There were a few questions we had this year coming into training camp and the preseason. Perhaps the biggest of those questions was how well the free safety position would perform, and whether they would be able to help the Miami Dolphins improve their terrible passing defense of last year.
We now have that answer. Chris Clemons is the answer, and he was the best surprise from training camp.
Clemons has done really well already and has been receiving high praise from Tony Sparano. He turned what was once a huge concern to me and many other Miami Dolphins fans into a cause for excitement.
Clemons has gotten more repetitions in practice than any other player on the Dolphins, and for good reason. It really was a position of concern. So, to hear that Clemons is really doing well is very encouraging.
Him and Yeremiah Bell have apparently been great together at the safety spots. It would be pretty cool to have a pair of safeties that work well together along with the pair of cornerbacks we already have that work well together (Sean Smith and Vontae Davis).
I don't know about you, but I am excited to see how well our passing defense can do this year.
Not that Clemons has already emerged as a star and one of the best free safeties in the league, but he sure has the potential to be one.
Don't be surprised if Clemons has a really great year, and if he can do well then the Dolphins passing defense should be a lot better. A lot of pressure is on this kid's shoulders. Let us hope he doesn't notice it.
Be sure to check back Saturday morning for my bold predictions for Chris Clemons.
If the Miami Dolphins want to have a solid player at the FS position this year, they will need to make sure their player gets a lot of repetitions in practice.
The only problem with that is that you don't want to give your player too many reps and risk injuring him.
That is the current dilemma the Miami Dolphins coaching staff faces with second year FS Chris Clemons. Clemons is the most likely candidate to start at FS this year, so the Dolphins coaches have given him more reps than any other player on the team.
238 to be exact.
It is great that they are working him and giving him as much experience as possible, but I am not sure how much longer they want to push him this hard. An injury is the last thing Miami needs at Free Safety.
Tony Sparano and Mike Nolan will have enough trouble using what little they have at the position. Imagine taking away one of the potential starters and having to start preparing another player.
I am not saying that the Dolphins need to stop giving Clemons reps, and I am also not saying that they should reduce his reps.
I honestly don't know how well he is holding up. Maybe he is doing fine and isn't really affected by all of the work he is doing. We can't be sure. The only people that know that are Clemons and the people in the Dolphins organization.
So hope that Clemons doesn't get hurt, but also gets all of the practice he needs.
The "winner" of the competition is Matt Mihm. Thanks to everyone to sent in their results.
I enjoyed reading his analysis, and you will too. Here is his answer:
The safety position.
To begin with, it is questionable whether or not Miami even has a viable starter at free safety. Even if you give the benefit of the doubt and assume Chris Clemons becomes at least an adequate starter, there is precious little depth behind him and Yeremiah Bell. Tyrone Culver is a good special teamer, but is probably best suited for a role in the nickel and dime packages. Reshad Jones could develop into a starter in time, but by all accounts is very raw and would have benefited from staying for his senior year at Georgia.
God help the Dolphins if Yeremiah Bell goes down.
I do believe Will Allen will move to free safety if needed, whether due to injury or simply to put our four best DBs into the starting lineup.
With questions as to how the Dolphins will generate a pass rush, it is likely the last time of defense will be tested early and often. If the safeties aren't up to task, the big plays Miami gave up last year will keep on coming. And that is what (could) bury the Fins playoff dreams.
That's all for now. I am heading up to the lake for the day, so I probably won't be able to post anything else today.
Thanks for reading and please let me/Matt know what you think with your comments.
Training Camp Day 1 has ended, and we have mostly good results from camp.
First, we should start with Brandon Marshall. As you have probably heard, he did really well today. All reports from training camp are positive on Marshall, but what else did you expect. Marshall also had two big catches over CB Sean Smith, which leads me to my next topic.
Courtesy Of miamisportsgeneration.com
Sean Smith struggled when covering Marshall, but what else would you expect? One of the hidden benefits of having a great receiver is that they will also help your cornerbacks develop. It is especially important for Smith because he is very tall and doesn’t normally have to face receivers his size. Marshall is his size, so it added experience for Sean Smith.
As for the FS battle, Clemons appears to be the current starter and is turning into a pretty good starter. When talking about Chris Clemons, Tony Sparano had this to say:
“Chris Clemons had a good spring and this gives us a chance to see the next step, tackling and last line of defense type things.”
I will do my best to interpret what Sparano means, but I am not quite sure myself about what he means. From what I can tell he is saying that the FS position will no longer be a hindrance and they no longer have to plan around the position.
There is a good chance that I am completely wrong, but that is what I think was said.
And this last part will be on Jared Odrick, because I am sure you guys are curious about how he is doing.
He is currently in the starting position above Marques Douglas. Surprised? So am I. But, this is a good sign. Douglas is a very good player, and the fact that Odrick is starting above him is very, very encouraging.
We will see how things go, but for now Odrick is the top DE on the right side.
That is all for today. Hopefully the good signs will keep on coming as we monitor them. Be sure to keep checking back for updates on the FS and DE situations.
