My Ricky Williams Blog

Miami Dolphins Draft Needs

Heading into the offseason the Miami Dolphins had a few majors holes. The biggest holes are definitely on Defense as their offense is surprisingly pretty set. The Miami Dolphins have a lot of young players who are almost ready to contribute continuously to the team and just need to fill some holes on the defense.

On Offense, the Dolphins are extremely young. The Dolphin's offense is actually the youngest offensive unit in the NFL. Because of their youth, the offense should be expected to improve from last year simply based on the fact that the players are a whole year more experienced. The Dolphins offense was really no slouch to begin with. The Dolphins could already run the ball extremely well. The run game is anchored by Jake Long and Vernon Carey and they plow holes open for Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams on a consistent basis. Miami had quality guards but decided to bring in another great option by signing Incognito. Incognito, while being a troubled player in the past, is extremely talented and could turn out to be a steal for the Dolphins.

While the running game was one of the top rated for much of the 2009 season the Dolphin's passing game wasn't too bad either. The Dolphins obviously did not resemble the Colts or the Saints on offense, but they were effective. The Dolphins receivers run crisp routes and always find a way to get open on third downs and 1st year quarterback Chad Henne always has a way of finding them. The deep ball has not developed yet but it can be expected in the future. While many blame the receivers for the lack of deep balls, the blame should really lay with Chad Henne. Henne had accuracy troubles with the deep ball but should be much improved after a full season as a starter.

The Defense is where the Dolphin's real problems are. The Miami Dolphins had a very soft defense in 2009. The defense was great against the run, in large part to Langford, Starks and Ferguson. Once Ferguson became injured the run defense went downhill. Soliai can be effective, but not every play. The dolphins need to look for a NT in the first three rounds. The Dolphins pass defense was also terrible. The bad pass defense is a direct result of having 2 rookie corners starting along with bad safety play. Those corners aren't rookies anymore and the bad safety had been cut. In order to sure up the pass defense, the dolphins just need to find a free safety. There are a couple good options in the draft that could easily fill the role, and the Dolphins also could consider 2009 draft pick Chris Clemmons or standout reserve Tyrone Culver.

Another weakness, inside linebacker, has already been addressed. Early in the offseason the Dolphins signed free agent Karlos Dansby to a lucrative contract. Dansby is expected to help the Dolphins defense greatly and will likely fill the void left by the termination of Akin Ayodele's contract.

There is great reason for optimism among the Dolphin's organization and they should be a much improved team in 2010. The Dolphins are getting better, but so are the Patriots and Jets. The AFC East will continue to be a tough division and the Dolphins will have to continue to get a lot better if the wish to compete.

Brian Gibson is a writer who specializes in subjects such as Sports, Entertainment and Money Management. He also has a website, Products Review Network, which reviews products such as Calms Forte 4 Kids.

1st Round (#28) DE Jared Odrick, Penn State

Key Player(s) Passed On: DE/OLB Jerry Hughes

Analysis: It is hard to find fault with the Odrick selection. He was a terrific player at Penn State and has the long arms and height to play defensive end in Miami's 3-4 defense. Odrick will fit in nicely on the Dolphins' defensive line. Miami needed outside linebacker prospects who can rush the quarterback. Jerry Hughes was one of the better college defensive ends who could have been converted to outside linebacker in this draft. Hughes would have been a solid selection. However, Odrick was a fundamentally sound and probably the safer pick. Miami has a young and talented defensive line (DE Philip Merling, DE Jared Odrick, NT Randy Starks and reserve DE Kendall Langford) that should be good for a number of years.

2nd Round (#40) DE Koa Misi, Utah

Key Player(s) Passed On: DE Sergio Kindle

Analysis: The loss of Joey Porter and Jason Taylor made finding a young pass rusher at outside linebacker a very high priority. The Dolphins chose Koa Misi over Sergio Kindle. Misi consistently gives good effort, but he has to learn more counter moves. He also has to finish plays better. The former Ute gets close, but lets quarterbacks and running backs escape his grasp too often. PFDN preferred Kindle over Misi by a fair amount. Which outside linebacker prospect to draft was a key decision for Miami. Kindle and Misi will be compared for years. Miami will be missing a lot of pass rush pressure with the departures of Porter and Taylor. Miami has to hope that Misi adjusts well to the outside linebacker position and converts more opportunities into sacks and tackles for loss.

