Part II Miami Dolphin Roster - Defense & Special Teams

Mike Nolan's Miami Dolphins defense ranked 6th in 2010 and is poised to climb higher in 2011. Free agent acquisition Kevin Burnett steps in for released veteran Channing Crowder at ILB, as the Dolphins return 10 starters from 2010.

The Dolphin defensive line may be the deepest in the NFL. Any of six players could be starters on most NFL teams, Lankford, Soliai, Starks, Odrick, Merling, McDaniel, with Ryan Baker in the mix. The depth will give the Dolphins the ability to swap linemen at will as situational pass rushers and run stuffers. It would not be surprising to see the Dolphins trade one of these players if the right opportunity arises.

At Linebacker, replacing the underachieving Crowder with Burnett is a definite upgrade in the middle. Burnett and Dansby are both considered coverage LBs. The Patriots are loaded with TEs and slot receivers in an offense designed to exploit plodding LBs, that problem has now been addressed. On the outside, Misi is a good all around LB and the Dolphins welcomed back Jason Taylor as a situational pass rusher opposite the dynamic Cameron Wake.

The secondary returns all its starters from a year ago. On the corners Vontae Davis has proclaimed Sean Smith and himself as the best tandem in the league. A cornerback without confidence should be looking for another profession and Davis is full of it. Smith tends to play a quieter game, his lanky frame and exceptional speed find him in position to make plays on the ball, but this year he needs to turn those plays into interceptions. Yeremiah Bell is a veteran team captain at strong safety and Chris Clemons has solidified himself at free safety.

Coming into the draft the Dolphins were looking to fortify the offensive leaving fewer opportunities for rookie, or FA defensive players to make an impact. As predicted, 7th round pick Jimmy Wilson showed the aggressive play that landed him on the roster. FA Linebackers Jason Trusnik acquired from the Browns and Marvin Mitchell from the Saints excel as core special teams players. NT Frank Kearse went to the practice squad after initially making the team. A move used to make room for TE Will Yeatman, sniped from the Patriots.

The lack of roster moves on the defensive side points to stability not seen in Miami for a number of years. Overall Jeff Ireland and his crew have done a great job of evaluating and acquiring defensive talent. The original blueprint called for a QB, someone to protect him and then defense, defense, defense, until the unit was complete. It is safe to say the Dolphins have manned the defense and are now looking to finish off the offense.

Wilson, Trusnik, Mitchell and Yeatman strengthen the special teams. There was a lot of speculation Will Allen was a contract casualty, but Allen was released because he did not contribute on special teams. Nolan Carroll was not lighting things up at the corner in the pre-season, but he too is a core special teams player. A.J. Edds may have played a little better than Austin Spitler, but Spitler’s play on special teams won him a spot, with Edds landing on the practice squad. Sapp and Culver won positions in the nickel and dime packages. Along with Alama-Francis their special teams prowess kept them on the roster. Reshad Jones fought it out with Chris Clemons for the free safety but he too has value on special teams.

The Dolphins made a concerted effort to impact special teams with the players not on the starting roster. It is obvious special teams coach Darren Rizzi influenced the final roster moves. Losing Patrick Cobbs as a core special team player hurt the Dolphins, but Cobbs did not fit in the new offense. Once again, not re-signing Cobbs shows that Tony Sparano has no intention of reverting to his old conservative ways.

What are your thoughts on the Dolphin roster? Is the team ready to compete in 2011?

Analyzing the Final Miami Dolphin Roster

Analyzing the Miami Dolphins cut-down to 53 is an excellent indicator where the team is headed in 2011. This analysis will breakdown the offense, where most of the changes in Miami have occurred. A later post will be dedicated to the defense…

Brian Daboll will be given the opportunity to show what his offense can do and the ball is going to be in the air a lot in 2011. Keeping only two TEs and cutting Larry Johnson was telling, but showing Lousaka Polite the door proved, Miami is not looking back. Only Bush, Thomas and Hilliard remain at the running back position, with Charles Clay as a hybrid FB-HB-TE.

Tony Sparano may have feared he would revert back to his conservative ways had he kept more RBs and TEs around. He chose to cut ties with his old conservative style and proved it with the players and positions remaining on the Dolphin roster. The Dolphins no longer have a true FB and are only suiting to start one TE, Anthony Fasano, with Jeron Mastrud as a reserve. By keeping 6 WRs the Dolphin offense has now joined the modern NFL.

A closer look at the OL would also indicate the direction the Dolphins have chosen. Long, Incognito, Pouncey, Carey and Columbo are not a great combination of run blockers but as pass blockers they may surprise people. The only lineman capable of pulling on this team is Mike Pouncey, but pulling guards are passé in the NFL. The reason is, the passing game requires linemen that work better while backing up and the traditional running game requires blockers that fire off.

To facilitate the running game with back-peddling pass blockers, teams like Denver began what is now called zone blocking. Zone blocking is based on sealing off areas and allowing over-pursuit to create cutback lanes. To a traditional coach it is almost blasphemy because defensive players are intentionally left unblocked. It is difficult for a defensive coordinator tell his players to maintain lanes and stay disciplined in one sentence, and to fly to the football in the next. The zone scheme uses the natural tendencies of the defense to create running lanes without pulls or traps.

The Dolphins will be a passing team. The personnel dictates more 3, 4 and 5 receiver sets with one back and a TE on a wing as an H-back. A lot will be asked of Chad Henne who, after three years in a super conservative offense, will be told to let it fly. Speculation had the Dolphins pursuing every available QB during the off-season, only to see them keep two on the final roster. Pat Devlin will probably remain on the practice squad.

All of the players drafted by the Dolphins made the squad this year and John Jerry managed to hold on even after a disappointing pre-season. The Dolphins kept 3 tackles, 4 guards, with Joe Berger backing up Mike Pouncey at center. Lydon Murtha was placed on injured reserve with a torn toe ligament. Murtha showed the most upside of any backup, but he is gone for the season. Ray Feinga and Nate Garner are the remaining backup linemen.

Roberto Wallace and Marlon Moore made the squad, both showing flashes of becoming starting NFL WRs. Philip Livas became a casualty of the new NFL kickoff rules which will lead to fewer kick returns and has devalued the need for a kick returner. There are bound to be changes as the personnel department looks at the players cut by other teams or poaches practice squads.

One thing for certain can be said about Tony Sparano, when he makes a decision and builds a plan around it, he does not go halfway. The Dolphins offensive squad is now built for the passing game and like going from a 3-4 to 4-3 defense, the personnel has changed with it. For the Dolphins there is no going back, the personnel are no longer here to revert to the running game.

Tony Sparano is all in with his knew look offense…

What say you Fin fans, are you all in???