I know you were expecting me to wait a while to fill in the blank and finish the sentence I started at the title, but I figured I would surprise you with a quick answer. Not that it makes a difference either way.
Enough of my talking about non Miami Dolphins related topics, here is more on our free safety predicament.
Our current free safety situation has been taking a backseat because of recent movement on the defensive line. So, while it will be interesting to watch how our defensive line does and who will be the starter at NT and DE, the FS will be the position you want to watch.
We know that whoever will be the starter on the defensive line will be capable enough to hold their own. That is what we don't know about our free safeties. We don't know if they are capable of holding their own.
The two likely candidates to start at FS are Reshad Jones and Chris Clemons. Both of them are good players, but they just do not seem good enough to be starters. Jones is a great tackler, but his coverage skills are lacking.
The Dolphins pass defense was pitiful last year, and it needed to be changed. One of Miami's main weaknesses last season was FS Gibril Wilson giving up to many big plays and missing too many tackles. Now that Wilson is gone, Miami will hopefully have somebody step up and show us the ability to hold their own.
I just wish that Miami would have tried to get another free safety in either the draft or free agency. They did get Reshad Jones late in the draft, but I still think they should have gone for somebody else.
The more depth you have in any position, the better your starter will be in that position. I just wish that Miami had more depth at FS. Like my saying goes:
Depth is the key, and competition will create a champion.
We need more depth at free safety. But, since we don't have it let's hope that either Reshad Jones or Chris Clemons can emerge as a capable starter. As long as they can do more good than bad I am fine with them. Let's hope they can.
So while the defensive line will definitely be an interesting situation to watch, it isn't the most important thing to watch. I just hope that the result of training camp will also be interesting to watch for Dolphins fans.
That's all for now. Can anyone think of another concern to watch that is more important than the FS?
Today we have a question from across the pond. Everyone please welcome Barry from London, England. It is good that there are Miami Dolphins fans from around the world.
So, thank you for your question Barry and here it is:
Miami recently signed rookie S Reshad Jones to a contract. Does the management expect him to start and make an immediate impact? And, do you think we should have signed a veteran like Darren Sharper or O.J. Atogwe.
My Answer
It is pretty clear that there are two main people in the running for the Miami Dolphins Free Safety position: Reshad Jones and Chris Clemons.
From what I can tell Clemons will be the starter. Jones is a great tackler, but his coverage skills seem to be somewhat lacking. Clemons doesn't seem to be much of a starter, but he is the best we have right now.
I do wish we had signed a veteran FS this offseason and gave Jones and Clemons a year to develop under an experienced player. But, since that hasn't happened yet it looks like one of the younger players will be forced into a starting position. Hopefully they will be able to perform well enough.
Atogwe or Sharper would have been a big help, and they would have definitely upgraded our passing defense for sure. I personally believe that they would have made Miami's secondary elite, but oh well. For now we can just trust the Dolphins management that they know what they are doing.
Who knows, maybe Clemons and/or Jones are the players we are looking for. I am really hoping they are, but I'm not sure they will be. We will see, though. I just can't wait for training camp to come around
Thanks for your question Barry. To the rest of my readers, please send more questions you may have about the Miami Dolphins. Just email the questions to paul@dolphinshout.com
Let me know what you guys think about our current FS position with your comments. Also, please follow me on twitter at twitter.com/dolphinshout
The Rams finally resigned free safety O.J. Atogwe to a five year deal worth $32 million.
While there may not have been much of a possibility of the Miami Dolphins signing a free agent FS before, it is pretty much gone now.
The signing of Atogwe is an unofficial event that marks the end of any possibility of the Dolphins signing a free safety from free agency. It means that the Miami Dolphins staff trusts their current players at the FS position.
Most Dolfans agree with me when I say that the FS position is probably the weakest spot on the Dolphins defensive roster, so it was surprising to me when they decided not to pick up another free safety. But the Miami coaches apparently see something in who they have, so they have decided to keep things like they are.
Last year the Dolphins passing defense gave up way to many big plays and was a huge reason the Dolphins lost more than they won. This year they have only improved their pass defense, and the only real problem lies at free safety.
We'll see how the FS battle turns out with who we have, and hopefully whoever the final starter is will have a great year and help more than they hurt.
What do you think? Will the Dolphins keep who they have and who do you think will end up being the starter?
O.J. Atogwe a free agent FS and I was really hoping that the Miami Dolphins would pick him up.
That is probably not going to happen, though. His price tag is way too high, and the Dolphins staff has apparently been very pleased with the current players we have at the FS right now.
I understand that it is a good sign that our current free safeties are making good showings, but I still don't feel comfortable about it. I would rather have a proven FS play this year and teach the younger guys what to do instead of the younger guys having to step in immediately.
We will see what happens, but either way I'll still be rooting for my Miami Dolphins. And you can count on that.
Reshad Jones 6'2, 215 pounds | Strong safety | Georgia
Agility/Hips: Can turn and run well. Short steps allow him to turn north south with balance and quickness. Does not change direction well when moving laterally. Struggles to cut with a receiver in man coverage.
