Breaking down Miami's Defense

[Jetsfan80]

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/43141/breaking-down-the-dolphins%E2%80%99-defense

Breaking down the Dolphins' defense

By Matt Williamson

I am enamored with the Miami Dolphins' defense this year. It is talented, productive and deep. And the entire unit is going to benefit greatly from the front three.

Like with any odd front, we need to start with the nose tackle. He is rarely mentioned among the best anchors in the NFL, but Paul Soliai deserves to be. A taller version of guys like Vince Wilfork and Casey Hampton, Soliai is a huge man. And he knows how to use his extreme girth to occupy offensive linemen and hold the point of attack against the run.

He is exactly what you want at the position and the type of player who allows everyone around him to do their jobs more easily. Miami was wise to use its franchise tag on Soliai before free agency opened. He is someone the Dolphins could not afford to lose.

Ronald Fields was recently signed as a backup for Soliai. There would be a noticeable drop-off if Soliai were to miss time, but Fields is built for the position and does have starting experience. He is purely a run-stuffer, but the depth he provides is valuable.

Much like Soliai at the nose, Randy Starks is rarely mentioned when discussing the best 3-4 defensive ends in the league. He too deserves to be in that conversation. A power player who also has strong movement skills, Starks is a force against the run or pass. He has played some nose tackle in the past, but is much better suited at end. Starks is a Pro Bowl-caliber defensive lineman.

Kendall Langford will start at the other defensive end spot. He too had an exceptional 2010 campaign. Like the rest of this group, he is more or less the prototype at the position, but I see Langford as a little quicker and more athletic than Starks. He has slightly superior movement skills, but isn’t quite the power player Starks can be. Langford is the real deal, and he might only be getting better.

Last year’s first-round pick, Jared Odrick, also will be in the mix this season. Coming out of Penn State, Odrick looked ideal for this defense. He is well built with long arms and uses his hands to control his opponent very well for such a young player. Odrick is obviously quite talented, and with the wealth of options the Dolphins have up front, the team should be able to bring him along at his own pace instead of forcing him in when he isn’t ready.

The Dolphins were smart to re-sign Tony McDaniel. Like the rest of this line, the re-signing went largely unnoticed, but McDaniel is hitting his prime. He is a tall defensive end with a great wing span. McDaniel played very well for Miami last season and is about as good of a depth defensive lineman as you will find in the league today.

The odd man out, especially after McDaniels’ re-signing, could be Phillip Merling. As it stands today, the 26-year-old Merling probably will make the team, but injuries have plagued him and he might be a better fit as a more traditional base end in a 4-3 scheme. This is a pivotal year in Merling’s career, but as you can see from the above descriptions, getting playing time might not come easy for this former second-round pick.

The Dolphins added Jason Taylor to spell Koa Misi and Cameron Wake, while also providing great leadership. As pass-rushers, these outside linebackers should benefit greatly from all the attention Miami’s defensive line is sure to attract.

Behind this line, Miami added Kevin Burnett to start opposite Karlos Dansby at linebacker. Burnett replaces Channing Crowder and is a major upgrade in athleticism and versatility. Crowder is the better take-on linebacker, but Burnett is more like Dansby. Because of the exceptional defensive line in front of them, this is a great move, as it will allow these inside linebackers to get to the football more freely and will give the defense many more options on passing downs.

Burnett is also much better equipped to handle the variety of receiving threats that New England will throw at the Dolphins. Crowder simply isn’t equipped to keep up with guys like Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Danny Woodhead in coverage.

Miami’s defensive line is what makes this all possible.

Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com. Follow Matt Williamson on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL.

[Lupz27]

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/43141/breaking-down-the-dolphins%E2%80%99-defense

Breaking down the Dolphins' defense

By Matt Williamson

I am enamored with the Miami Dolphins' defense this year. It is talented, productive and deep. And the entire unit is going to benefit greatly from the front three.

Like with any odd front, we need to start with the nose tackle. He is rarely mentioned among the best anchors in the NFL, but Paul Soliai deserves to be. A taller version of guys like Vince Wilfork and Casey Hampton, Soliai is a huge man. And he knows how to use his extreme girth to occupy offensive linemen and hold the point of attack against the run.

He is exactly what you want at the position and the type of player who allows everyone around him to do their jobs more easily. Miami was wise to use its franchise tag on Soliai before free agency opened. He is someone the Dolphins could not afford to lose.

