Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Should we be worried about our tight end position?
3:39 PM | Posted by
Phins 2 Phins
First of all I wanted to apologize for taking so long to make a post, this past week has been really crazy and I know a lot of you guys have been waiting for it so I hope you enjoy it. I didn’t want to keep you waiting any longer so what I’m going to do is continue with our team report by looking at our tight ends. I originally planned on discussing our tight ends along with our offensive line in order to finish our look at the offensive side of things, but I figured this would be much better for two reasons, first, that post would’ve taken me longer to write an thus I would’ve kept you all waiting longer, and second, our offensive line is in a whole other league than our tight ends are.
In looking at our tight ends one thing becomes clear, this is probably the single position which saw the most regression this past season. What isn’t so clear however is whether or not we have the need to focus on this position as a top priority going into the free agency and the draft.
So as usual, let’s start out by looking at what we have:
Anthony Fasano.- Fasano’s performance this season was far less stellar than his performance during the 2008 season. In the 2008 season he scored 7 touchdowns and had 454 yards, this past season though, he managed to score only 2 touchdowns and had only 339 yards; he also dropped three passes and fumbled the ball twice (both fumbles were in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons). Part of the reason his numbers dropped could have to do with the fact that he was inactive for two games (against Carolina and Tampa Bay) due to a hip injury.
In my opinion though, the drop might have had more to do with the fact that we went into this past season with a heavy focus on our running game, and as far as the running game goes, Fasano was a key part of it acting as a blocker which he indeed did prove to be very good at. This past season he was the second best tight end blocker in the NFL after Dallas Cowboy’s Jason Witten.
I also believe part of the reason for his less than stellar performance might have to do with the fact that we are lacking that key #1 WR that will demand more attention from the opposing teams’ defense which will in turn open up the game and leave Fasano with clearer opportunities.
Fasano will be an unrestricted free agent (or a restricted one after March if there is a new labor deal by then) and I believe that if a good enough offer comes, then we might want to look into trading him, but I don’t believe it should be considered for just an average trade. Fasano has proven that he knows how to play the game and although last season wasn’t his best one we know he has the potential, and I for one would hate to see him live up to that potential in a different team. I think we should give him one more year and make a decision then, unless, like I said before, a deal too good to pass up becomes available.
Joey Haynos.- I’m still not sure what Haynos has to offer, this was his first season he got to see real action though so the potential might be there, I just don’t see it yet. His receiving numbers were not good; he had 19 catches for 162 yards averaging about 8.53 yards a catch. He was a pretty solid blocker though when it came to the running game, and considering that, as I stated previously, this franchise has a pretty solid running game that might have been what was expected of him. Regardless I don’t see him going anywhere so hopefully we will get more from him next season.
Kory Sperry.- This is a rookie I personally would like to see a little more of. He caught three passes which earned significant yards in his first game against Tampa Bay, and one of those passes was a touchdown. This guy put up great numbers in college when he played for Colorado State and I feel like he has what it takes to make it if only he is given the chance. I think the reason I feel so compelled to want to see more of him is because he beat out John Nalbone, our 5th round pick for a spot in the roster in the games that Fasano was out for, despite not having been with the Dolphins during training camp (he attended training camp with the Chargers who later released him).
John Nalbone.- Nalbone was the 5th round pick out of Monmouth for the Dolphins in the 2009 draft. He has been resigned to a 2 year contract with the practice squad so we will have to see how he develops in the future.
As grim as our tight end position might look when looking at it by itself I don’t think it is something that we need to focus our immediate attention on. Our tight ends have proven themselves to be capable of assisting in our running game and we know that at least Fasano has the capacity to perform in the passing game, especially if we do get that #1 WR threat which could assist him. That being said there is a prospect that I wouldn’t mind signing on for the right price. Let’s take a look at a couple of options available in free agency.
Owen Daniels (Houston Texans).- Daniels has proven to be an incredible tight end and the Texans might have never even considered letting him go, but after tearing his ACL it seems as though the Texans are only interested in offering him a 1 year deal to see how well he is able to come back from that injury. With Daniels being a free agent though, any team has the opportunity t make him a better offer and he might consider it. This is probably the one tight end I would consider going after. Sure he is coming back from an injury but I think he will still come back to be a better than average tight end.
Tony Scheffler (Denver Broncos).- Scheffler is young and talented and I don’t think he has been given the opportunity to show what he has to offer. Along with Brandon Marshall, this was one of the guys that seemed to have problems with McDaniel’s so I don’t think that he will play for the Broncos again. I personally don’t see him playing in for us next season, but it’s been rumored that this is one of the teams he may end up in.
Additional Notes:
The following are some of the TEs who will be free agents in 2010: Ben Watson (New England Patriots), Bo Scaife (Tennessee Titans), Alge Crumpler (Tennesse Titans), Daniel Fells (St Louis Rams), Jeff King (Carolina Panthers).
