2014 Miami Dolphins Defensive Roster Projection

Previously. The Shout offered 19 Offensive Roster Spot Players with four to five bubble options (depending on Pouncey's potential PUP status) to be included toward the offensive roster of 23. Obviously there are also three Team Specialists for a total roster of 26 which leaves 20 Defensive Roster Spot Options toward a game day active roster of 46.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE (20)

Line Backer (5)
59 Dannell Ellerbe (101 tackles, 2 interceptions)
55 Koa Misi
52 Philip Wheeler (Team leading 118 tackles)
53 Jelani Jenkins
57 Jordan Tripp 6-3, 234, 23, Rookie, Montana


LB Bubble Prospects (Potential roster spot replacements for any under-achieving or absentee positional players).
And/Or Developmental Squad candidates.

93 Jason Trusnik 30 year old, seven year Special Team Extraordinaire and 3 year Dolphin LB backup.
56 Jonathan Freeny 6-2, 250, 25, 2yr exp, Dolphins
48 Derrell Johnson 6-2, 257, 24, R, East Carolina
58 Tariq Edwards 6-2, 235, 23, R, Virginia Tech
47 Chris McCain 6-5, 224, 22, R, California
45 Andrew Wilson 6-3, 239, 23, R, Missouri



Corner Back (4)
21 Brent Grimes (Didn't allow a 2013 touchdown),led team with 4 interceptions, rookie nick-name was Mini-Finnegan
24 Cortland Finnegan (2014 St.Louis Rams Free Agent)
22 Jamar Taylor (2013 Dolphin Draftee)
29 Will Davis (2013 Dolphin Draftee)


CB Bubble Prospects (See above LB Bubble Prospect explanation).

36 Don Jones 2013 Special Teams Play-Maker Miami Dolphins, One year veteran.
30 Jalil Brown 6-1, 204, 26, 3 year veteran free agent, week fourteen 2013 Dolphin pickup
35 Walt Aikens 6-1, 205, 23, Rookie, Liberty



Safety (3)
20 Reshad Jones (107 tackles, 1 interception)
25 Louis Delmas (2014 Free Agent, Detroit Lions)
27 Jimmy Wilson (Can play safety or corner back), two 2013 interceptions


S/DB Bubble Prospects (Song remains the same).

31 Michael Thomas (Week 15 Miami pickup beat Tom Brady on 5 successive final drive pass plays including a game ending End Zone interception for a GLORIOUS week 15 DOLPHIN VICTORY)!
44 Jordan Kovacs 5-10, 210, 24, 1yr exp, Dolphins
38 Steven Clarke 5-10, 189, 23, R, Vanderbilt
37 Kevin Fogg 5-10, 182, 23, R, Liberty
41 Demetrius Wright 6-0, 203, 22, R, Southern California



Defensive Tackle (4)
94 Randy Starks
98 Jared Odrick
96 A.J. Francis
90 Earl Mitchell (2014 Houston Texans Free Agent). 26 years young with 63 games played.


DT Bubble Prospects (You have heard it before).

76 Anthony Johnson 6-2, 308, 21, Rookie, LSU
97 Isaako Aaitui 6-4, 315, 27, 1, UNLV
73 Kamal Johnson 6-3, 305, 22, R, Temple
49 Micajah Reynolds 6-5, 307, 24, R, Michigan State
68 Garrison Smith 6-1, 294, 22, R, Georgia



Defensive End (4)
91 Cameron Wake
50 Olivier Vernon (11.5 NFL Sophomore Sacks)
79 Derrick Shelby
95 Dion Jordan (Gained 20-plus pounds during the off-season).
Four game league suspension, PED'S, (Performance Enhancing Drugs).


DE Bubble Prospects (Potential roster spot replacements for any under-achieving, or absentee positional players).
And/Or Developmental Squad non-active game day candidates.