Ronald Fields was recently signed as a backup for Soliai. There would be a noticeable drop-off if Soliai were to miss time, but Fields is built for the position and does have starting experience. He is purely a run-stuffer, but the depth he provides is valuable.

Much like Soliai at the nose, Randy Starks is rarely mentioned when discussing the best 3-4 defensive ends in the league. He too deserves to be in that conversation. A power player who also has strong movement skills, Starks is a force against the run or pass. He has played some nose tackle in the past, but is much better suited at end. Starks is a Pro Bowl-caliber defensive lineman.

Kendall Langford will start at the other defensive end spot. He too had an exceptional 2010 campaign. Like the rest of this group, he is more or less the prototype at the position, but I see Langford as a little quicker and more athletic than Starks. He has slightly superior movement skills, but isn’t quite the power player Starks can be. Langford is the real deal, and he might only be getting better.

Last year’s first-round pick, Jared Odrick, also will be in the mix this season. Coming out of Penn State, Odrick looked ideal for this defense. He is well built with long arms and uses his hands to control his opponent very well for such a young player. Odrick is obviously quite talented, and with the wealth of options the Dolphins have up front, the team should be able to bring him along at his own pace instead of forcing him in when he isn’t ready.

The Dolphins were smart to re-sign Tony McDaniel. Like the rest of this line, the re-signing went largely unnoticed, but McDaniel is hitting his prime. He is a tall defensive end with a great wing span. McDaniel played very well for Miami last season and is about as good of a depth defensive lineman as you will find in the league today.

The odd man out, especially after McDaniels’ re-signing, could be Phillip Merling. As it stands today, the 26-year-old Merling probably will make the team, but injuries have plagued him and he might be a better fit as a more traditional base end in a 4-3 scheme. This is a pivotal year in Merling’s career, but as you can see from the above descriptions, getting playing time might not come easy for this former second-round pick.

The Dolphins added Jason Taylor to spell Koa Misi and Cameron Wake, while also providing great leadership. As pass-rushers, these outside linebackers should benefit greatly from all the attention Miami’s defensive line is sure to attract.

Behind this line, Miami added Kevin Burnett to start opposite Karlos Dansby at linebacker. Burnett replaces Channing Crowder and is a major upgrade in athleticism and versatility. Crowder is the better take-on linebacker, but Burnett is more like Dansby. Because of the exceptional defensive line in front of them, this is a great move, as it will allow these inside linebackers to get to the football more freely and will give the defense many more options on passing downs.

Burnett is also much better equipped to handle the variety of receiving threats that New England will throw at the Dolphins. Crowder simply isn’t equipped to keep up with guys like Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Danny Woodhead in coverage.

Miami’s defensive line is what makes this all possible.

Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com. Follow Matt Williamson on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL.

Notice how he stops at the front 7, that's because there secondary is Swiss cheese holes everywhere, a team like the Jets who have a superior O-Line will pick them apart and then suck the life out of the front 7 and run them over to finish the game.

"CAN'T WAIT" to embarrass those sh*tty dolphins!

[madmikeisback]

SCARY!!!!

[Aqua4ever04]

Notice how he stops at the front 7, that's because there secondary is Swiss cheese holes everywhere, a team like the Jets who have a superior O-Line will pick them apart and then suck the life out of the front 7 and run them over to finish the game.

"CAN'T WAIT" to embarrass those sh*tty dolphins!

I would LOVE to hear your analysis of those players (if you even know who are starting back four are.) They are a damn fine secondary, and they're all under 25 (sans Yeremiah Bell.)

[Kleckineau]

They will give up an avg of 185 yds rushing and 275 yds passing per game.

They will win 5 games and Sparano may not last the season.

The best player on the team is Wake but he will wear down by the 8th or 9th game.

[hoping4ASuperBowl]

Can't wait for the follow up article:

Breaking down Miami's Offense

They have a solid LT in Jake Long.

End story.

[Jetsfan80]

Can't wait for the follow up article:

Breaking down Miami's Offense

They have a solid LT in Jake Long.

End story.

"QB Comparison: Chad Henne vs. Brad Smith"

[Aqua4ever04]

They will give up an avg of 185 yds rushing and 275 yds passing per game.

They will win 5 games and Sparano may not last the season.

The best player on the team is Wake but he will wear down by the 8th or 9th game.

