Training Camp Preview: Offensive Tackles

And finally!  In our last Training Camp Preview on the offensive side of the ball, we look at the OTs.  The tackle position is the spot to watch if your looking to see how the Miami Dolphins will improve over last year, or if they will.  Consider that it is the success of these two starting spots, that can determine what every other positional success might have. 

Can the QB have time to throw?  The tackles need to do their job protecting his blind-side and his front-side.  Is the running game going to be productive?  The tackles better be able to open the holes and take the pressure off the Guards.  Run a pulling guard to the left without a TE and that LT better be able to sweep his man inside.  The WR’s?  They wont have time to run their routes if the QB doesn’t have time to let it develop.

The Roster:

"Mike RosenthalVernon CareyMarion DukesL.J. SheltonAnthony AlabiJoe ToledoJulius Wilson"

The Dolphins Situation:

The Dolphins had the opportunity to address the tackle spot in FA but opted instead to not overpay for mediocre talent.  What they have instead is mediocre talent that is paid like it.  Mediocre may be a harsh word and is probably not a true description of the Dolphins talent at the Tackle spot.  Average is probably a better word.  So is inexperienced.

Of the Dolphins tackles only L.J. Shelton and Mike Rosenthal are true tackles who have experience.  Shelton will play on the right and Rosenthal will be the backup.  Toledo, Alabi, Dukes, Carey, and Wilson are about as experienced as rookies, of which two of them are.  I will explain individually.

Vernon Carey:  Carey deserves an apology from me.  I am man enough to admit when I am wrong, and I was wrong.  I was not happy when the Dolphins drafted him, and I am still not with the 4th rounder that was given up to move up.  Carey has been steady, he is not a road grader and he is not an all-pro, what he is is consistent and productive.  He is above average however we are still waiting to see if he will eventually bust out.  The best thing to say about Vernon Carey, is you rarely hear Vernon Carey.  He is not routinely called for penalties and rarely is high-lighted for making a mistake in the course of a game.  I suppose if that is what you can find to say about him, then my apology was not really much of one.  Still, considering the Dolphins draft history, Carey is one of the best in the last 10 years.

This year will be different.  Carey has been moved to the LT spot, perhaps the most critical Oline position on the field and he will do it with having no previous experience.  He is for all intent and purposes, a rookie in terms of LT experience.

This will be one of the most watched spots on the practice field.  It will be imperative that Carey catches on to the system quick and learns to play it well.  His production will be what will help the younger guys inside of him.  He will need to lead and he will need to become a LT in his mind.  If he can do that, he could escape that average level that he is producing.  In fact, if he can accomplish that, someday we may consider him an All-pro.  Until then, we will have to settle on watching how he makes the transition to LT.  As Carey goes so goes the rest of the line.

L.J. Shelton:  Shelton has been up and down.  At times you wonder why he is still here and at others you thank God he is.  The problem with Shelton is that he is exactly that, inconsistent.  Houck has been working to change that, but with the shifting of positions and personnel along the Oline the last few years, it has become apparent that anyone would be inconsistent considering they never had a specific spot.  That will change this year and unless the Dolphins Oline is riddled with injuries yet again, then Shelton should spend the entire month of August racking up practice time.  Should he get that chance, the Dolphins will have the consistency to make their unit special.  Once they get acclimated to playing along side each other full time, they should gel a lot quicker.

Mike Rosenthal:  Mike will push both tackle spots for playing time and he has 9 years of experience to do it.  He is not better than either Carey or Shelton but he has the experience to make up for it.  He could stand to push Shelton hard.  I would not be surprised to see Rosenthal make LJ work for every play.  Rosenthal was in line to become a great Olineman on a poor line in Minnesota before injuring his ankle and eventually seeing Steve Hutchinson brought in as well as a trade for another Olineman.  Rosenthal became expendable quick and never reached his full potential which could have been huge.  Still, he has one of the best coaches now in the NFL in Houch and if he can overcome some of the mental issues that plagued him, he could stand to take over for Shelton should Shelton play poorly.  Still, if Rosenthal wants to win the RT job, he will have to play exceptional.  He has yet to show in the last few years that he can.