78 Terrence Fede 6-4, 267, 22, Rookie, Marist
46 Tevin Mims 6-4, 260, 23, R, South Florida


Miami could very likely use an additional Defensive Back from the Prospect lists.
The Dolphins could potentially (though doubtfully) go with one fewer of five listed Line Backers toward the teams active roster of 46 as a few of their Defensive Ends could play LB in an emergency. Perhaps One Bubble Option from any position can fill the temporary four game Dion Jordan void?


What differences would your Miami Dolphins Defensive roster projections include?

Miami Dolphins Offensive Roster Projection

Maybe the defense takes 21 or 22 while bursting the bubble of one or two of the offenses suggested 23?

Thank You for an Open-minded Read, and we look forward to your angle of view!
GOFINS : )) !!

2014 Miami Dolphins Offense Roster Projection

""THEY'RE BACK""!!

In ten days The Miami Dolphins officially open training camp 2014 with a report date of July 24th, their first fully uniformed practice is Friday, July 25th. Miami's first pre-season game is 14 days later at Atlanta on Friday August 8th. The Bubble Boys offered below need to be paid special attention to between now and those first few pre-season games.

This is the fans opportunity to re-familiarize ones self with the names and numbers (Old & New) of our beloved favorite team. ""IT'S TIME"" to start figuring out how many players the Fins should carry at each position as well as discussing who we as individuals and/or as a community would prefer to see in or out of The Miami Dolphins Lineup.

So, Here We Go !


TOTAL OFFENSE ROSTER SPOT PROJECTIONS (23)


QUARTERBACKS (3)
17 Ryan Tannehill
8 Matt Moore
7 Pat Devlin

(Outside Lookin'In)
4 Brock Jensen, QB, 6-3, 223, 23, R, North Dakota State


Offensive Line (8).

CENTER (1)
51 Mike Pouncey (Injured, Hip Surgery) Earliest return date suggested is Week Five.

GUARDS (4)
64 Shelley Smith Rams Free Agent (Can play Center)
67 Daryn Colledge Cardinals Free Agent (has started 124 of 128 career games)
70 Dallas Thomas Dolphins
77 Billy Turner (ROOKIE)

TACKLE (3)
71 Branden Albert Chiefs Free Agent
72 Ja'Wuan James (ROOKIE)
74 Jason Fox Lions Free Agent


If the Dolphins star Center Mike Pouncey were to be relegated to the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list through the NFL's mandated first SIX GAMES?

TWO potential roster spot openings would become available for any one squad listed below (OL or RB or TE or WR)! While on the PUP list, Pouncey would be excluded from counting toward the active 46 man game day roster! Otherwise, all four squads can be afforded just the one necessary Bubble addition, (if that)!

(ON THE BUBBLE) offensive Lineman. Currently! Room for ONE ! Two?

65 Sam Brenner, C, 6-2, 310, 24, 2, Dolphins
61 Tyler Larsen, C, 6-4, 313, 23, R, Utah State
69 Samuel Longo, C, 6-5, 305, 22, R, Cincinnati

75 Nate Garner, OL, 6-7, 325, 29, 7, Dolphins
63 Davonte Wallace, OL, 6-3, 308, 22, R, New Mex St.
62 Evan Finkenberg, OL, 6-4, 300, 23, R, Arizona State

66 David Arkin, G, 6-5, 310, 26, 3, Dolphins
60 Michael Philipp, T, 6-4, 328, 22, R, Oregon State


RUNNING BACK (2)
28 Knowshon Moreno Bronco Free Agent
26 Lamar Miller

(ON THE BUBBLE RB), room for ONE. Two?
33 Daniel Thomas, 6-1, 233, 26, 4, Dolphins
34 Marcus Thigpen, 5-9, 195, 28, 3, Dolphins
23 Mike Gillislee, 5-11, 208, 23, 2, Dolphins
5 Damien Williams, 5-11, 222, 22, R, Oklahoma
3 Orleans Darkwa, 6-0, 210, 22, R, Tulane