DBs will actually catch Sanchez's sh*tty throws as he throws 25 INTs

LaDainian Tomlinson will prove to have nothing left in the tank and Shone Greene will continue to disappoint

Teams will force the Jets to throw it elsewhere besides Santonio Holmes and since they have no one, will get shut down

The offensive line will suffer it's first injury (save Damien Woody) since 2008

The unbelievably thin defensive line will wear down

Antonio Cromartie is over-rated, and will play like it

People will figure out Rex's defense

The Jets will win 7 or 8 games and all the fans and ownership will get sick of Fat-o-saurus-Rex's big mouth/no production

See how easy that is?

[Aqua4ever04]

Can't wait for the follow up article:

Breaking down Miami's Offense

They have a solid LT in Jake Long.

End story.

Solid as in the best lineman in the league.

And Brandon Marshall is a top 5 wideout.

We might not have much on that side, but give us credit for what we do have.

And Davone Bess is a hell of a football player, too.

[The Crusher]

DBs will actually catch Sanchez's sh*tty throws as he throws 25 INTs

LaDainian Tomlinson will prove to have nothing left in the tank and Shone Greene will continue to disappoint

Teams will force the Jets to throw it elsewhere besides Santonio Holmes and since they have no one, will get shut down

The offensive line will suffer it's first injury (save Damien Woody) since 2008

The unbelievably thin defensive line will wear down

Antonio Cromartie is over-rated, and will play like it

People will figure out Rex's defense

The Jets will win 7 or 8 games and all the fans and ownership will get sick of Fat-o-saurus-Rex's big mouth/no production

See how easy that is?

Only difference is your team has sucked cock for two straight years and we have missed the superbowl by a half. Other than that your spot on.

[hoping4ASuperBowl]

DBs will actually catch Sanchez's sh*tty throws as he throws 25 INTs

LaDainian Tomlinson will prove to have nothing left in the tank and Shone Greene will continue to disappoint

Teams will force the Jets to throw it elsewhere besides Santonio Holmes and since they have no one, will get shut down

The offensive line will suffer it's first injury (save Damien Woody) since 2008

The unbelievably thin defensive line will wear down

Antonio Cromartie is over-rated, and will play like it

People will figure out Rex's defense

The Jets will win 7 or 8 games and all the fans and ownership will get sick of Fat-o-saurus-Rex's big mouth/no production

See how easy that is?

It's easier than that.

The dolphins defense is not elite so the defense will only win them 4 games.

The dolphins offense......well they don't have one.

[Aqua4ever04]

Only difference is your team has sucked cock for two straight years and we have missed the superbowl by a half. Other than that your spot on.

Well that team that sucked cock beat you 3 out of 4 and was a dropped INT away from making it a clean two year sweep.

[hoping4ASuperBowl]

Solid as in the best lineman in the league.

And Brandon Marshall is a top 5 wideout.

We might not have much on that side, but give us credit for what we do have.

And Davone Bess is a hell of a football player, too.

Based off recent play Marshall is definitely not a top 5 player. And whether its Moore or Henne Marshall still won't be a top 5 WR.

You can have Megatron, Nicks, Andre Johnson as your top 3 WRs and they still wouldn't be top 5 with Henne or Moore at the helm.

[Kleckineau]

DBs will actually catch Sanchez's sh*tty throws as he throws 25 INTs

LaDainian Tomlinson will prove to have nothing left in the tank and Shone Greene will continue to disappoint

Teams will force the Jets to throw it elsewhere besides Santonio Holmes and since they have no one, will get shut down

The offensive line will suffer it's first injury (save Damien Woody) since 2008

The unbelievably thin defensive line will wear down

Antonio Cromartie is over-rated, and will play like it

People will figure out Rex's defense

The Jets will win 7 or 8 games and all the fans and ownership will get sick of Fat-o-saurus-Rex's big mouth/no production

See how easy that is?

Easy as you puttin down the crack pipe.

What part of NFL 1st year coach Harbaugh (who was salivating for an NFL HC job) turning Miami down because the roster sucks so bad do you not understand?

[Aqua4ever04]

Easy as you puttin down the crack pipe.

What part of NFL 1st year coach Harbaugh (who was salivating for an NFL HC job) turning Miami down because the roster sucks so bad do you not understand?

Yeah because that illustrious San Francisco roster is soooo attractive. I mean it makes sense, right? Harbaugh lives in Fort Lauderdale, you'd think he might want to stay there and get more money as opposed to move allllll the way across the country to the Bay Area and take less money.

