning of this season were a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Clifton comes from a good background, has generally been on the up-and-up, and will continue to be so in the NFL.

Fun Fact: Clifton is from a family of NFL talent that includes his brother Robert, father Robert Sr., and uncle Jumpy, the latter of whom was a star defender for many years. His brother Kwame plays for Georgia and also has a bright future.

Are the Mocks Right?: The mocks show little consensus on Clifton, which is to be expected with a player who is something of an unknown quantity. Most mocks mention how much he has riding on his combine performance, and I'd say that's right. He needs to prove his freakish athleticism there, because if he doesn't, teams will hesitate to take him based on his on-field performance.

From Draftinsider

Defensive end Robert Rose looked like the monster in the forty.  He measured 6-foot, 4-inches and 294-pounds then ran as fast as 4.75 seconds.  His other numbers included a 27.5-inch vertical jump, 9’2’’ broad and 24-reps on the bench.  Rose looks brilliant on the field at times but cannot remain healthy.  We’ll have a full scouting report on him later this month.

From draftinsider

Defensive lineman Clifton Geathers was also impressive.  The 6-foot, 7.5-inch prospect weighed 296 pounds and while his arms measured 37-inches long.  His short shuttle time was 4.73 seconds and three cone 7.2 seconds, the latter being a big improvement over his combine mark.  Geathers also did well in position drills though he’s a bit rough around the edges.  Scouts feel he’s a player with a great amount of upside and a prospect whose best football lay ahead of him.  Geathers performances at the combine and today could cement him as a third round pick.

From draftinsider

Robert Rose School: Ohio State Position: DE Bio: Started five games as a senior finishing the year with 10/3/2. Posted similar numbers of 10/3/1 as a junior. Positive: Impressive physical specimen who flashes ability on the field. Plays with good knee bend, gets leverage on opponents and shows power at the point of attack. Immediately alters his angle of attack, loses no momentum changing direction, and fluid moving about the field. Fights with his hands throughout the action, slides laterally to make plays and nicely redirects to ball-carriers. Makes a lot of athletic plays on the field and shows ability in back side pursuit. Negative: Lacks great lower body strength and will be pushed off the line on running downs. Does not display great quickness and explosion in his game. Marginally productive at Ohio State. Analysis: Rose looks the part and has occasionally played to it the past two seasons yet never fully transferred his athletic abilities onto the football field. He's worth bringing into camp and offers a great degree of upside but must pull it together quickly to have a career at the next level. Could find a home on a practice squad for team that's willing to be patient with the hopes of developing him.

Clifton Geathers School: South Carolina Position: DE Bio: All-Conference selection last season after breaking into the starting lineup then posting 37/8.5/3.5. Sophomore totals included 29/3.5/2.5. Positive: King-sized defensive lineman with a tremendous amount of upside potential. Displays good movement skills, fluid changing direction, and keeps his feet moving on contact. Can bend off the edge, collapses down the line in pursuit, and works hard to get involved in the action. Plays with good lean and uses his long arms to get off blocks or bat away passes. Negative: Shows a limited burst of speed. All too easily turned from the action by a single opponent. Marginally instinctive and slow locating the ball.

From fins-spotlight.com

Clifton Geathers

A South Carolina native, Geathers is the younger brother of Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Robert Geathers and the nephew of former NFL defensive tackle Jumpy Geathers.

As a junior at the University of South Carolina in 2009, Geathers totaled 40 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble for the Gamecocks. He subsequently declared for the NFL Draft with a year of eligibility remaining.

Geathers was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft and signed a four-year deal with the team on June 28. He appeared in all four of the Browns' preseason games in 2010 and totaled five tackles, including three in last week's finale.

A mountain of a man at 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds, Geathers possesses good speed for his size and is a powerful force on the defensive line. He projects nicely as a 3-4 defensive end and will likely back up rookie Jared Odrick on the right side.