The following are some of the TEs that will enter into the draft: Jermaine Gresham (Oklahoma), Aaron Hernandez (Florida), Rob Gronkowski (Arizona), Dennis Pitta (BYU), Ed Dickson (Oregon), Anthony McCoy (USC)
In looking at our tight ends one thing becomes clear, this is probably the single position which saw the most regression this past season. What isn’t so clear however is whether or not we have the need to focus on this position as a top priority going into the free agency and the draft.
So as usual, let’s start out by looking at what we have:
Anthony Fasano.- Fasano’s performance this season was far less stellar than his performance during the 2008 season. In the 2008 season he scored 7 touchdowns and had 454 yards, this past season though, he managed to score only 2 touchdowns and had only 339 yards; he also dropped three passes and fumbled the ball twice (both fumbles were in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons). Part of the reason his numbers dropped could have to do with the fact that he was inactive for two games (against Carolina and Tampa Bay) due to a hip injury.
In my opinion though, the drop might have had more to do with the fact that we went into this past season with a heavy focus on our running game, and as far as the running game goes, Fasano was a key part of it acting as a blocker which he indeed did prove to be very good at. This past season he was the second best tight end blocker in the NFL after Dallas Cowboy’s Jason Witten.
I also believe part of the reason for his less than stellar performance might have to do with the fact that we are lacking that key #1 WR that will demand more attention from the opposing teams’ defense which will in turn open up the game and leave Fasano with clearer opportunities.
Fasano will be an unrestricted free agent (or a restricted one after March if there is a new labor deal by then) and I believe that if a good enough offer comes, then we might want to look into trading him, but I don’t believe it should be considered for just an average trade. Fasano has proven that he knows how to play the game and although last season wasn’t his best one we know he has the potential, and I for one would hate to see him live up to that potential in a different team. I think we should give him one more year and make a decision then, unless, like I said before, a deal too good to pass up becomes available.
Joey Haynos.- I’m still not sure what Haynos has to offer, this was his first season he got to see real action though so the potential might be there, I just don’t see it yet. His receiving numbers were not good; he had 19 catches for 162 yards averaging about 8.53 yards a catch. He was a pretty solid blocker though when it came to the running game, and considering that, as I stated previously, this franchise has a pretty solid running game that might have been what was expected of him. Regardless I don’t see him going anywhere so hopefully we will get more from him next season.
Kory Sperry.- This is a rookie I personally would like to see a little more of. He caught three passes which earned significant yards in his first game against Tampa Bay, and one of those passes was a touchdown. This guy put up great numbers in college when he played for Colorado State and I feel like he has what it takes to make it if only he is given the chance. I think the reason I feel so compelled to want to see more of him is because he beat out John Nalbone, our 5th round pick for a spot in the roster in the games that Fasano was out for, despite not having been with the Dolphins during training camp (he attended training camp with the Chargers who later released him).
John Nalbone.- Nalbone was the 5th round pick out of Monmouth for the Dolphins in the 2009 draft. He has been resigned to a 2 year contract with the practice squad so we will have to see how he develops in the future.
As grim as our tight end position might look when looking at it by itself I don’t think it is something that we need to focus our immediate attention on. Our tight ends have proven themselves to be capable of assisting in our running game and we know that at least Fasano has the capacity to perform in the passing game, especially if we do get that #1 WR threat which could assist him. That being said there is a prospect that I wouldn’t mind signing on for the right price. Let’s take a look at a couple of options available in free agency.
Owen Daniels (Houston Texans).- Daniels has proven to be an incredible tight end and the Texans might have never even considered letting him go, but after tearing his ACL it seems as though the Texans are only interested in offering him a 1 year deal to see how well he is able to come back from that injury. With Daniels being a free agent though, any team has the opportunity t make him a better offer and he might consider it. This is probably the one tight end I would consider going after. Sure he is coming back from an injury but I think he will still come back to be a better than average tight end.
Tony Scheffler (Denver Broncos).- Scheffler is young and talented and I don’t think he has been given the opportunity to show what he has to offer. Along with Brandon Marshall, this was one of the guys that seemed to have problems with McDaniel’s so I don’t think that he will play for the Broncos again. I personally don’t see him playing in for us next season, but it’s been rumored that this is one of the teams he may end up in.
Additional Notes:
The following are some of the TEs who will be free agents in 2010: Ben Watson (New England Patriots), Bo Scaife (Tennessee Titans), Alge Crumpler (Tennesse Titans), Daniel Fells (St Louis Rams), Jeff King (Carolina Panthers).
The following are some of the TEs that will enter into the draft: Jermaine Gresham (Oklahoma), Aaron Hernandez (Florida), Rob Gronkowski (Arizona), Dennis Pitta (BYU), Ed Dickson (Oregon), Anthony McCoy (USC)
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