Wait... Am I backwards on that?

[StraightCash]

Damn... The dolphins are really good.

Hope we dont have to play them this year.

[JustInFudge]

Miami is a physical team, you cant deny that...on both lines, they play physical ball. Thats why we struggle with them.

Their secondary is poop and their LB'ers are way overrated..except for Wake who looks like a elite pass rusher, but lets see him do it again. Once you get past that line, they're not an intimidating defense. And when you have a strong oline, it doesnt matter. Good QB's picked them apart last year and everyone wants to hype Vontae Davis, who's a good little player...but how good are you when your team is 25th in pass yards against and 21 in TD's against?

[The Crusher]

Well that team that sucked cock beat you 3 out of 4 and was a dropped INT away from making it a clean two year sweep.

Yeah but that was when you had Ten Ginn, Ricky and Ronnie. You member right? When you sorta had an offense. I do think your D will hold most teams to under 21 points. Too bad your offense will score less than 10. HAHA

[StraightCash]

Yeah but that was when you had Ten Ginn, Ricky and Ronnie. You member right? When you sorta had an offense. I do think your D will hold most teams to under 21 points. Too bad your offense will score less than 10. HAHA

Ted Ginn was to the jets what cotchery was to the pats.

Kryptonite.

[slats]

Miami is a physical team, you cant deny that...on both lines, they play physical ball. Thats why we struggle with them.

Their secondary is poop and their LB'ers are way overrated..except for Wake who looks like a elite pass rusher, but lets see him do it again. Once you get past that line, they're not an intimidating defense. And when you have a strong oline, it doesnt matter. Good QB's picked them apart last year and everyone wants to hype Vontae Davis, who's a good little player...but how good are you when your team is 25th in pass yards against and 21 in TD's against?

Right, especially when their offense scores less than everyone in the league except for the Browns and Panthers. It's not like opposing offenses had to put up a lot of points to beat Miami, they were just able to. They're not an elite unit. They've never been tested.

Meanwhile, the offense is terrible. Jake Long is on the PUP list hoping to be able to start in the opener. They added no real significant talent (sorry, Reggie Bush doesn't count). They have a new offensive coordinator that they hope solves the Henning problem, but they had no off season to implement the man's system. The offense could potentially be even worse this year. Which I'm sure will have people in Miami thinking the defense on their 6-10 team is elite.

[Vicious89x]

The dolphins are really good. The jets suck. I am thankful they let us win one and that they decided to let us win more games than then in the past two years.

Fact: the dolphins are better. Especially at QB

[Kleckineau]

Yeah because that illustrious San Francisco roster is soooo attractive. I mean it makes sense, right? Harbaugh lives in Fort Lauderdale, you'd think he might want to stay there and get more money as opposed to move allllll the way across the country to the Bay Area and take less money.

Wait... Am I backwards on that?

Smith > Henne

[dbatesman]

A list of players without any material analysis? I had to double-check and make sure The Situation didn't write this.

And Brandon Marshall is a top 5 wideout.

LOL

[Vicious89x]

A list of players without any material analysis? I had to double-check and make sure The Situation didn't write this.

LOL

Negative DVOA's = 1337. FACT

[SenorGato]

I'm a big fan of the Dolphins' 3 starters actually. They're all really good and prototypical for the 3-4/fle D.

[NYJ37/12]

DBs will actually catch Sanchez's sh*tty throws as he throws 25 INTs

LaDainian Tomlinson will prove to have nothing left in the tank and Shone Greene will continue to disappoint

Teams will force the Jets to throw it elsewhere besides Santonio Holmes and since they have no one, will get shut down

The offensive line will suffer it's first injury (save Damien Woody) since 2008

The unbelievably thin defensive line will wear down

Antonio Cromartie is over-rated, and will play like it

People will figure out Rex's defense

The Jets will win 7 or 8 games and all the fans and ownership will get sick of Fat-o-saurus-Rex's big mouth/no production

See how easy that is?

The offensive line will suffer it's first injury (save Damien Woody) since 2008

Mangold played with a seperated shoulder the whole season, Moore with a banged up hip that needed surgery, but dont let facts get in the way of your rants. Our guys play with pain and dont complain, they just win.