Rob Rose

A Cleveland, Ohio native, Rose attended Glenville High School and played under head coach Ted Ginn, Sr.—father of former Dolphins first-round wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr.

Although he played four seasons for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Rose was limited to a reserve role his entire career. He finished his collegiate career with 26 tackles and 7.5 sacks in 43 games.

Signing with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2010, Rose appeared in all four preseason games with the team and totaled three tackles.

Rose appears to be an extremely borderline NFL prospect and probably doesn't belong on an active roster right now. He has the size for a 3-4 defensive end at a 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds, but he's simply lacking in the talent department.

It wouldn't surprise me to see Rose kept inactive for the Dolphins' first game against Buffalo, and then waived and re-signed to the practice squad as the team brings back either Marques Douglas or Charles Grant on a non-guaranteed salary.

 

Is it Wake and Misi? Is it Wake and Moses? Is it Alama-Francis and Wake? Who would you prefer to start at OLB against the Bills? Nolan may play certain players to get favorable matchups against the other team...dangerous receiving TE or better blocking TE and alot depends on how he plans to blitz.

Omar Kelly has Quentin Moses behind Wake at ROLB/WOLB and IAF starting over Misi but I realize that nothing has been set yet.

My preference would be to see Wake at WOLB and Moses at SOLB on first down and to start the game. Moses seems to be pretty good at setting the edge on the Strong side, in fact, that may be his greatest strength. Maybe use IAF and Moses on short yardage and use Wake and Misi on passing downs or longer yardage (2nd and 10). When Wake needs a breather, bring in Misi off the weak side and use IAF to back up Moses on the Strong side. On passing downs, we actually look pretty good against the pass from the base defense with linebackers Misi, Carpenter, Dansby, and Wake.

I love reading play-by-play analysis. Too bad there isn't more of it, but I understand it is a pain to do.

I found this on the Finheaven.com website: This one is from Shawn-I

It is a look at the Fin's Offense run by Chad Henne during his snaps in the Atlanta game

I don't know if I agree with everything he says in his analysis, but it is good stuff to read.

For those of you who were actually at the game or have watched it in rewind. Let me know what you think!

Here's an excerpt:

7th Series:

1st - Ronnie draw loss of 1. Jerry didn't seal off and Berger didn't get to Lofton. 2nd level blocking has been a big contributer to the poor running game performance. Incognito pancakes his guy. Best OLmen performance of the night outside of Long was Incognito.

2nd - 35yds to Marshall down the left sideline. Beautiful throw.

1st - Incomplete to Fasano. Henne had good blocking, looked off Marshall then came back to Fasano. It could've been complete had he thrown it when Fasano made his break but he threw it late which gave the CB time to close and knock it away. Henne could've hit an open Martin just to the left of Fasano as well. Bad decision.

2nd - Sweep to Ronnie loss of 1. Again, second level blocking failed. Fasano did't hold his block and Incognito wasn't fast enough to get out in front of Lofton to cut him off.

3rd - Complete 20 yds to Marshall. Good blocking on 5 man rush. Decent throw.

1st - Spiked to stop the clock.

2nd - Tipped ball intercepted. I suppose he didn't see the LB between him and Fasano. Had decent enough blocking to make another read. Ronnie was one-on-one in the left flat. This kind of play is a back-breaker. Could've tied it going into the second half.

8th series:

1st down - Complete to Ricky for 13 yds. Decent blocking on 5 man rush.

1st - Ricky for 1 yd. Again, Fasano can't hold his block, he just got out-muscled. Jerry dominated his guy. Grove turned his guy inside which was wierd cause apparently the lane was supposed to be inside. He should've kicked him outside.

2nd - Ronnie for 2 yds. The line surged forward two yds but didn't have a hole to run through. Martin got out-muscled and pushed back into Ronnie. We need a better blocking TE. Martin is not good and Fasano, although good last year, is not doing well in this game. Later in the game when Pennington had the 3rd down in the red area on that roll-out, Fasano was the one that let the guy through that forced Penny to throw it away.

