Dolphins and Suh a done deal

[RayClay]

When you only have two true d-linemen on the field for the majority of your snaps, they are ALL rotation players!

Even Vince F. Wilfork was on the sidelines for 30% of the Patriots defensive snaps last year. That's what I'm kind of getting at with the idea that the hoody is building a different kind of defense. It's hard to accept. Hard for me, anyway. So used to seeing the Pats build around a big, strong front 7 with big fatty DTs and big powerful LBs. But, my lyin' eyes (from watching Belichick's drafts recently) tell me he's thinking along completely different lines.

I don't think he's looking for a bunch of Dwight Freenys, but he's clearly going after faster more athletic front seven players. And, clearly looking to be able to get after the QB from anywhere along the line. I don't think he's there yet. We haven't really seen the full extent of what he has in mind. Last year was still transition (until it was time for Wilfork to retire).

I don't think you can scheme a dominant defensive tackle. they'll use easley at tackle, but if the use easley and siliga on early downs, guys like marshawn lynch run right through them.

A different defense doesn't mean a fantasy land where you don't need at least one stout talented tackle. Just ask the colts.

Dwight Freeney isn't even a tackle, nor is he stout for a pass rusher. Again. your idea = colts.

 

[patsfan13]

So what should they do instead?

Use their cap space in a rational manner.

 

[hwc]

I'm not overly concerned that the hoody won't be able to figure out how to stop the run when it is advantageous for his defense to focus on stopping the run. The issue is that the big fatty NT is now a sub-package player (75% of the snaps in nickle or dime). As a sub package situational player seeing limited snaps, the big fatty NT can no longer be justified as one of the three highest cap numbers on the team.

It's just a different game and it requires deploying assets in a different way.

 

[Brady2Moss]

I find this move totally irrelevant to the Patriots goals next season of winning the Super Bowl

 

[fnordcircle]

So miami getting suh is a bad move now?

They would be better of they did nothing..

interesting

You're right, the options are to either do nothing or to sign players to idiotic contracts.

There is no middle ground that involves sane and responsible contracts to keep a team competitive.

 

[Betterthanmost]

Has such picks up ever worked before? Outside Manning, has there been a free agent big money pickup like this that has worked before?

 

[Deus Irae]

Has such picks up every worked before? Outside Manning, has there been a free agent big money pickup like this that has worked before?

Yes

 

[primetime]

I don't think you can scheme a dominant defensive tackle. they'll use easley at tackle, but if the use easley and siliga on early downs, guys like marshawn lynch run right through them.

Small sample size, but many objective analysts noted that Siliga was one of the best interior linemen against the run last season after he came back. Easley remains a question mark (and I suspect he'll split time at first with Chris Jones, who's sort of this generation's Mike Wright) but I feel pretty confident about Siliga replacing Wilfork as an every down nose tackle, especially if you bring back Branch (or, for that matter, Wilfork) to back him up.

At a certain point, you have to trust that the guys you're drafting will be okay, with reasonable precautions against it. Easley has the potential to be a star, and Chris Jones is a passable starter and solid backup. Not really worried about defensive tackle.

 

[BTTA]

Anyone know the Dolphins roster well? They have to be weaker in some other position(s) if they allocate this much money to one. Where will they be weaker?

 

[primetime]

Anyone know the Dolphins roster well? They have to be weaker in some other position(s) if they allocate this much money to one. Where will they be weaker?

With Wake, Starks, Odrick, and Vernon their defensive line was probably their strongest position the last few years so... imagine it's exactly the same, but now they need to replace one of those guys assuming they let Starks go.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Actually, with Brady working on improving his mobility (we saw the results this past year), I expect him to defeat these big, new defensive lines in the AFC East with some astounding, Vick -like moves in 2015.

Watching the playoffs and ESPECIALLY the SuperBowl note how Brady sensing the open middle RAN for a TD (Ravens) and twice in the SB ran up the open middle to throw key 1st down passes. The 2014 Brady was by design far more mobile than previous incarnations. Do Patsfans think that Brady does not review his play and decide what specific adjustments he needs to make to win?