[Klecko73isGod]

DBs will actually catch Sanchez's sh*tty throws as he throws 25 INTs

LaDainian Tomlinson will prove to have nothing left in the tank and Shone Greene will continue to disappoint

Teams will force the Jets to throw it elsewhere besides Santonio Holmes and since they have no one, will get shut down

The offensive line will suffer it's first injury (save Damien Woody) since 2008

The unbelievably thin defensive line will wear down

Antonio Cromartie is over-rated, and will play like it

People will figure out Rex's defense

The Jets will win 7 or 8 games and all the fans and ownership will get sick of Fat-o-saurus-Rex's big mouth/no production

See how easy that is?

Is that your Christmas wish list?

That's so cute!

[Jetsfan80]

I'm a big fan of the Dolphins' 3 starters actually. They're all really good and prototypical for the 3-4/fle D.

No one is doubting that the Dolphins don't have a pretty solid front 7. Its the rest of their roster that's complete dogsh**. Not to mention, Aqua seems to be insinuating that only external factors kept Miami from being as good as the Jets the last 2 years. Extreme homerism and revisionist history from Miami fans? Only at JetNation.

[JustInFudge]

No one is doubting that the Dolphins don't have a pretty solid front 7. Its the rest of their roster that's complete dogsh**. Not to mention, Aqua seems to be insinuating that only external factors kept Miami from being as good as the Jets the last 2 years. Extreme homerism and revisionist history from Miami fans? Only at JetNation.

The Dolphags have good lines, period. You cant really dispute that without sounding moronic. They are very physical at the LOS, which is why they are actually a competitive team despite having nothing that scares you once you get past the LOS, only delusional homerific Dolphag fans say different.

Like Imgay4eva - but I totally get it. This is the time of the year to get super excited, talk a bunch of sh*t, when deep down inside you know that your team sucks...but if they're actually good...then the chest pounding will be oh so sweet because "he called it"

[dolphann4life]

Notice how he stops at the front 7, that's because there secondary is Swiss cheese holes everywhere, a team like the Jets who have a superior O-Line will pick them apart and then suck the life out of the front 7 and run them over to finish the game.

"CAN'T WAIT" to embarrass those sh*tty dolphins!

lol If you havn't realzied in the past few years our games are usually coming down to the wire. It's highly unlikely your going to embarrass us.

[RutgersJetFan]

A list of players without any material analysis? I had to double-check and make sure The Situation didn't write this.

Matt Williamson is now excluded from Surf & Turf Night.

[dolphann4life]

You guys are too much. While we all know Miami won't be contending for a SB this year,they are defintily capable of beating the NYJ and possibly sweeping them. Were gonna field a very good defense this year and if we can get some decent play out of our offense, which I believe we will, we'll win ballgames. Yea we got J-lo and Fergie as owners, a friggin nightclub in our stadium and stupid wolf slogans, but were not a talentless roster who will be at the bottom of league.

[Klecko73isGod]

You guys are too much. While we all know Miami won't be contending for a SB this year,they are defintily capable of beating the NYJ and possibly sweeping them. Were gonna field a very good defense this year and if we can get some decent play out of our offense, which I believe we will, we'll win ballgames. Yea we got J-lo and Fergie as owners, a friggin nightclub in our stadium and stupid wolf slogans, but were not a talentless roster who will be at the bottom of league.

LICK THE WOLF!!!

[Jetsfan80]

You guys are too much. While we all know Miami won't be contending for a SB this year,they are defintily capable of beating the NYJ and possibly sweeping them. Were gonna field a very good defense this year and if we can get some decent play out of our offense, which I believe we will, we'll win ballgames. Yea we got J-lo and Fergie as owners, a friggin nightclub in our stadium and stupid wolf slogans, but were not a talentless roster who will be at the bottom of league.

You swept us Rex's first year with a rookie QB in Sanchez. We went to the AFC Title game. You split with us last year. We went to the AFC Title game. I think the natural progression is that we sweep this year and go to the Super Bowl.

Contrary to popular opinion, we aren't weaker than last year, and with Rex and Sanchez in their 3rd years, we're ready to roll.

[dolphann4life]

You swept us Rex's first year with a rookie QB in Sanchez. We went to the AFC Title game. You split with us last year. We went to the AFC Title game. I think the natural progression is that we sweep this year and go to the Super Bowl.

Contrary to popular opinion, we aren't weaker than last year, and with Rex and Sanchez in their 3rd years, we're ready to roll.

lol you've been spoiled so much the last 2 years I think you've forgotten how hard it is to reach the conference title game, let it alone do it 3 times straight. You needsome luck along the way. I doubt you make that far this year.