Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Will we get the help we need to improve our defensive line?
7:29 PM | Posted by
Phins 2 Phins
We are less than 36 hours away from the start of free agency, and if you are like me you will be one of those people who stay up until 2 am waiting to hear about all the trades that start taking place at 12:01 am. I personally can’t wait to see where some players will end up, but most importantly after all the rumors that have been going around I can’t wait to find out what new guy will be wearing aqua and orange next season.
With that being said, today we will take a look at the final piece of our defense, the defensive line. In order to run a successful 3-4 defense you need a solid defensive line who can occupy the opponents offensive line, and although we all know we struggled on defense last season, especially after Ferguson’s injury, our defensive line was actually one of the most productive units in the team. First I will focus on our nose tackles, followed by our defensive ends.
Jason Ferguson.- Ferguson has proven to be a natural team leader over the past two seasons, and that is the main reason I expect him to be back in the team next season even though he will be an unrestricted free agent as of Friday, that is unless he decides to retire. Despite being 35 years old, Ferguson has been quite productive, last season he even managed to improve his tackle total despite having played in only nine games before being placed on injury reserve for a quad injury. I believe that if Ferguson can remain healthy he will be a solid backup nose tackle who will give us the added benefit of mentoring the younger guys who will replace him.
Paul Soliai.- When it comes to physical build, Soliai has all the tools necessary to be a good nose tackle, unfortunately he consistently proved to be unreliable in the position by getting single blocked time and time again as a starter. The 25 tackles he accrued last season are an improvement over his two prior seasons; he didn’t however start in either of those. With a little work Soliai might see some improvement but overall, I believe that we will be drafting his replacement.
Tony McDaniel.- McDaniel was used as both a backup nose tackle to Soliai after Ferguson was out for the season and as the fourth defensive end of the team. He didn’t however make any big plays as either, despite having played in all 16 games. McDaniel hasn’t proven to have much potential , and taking into consideration his recent encounter with the law, which by the way is not his first, I wouldn’t expect him to play a prominent role on the team.
Ryan Baker.- Baker saw very little action this season, and despite having made two tackles and recording half a sack, it is really hard to know how much potential he has. We might see some more of him next season depending on who we draft and whether or not he shows any improvement during this offseason.
Randy Starks.- If there was an award for most improved Starks will definitely earn it, I guess all he needed was to get adjusted to the 3-4 defense because he dominated in every aspect last season. Starks was the second best 3-4 defensive end against the run in the NFL (first was Cleveland Brown’s Robaire Smith) as well as the second best 3-4 defensive end when it comes to tackles; although defensive ends don’t usually rush the passer, Starks took it upon himself to do so and he was very successful, he ended the season with 56 tackles and 7 sacks. Being only 26 years old, Starks has a bright future with the Dolphins and I personally can’t wait to see him grow even more.
Kendall Langford.- Although not as sharp as Starks, Langford also proved to be an excellent defensive end, capable of defending both the run and the pass. He ended the season with 43 tackles and 2.5 sacks. I believe that for a team running a 3-4 defense it doesn’t get much better than this pair, and being only 24 years old, I believe Langford will continue to improve as well.
Phillip Merling.- Merling was our second round pick in the 2008 draft, and even though Langford who was the third rounder jumped ahead of him and has proven to be a better pro player thus far, Merling has not disappointed. Although he only started in 2 games, he played in all 16 and recorded 33 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Like the previous two defensive ends discussed, Merling is also very young and has been improving consistently, I believe he is a great addition to the team.
Lionel Dotson.- Dotson was the seventh round pick for the Dolphins in 2008, he played twice in a reserve role last season and recorded two tackles. I expect him to stay in the team in order to add depth to the position, but I don’t know that he has the ability to surpass any of the previous guys discussed.
Ikaika Alama-Francis.- he was originally drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 2007 draft and was signed by the Dolphins on November of 2009. I suspect Alama-Francis will be competing for a spot in the roster this upcoming season.
Brian Johnston.- he was originally drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2008 draft and was signed to a future contract with the Dolphins in January of 2010. Like Alama-Francis, Johnston will be competing for a spot in the roster this upcoming season.
In looking at our defensive line, the one thing that becomes clear is that although we have good depth when it comes to the defensive backs, we desperately need help with a nose tackle. As a whole unit though, we have to admit this past season these guys did as much as they possibly could without getting much help from the linebackers.
