They say you don't have to be pretty to play good football.The way I see it there are now three realistic possibilities for the Dolphins this year. 1: They actually are the worst team in the league, as I assume and go nearly win less and are awarded Andrew Luck for being impotent. 2: They get their shit kinda, sorta together and end the year with 5-6 wins and out of the Luck sweepstakes. The most likely situation, sadly. 3: They still suck, but not enough. End up unlucky drafting in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th spot.
Either way I don't see Tony Sparano staying past this year and that should give Jeff Ireland the boot out as well. Of course our owner(s) is(are) retarded so everyone may finish out their contracts and we get more years of mediocrity. You will not see any helping hands towards Chad Henne again, meaning a new QB will be drafted. This leads me to three more situations, this time for the draft. 1: The dream scenario, of course, they get Luck and go mostly offense with the draft grabbing Dwayne Allen (Clemson TE) or a play maker in round 2 along with a Big 10 offensive lineman in the 3rd. Why Big 10? They put out the most consistent lineman by far, my biggest question is do they go pulling guard or get a real right tackle? 2: The likely scenario, of course, they don't get to get lucky and who ever is in charge gets Landry Jones or Matt Barkely. Many fans would like this but what separates these guys from the Matt Lienarts or Joe Flaccos? Luck is the guy because he isn't some fluffed-up guy behind padded stats. He performs, has the stats and the mindset. I say this with full confidence not only because I want him as a 'phin but because everyone is saying it and anyone can clearly see it. He's taking a completely average to bad team and making them a National Title contender. 3: The other plan, basically a wild card because I do not know who will be hired, but it's just take the best player available. So let's say that they see that Matt Barkley and Laundry Jones are either gone or they hopefully see something questionable about them and decide to be bold. Personally I think Kellen Moore is better than those two, however his size and being left-handed combined might make a rough transition to the pros. Nick Foles is as good as Barkley and Jones, just missing a few wins, which makes his leadership questionable. I have always been a fan of Robert Griffin III since he appeared, he impressed by being the offense much like Denard Robinson is for Michigan, only he is able to chuck the rock and know where it'll end up. I feel that if you take him, much like Tebow before, he will bring a presence to the team. He has not won as much as Tebow did, and isn't a saint like Tebow. Although he has that leadership quality, he rallies his team around him and the Dolphins need that more than anything right now. They are just a jumble of players all doing their own things instead of being a well oiled machine, forgive the cliche. Plus his arm is a cannon, so those physical limitations Tebow gets pinged for won't factor in much more than him needing to develop to the speed of NFL defenses. So that would be my guy and then it's back to business shoring up holes in the team.
Assuming the new coaches switch back to the 4-3 and want a non-vanilla offense here are a few more guys I have good vibes on and the Dolphins may be in play for (no one really knows because we are only 5 weeks in). The offense is struggling, I don't know that Edmund Gates is the burner they hoped, our tight end is average at best, still need the right side of the offensive line. Defense is potentially worse, switching to 4-3 you'll need a backup end and either way they need a backup defensive tackle, linebacker-wise Koa Misi and Kevin Burnett are not starters so they need another 'backer and the whole secondary is a mess. Sean Smith is a safety, please change his position so he can make a positive impact. Remember Antrel Rolle a few years back changing up positions? Or how about when the Dolphins tried to throw him money before he signed with the Giants? After that they have Vontae Davis and no one else and you need 3 starting caliber corners in the league anymore. Yeremiah Bell is a great linebacker, maybe if they drafted someone who can cover then the secondary would look a little better. Can't hate on him too much though because he is the only one willing to tackle back there.
