In this post, I will take the opportunity to examine our offensive line, which is the last unit of our offense we have left to look at. As a whole, the offensive line did a pretty good job of protecting our young quarterback and was superb in helping our running game. Not only that but I was pretty impressed by the depth and versatility we had. Despite the injuries, we were able to sustain a fairly solid line all season which proved to be key not only in assisting with the development of Henne, but was also the reason we got to see Ricky shine once again.
So let’s go ahead and get started by looking at what we currently have:

Jake Long (Left Tackle).- Long is by far the best player we have in our offensive line. Drafting him with the number one overall pick in 2008 was one of the best draft choices we have made in recent years. He has been outstanding during the two years he has played with the Dolphins, and he has been recognized for it by being selected to play in the Pro Bowl both seasons. Granted he had the opportunity to play in it his rookie season because Jason Peters was out due to injury, but he still got the opportunity to play in it, making him only the fourth overall number 1 selection to play in the Pro Bowl since 1970. Ironically, it was an injury that prevented Long from appearing in this last Pro Bowl.
Long proved to be a dominant pass protector and run blocker in the 2009 season, allowing only four sacks, two of which took place during the season opening game. He is ranked second among full-time starting left tackles with just 9 QB pressures (Cleveland Brown’s Joe Thomas was ranked first).
At 24 years old and with only two seasons under his belt we can only expect Long to get even better in the next couple of years. Also worth mentioning I think is the fact that Long and Henne have experience working together as they are both former Michigan Wolverines something which may be significant in further developing that trust between our young quarterback and our offensive line.

Vernon Carey (Right Tackle)- Born in Miami, Carey has played all of his six pro seasons in a Dolphins’ uniform. He has started in 75 straight regular season games (he has played a total of 92) and having signed a multiyear contract extension last year he is also expected to stay with the team.
Carey has proven to be a very solid pass protector, allowing only 4 sacks this past season, but he is even better as a run blocker, he is actually the third best running tackle in the league. I honestly believe that having Carey start opposite Long in our O-line will continue to prove successful this next season.

Jake Grove (Center).- I don’t think anyone expects Grove will be going anywhere in the next couple of years, but I personally expect him to remain healthy. This might sound simple enough but the truth of the matter is this is one of the most injury prone players I have seen. He has missed a total of 22 games in the past five seasons!
Despite all the injuries he has proved to be a decent pass blocker and a great run blocker; he is actually the second best run blocker in the AFC (NY Jets’ Nick Mangold was ranked first). His ability as a run blocker has been key in perfecting our running game and I believe he still has more to offer, if only he can make it through the whole season injury free.

Joe Berger (Center and Guard).- Berger got his first opportunity as a starter this season after replacing Grove while he was out with an injury in a game against the Buffalo Bills. Although he only started in 6 games, he played in all 16 and demonstrated he is a good blocker. But most importantly, I believe he demonstrated that he is a good backup who is ready to start at any moment, which is a good thing considering Grove is very injury prone.

Justin Smiley (Left Guard).- Smiley is another guy who has been very injury prone, he looked very sluggish this season after coming back from an ankle injury he suffered during the 2008 season. This season he suffered a shoulder injury which sidelined him for one game and allowed to play in a reserve role for three others. Smiley proved to be a strong pass protector this past season, but the same cannot be said for him when protecting the run. He is easily the weakest run blocker in out O-line.
Smiley has demonstrated he has the ability to be a great guard during those times when he has been injury free. He had two great seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and even his first season as a Dolphin was good, prior to sustaining that ankle injury towards the end. He can be a great asset to the team if he can stay healthy!

Nate Garner (Right and Left Guard).- If nothing else, Garner proved he is a very versatile player, he not only played at both, right and left guard, but also as a center in the game against Carolina and even as a tight end. He finished out the season as our starting right guard and showed consistent improvement throughout. Considering that this is only his second season and that he kept rotating to different positions, I believe that he did well enough for me to want to wait and see what he is capable of next season if he has a more prominent role in a steady position.

Donald Thomas (Right Guard).- Thomas hasn’t proved he is capable of handling his own in the offensive line yet. This is only his second season and he does have an opportunity to grow, but with so many players making an impact I believe he will have to work hard just to make the team in the 2010 season. in the 2009 season, he started in the first 12 games before being replaced by Nate Garner.

It is also worth mentioning that there are other offensive linemen currently in our roster which saw little to no action this season, they are: Andrew Gardner (Tackle) who was the 6th round pick in the draft; Andrew Hartline, who was activated from the Dolphins practice squad November 25th; Lyndon Murtha, who was signed from the Detroit Lions practice squad in October; Dimitri Tsoumpas, and Ray Feinga.

In my opinion, although there is always room for improvement, other than nagging injuries, I don’t feel as though our offensive line is something we have to worry a lot about during the free agency and the draft, especially considering we have so many needs on defense (which we will be addressing in the next few posts). But I’d still like to take the time to discuss some of the options which will be available in the free agency.

Bobbie Williams (Cincinnati Bengals).- Williams will be an unrestricted free agent this season but it is almost certain the Bengals will offer him an extension. He is a solid guard who has great abilities as a run blocker.

Kevin Mawae (Tennessee Titans)- With his contract expiring, Mawae will be a free agent in 2010, and even at 39 years old he still has a lot to offer, especially when it comes to experience. Even though there might be a few teams who are interested, I don’t see the need for a guy like Mawae in the Dolphins.

There are also a couple of good options available in the draft, although as I stated earlier, I don’t think we will focus our attention to the O-line in the draft, I will go over a couple of the best options available.

Russell Okung (Oklahoma State).- Projected to be a top 5 pick as a left tackle, Okung is expected to be ready to play as a starter immediately following the draft.

Anthony Davis (Rutgers).- Originally played guard in college but made the transition into left tackle. Davis biggest strength is his run blocking ability.

Additional Notes:
The following are some of the OLs who will be free agents in 2010: Chad Clifton (Green Bay Packers), Jahri Evans (New Orleans Saints), Logan Mankins (New England Patriots), Marcus Mcneill (San Diego Chargers)
The following are some of the OLs that will enter into the draft: Bruce Campbell (Maryland), Brian Bulaga (Iowa), Mike Iupatii (Idaho), Mike Johnson (Alabama), Maurkice Pouncey (Florida), J.D. Walton (Baylor)