3rd Round (#73) OT/OG John Jerry, Mississippi

Key Player(s) Passed On: S Chad Jones

Analysis: Jerry has a chance to be a quality starting guard in the NFL. He has to raise his conditioning level to reach his full potential. Jerry's run blocking prowess will help a Miami line that is much stronger at tackle than it is inside. The safety play for Miami last season was very weak. The team released Gabril Wilson and could use additional talent. Chad Jones would have made sense because he is just scratching the surface of his potential. John Jerry was a solid pick. However, safety was a bigger weakness than the offensive line and Jones has substantial upside.

4th Round (#119) LB A.J. Edds, Iowa

Key Player(s) Passed On: CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah

Analysis: Edds is a smart and fundamentally sound player. He can be a solid backup and contribute on 3rd down passing situations. He is not much of a pass rusher, but Edds has a good feel for pass coverage. We thought Owusu-Ansah had more upside potential. Miami needs help in the secondary and Owusu-Ansah has potential at cornerback and free safety. Edds can carve out a niche for himself in the Dolphins' defense, but we doubt that he will ever be more than a situational player.

5th Round (#145) CB Nolan Carroll, Maryland

Key Player(s) Passed On: TE Andrew Quarless

Analysis: Carroll had a lot of injury issues in college and missed most of his senior season with a broken leg. Miami missed Will Allen when he was injured last season. Every team wants to have quality depth at cornerback. However, Carroll is a raw size/speed prospect who did not make many plays as a cornerback for Maryland. He also was not a dangerous kick returner. Andrew Quarless would have provided quality depth behind Anthony Fasano. Quarless runs better than Fasano and has starting potential. Dolphins' general manager, Jeff Ireland, shies away from character risks and likely passed on Quarless for that reason. Quarless showed more maturity as a senior and represented little risk in the 5th round.

5th Round (#163) S Reshad Jones, Georgia

Key Player(s) Passed On: RB Jonathan Dwyer

Analysis: Reshad Jones was a decent pick in the 5th round. He displayed a combination of hitting ability and ball skills at Georgia from the strong and free safety position. He also was very inconsistent and made mental mistakes in coverage. The biggest question concerning Jones is how well will he handle the mental side of diagnosing complicated pro passing attacks? Miami has Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown at running back, but they both have issues. Williams is 33 years old and Brown is 28 and returning from another injury. Jonathan Dwyer is a young, big back who could have injected youth into a position that is getting long in the tooth.

7th Round (#212) DE Chris McCoy, Middle Tennessee State

Key Player (s) Passed On: TE Dorin Dickerson

Analysis: McCoy is a conversion project from defensive end to outside linebacker. He had a productive senior season (64 tackles, 20 tackles for losses and 7 sacks), but it took him until his 5th year to be a full-time starter. McCoy is not unusually quick, strong or fast. He faces long odds to be anything more than decent depth. Dickerson is really an H-back. He catches the ball well and has speed. Miami may have been able to come up with an offensive package on passing situations to take advantage of his skill-set.

7th Round (#252) LB Austin Spitler, Ohio State

Key Player(s) Passed On: CB Donovan Warren

Analysis: Spitler spent much of his career at Ohio State backing up James Laurinaitis at middle linebacker. He played more as a redshirt senior and had modest production. Spitler is a good special teams player and he will have to be very strong in this department to make the Dolphins. PFDN rated Donovan Warren as the better prospect with more potential. Warren is comfortable in press coverage and could have been tried at free safety. Warren dropped like a stone in the draft partly due to a bad ankle that resulted in slow 40 times. He was a three-year starter at Michigan. Warren clearly made a mistake from a draft standpoint in coming out after his true junior season. He has talent and we thought he was worth a late-round selection to secure his services and see what he can do in camp.

Bottom Line: Miami came away with three potential starters (Odrick, Misi and Jerry) from this draft. The Dolphins really need Misi to develop into an outside linebacker who can post double-digit sack totals consistently. We question whether he is that kind of player. The team did not adequately address their safety position, in our opinion. Miami also did not add a young running back to the mix and passed on improving the depth at tight end.

