I understand that the Dolphins drafted the versatile HB/TE Charles Clay this offseason to replace him, but I still don't like the move. I believe that Miami should have kept both players. Polite was just too good to let go. He has converted on 95.3% of his 3rd or 4th and one yard situations since 2008. He was a first down machine, and now he is going to be that first down generator for another team.
I know that the fullback position is practically a lost art in the NFL, but Polite did it so well that it didn't make sense to get rid of him. He was due $1.35 million this season, but that is a small price to pay for such an automatic player and such a fan favorite.
We will definitely see what Clay can do now, though, because he will be on the field a lot. Don't get me wrong, I like Clay a lot and think he will be special, I just like Polite a lot too and think he should have been kept. It'll be exciting to see Clay lining up behind Chad Henne this year, because defenses will also have to account for him catching the ball, but I doubt that he will be able to do what Lou did on 3rd or 4th and short. Handing it off to Polite on short yardage situations was probably the safest and most effective play that Miami ran. Now it will be more difficult.
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think. We don't talk about Polite much because of the position he is in and what he does, but I think he deserves discussion, because he has done a lot for the Miami Dolphins.