Ball Skills: Drops a lot of easy interceptions. Has developed nice timing in jumping throws and can break up a lot of passes, but does not end up with sure-thing interceptions. Lets the ball get in to his body, does not follow the ball in to his hands.
Body Control: Maintains balance downfield in coverage. Will lose his feet when trying to stick with a receiver underneath. Does a nice job of leaping for jump balls, gathers his weight and gets the most out of his jump.
Instincts/Recognition: Plays the run better than most linebackers in terms of diagnosing running lanes and attack the line of scrimmage. Reads his keys effectively and is rarely caught out of position. Does not do well in single high coverage, late to read the quarterback’s intended receiver.
Pass Coverage: Has plenty of experience in man coverage. High in his back pedal and does not explode in breaks against crossing routes. Does not have the range to play a single high Cover 1 role, but can be trusted as a Cover 2 safety. Anticipates routes and lanes well.
Pursuit: Outstanding pursuit. Consistently takes the proper angles to meet the ball carrier at the point where he can deliver a blow. Is rarely caught out of position against the run. Uses his length to ensure ball carries will not get by him when pursuing laterally.
Run Support: The best part of Jones’ game. He is comfortable as the eighth man in the box and has enough size and strength to handle the physical part of the game in traffic. Plays downhill with aggression. Sure tackler that can take down a ball carrier by himself.
Speed: Does not have elite speed downfield, can be beat deep. Has the long strides to aid him with recovery, but his lack of top end speed can be exploited against the faster receivers.
Tackling: Sure tackler that can be depended upon as the last line of defense with confidence. Shows proper technique and makes the effort to wrap up and drive the ball carrier through the ground. Has had more than his fair share of bone-jarring hits. Will make receivers think twice about going over the middle. Really lays the wood and consistently knocks the ball carrier backward.
Final Word: Jones is a safety that is NFL ready from the physical point of view. He plays with the kind of downhill aggression that every team wants in an enforcer over the middle. He is a guy that always find himself in or near the action, getting in on a lot of turnovers and big plays. He is not the kind of safety that can be trusted with a lot of coverage responsibility but his length and instincts will be enough to get him in the every down defense early in his career. If he can be put in to a system that allows him to play downhill and in man coverage against tight ends, Jones will thrive. He is of the 2nd round type that teams will look to as the kind of high reward pick in terms of immediate payback.
I have also included a video so you can see some of his highlights. As you can probably tell, he is definitely an amazing tackler.
Thank you to Kevin Modica for showing me the video.
With the 163rd pick in the 2010 NFL Draft the Miami Dolphins selected Reshad Jones a safety from Georgia. Jones is a very talented safety, but he has had questions about his speed. He also has great size and has a lot of athleticism.
While watching his highlights, I couldn't help but notice how well he tackles. Miami fans will recall Gibril Wilson of last year who couldn't tackle anyone so he will be refreshing for Dolphins fans to watch play next year. He also gets a lot of big hits on runners.
He isn't the best catcher, but as long as he breaks up a pass I am fine with him. My main concern with him is that he will get beat deep by faster receivers, which was a problem for the Dolphins last year. I hope that Miami can put him through some special type of workout to improve his speed because I do not want to see the same thing as last year. I know it won't be exactly the same thing because of his tackling, but I just can't get past my worries over his speed.
I wish I was comfortable with him playing FS, I just can't completely be. The concern over his speed is a big one. I really, really hope he can develop his speed, but until then I hope Miami looks for a faster safety.
Hopefully he can prove me and any other doubters wrong, though.
For a full scouting report on Jones, please check out my blog.: Dolphin Shout or Miami Dolphins I post on my blog first and then I add the post as an article to B/R later, so if you want the most up-to-date posts, be sure to check out my blog.
The Miami Dolphins weakest point last year was definitely their pass defense. If you ask any Miami fan who payed attention to the Dolphins last year, they will probably say something similar to that.
So, it was obvious that during the off-season Miami had to make some changes and improve their secondary. What I'm wondering is: have the Dolphins done enough to be successful against the top passing defenses in the NFL? I honestly don't think they have.
Safety is where Miami needs the most help. The Miami Dolphins only drafted one safety in the 2010 NFL Draft, and that was Reshad Jones in the fifth round. It may be better than nothing, but it still isn't much.
I think that the Dolphins should be searching for a new safety in the free agent market. One of those free agent safeties is veteran Pro Bowl FS Darren Sharper who was on the New Orleans Saints last year. I know his contract is pretty expensive (not sure the exact figures), but he would definitely be an improvement over what we have right now. He would also be able to teach the younger safeties so they can step in when he retires.
From what I can tell, there are not any other good safeties available in the free agent market that would be worth the Dolphins signing. So, I really hope that they try and go for Sharper.
Check out my blog for a bonus comparison between Gibril Wilson and Darren Sharper, so you can see how much the potential improvements can be.
I post first on my blog and then add the post as an article to Bleacher Report later, so be sure to check it often so you can see the posts as soon as they come out.
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