TIGHT ENDS (2)
42 Charles Clay
80 Dion Sims

(ON THE BUBBLE TE), room for ONE. Two?
84 Michael Egnew, 6-5, 255, 24, 3, Dolphins
86 Kyle Miller, 6-5, 262, 26, 2, Dolphins
88 Arthur Lynch, 6-4, 258, 24, R, Georgia
89 Harold Hoskins, 6-2, 253, 22, R, Marshall


RECEIVERS (4)
11 Mike Wallace
10 Brandon Gibson
82 Brian Hartline
14 Jarvis Landry (ROOKIE)

(ON THE BUBBLE WR), room for ONE. Two?
1 Damian Williams, 6-1, 193, 26, 5, Titans
81 Stephen Williams, 6-5, 208, 28, 4, Seahawks
19 Armon Binns, 6-3, 211, 24, 3, Dolphins
18 Rishard Matthews, 6-0, 210, 24, 3, Dolphins

Outside Lookin'In WR.
15 Kevin Cone, 6-2, 216, 26, 4, Falcons
87 Ryan Spadola, 6-1, 201, 23, 1, Dolphins
16 Gerald Ford, 6-3, 223, 23, R, Valdosta State
83 Matt Hazel, 6-1, 198, 22, R, Cstl Car
85 Rantavious Wooten, 5-9, 178, 24, R, Georgia



So it seems as though that it would be quite the trick to go with just 8 Offensive Lineman, if Mike Pouncey were to count as one of the Eight/23/46! In such a case. The Dolphins would actually be going with only two active OLine reserves!

Miami has to bring at least ONE from the OLine Bubble in order to field an active eight. Several of the Dolphins OLine prospects are able to play multiple OLine positions, (including Center). Do the Fins bring just one OLineman up from the bubble, who is he, and/or who are they if more than one is your desire toward the active 46?

How Bout the running back position?
Can the Dolphins possibly get by with just one bubble guy to total only three running backs?
Running Back seems to be the position that most requires TWO from the bubble. YES?

However, (According to this projection)! Miami's offense is likely to need at least One Bubble Player for each of the Four individual squads while appearing to have just Four offensive roster openings. Do they short the current Tight End (2), or Wide Receiver (4) from an additional bubble guy in order to assure themselves of carrying Four Running Backs? Who makes the active game day 46 at running back?

Which Bubbles Float To The Top For You?
The Miami Dolphins presently have room for Four Bubble Prospects to total 23 offensive players!

Five Bubble Guys! If Pouncey goes to the PUP through week SEVEN? The 6 game PUP list means just that, ""SIX GAMES"", which suggest that Pouncey would not be eligible to return until week eight/game seven (due to the unfortunate timing of our bye week).

Coincidentally, Miami's starting Center's week five suggested return happens to fall upon the Dolphins Bye. Therefore, Pouncey is not likely to return at full strength to the active roster prior to week six and/or game five to begin with, even if he is kept on the active roster! Should Mike Pouncey go to the PUP and be deemed unavailable for two games more than the injuries earliest suggested game five return to the field? Or do the Fins go without the fifth bubble option for at least one forth of the season?


Thanks for an Open-Minded Read, and we look forward to your angle of view : )) !!
GOFINS!!!




SPECIAL TEAMS TOTAL (3)
9 Caleb Sturgis
2 Brandon Fields
92 John Denney


TOTAL DEFENSE (20). To Be Continued!

Why Miami's Offense Will Be Much Improved In 2014

I have wanted to say something for a while now about what I thought the Bill Lazor hiring was going to do for this Dolphins team. But moving 300 miles and health issues have prevented me from doing so. Seeing Patrick Tarell's recent article on Lazor motivated my writing this piece so if you don't like it, take it up with him. (Joking of course, Pat).

I had a bunch of facts and figures accumulated about Lazor. From his short stint with the Eagles. His previous pro and college coaching history, all the way back to his college years as a quarter back at Cornell University. Seems I have lost some of the research in the move, so I'm not going to try to bore you with too many stats and info that only offer possibilities and tendencies, anyway.