Grade: B-

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So after some really terrible seasons, the Miami Dolphins have reintroduced themselves back into the National Football league. They haven't been in the playoffs with a winning season since 2001 and in that time they lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild card round. It was almost like the Dolphins received their own type of curse like the Cubs and RedSox face in baseball.

Since the days of Don Shula and Dan Marino, the Miami Dolphins have gone through so many changes to players, coaching staff, and even front office staff. It just seemed like they couldn't catch a break. After the last two years of huge loses for the team, they made significant changes in the 2008 season to bounce back the organization.

The Dolphins added one of the toughest and smartest football minds as their GM which happens to be Bill Parcels. He turned the organization around with changes to the coaching staff, adding Tony Sparano and picking up players around the league that made the teams short game the winning game. The Dolphin organization traded for Chad Pennington, who has had trouble with injuries in the past but still remained to be a quarterback that made smart decisions with limited mistakes on the playing field.

With all the new additions to the lineup one thing that turned the loses to wins was the change in play calling. The Dolphins brought out its new Wildcat formation with two of the top and most frightening guys in the backfield, Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. They have both been known for confusing the defense and making big running plays. Converting first downs and putting points on the board has become a standard for the Miami Dolphins. Joey Porter and the rest of the outstanding defense definitely give the opposing team a lot of trouble when it's their time to have the ball.

As the season winds down, whether the Dolphins take it all the way or not there is one thing for sure, they finally rediscovered themselves and brought life back to South Florida fans. I'm sure all the fans hope that they get back to those Don Shula and Dan Marino days with some really historical wins and playoff runs.

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I first want to say that since I've been visiting Miami, circa 2000, the city has exploded. Not only with the big real estate boom, but also economically. Looking back, the city has hosted two Super Bowls in that time span, as well as see it's baseball team obtain a new stadium that is set to open up next year. Miami is now home to me, and I'd like to share with you my favorite things to do in Miami. Keep in mind I am a sports buff, so some of the activities I list will reflect that.

These are in no particular order, as it's hard to order things that are all so much fun and exciting. That's my little disclaimer!

1. Miami Dolphins football games. The Fins are competing at a high level now that Bill Parcells is in town and Ricky Williams has regained his old form. Fins games are so much fun for many reasons. You have beer, football, a rocking stadium, and a winning coaching staff. The Fins aren't my favorite NFL team but they are one I follow since they are the home team.

2. Hurricane sports. Of course, I love football, so the Canes football squad is my first choice, but their baseball team and basketball team are also competing at very high levels. Totally worth checking out!

3. South Beach. This place is a blast. You have bars, clubs, discos, and gorgeous women! What is there not to like about South Beach?

4. Golf. There are so many nice courses in Miami. You have Doral, Miami Beach Golf Club, and Crandon Park. All great courses among tropical settings.

5. Marlins baseball. I love baseball as much as anyone, and the Marlins field a solid team each year, even though they pay about as much as McDonalds to their players. They really do need to spend more money, but hey, they are considered small market and it's not my job to do that.:)

6. Ft. Lauderdale is just a stone's throw away. There are many places to visit, including Riverwalk, Las Olas, and more. It's not as diverse as Miami, but its a nice little oasis and popular among boaters.

7. Dining. I can name about 100 restaurants in Miami that I like, but I'll start with a few: Prime 112, Joe's Stone Crabs, Red, Casa Tua, Shula's. All great places!

8. Bars. Well, if we are getting into dining I may as well list my drinking spots. For starters, you can hit up the tourist traps that also are popular to locals on Ocean Drive. There is world famous Wet Willies, Clevelander, Ocean's Ten, and many others. Of course, I like the Ale House for sports, which has many locations across Miami-Dade. I also like to head out to the Doral Hooters, which is the #1 Hooters in the nation. The girls there are mostly of Colombian descent, which hey, I'm not going to argue with. You probably won't either.

That's my personal list of things to do in Miami - if you find yourself in town, give them a shot.

Tanner enjoys spending time in Miami Beach and thinks he will live there permanently some day.

Nick Saban begins year number two with fresh faces and a new offensive coordinator in Mike Mularkey. The former Bills coach takes over for the departed Scott Linehan, the new head coach of the St. Louis Rams. Optimism reigns supreme in Miami as Saban turned a 3-13 team the year before into a 9-7 one last season. With a veteran cast returning, along with key free agent pickups, many feel the Dolphins are legitimate playoff contenders in 2006.