3rd - Incomplete to Hartline. Nice read/throw, it looked like a completion. Should've challenged that play. Solid 7-man blitz picked-up well. ATL blitzed a LOT tonight.

Our running game was inefficient mainly due to our 2nd level blocking being atrocious. Also, we need better blocking from our TE's. Our passing game makes me worry a bit. This will be Henne's 2nd season at the helm. It appears they're holding the reins on him. He had a pattern of looking at only 2 reads even when he had plenty of time (which was more than you may think). Because of that restriction, he's forcing throws when he could either look at a third/forth option or run with it.

The "official" depth chart was just released and Sparano qualified it by asking everyone not to take it too seriously.

Here's my prediction of who makes the roster based on the training camp reports so far...

just for discussion sake

DEFENSE 25

LDE 70 Langford 6-6 295, 90 Baker 6-5 295

NT 94 Starks 6-3 310, 96 Soliai 6-4 345,

RDE 98 Odrick 6-5 304, 78 McDaniel 6-7 305, 53 Grant 6-3 285  

LOLB 55 Misi 6-3 255, 79 Alama-Francis 6-5 275,

LILB 52 Crowder 6-2 250, 51 Dobbins 6-1 246,

RILB 58 Dansby 6-4 250, 59 JD Folsom 6-3 230 

ROLB 91 Wake 6-3 250, 48 McCoy 6-2 245

LC 21 Davis 5-11 203, 25 W Allen 5-10 195,

RC 24 Smith 6-3 214, 28 Carroll 5-11 204, J Allen 6-1 200

SS 37 Bell 6-0 205, Amaya 6-2 190, 35 R Jones 6-1 214

FS 30 Clemons 6-1 210, 29 Culver 6-1 210

SPECIALISTS 3

92 Denney 6-5 255, 2 Fields 6-5 245, 5 Carpenter 6-2 225

OFFENSE 25

LT 77 Long 6-7 320, 76 Murtha 6-7 315

LG 68 Incognito 6-3 324,

C   64 Grove 6-4 300, 67 Berger 6-5 315

RG 66 Thomas 6-4 310, 74 Jerry 6-5 328

RT 72 Carey 6-5 340, 75 Garner 6-7 325

TE 80 Fasano 6-4 255, 88 Martin 6-4 265

QB 7 Henne 6-3 230, 10 Pennington 6-3 225, 16 Thigpen 6-1 225

RB 23 Brown 6-0 230, 34 Williams 5-10 230, 38 Cobbs 5-8 205

FB  36 Polite 6-0 245, 26 Hilliard 5-11 240

SE 19 Marshall 6-4 230, 15 Bess 5-10 190, 84 Patrick Turner 6-5 220

FL 82 Hartline 6-2 186, 83 Camarillo 6-1 190, 11 Pruitt 6-2 206

Comments anyone?

With Edds our promising coverage linebacker out for the season and a crowded rotation at RDE,

would it be wise to MOVE Koa Misi to backup RILB behind Karlos Dansby. I would advocate using Misi and Dansby as ILB in Nolan's 2-4-5 nickel defense. I think Misi and Dansby would be awesome and would allow Alama-Francis/Wake and Grant/McCoy to primarily rush the passer while they covered the TE/RB.

Koa Misi seems to me to be more Karlos Dansby than Matt Roth or Jason Taylor

Misi can blitz, can cover, and can pursue sideline to sideline.

My proposal is to use Alama-Francis and Charles Grant as SOLB (Grant may need to drop 10-15 pounds, but he is certainly Matt Roth size, pre-shift to SOLB).Grant is currently listed as 6-3 285,  but maybe he could get to 6-3 270 or 6-3 275.

There are two major drawbacks:

Charles Grant needs to serve a 4 game suspension and he needs to learn how to drop into coverage and play standing up.