Considering we have incredible, young defensive ends, I will only focus on discussing what nose tackles are available in free agency and the draft, keep in mind that nose tackles are a commodity and these guys don’t come around often so I believe we will definitely be drafting a guy to fulfill this position.
Vince Wilfork (New England Patriots).- Wilfork is by far the best nose tackle in free agency he is an elite player and one any team running a 3-4 defense would love to have. Rumor has it that Wilfork and the Patriots are coming close to finalizing a deal, but even if they didn’t you can expect the Patriots to use the franchise tag on Wilfork.
Aubrayo Franklin (San Francisco 49ers).- Although he wasn’t as effective defending the pass as we was defending the run, Franklin also turned out to be one of the league’s elite nose tackles. I don’t suspect Franklin will be going anywhere, even if a deal is not worked out, the 49ers are sure to use the franchise tag on him.
Dan William (Tennessee).- Williams proved to be dominant during his last college season. He recorded 56 tackles and 2 sacks in 11 games and he is likely to be the first nose tackle selected in the draft. Some people think he might even make his way into the first round, thus making it unlikely for him to end up playing for the Dolphins.
Terrence Cody (Alabama).- Cody has been one of the most talked about prospects for the Dolphins as far as a nose tackle, but because of all his weight issues I don’t know that we would pick him, maybe if he falls to the third round but I don’t know that that will happen. Sure Cody has tremendous potential and even though I would argue he is better than Soliai we have seen how disruptive the weight issue can be.
Cam Thomas (North Carolina).- This is the guy that I believe we will end up drafting, he has a lot of potential and had a great Senior Bowl performance. It is also likely that we can get him in the third round, thus allowing to fill more pressing needs in those earlier rounds.
Finally, I just want to let you guys know I have not forgotten about our kickers. I’m planning on reviewing them in a post which I should have up by tomorrow afternoon. I will also have a summary of our defensive needs like the one I put up about our defense so don’t forget to stop by and check for that.
Additional notes:
Other defensive linemen who will be available in free agency are: Casey Hampton (Pittsburgh Steelers), Ryan Pickett (Green Bay Packers), Julius Peppers (Carolina Panthers), Aaron Kampman (Green Bay Packers), Leonard Little (St Louis Rams).
Other defensive linemen who will be available in the draft are: Linval Joseph (East Carolina), Torrell Troup (UCF), Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma), Jared Odrick (Penn State), Lamar Houston (Texas), Alex Carrington (Arkansas State).
With that being said, today we will take a look at the final piece of our defense, the defensive line. In order to run a successful 3-4 defense you need a solid defensive line who can occupy the opponents offensive line, and although we all know we struggled on defense last season, especially after Ferguson’s injury, our defensive line was actually one of the most productive units in the team. First I will focus on our nose tackles, followed by our defensive ends.
Jason Ferguson.- Ferguson has proven to be a natural team leader over the past two seasons, and that is the main reason I expect him to be back in the team next season even though he will be an unrestricted free agent as of Friday, that is unless he decides to retire. Despite being 35 years old, Ferguson has been quite productive, last season he even managed to improve his tackle total despite having played in only nine games before being placed on injury reserve for a quad injury. I believe that if Ferguson can remain healthy he will be a solid backup nose tackle who will give us the added benefit of mentoring the younger guys who will replace him.
Paul Soliai.- When it comes to physical build, Soliai has all the tools necessary to be a good nose tackle, unfortunately he consistently proved to be unreliable in the position by getting single blocked time and time again as a starter. The 25 tackles he accrued last season are an improvement over his two prior seasons; he didn’t however start in either of those. With a little work Soliai might see some improvement but overall, I believe that we will be drafting his replacement.
Tony McDaniel.- McDaniel was used as both a backup nose tackle to Soliai after Ferguson was out for the season and as the fourth defensive end of the team. He didn’t however make any big plays as either, despite having played in all 16 games. McDaniel hasn’t proven to have much potential , and taking into consideration his recent encounter with the law, which by the way is not his first, I wouldn’t expect him to play a prominent role on the team.
Ryan Baker.- Baker saw very little action this season, and despite having made two tackles and recording half a sack, it is really hard to know how much potential he has. We might see some more of him next season depending on who we draft and whether or not he shows any improvement during this offseason.
