This is June a time when hope springs eternal for NFL teams and their fans. The question for Dolfans is will those high hopes survive as the 2010 season unfolds. For a clue, one needs to examine what has happened so far this off-season. So, let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly.
First, the ugly, which is exactly what the Fins’ gave up to the Forty-Niners when they sent Ted Ginn packing. You may remember the Voice of the Dolfans’ parting words for 2009 were “may the off-season moves be-Ginn with Ted.” Well, that might not be the way the off-season moves began, but fortunately those moves included getting rid of Ted Ginn who all too often was down right ugly.
Another piece of the ugly came in the form of the Dolphins joining the “thug-a-month” club, seeing 4 of their roster players arrested in the span of the 4 months from February to May. Rounding out the ugly was the somewhat messy end with Jason Taylor, always a class act, and the public relations nightmare of first banishing Zach Thomas from the Dolphins practice facility, before they graciously let him come back to sign a one-day contract so he could retire as a Dolphin. Here’s hoping that the Fins not only handle Jason Taylor’s retirement better when his time comes, but that they also announce at that time that Jason and Zach will go into the Ring of Honor together the very next year.
And now for the good. Talk about a quinella, the Fins’ did not just get rid of Ted Ginn, they did so because they signed Brandon Marshall, a truly elite receiver. They said good-bye to Ginn, the king of drops and the queen of running out of bounds before the first down marker, and said hello to a dynamic 100+ reception wide-out who triumphs in getting yards after the catch. As illegitimate of a receiver as Ginn proved himself to be the past 3 years, Brandon Marshall has proven himself to be as legit of a receiver as there is in the game in that same span of time. He has been to the Pro Bowl the last 2 years and he has 100+ catches in each of the last 3 seasons. He is a truly top-echelon receiver who will command a lot of attention from defenses while nevertheless catching a whole lot of passes. In so doing he will free up Greg Camarillo, Davone Bess, Brian Hartline and Anthony Fasano to make their share of crucial catches. There is no question that Marshall makes the Fins’ offense a lot better.
And Marshall will make Chad Henne a lot better, too. Don’t forget the last time Henne had a big-time receiver who could go get the ball downfield. That receiver was none other than Braylon Edwards, and when the two were together at Michigan, Henne rode Edwards all the way to a conference title. Who knows how far he can ride Brandon Marshall, who is signed to a long-term contract, in the coming years?
The signing of Brandon Marshall was not the only big off-season signing for the Dolphins, but the magnitude of that signing overshadowed the signing of linebacker Karlos Dansby. But make no mistake about it Dansby should help fortify a defense that was all too prone to giving up big plays in 2009. Speaking of which, it was no great surprise the Fins’ kept picking defensive players in the draft; just one of their eight picks who will line up on offense. The message was clear; the Czarcells’ camp understood the need to get bigger and younger on defense. They did the same thing on the offensive line, picking up Richie Incognito as a free agent and John Jerry in the draft. Both pick-ups look good, but Incognito better lose his tendency to pick up personal foul penalties or he will be the first fish in Sparano’s dog house. For sure, the offensive line will have more depth than in 2009 and it figures to be a tougher group of players who will be opening the holes for Ronnie and Ricky.
Although John Jerry looks like he has some real promise, the reality is that he is an untested rookie. It is way too difficult to predict how a rookie will perform when the pads come on and he lines up against real NFL talent. And so only time will tell about John Jerry, Jared Odrick and the rest of this year’s draft crop.
As for this year’s rookie crop, Odrick looks promising, especially if you listen to college coaches, including those against whom he played, who spoke very highly of him as a guy who cannot be stopped. And don’t be too surprised if he bulks up a bit in the next couple of years and ends up anchoring the nose tackle position. This may depend on how effectively Randy Starks makes the transition to playing nose tackle full-time.