Like Patrick said, it appears Miami decided to break away from their previous practice which mandated going with an OC that had plenty of game film and history, which brought us the likes of Henning and Sherman in recent years. We took a chance on a relative unknown to try and shake thing up, so to speak.

Tannehill has done well to make the improvements he has last year with a poor offensive line, below average running game and a OC that could no longer stay on top of the game, adjust to changing circumstances or further develop Ryan's skill set to take him to the next level.

Enter Bill Lazor. And just when we were looking for someone who could jump start our Plain Jane, predictable offense, too. Someone who could also get our QB to make better decisions, develop a stronger sense of pocket awareness and hone his ball skills. (The long ball in particular)! Judging from his history as an OC and more importantly, a QB Coach, he has demonstrated a unique capacity to make the best use of the talent he has to work with and elevate quarter back play in a very short period of time. He fulfills both needs, very well.

Christ. The guy has a Bachelor's Degree of Science in Human Development and Family Studies? I don't know what all that degree stuff means but he obviously has an ability to communicate, break things down to a rudimentary level that makes it easier for others to learn and understand. His contributions in a single season to a Philadelphia Eagles second year QB, Nick Foles were nothing short of miraculous.

I know some of you may be thinking, but what does his one year success with the Eagles mean for us? Just because the Eagles went to the playoffs their first year under Chip Kelly's fast paced, exceptionally well balanced offense doesn't mean we are destined to do the same. Besides, Philadelphia was already trending in that direction anyway, right? NO!

A few quick facts and figures from NFL.com to consider: (Mind you I'm talking about their 2012 figures versus our 2013 as a reference point to show the state of both offenses before Bill Lazor came to the franchise).

The Eagles in 2012 were a middle of the pack team that scored only 280 points. Overall offensively, they were ranked 16th. Ran 1,079 plays, averaging 5.3 yards per play. Had 37 fumbles, (22 of which they lost) and a Take Away of -24.

Passing, they were ranked 13th. (We were ranked 26th).

618 attempts. Completing 59.4%

Averaging 6.6 yards per play

18 TD's, 15 INT's, 48 Sacks and a rating of 78.6

This was the passing attack Bill Lazor inherited. He also had Michael Vick for a QB, too.

Rushing, they were ranked 13th as well. (We were ranked 17th).

413 attempts for 1,879 yards and a 4.5 yard average.

10 TD's, 18 fumbles.

In his 20 years of coaching, (12 at the College level and 8 with NFL teams) Bill Lazor has immediately improved the QB play, (12 years as a QB Coach) or total team offensive performance, (5 years as an OC) with every organization he has been with. He has also coached up RB's, TE's, WR's and even did a little recruiting early on in his career. (This last fact tells me he should know a little something about spotting and developing player talent).

Why do I think he is going to make dramatic improvements with the Dolphins? Well, for one, we have a lot of room to get better. (More so than the Eagles, anyway). I know that sounds kind of lame. In most statistical categories they were a better offensive team in 2012 than we were in 2013. We did score more points (317 vs their 280) had fewer turn overs, (-2 vs. -24 in T. O.'s) and a slightly higher passing game rating, (80.1 vs. 78.6). We only threw for 204 fewer yards and 439 less rushing yards on the season, too.

An area of concern was the ratio of passing to rushing plays for us in 2013. It was a woeful 65/35% split. We threw 593 plays to their 618, and ran only 349 times while they tried to run significantly more at 413. Neither of us were balanced in our attack, at all. Something opposing defenses were able to key on as both our clubs suffered an inordinate amount of sacks. 58 for us and 48 for them.