Randy Starks.- If there was an award for most improved Starks will definitely earn it, I guess all he needed was to get adjusted to the 3-4 defense because he dominated in every aspect last season. Starks was the second best 3-4 defensive end against the run in the NFL (first was Cleveland Brown’s Robaire Smith) as well as the second best 3-4 defensive end when it comes to tackles; although defensive ends don’t usually rush the passer, Starks took it upon himself to do so and he was very successful, he ended the season with 56 tackles and 7 sacks. Being only 26 years old, Starks has a bright future with the Dolphins and I personally can’t wait to see him grow even more.
Kendall Langford.- Although not as sharp as Starks, Langford also proved to be an excellent defensive end, capable of defending both the run and the pass. He ended the season with 43 tackles and 2.5 sacks. I believe that for a team running a 3-4 defense it doesn’t get much better than this pair, and being only 24 years old, I believe Langford will continue to improve as well.
Phillip Merling.- Merling was our second round pick in the 2008 draft, and even though Langford who was the third rounder jumped ahead of him and has proven to be a better pro player thus far, Merling has not disappointed. Although he only started in 2 games, he played in all 16 and recorded 33 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Like the previous two defensive ends discussed, Merling is also very young and has been improving consistently, I believe he is a great addition to the team.
Lionel Dotson.- Dotson was the seventh round pick for the Dolphins in 2008, he played twice in a reserve role last season and recorded two tackles. I expect him to stay in the team in order to add depth to the position, but I don’t know that he has the ability to surpass any of the previous guys discussed.
Ikaika Alama-Francis.- he was originally drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 2007 draft and was signed by the Dolphins on November of 2009. I suspect Alama-Francis will be competing for a spot in the roster this upcoming season.
Brian Johnston.- he was originally drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2008 draft and was signed to a future contract with the Dolphins in January of 2010. Like Alama-Francis, Johnston will be competing for a spot in the roster this upcoming season.
In looking at our defensive line, the one thing that becomes clear is that although we have good depth when it comes to the defensive backs, we desperately need help with a nose tackle. As a whole unit though, we have to admit this past season these guys did as much as they possibly could without getting much help from the linebackers.
Considering we have incredible, young defensive ends, I will only focus on discussing what nose tackles are available in free agency and the draft, keep in mind that nose tackles are a commodity and these guys don’t come around often so I believe we will definitely be drafting a guy to fulfill this position.
Vince Wilfork (New England Patriots).- Wilfork is by far the best nose tackle in free agency he is an elite player and one any team running a 3-4 defense would love to have. Rumor has it that Wilfork and the Patriots are coming close to finalizing a deal, but even if they didn’t you can expect the Patriots to use the franchise tag on Wilfork.
Aubrayo Franklin (San Francisco 49ers).- Although he wasn’t as effective defending the pass as we was defending the run, Franklin also turned out to be one of the league’s elite nose tackles. I don’t suspect Franklin will be going anywhere, even if a deal is not worked out, the 49ers are sure to use the franchise tag on him.
Dan William (Tennessee).- Williams proved to be dominant during his last college season. He recorded 56 tackles and 2 sacks in 11 games and he is likely to be the first nose tackle selected in the draft. Some people think he might even make his way into the first round, thus making it unlikely for him to end up playing for the Dolphins.
Terrence Cody (Alabama).- Cody has been one of the most talked about prospects for the Dolphins as far as a nose tackle, but because of all his weight issues I don’t know that we would pick him, maybe if he falls to the third round but I don’t know that that will happen. Sure Cody has tremendous potential and even though I would argue he is better than Soliai we have seen how disruptive the weight issue can be.
Cam Thomas (North Carolina).- This is the guy that I believe we will end up drafting, he has a lot of potential and had a great Senior Bowl performance. It is also likely that we can get him in the third round, thus allowing to fill more pressing needs in those earlier rounds.
Finally, I just want to let you guys know I have not forgotten about our kickers. I’m planning on reviewing them in a post which I should have up by tomorrow afternoon. I will also have a summary of our defensive needs like the one I put up about our defense so don’t forget to stop by and check for that.
Additional notes:
Other defensive linemen who will be available in free agency are: Casey Hampton (Pittsburgh Steelers), Ryan Pickett (Green Bay Packers), Julius Peppers (Carolina Panthers), Aaron Kampman (Green Bay Packers), Leonard Little (St Louis Rams).
Other defensive linemen who will be available in the draft are: Linval Joseph (East Carolina), Torrell Troup (UCF), Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma), Jared Odrick (Penn State), Lamar Houston (Texas), Alex Carrington (Arkansas State).
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