Offense: The biggest acquisition of the off season was grabbing Daunte Culpepper from the Minnesota Vikings. Gone is Gus Frerotte, who did a respectable job as the starter last season and in comes Culpepper. There's no question when he's healthy, Culpepper is one of the best in the game. But a devastating knee injury, where he suffered damage to three ligaments, may keep him off the field on opening day.

To correct that problem the Dolphins made a trade for Joey Harrington (2,021 yards, 12 touchdowns), who wore out his welcome in Detroit. The former number two overall selection hasn't lived up to his draft status, but could be reborn with Saban in Miami. Either way, he'll be an adequate backup and an upgrade over Sage Rosenfels.

Ricky Williams was suspended again so he took his papers and bong to Canada for a year. No matter, second year man Ronnie Brown will be handed the reigns of the feature back role and should do well. The Auburn standout rushed for 907 yards and four scores splitting time with Ricky last season. Travis Minor will be his principle backup. Fred Beasley didn't leave his heart in San Francisco and will help Brown immensely at fullback. Beasley has decent hands and is a solid blocker.

The Dolphins have two good starters, but not much depth after that at the wide receiver position. Chris Chambers (82-1,118-11) had a breakout year last season and Marty Booker is a solid number two guy. Behind them rookies Derek Hagan and Devin Aromashodu will be asked to play key roles.

Randy McMichael is one of the best receiving tight ends in the game and proved it again last season with 60 receptions and five TDs. Justin Peele was brought in from San Diego to be a blocker in running situations.

There is plenty of competition on the offensive line and it's here where the most spirited battles will take place. Rex Hadnot is the incumbent center, but Seth McKinney returns from injury and will challenge. Free agent signee Bennie Anderson (Bills) will team with returner Jeno James at guard, but McKinney could land here as well. Vernon Carey and Damion McIntosh return at tackle but free agents L.J. Shelton (Browns) and Mike Pearson (Jaguars) are in the mix as well.

Defense: This is an aging defense even with Junior Seau gone, particularly on the line. Ageless wonder Jason Taylor (12 sacks) and Kevin Carter (six sacks) return at defensive end, but look out for high energy Matt Roth to get even more playing time in 2006. Vonnie Holliday (five sacks) and Keith Traylor man the tackle spots with Jeff Zgonina providing adequate backup. Manuel Wright and rookie Rodrique Wright provide youthful legs.

Zach Thomas continues to defy father time and looks to put up another outstanding season on the boards. Thomas led the team with 166 tackles from his middle linebacker slot and shows no signs of slowing down. On the outside, emerging star Channing Crowder (90 tackles) could have a break out year and Donnie Spragan is solid if not spectacular. Eddie Moore is a quality backup.

The secondary is in a state of flux after a turbulent off season. Gone are safety Lance Shulters and corners Sam Madison and Reggie Howard. Travis Daniels will man one corner spot while free agent signees Will Allen (Giants), Renaldo Hill (Raiders) and Andre Goodman (Lions) will compete for the other. Tavaris Tillman returns at strong safety, while Yeremiah Bell and number one draft pick, Jason Allen, will battle for the free safety spot.

Special Teams: Olindo Mare had another great season, scoring 108 points on 25-30 field goals and 33-33 on extra points. You can't find many better or more consistent then him. Donnie Jones looks to improve on his solid 43.5 yards per punt last season and Wes Welker is an exciting return man (22.6 KR; 9.1 PR).

Outlook: Nick Saban is one of the best young coaches in the business and he'll have the Dolphins fighting for a playoff spot. The Culpepper injury situation, coupled with an aging defense and instability in the secondary will keep them from catching New England in the division.

Prediction: Saban has picked Miami out of the cellar and restored confidence in the fans, the city and the team. The Dolphins are still a couple of pieces away from being a serious contender, but a wild card berth is not out of the question in 2006. Miami finishes 9-7 or 10-6.