Joe Toledo:  If ever there was a guy to use the word “potential” on, it is Joe Toledo.  He has the skills, he has the athleticism, he just can not stay healthy.  Call it a curse perhaps.  It wasn’t enough to be on IR last year, he had to slip getting out of the teams rehab spa and damage his ankle to the point that it needed surgery.

In terms of what Toledo will accomplish this year, the only thing you really need to watch is whether or not he can 1: get healthy enough to participate, and 2: stay healthy.  If he can accomplish those two things, we can revisit him later.  Until then, there is no reason to discuss what he brings to the team or who he might push.

Anthony Alabi:  Out of college he was projected as an early 5th round pick, he was taken by Miami in the early 5th.  Alabi plays better than he practices which is all well and fine but if you can’t play well when you practice your never going to become a starter.  Alabi has the potential as he can be a monster blocker in the NFL if he can adjust to the game.  So far he has not.  Injuries have also played a part in his problems but even when in there he seems to not measure up to the expected potential. 

He will get another chance yet again this year to show that the he can play at the NFL level.  He is entering year 3 and it is time to show that he belongs.  The Dolphins will likely keep him around and if he can not grasp the duties of a Tackle as it is expected, it may not be a bad idea to try him out at a guard spot and see how he does.

This is a make or break year for Alabi in my opinion.  He will either show that he has value to the team before his contract is up or he will be gone after this season.  He will be worth watching to see if he potential can finally be realized.  If it is, Miami will have a solid tackle on the roster.  If it is not, they will have nothing more than a mediocre underachieving back-up.

Marion Dukes/Julius Wilson:  Both of these guys are rookies and it is likely that one of them should make the team.  Of the two Dukes has the most upside signing with the Phins as an undrafted free agent.

The former Clemson Tiger, Dukes, was one of the nations top Olineman out of high-school and played more snaps than any other lineman in the final 5 games of the Clemson season.  He is big and strong, but lacks structure and discipline.  He is still a project and will have the opportunity to develop under Hudson Houck.

Wilson on the other hand at 6-5 310 pounds played at UAB and will be battling with Dukes for a spot.  He too possess skills that made him one of the top Olineman in the conference.  Still, he, like Dukes went undrafted and was signed by the Dolphins as a free agent.

Overview/predictions:

These are spots to watch in the TC.  Like I said earlier, as the tackles go so goes the Fins the offense.  The biggest spots to watch are the left side with Carey and how he progresses in his transition.  The battle for the RT spot will be worth watching as Shelton and Rosenthal battle for that job.  If one of them becomes unimpressive or doesn’t perform well, they may end up battling for a job with Alabi or a healthy Toledo.

As far as Toledo and Alabi go, they both need to stay healthy and produce or this will be the last year for them and the bust label will be applied.  Another thing to watch is which of these players will be shifted to the guard spot?  Unless the depth at guard changes, it is a possibility as the tackles seem to be worth more in terms of provided production.

During training camp the only thing that will behoove the Dolphins is continuity.  For the veterans who have been here for at least 2 years, there has been too much shuffling around, both at guard and tackle.  This year, the line is set and there will be no shifting to accommodate the play of different styled QBs.  Over the last few years that shifting has caused the oline to not become cohesive for over month.  They just have not had the practice time together to become acclimated to each others style of play or to learn each others tendencies.  That should not be the case this year, and that should mean that by the start of the season, we should see a better organized unit without the pitfalls that we saw last year early in the year.  Training camp is the key to the success of this unit.  That is why in my opinion, it should be the most watched.  The unit from TE to TE should start off rough, it is the progress from the start to the finish that this unit should be measured by.  They have until September 9th to get it together.