Here's how I would address these shortcomings.

During Grant's 4 game suspension, use Misi as a backup SOLB or Erik Walden /Charlie Anderson as a backup SOLB (Walden will be needed for the Buffalo game v. Spiller) and who gets cut when Grant returns.

When Grant is active, use him as a backup SOLB and primary LDE in the 4 man nickel line. He would be dynamic as a rushing end paired with Wake or McCoy.

quote regarding the logjam at RDE

Grant, who signed a two-year deal worth up to $4.5 million, is competing with Marques Douglas, Tony McDaniel, Ryan Baker and Lionel Dotson for one of the defensive end spots behind Kendall Langford and Jared Odrick, who appear to be the two starters.

Considering the Dolphins will likely keep seven to nine defensive linemen — factoring in nose tackles Randy Starks and Paul Soliai — on the 53-man roster, it's unrealistic that all those ends make the cut.

That's why Grant's doing everything to make sure he's a survivor. If Grant can re-create his scrimmage performance, he might not only make the 53-man roster, but could enter the four-man defensive end rotation as a pass-rushing specialist.

So, what do you think?

@ Minnesota (9/19 after Buffalo on the road and before two key Home Division games - Sunday Night Prime Time home game v the Jets and Monday Night v the Pats)

@ Green Bay (10/17 after the bye and before facing winnable games v Pitt at home and Cincy on the road)

@ Baltimore (11/7 after Cincy on the road and before the very winnable Sunday-Thursday short week combo of Tennessee and Chicago at home)

I expect the offense to be much improved with Henne to Marshall in full swing, but what if we were to steal these crucial road games by taking the NFL by surprise again using a innovative offense that the other team is not prepared for?

I'm talking about the Wildcat, folks, but in a modified form.

I am NOT talking about taking Henne off the field and hoping White can complete a pass to Marshall. YIKES

I am NOT talking about Ricky throwing a pass on the one-yard-line on first and goal. YIKES

I am NOT talking about Ronnie trying to complete a pass to Brandon Marshall with Henne split out wide. YIKES

I am talking about applying Wildcat principles in three crucial road games that could help the FINS catch the other team off guard and steal a WIN at crucial moments of our 2010 season.

IMPLEMENTATION

I suggest  3 WR personnel with both Ronnie and Ricky on the field at the same time. Best players Best offensive threats on the field at the same time.

Three basic Special Ops (Special Options) FORMATIONS

Formation A : Henne in the pistol formation. Ricky and Davone in the Slot. Ronnie in the tailback position. Fins used something similar to this with Chad Pennington when they won the Jets game in the Meadowlands at the end the 2009 season. The wildcat was run off of the empty backfield. I would modify it by having a back in the tailback position.

BM _ _ _ _ _ _ _ LT LG C RG RT _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _BH

_ _ _ DB _RW _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CH _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ RB _ _ _ _

Chad Henne plays the role of Ronnie in the wildcat, except that instead of running, he can handoff or playaction fake to Ronnie and look to throw to any one of the 3 WR downfield or Ricky or Ronnie.

COMMENT: This is very similar to just having Chad sit in the shotgun except that you get better play action handoffs.  The linebackers cannot see the handoff as well. If there is no wildcat motion from Ricky, Davone Bess and Ricky can do some Pick Setting from the slot like a bunch formation.

Formation B: Ronnie in the pistol formation. Ricky and Davone in the Slot. Henne in the tailback position.

BM _ _ _ _ _ _ _ LT LG C RG RT _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _BH

_ _ _ DB _RW _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ RB _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CH _ _ _ _

Ronnie takes the snap from the pistol formation depth, fakes or gives to Ricky in motion, can decide to run or toss back to Henne for a pass.

