The Last Stand Of Kuechenberg - Phin Phanatic - Phin Phanatic - A Miami Dolphins Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

Parcells, "Definitely"…staying? - Phin Phanatic - Phin Phanatic - A Miami Dolphins Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

What the Phins have:

Jake Long was the first overall pick last year and in another week will make his first appearance in the NFL Pro-Bowl making it as an alternate.  Long rarely made the same mistake twice and was one of the critical cogs in the wildcat formation moving from the left to the right outside of Carey.  Will he succumb to the Sophomore jinx like Clevelands Joe Thomas who had a less than stellar year or will he take the league over?  Whatever the Long and short of it is, Jake will be the staple on the left side for years to come and is the only one the Phins are not concerned with.

Justin Smiley and Donald Thomas had their seasons cut short due to injuries that placed them on IR.  In Thomas’ case it was week 1.  Thomas is the big question as his return and continued surprise production could solidify the RG spot for a very long time.  Smiley’s injury was a freak accident and had nothing to do with previous injuries.  He is expected to be back at training camp.

Vernon Carey is a free agent and on that market he will bank in the 45 million range.  The Dolphins need to decide whether they believe he is worth that kind of money and if he is in their plans for the long run.  Carey did not have a “great” year but was consistent.  Carey is not the prototype lineman that Bill Parcells’ teams have employed yet rumors persist that the Phins are trying to get him a deal before the start of FA.

Samson Satele was rumored to be on the trading block and he still could be.  An undersized lineman who struggled with the merry-go-round guards and his shift to guard as well, Satele has been asked by the team to add 15 to 20 pounds of muscle in the off-season.  That does not however mean that the Phins won’t try and move him.  Satele is a good center but he needs to be in a quick system as he is fast and the Phins are moving to a more power attack.  

The bench is a spattering of no-names.  Last years 4th round pick Shawn Murphy never made it to the active roster and is still viewed as a project.  Andy Alleman filled in decently when the injury bug hit but is far from a starter.  The player with the most in game experience was Ikechuku Ndukwe who started in place of Thomas most of the year.  Ndukwe however struggled often at times and the Oline unit as a whole was far from a power line.  The Phins relied more on the WC for their running game than a smash mouth style that is a BP staple.  Other on the bench, Matt McChesney, Al Johnson, Nate Garner, and Brandon Frye are not in a position to make any type of immediate impact. … [visit site to read more]

Free Agent Break Down: Offensive Line - Phin Phanatic - Phin Phanatic - A Miami Dolphins Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.