Second round pick Koa Misi, who played on the D-line for Utah, is undersized for an NFL defensive lineman (6’2”, 251 lbs.) so he was drafted to be an outside linebacker. He would seem to have both the size and speed for that position. Third round pick John Jerry, the lone offensive player selected by the Fins in the draft, played both guard and tackle in college, but is surely slotted for the guard position at Miami. He has good size (6’5”, 328 lbs.) and quickness and, like Odrick and Misi, he was an All-Conference selection in 2009. Although Misi and Jerry were the 40th and 73rd overall selections in the draft, a rookie’s draft slot alone does not guarantee success at the next level (see Ted Ginn, above). We’ll have to wait and see how they pan out.
In the fourth round the Fins took A.J. Edds (6’3”. 246 lbs.) an inside linebacker out of Iowa. His 5 interceptions in 2009 were impressive, but not impressive enough for him to be drafted in the first 3 rounds. Many attribute his success more to his diligent preparation than to his overall skill set, but comparisons to Zach Thomas will have to wait at least for his first 100-tackle season, assuming he ever plays anywhere other than on special teams. Although he was a back-up long snapper in college, his weight (or relative lack thereof) dictates that he will not fill that role for the Fins.
Cornerback Nolan Carroll may have been a fifth rounder because of his injuries the last 2 seasons, but his speed (4.38 in the 40) may open a space for him on special teams. The crowd at cornerback with Will Allen, Vontae Davis and Sean Smith will probably ensure that Carroll doesn’t get much of a chance to get his first NFL interception notwithstanding the fact that he had 9 in his injury-shortened final 2 years at Maryland. Of course, in this day of multiple receiver sets (not to mention injuries) you can never have too many cornerbacks on your roster, especially ones who can play special teams while they wait for an opportunity to line up on defense. Safety Rashad Jones (5th round, 163rd overall), outside linebacker Chris McCoy (7th round, 212th overall) and inside linebacker Austin Spitler (7th round, 252nd overall) are others who must make a name for themselves on special teams if they hope to stick around long enough to eventually compete for significant playing time on the Fins’ defense.
One thing is for sure, the Czarcells regime went for a crop of players possessing both talent and leadership skills as most of this year’s draft crop were team captains. We’ll just have to wait and see how the picks pan out. Given that the Fins are still rebuilding, they will need a few of the newcomers to emerge as bona fide starters, and most of the rest to upgrade the special teams, for 2010 to be a meaningful success. Success this coming season won’t be easy, either, with the Patriots always seeming to be the Patriots and the damn Jets having made some key additions to bolster their team that went as far as the AFC Championship game last season.
Before wrapping up the good, mention must be made of the aggressive style of defense Dolfans will see under new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. His attack-style defense is designed to dictate to the offense what happens on the field. While it is true he needs the horses to make that happen, he will have more horses to work with thanks to the addition of Karlos Dansby and 7 defensive draft picks.
As for the bad, that would primarily be the holes that have yet to be filled. Safety, tight end and the kick/punt returners remain the big question marks on this team. With high-priced free agent Gibril Wilson gone after an unsuccessful (and short) stint with the Dolphins, neither last year’s draft pick Chris Clemons nor Tyrone Culver did anything to lock down the free safety position last year. There is hope that Chris Clemons will step up in his sophomore year and that the presence of Brandon Marshall will allow Anthony Fasano to flourish at tight end. But even in the optimistic glow of June, these two positions remain significant question marks. Nothing about their performance to date suggests that either will turn into a bona fide star any time soon. And as far as returning punts and kickoffs, mediocrity is all that can realistically be expected from those who as of this date are set to be in Dolphins’ training camp come this summer.
But sitting here in the glow of the bright June sun, hope springs eternal for Dolfans. There is a lot that is good on the Dolphins’ horizon; certainly more than there is bad or ugly. And as is true for the rookie class, only time will really tell for the 2010 Dolphins. Here’s hoping that the high hopes of June don’t fade as the upcoming season unfolds.
Its great to have you back writing your pieces again. I like the “thug-a-month” club. Keep cranking them out!