COMMENT: Wildcat benefits from the pass threat option back to Henne, Passing game benefits from the Option running threat and distraction/focus on Ronnie. How would you like to have a 6-0 230 option quarterback? Henne can just sit back and pick apart the defense with his vision. Once he catches the ball on the toss back, he already knows where to go with the ball.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Formation C: Ronnie under center. Davone in the Slot. Henne and Ricky in the backfield split backs

BM _ _ _ _ _ _ _ LT LG C RG RT _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _BH

_ _ _ DB _ _ _ _ _ _ _ RB

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CH _ _ _RW

No wildcat motion here (unless you send Ricky in motion from the halfback position and then bring him back across the formation), Ronnie runs the option with Ricky as the trailing back or simply fakes to Ricky up the middle and runs wide with the threat to pitch back to Henne for a pass to 3 WR downfield or dumpoffs to Ricky or Ronnie.

Scenario: If the Fins run a traditional offense against the Bills in the opener, they could catch the Vikes completely off guard with this set of formations. It would do wonders to improve the success of the running game against a tough Minnesota front line and would keep the dangerous Viking pass rush at trying to read run/pass. It would also play to the Fins strength of run blocking versus pass blocking. It would help a young line have an advantage against a veteran line because they would be taking it to the Vikes instead of the other way around.

I believe that the Fins could put these plays back in the vault and beat the Jets and the Pats at home in the next two games simply using a traditional offense, while the Jets and Pats waste valuable practice time preparing for these formations/options (assuming off course that they work).

The Green Bay game follows a bye week where the team would have extra time to get execution/timing down and Green Bay would not have as much time to prepare. Springing it on the Packers, though it would no longer be a surprise, might be the key to keeping their potent offense off of the field and keeping the crowd out of the game with long time-consuming drives.

Put the formation back into the Vault until the Baltimore game (the games in between are winnable without the extra preparation required to run the Special Ops Formations, but the other teams don't know that, so they waste time practicing to defend it.

Bring it out for the Baltimore game against a team with a vicious pass rush and deflate the morale of the crowd if they can continue to baffle defensive coordinators with the options that the Special Ops Formations can threaten. Since you are planning to use the formations in this game, you can spend extra time preparing to put it into play. The key is to have both an effective running game that keeps third downs manageable (using the option attack) and keeps the defense from teeing off against a QB in a shotgun formation, since there is always the danger of Ronnie keeping the ball and running the draw.

Anyway, my best creative attempt to give the Fins an edge in three tough road games and to take the initiative away from some aggressive defenses.

Mike Nolan is famous for his hybrid 3-4/4-3. He uses different personnel groupings to wreck havoc on the offense.

But hypothetically, what if he ran a pure 4-3 Defense with our current personnel?

My point is that if he keeps certain players on the 53-man roster who are ideal at a pure 4-3 Defense and who can ALSO run the 3-4 defense, then he could shift easily back and forth from 3-4 to 4-3 by just moving one of the OLBs onto the line and shifting his D-line over at the last second...

IF Mike Nolan ran a pure 4-3 Defense, here's how I would allocate the current front 7 personnel...

LDE Langford, Alama-Francis,

LDT Starks, Baker, McDaniel

RDT Odrick, Merling

RDE Wake, McCoy

LLB Misi, Anderson

MLB Dobbins, Edds, Spitler

RLB Dansby, Folsom

COMMENTS:

Note that Wake could excel with his hand on the ground and McCoy would have a smaller learning curve.

Starks already has experience as a DT in a 4-3 defense and Odrick's learning curve would be smaller and more instinctive.

Misi is flexible to play either 3-4 or 4-3 LB and Dansby would excel as a WLB in a pure 4-3 Defense. Dobbins would have a little bit of a learning curve as a MLB since he has no experience at it at the NFL level. Edds might be better as a 4-3 MLB than a 3-4 LILB. It's nice to have a MLB who can actually cover (why Crowder is missing from this roster projection). Folsom would actually be pretty decent as a WLB and could use his smaller size to pursue sideline to sideline. Charlie Anderson would actually be pretty dangerous as a SLB in a pure 4-3 since he has experience as a Houston Texan.