I love watching corners however scouting a safety is very hard now because all the players seem to be good at only one aspect of the position anymore. For safetys I haven't seen anyone coming out that is worthy of a pick in the first three rounds. That includes Alabama's guys, Lester can't cover while Barron is a tackler/run stomper. Maybe you go after a bigger or slower corner and toss him back there. My favorite corner poised to drop in the draft would have to be Janoris Jenkins (formerly Florida, now North Alabama). Yes I am Gator biased but he was going up against pro players AJ Green and Julio Jones every week and was not necessarily shutting them down, but holding his own consistently. His size makes him a perfect fit inside on the slot but he is extremely talented on the outside and can shift out for the quicker receivers. I still wish the Dolphins signed Asante Samuel a few years back, maybe now they can trade for him and take on that enormous salary but play making skills. The best linebacker to me is Courtney Upshaw (Alabama) and he would be a perfect fit as the third LB in the Dolphins new 4-3 front. He makes at least one big play a game, usually ending up in a defensive score. Too bad this isn't a league for dreamers and I know grabbing Luck or Griffin III and Upshaw won't happen, especially if I want Janoris Jenkins. Don'ta Hightower though, seems like he's had some struggles this year and may slip on the boards. Maybe he can come in and do the damn thing for them. I just really want a brick wall 'backer, a guy who will hit you and make you not want to come that way again. At the very least I'd like to compare the size of 'Bama kids to real pros. There are also a lot of smaller, faster 'backers who see to be tallying up tackles, all of which seem able to play outside. But because there are so many and I haven't really scouted them other than a few games, I won't name drop for once. As for the extra linemen Billy Winn (Boise St) is getting a bit of pub and I have liked him for awhile now. I think he is a hard worker but may not have that high of a ceiling. I feel like he would be a more durable, dependable answer to Philip Merling finally getting out of town. As for backup defensive tackles I really like Jaye Howard (Florida), he has been tearing up the inside of offensive lines this year. He is not a 3-4 DT and not the most sound at tackling currently, but as an under tackle in a 4-3 system he can take on a blocker then get up field to make a play. His ability to penetrate offensive lines could do wonders for the linebackers. A bigger guy who, like Howard, was highly touted as a high school player is Marcus Forston (Miami Hurricanes). He is big and occupies multiple blockers and has nimble hands, recording two picks in his career. For those who watch Dolphins games, you know that we love defensive lineman who can knock down or pick off passes.
On the offense they have possession with Bess, a number one wideout with Marshall, a young buck at RB in Thomas (who will hopefully keep getting better and I hope a little stronger), not to mention a starting caliber blocking/catching tight end plus a match up problem with Bush. The worst thing is seeing these guys in place with a terrible game plan and average QB making the whole offense hold itself back. They do need a bit more speed at wideout, I would go with someone other than Brian Hartline and his Big 10 speed. Dwayne Allen who I mentioned earlier from Clemson is a play maker at tightend. He makes people miss and has good hands and is pretty aware. He may not be the best blocker, but he reminds me too damn much of Antonio Gates and Alge Crumpler to not be worth the higher round pick. Luck needs a safety blanket anyhow and Fasano is not dynamic enough to make something happen on a check down or broken play. But if Dwayne runs Taj Boyd's arm to a first round selection than Luck's good friend Coby Fleener makes perfect sense. Played with Luck, knows him and he seems to be one of those prototypical TE's that makes plays like Jason Witten. Ryan Broyles is probably the best wideout in college football, just undersized, but there is minor talk about him dropping in the draft. If he falls he is almost more valuable than the play maker TE, however free agency could have plenty of number two wide outs. Sammy Watkins would be my dream guy but he is just a freshman, of course I would also love Trent Richardson or Marcus Lattimore. Bring back the power backs baby. A later round prospect at WR, TY Hilton from FIU. He has an extra gear and is from Florida, can't be any worse than Gates, Wallace or Moore. And no that group of names isn't from a bad Oasis cover band, they are the last names of the receivers on the tail end of the roster. The last name I'll throw out there is Chris Rainey the do-it-all from Florida. They named a position after Percy Harvin figuring no one could make that impact again, well I am here to say that Rainey is not just a track star they threw in that spot. Against Tennessee this year he ran 21 times for 108 yards caught 2 balls for 104 and blocked a punt and had a score or two. He won that game for the Gators. He has that burst of speed, he is legit fast on the track and in pads and he knows how to use that speed against teams. You can watch him slow up on a guy to make a juke work, you see him hit another gear to get the edge on run plays. I know the 'fins have Bush and now Slaton in place. I worry about Slaton after multiple injuries to the legs, Bush always finds a way to get hurt. You can never have enough speed and for his career Rainey has been pretty healthy minus the cramps and pulls you expect on the muscles while playing in 104 degree heat. Besides it always rains in Miami why not make it Rainey on the opponent. Pun intended, obviously.
By the way, fans who don't like Suck For Luck, I understand. It's demeaning to the whole team and if they were to buy into it, than they are in more trouble than I thought. However, like religion, there is no absolute answer. For me it's a positive spin, no more, no less. The team sucks regardless so me hoping for them to suck enough for Andrew Luck is looking for a brighter future in this bomb of a season. I don't want to go winless and I hope these other shitty teams kick up their game so my favorite team is allowed to stay respectable and get a few wins on the table. I pledge to try and not force Suck For Luck in your faces as long as you don't wag your self-righteous fingers in mine.
-Jason
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