Brian Carson is a writer and sports fanatic who, along with a select group of coaches has created the ultimate multimedia guide to coaching youth football at http://www.pigskinplaybooks.com To read more football articles go to http://carcorner.blogspot.com/

A general rule in gambling is to beware of the Trendy Team. The public usually gets it in its mind that this team or that team is going to have a "breakout" year or be a "sleeper" this season. The trouble is, when everyone thinks that about a crew they're no longer a "sleeper". They're shackled by the heavy, cold steel grip of expectations.

That, and The Public is usually wrong.

That's where we're at with Miami. They ran off six consecutive wins to end 2005, made a few high-profile moves in the offseason, and are now the sheik pick to come out of the AFC East. Hype is the kiss of death. But to be honest with you, there may be some merit to all of this.

The acquisition of Dante Culpepper gives the Dolphins offense a leader that they haven't had since some Marino guy took his Isotoners and went home. His ability to consistently throw the deep ball should reenergize the careers of Chris Chambers and Marty Booker. Also, the best defense can be a good offense.

However, there are karma concerns. Ricky Williams was banished to Canada. Miami signed career underachievers L.J. Shelton, Dan Wilkinson and Will Allen. There's the awkward Jason Taylor-Zach Thomas divorce thing (they're not divorcing each other, but Taylor is separating from Thomas' sister). Culpepper didn't exactly leave Minnesota under the best of circumstances, and he wasn't Mr. Reliable when he was there.

All in all, this is a tough team to read. The talent is there, but with some volatile personalities and inconsistent performers decorating the roster you have to wonder how hard you can press the Dolphins. It will be a read-and-react situation. And don't be surprised if they pulled the classic Start With a Bang, Finish With a Whimper that Miami is known for.

Here's Doc's 2006 Miami Dolphins Preview:

2005 Record: 9-7 (5-3 home, 4-4 road)

2005 Rankings: 14th offense (16th pass, 12th rush); 18th defense (20th pass, 17th rush)

2005 Against the Spread: 7-9 (3-5 home, 4-4 road); 8-8 vs. total (5-3 h, 3-5 r)

2006 Odds: 22/1 to win SB, 11/1 to win AFC, 2/1 to win AFC East, 9.0 wins O/U

2006 Strength of Schedule: 27th (.469 opp. win %)

Key stat: Defensively, the Fins allowed just 3.7 yards per carry (7th in the league). Offensively they managed 4.3 yards per rush (8th in the league).

Returning starters: 17 (8 offense, 9 defense)

Key acquisitions: Daunte Culpepper, QB (from Minn.); Will Allen, CB (from NYG); Jason Allen, CB (draft); L.J. Shelton, OT (from Cleve.); Fred Beasley, FB (from S.F.); Joey Harrington, QB (from Detroit); Kelly Campbell, WR (from Minn.); Dan Wilkinson, DT (from Detroit)

Key departures: Ricky Williams, RB; David Boston, WR; Reggie Howard, CB; Sam Madison, CB; Tebucky Jones, S; Stockar McDougle, OT; Lance Schulters, S; Junior Seau, LB.

Offense: The tools are in place, but now they have to hope that Culpepper can be the straw that stirs the drink. Ronnie Brown needs to stay healthy, and both Chambers and Booker need to step up. The line made tremendous strides last season, and will now be charged with protecting Culpepper's knee. A lot of that responsibility falls on the shoulders of Shelton, who has a million-dollar body and a 10-cent head. They had the eighth-worst third-down conversion rate last year (35.1 percent) which helped contribute to their No. 30 time of possession ranking.

Defense: The Miami defense played better than its ranking last year. Their 49 sacks were second best in the league, and they were No. 7 against the run in terms of yards per carry against (3.7). However, the top eight defensive lineman in their rotation average 33 years old. I guess the good news is that there are eight of them. They lost both starting corners, but fortunately Miami doesn't face many pass-happy teams this year. A lot falls on the health of Thomas in the middle because they have little depth at LB. That's also why it's so important for Channing Crowder to make an impact.

X-factor: Culpepper. Can the knee hold up? If not, I think Joey Harrington is a great insurance policy. However, if they want to have a special year it will be on the arm, er, knee of Culpepper.

Outlook: I'm torn on the Dolphins. They've received a lot of hype, and I see a lot of potential landmines, but I did pick them to win the division. I don't like Culpepper. I've never liked him. And their defense is old. But honestly, this pick reflects the respect that I have for Nick Saban. We will see.

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