McDaniel would be able to back up LDT and RDT and LDE in a pinch.

NOW HERE'S THE POINT OF THIS POST.

Make the RDE in the above roster the ROLB and change the NAMES of the positions to fit a 3-4 and you have...

LDE Langford, Alama-Francis,

NT Starks, Baker, McDaniel

RDE Odrick, Merling

LOLB Misi, Anderson

LILB Dobbins, Edds, Spitler

RILB Dansby, Folsom

ROLB Wake, McCoy

MY POINT is that you have the SAME personnel on the field and yet they can MORPH into a 3-4 defense (maybe shifting at the last moment or maybe they fake like they are going to shift to 3-4 and stay 4-3 and vice versa). This should wreck havoc with the blocking schemes of the offensive line and leave pass rushers free even without a blitz.

There are two weaknesses (at least) in this allocation. Folsom is a bit light to be a RILB, but he's not the smallest RILB ever. Chris McCoy would have a big learning curve to transform into a 3-4 ROLB. However, Charlie Anderson could back up both LOLB and ROLB until McCoy was up to speed. McCoy would be inactive until then.

To pull this off, the above players would have to learn both 3-4 and 4-3 defenses and their nuances, but the payback is a very confused opponent's O-line and lots of tackles for losses and sacks.

I'm sure Mike Nolan has his own system and it will work fine, but I am curious as to whether you think such aN approach would work for the FINS and would ever work in the NFL...

The FINS have an unusual number of players who have great position flexibility and who can excel more in a 3-4 versus a 4-3 and vice-versa. This would just make use of the unique skills of the players currently on the roster.

Trent Dilfer is asked by Tim Graham to share his thoughts on the Henne-Sanchez debate here

"I like Chad Henne," Dilfer said. "I think he's good player. I think he's limited athletically. I don't think he's the same type of athlete as Mark Sanchez. He's not the same type of thrower. He's kind of a fastball thrower. He doesn't have the repertoire as a football player that Mark Sanchez has. That doesn't mean he can't develop it, but that's going to take longer.

"Sanchez is the unique talent of the last five or six draft classes because he has that Alpha male personality. He has that 'it factor.' Then physically he has the sudden feet, plenty of arm, is highly accurate, was mature beyond his years as a college player. He has a distinct advantage because of his makeup, the total package, and they're supporting him in such a great way.

Okay, what kind of drivel is this? Sticking up for the brotherhood of over-hyped QBs in the draft and over-rated mediocre QBs who rode a dominant defense to success in the playoffs??????

What kind of "repertoire" does Sanchez have that Henne does not have? Hand-off to Thomas Jones to the left. Hand-off to Thomas Jones on the right. Hand-off to Thomas Jones up the middle. Repeat. Leave the field so that Brad Smith can rip through the Bengals defense in the Wildcat...

From Sun-Sentinel

From Miami Herald

First Team Linebackers: Moses-Dobbins-Dansby-Anderson

Misi and Wake playing second team

Berger ahead of Grove

Long-Thomas-Berger-Incognito-Carey is the Offensive Line

I like the philosophy of the Front Office.

Future stars, especially the rookies, need to earn their starting spots

I'm dying to know how Henne looks throwing to our WRs going up against our seasoned CBs

Oh and by the way, Brandon Marshall is on the exercise bike

This is just speculation, but Incognito has experience at center. Down the road, if Grove continues to have health issues at center and provided Incognito can keep his head out of his butt and not be a butthead and head butt other players...

Might Richie Incognito be developed into a pro-bowl caliber center? He has great size 6-3 324 to handle some of the mammoth NT especially in the AFC East and has a very nasty attitude.

Imagine a line of the future with

Long (6-7 320) Jerry (6-5 328) Incognito (6-3 324) Thomas (6-4 310) Carey (6-5 340)