I've told you about offense, and now I will tell you five defensive players who are bound to break out next season. Our defense needs a lot of these players to have breakout seasons because of how pitiful the defense as a whole was last year.
The Miami Dolphins need players who can end drives instantly. Here are 5 players who have a chance to break out next year and do just that.
1. Vontae Davis, CB
Vontae Davis is going into his second year as a cornerback. Last year he showed flashes of greatness during times, but still gave up a lot of big plays to receivers. Part of that may be because he was always covering the best receiver, but still.
He has a great opportunity to break out this season because he can only get better from last year. New defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has also implemented a new agressive defense, and hopefully Davis will thrive in it. Davis has a lot of potential. Hopefully he will be able to harness it in 2010-2011.
2. Sean Smith, CB
Sean Smith is another cornerback Miami drafted in last years draft, so this is also his second year. Smith was drafted in the second round, where Davis was drafted in the first.
Smith has a lot of potential, and has a very good chance to break out this year. He is very tall, which can be used to his advantage. He was a pleasant surprise last year when he started all 16 games as a rookie. Just like Vontae, he has a lot of potential and Mike Nolan should only help him improve.
3. Randy Starks, NT
The Miami Dolphins moved Randy Starks to the nose tackle position this offseason. He is a very strong player, which is important for the nose tackle. He was very good last year with 7 sacks, so some people may not think that changing his position will help him, but I beg to differ.
Starks' is a great player who can perform really well on the line. It doesn't matter where he is on the line. He may be lighter than most nose tackles, but that doesn't matter too much because of his strength. He is also faster, so he should be able to quickly move past his blocker.
4. Koa Misi, LB
Koa Misi should be able to break out very well as a rookie this season. He is very quick and athletic, and he should be able to fit in Miami's offense well. Misi can either be a linebacker, or he can move to the DE position well. That will be a huge help and will increase his ability to break out.
What will really help Misi is that he is hard working. You know he will have the best chance to do well every game because he worked hard at what he had to during workouts and practices during the previous week.
5. Reshad Jones, FS
I really hope Jones can break out this season. Miami's biggest question mark on their defense is the free safety position, and Jones is a likely candidate to fill that void. He is a very hard-hitting safety, and he should be able to strike fear into anyone who runs his way with the ball.
While his coverage skills may not be where we want them to be, don't worry too much. He should be able to develop better coverage skills with an experienced defensive coordinator like Mike Nolan. Breakouts often occur when you aren't expecting it, and that will most likely be the case with Reshad Jones.
Let me know what you guys think with your comments. Thanks for reading.
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