Say It Ain't So: Jared Odrick's Injury Throws A Huge Wrench In The Miami Dolphin's Plans

You just hate it when an injury cuts short a player's season.

The Miami Dolphins first round draft pick Jared Odrick fractured his leg Wednesday, and now he is going to be out for the rest of the season. Odrick was finally returning to practice and seemed to be recovering well from his previous hairline fracture before he reinjured the leg Wednesday during practice.

This is terrible news for the Dolphins because all of their plans for the defensive line depended on Odrick playing.

Miami was supposed to move Randy Starks to nose tackle this year after he had played at defensive end for his entire career, and drafting Jared Odrick was exactly what the Dolphins needed to allow Starks to move in at tackle.

While Odrick was injured earlier this season the Dolphins had to move Starks back to defensive end and stick Paul Soliai in as the nose tackle. So, I expect that they will keep the same lineup with him being gone for the rest of the year. This lineup hasn't been especially terrible for Miami, but they could have been so much more dangerous with both Starks and Odrick on the line.

Just imagine what it would be like if we had Odrick back. We would have Odrick and Kendall Langford in at the ends with Starks at the tackle. Pair those three with Cameron Wake who will sometimes be on the line, and it would be hard not to get excited about the potential damage they could do to opposing offenses.

I feel bad for the kid, though, because he was only able to play in one game and get one tackle in his whole rookie season. Let's just hope that when he gets healthy again that he will be able to get back in shape and return for next season.

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The Miami Dolphins Randy Starks Move Is High Risk, High Reward

Randy Starks making a tackle

I was reading an article on Miami Dolphins DE/NT Randy Starks yesterday, and it got me thinking.

The Dolphins are being very, very risky by going against what most people consider common football knowledge. They are putting in somebody smaller at the Nose Tackle position than most teams would even dream of doing.

It is a risky move, and it could either spell out huge success and possibly the creation of a new way that teams view Nose Tackles, or it could be a huge disaster and make the Dolphins staff look really bad.

Think about it. Miami took one of their most successful defenders last year, Randy Starks, and moved him to a position he had never played before in the NFL. The expression goes: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

So, why would Miami move a very successful defensive end to the nose tackle position where he has never been and is considered too small by normal standards?

Here is an answer for you right from the mouth of Randy Starks courtesy of the Miami Herald:

"Some of those bigger guys might not be as strong so they need the extra weight to hold the point. They need to be 320 or 340 pounds. I can be 305 and still be effective."

For those of you that don't know, the point is the very middle of the line, basically right across from where the center snaps the ball.

It is a good thing that Starks is confident in his abilities. I do think this will end up being a good move.

The only problem I see with it is Starks will most likely take a hit in statistics. Nose Tackles don't have as good of stats as other defensive lineman because their main job is to occupy as many blockers as they can so other defensive players can get through the line.

But, that is only a problem if Starks makes it. Hopefully, he will understand that the team needs him there and take the hit in stats to help the team win.

Let's hope this risk pays off, because I would love to see a new revolution at the Nose Tackle position. It think it would make the NFL more fun to watch because you will have more explosive NTs in the game. It would make defense even more fun to watch.

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The Most Important Thing To Watch During Miami Dolphins Training Camp Is...

Our Free Safeties.

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?

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Dolphin Shout Miami Dolphins Fan Question - Ronnie Brown And Randy Starks From Stephenson Camille

We have another question from Florida from a Dolphins fan named Stephenson Camille. Keep the questions coming Dolfans. Here is Stephenson's question:

Hi Paul.

Do you think that Ronnie Brown will sign with the dolphins by the start of the 2010 season or do you see Ronnie Brown playing for another team?

Also I'm wondering what kind of an impact will Randy Starks make playing the NT position?

My Answer

Ronnie Brown is a unique situation. He isn't a bad influence or a diva, which is why his contract situation is a little surprising.

The Dolphins declined a $5 million team option for Brown's salary this offseason, so basically they aren't willing to pay him $5 million for this season. They then offered Brown a tender deal worth just under $4 million, and that is the current offer.

That doesn't leave a lot of room for negotiation. So, if Brown doesn't like the amount of money offered, he will most likely have to move on to another team.

This isn't very likely, though. Brown is expected to take the tender offer before training camp starts. I believe that he will sign before training camp, but it is still possible that he decides to go to another team willing to pay him more.

So, while he will most likely stay with Miami, there is a possibility that he will leave. But, even if he does leave you don't need to worry. Miami has a bunch of talent at the running back spot that will last them a pretty long time.

As for Randy Starks, I am very optimistic about what he can do. He is smaller than a standard Nose Tackle. Many people think that is a disadvantage because he won't be as strong, but it can actually be an advantage because he will be faster than most NTs. If the Dolphins are able to use his speed to their advantage, then he can do exceedingly well.

Starks played Nose Tackle a little bit last year according to GM Jeff Ireland, and he apparently did pretty well. I wouldn't worry too much about the move simply because they have already tried him out at that position. They wouldn't put him in if he wasn't able to be successful at the position.

Thanks for the question Stephenson, and everyone else keep the questions coming. I will try and answer yours as soon as possible.

Let me know what you guys think with a comment?

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