An interesting side note: Despite their have a balanced attack in 2013 they still gave up 46 sacks which means they too, were having pass protection issues. What is more amazing is that they still wound up with an incredible overall TD to INT ratio of 39 to 9. And since their veteran QB Michael Vick went down to injury early on, Nick Foles played the bulk of season, sustaining 28 of those sacks and still tossed an unbelievable 27 TD's to a measly 2 INT's. (Due to Lazor's tutelage and having the league’s best running game to help take the heat off of him). Bill was able to take a second year QB and help him achieve unheard results on the field of play.

What makes me think he can do, at least, an equally masterful job with Tannehill? For one thing Ryan is entering his third NFL season, (while Foles was in his second year when Lazor got a hold of him). Production-wise, Tannehill actually cracked the top ten QB's in the league last year. In 2012 Foley was ranked 40th, Vick was 27th. Ryan Tannehill was ranked 22nd his first year out of the gate. (which is exactly what Foles was able to do in under Lazor in 2013). So Nick Foles went from 40th to 22nd while Tannehill went from 22nd to 10th in their respective first two years with the NFL.

All in all, I think Ryan is a tougher, more athletic QB than Foles. I'm sure Lazor will utilize his running skills to our advantage, as well. He is a better prospect to work with than Foles, has more Pro experience under his belt, (much of it being pressured, hit and sacked) and shouldn't take too much more mentoring to get him over the top and have a breakout season.

Sure Bill Lazor is an OC, not a QB Coach anymore, but you can bet he will have some impact on Tannehill's performance in his third year with the club. And since Bill has been given a free reign as the OC, (one of the conditions of his coming to us) he can better build and create an offense around our QB that will be more productive.

He is sure to bring some of his experience with Chip Kelly's fast paced offense. He is well versed in the type of West Coast Offense Joe Philbin wants to run. He will have a better offensive line that has some solid pieces now to pass protect and do a better job of opening up holes (zone blocking) than he did in Philly. Our receivers and ball carriers should be on par with what the Eagles had on their squad. (Especially the receiving corps).

Bill Lazor is young, hungry, original and creative. He has played under some top notch Coaches over the years and has a superb grasp of the game. (Especially the QB position). More so than most OC's in the league. He is out to prove something now that he has been given an opportunity to be an OC.

So far, it seems like Miami's offensive players are happy and excited with the style of offense Bill wants to install this season. This will be the first time he will be calling the offensive plays in his career, too. As many years as Philbin was an Offensive Coordinator for Green Bay, he never called his own plays, either. (I see this as another bonus since defenses will not have any prior history to draw upon). It beats the devil out of the, "Go Go" counts and stock formations that were etched in stone and easily readable by defenses, last season.

An up tempo, unpredictable offense that moves its players around to create confusion and mismatches will have a better chance to dictate to the defense instead of taking what the defense gives them. It would be nice to see a high flying, potent offense taking the field this year. This team is overdue for some offensive football excitement. And I mean some really obscene offensive football, too!

We already have a defense that is capable of creating turn overs and stopping people. (When they aren't forced to be on the field for extended periods of time because the offense cannot hang onto the ball, sustain drives or generate points). A stronger offense will only improve the defense's level of play, too.

They say we have a brutal schedule again this year. They said the same thing last year when we opened the season against three playoff caliber teams and went 3 and 0. We beat the Colts, Bengals, Chargers and Steelers. (All of which were potential playoff teams). One more win would have gotten us to the post season arena.

Chip Kelly and his OC will get most of the credit for the Eagles sudden offensive turn around. But nothing was more impressive than what Nick Foles, (with Bill Lazor's guidance) did to wind up with a 119.2 passer rating and a ratio of 27 TD's to 2 INT's during his 11 game stint.

I believe a couple of more wins in 2014 will get us into the playoffs, for sure. It is entirely possible if we can manage to score an average of 5 more points per game. (Remember, 9 of the 12 teams that went into the post season in 2013 scored 400 points or more to get there). If the Eagles can go from 280 points in 2012 to 442 points in 2013, we should be able to go from 317 to around 400. That is all it will take for Miami to be relevant again folks. Glad we got Mr. Lazor on our side to help make that happen.