 

[RayClay]

Small sample size, but many objective analysts noted that Siliga was one of the best interior linemen against the run last season after he came back. Easley remains a question mark (and I suspect he'll split time at first with Chris Jones, who's sort of this generation's Mike Wright) but I feel pretty confident about Siliga replacing Wilfork as an every down nose tackle, especially if you bring back Branch (or, for that matter, Wilfork) to back him up.

At a certain point, you have to trust that the guys you're drafting will be okay, with reasonable precautions against it. Easley has the potential to be a star, and Chris Jones is a passable starter and solid backup. Not really worried about defensive tackle.

Siliga is a nice guy and a hard working UDFA. If you try to project average players as stars because you need to, that's a bad strategy, whether in the draft or on the roster.

If Siliga was near as good as Wilfork, why didn't they do an injury settlement and cut him last year, instead of wasting time on a player coming back from a possible career ending injury?

 

[condon84]

You gotta pay for top talent, which Suh clearly is. But if they don't develop and draft solid players in other positions, then this won't really matter in the big picture.

 

[primetime]

Siliga is a nice guy and a hard working UDFA. If you try to project average players as stars because you need to, that's a bad strategy, whether in the draft or on the roster.

If Siliga was near as good as Wilfork, why didn't they do an injury settlement and cut him last year, instead of wasting time on a player coming back from a possible career ending injury?

It's worth noting, of course, that Siliga's Patriots career is still a relatively small sample size. He played 5 games in 2013 and 7 games in 2014 as well as 5 playoff games between the two seasons. At a certain point, though, you make compromises. If you want the best quarterback, tight end, and cornerback in football, you may have to settle for a solid undrafted nose tackle. That's not unreasonable - the Patriots have always won Super Bowls using that formula, and Siliga was a big part of it this past season.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

For once i wouldn't mind seeing a 100+ mill contract work to prove me wrong...but it's MIA..i hope it blows up in their face

 

[hwc]

If Siliga was near as good as Wilfork, why didn't they do an injury settlement and cut him last year, instead of wasting time on a player coming back from a possible career ending injury?

I'm pretty sure the Pats were fully prepared to cut Wilfork last year if he had not agreed to a major cut in base salary. Clearly, last year's restructure was set up in a way that left the Pats with minimal dead money and no impediment to releasing Wilfork before the 2015 season.

I suspect they never asked him to take a pay cut this year.

 

[varjao]

I don't think there are sure things in NFL, formulas, etc...a deal like this might work or might not. I tend to believe in this case it won't. I don't think the Dolphins are a couple top players away from being a contender, like the Patriots in previous off seasons. They have a QB that is very inconsistent, sometimes good, a lot of times meh, sometimes mediocre. Their offense is not great, neither their defense (until now), they are not a force in one of the sides of the ball like the Bills.

In this case, the common thinking is develop and make smart moves, something they are not being able to do, because they are one of the most dysfunctional franchises of the last years and they have a decision to make regarding Tanehill soon. I don't think he can be that game manager that will lead them to the SB because even a game manager needs to throw some clutch TD here and there and I don't think he did show enough so far.

I think this deal will cripple them in the long term and it's only going to work if they in fact get Brady injured for 4-6 games or even more than that (knock knock knock).

Obs: My keyboard is setup in a different language so sorry for the misspellings

 

[fnordcircle]

Suh's a great player and has a mean streak that won't quit. This is a good pick-up for them.

The contract, however, isn't. They are more than just a Suh away from overtaking us in the division. That's a lot of guaranteed dough to deal with.

They have the best DL in the league now, overtaking the Jets, imo. But at that price?

 

[primetime]

They have the best DL in the league now, overtaking the Jets, imo.

It's the Rams - they have an All-Pro, a budding All-Pro, and two guys who are borderline stars, as well as backups who would be solid starters on just about any team in the league. The Jets, Dolphins, and Bills all easily fall in the top 5, though.

 

[meatface]

Suh's a great player and has a mean streak that won't quit. This is a good pick-up for them.

The contract, however, isn't. They are more than just a Suh away from overtaking us in the division. That's a lot of guaranteed dough to deal with.

They have the best DL in the league now, overtaking the Jets, imo. But at that price?

It also keeps Miami from improving elsewhere. Their LB corp has been bad for awhile but now they don't have the money to fix it.