Five Players to Start Over With

Lespaul brought this up on comment section of my last article. I am curious as to what the rest of you think. This is purely for fun and obviously has zero reflect on what the team can/would do, but if you could keep just five players off the current Dolphins roster and start the rest from scratch, who would you pick and why? 

Don’t worry about contracts, and how much money anybody would cost. Purely your opinion here, no right or wrong answer. Here are my five:

1. Daniel Thomas – I know, we already have injury issues with him, but I like the way he runs. He needs to learn how to hold onto the football better, but that will come with time. Despite missing time, he currently leads all rookies in yards so far (granted, it’s a weak rookie rushing class, but still), and I just like the way he plays. He is certainly somebody who could carry the load.

2. Davone Bess – I love Bess, regardless of what anybody says. If he was in the right situation, he could be Wes Welker, possibly even better. Unfortunately, the Dolphins seriously under-utilize him, probably because Brandon Marshall commands so much attention from whoever our quarterback happens to be. You will be hard-pressed to find somebody in the NFL with better hands than Bess. Pair him up a legitimate deep threat and watch him work underneath.

3. Jake Long – I don’t feel like I need to justify this pick. Even though he hasn’t quite been himself so far this year, Long is by far one of the best linemen in the league at arguably the most important position on the line. People bash the Dolphins for not drafting Matt Ryan in the 2008 draft, but without Long, Ryan would’ve had exactly 8 milliseconds to throw the ball. Keep him in Miami.

4. Jimmy Wilson – I may take some heat for this one, but I love the way this kid plays. Yes, he is a raw. Yes, he isn’t the best cover guy, but he has heart and a desire to learn. The man spent two years in jail for a crime in which he was acquitted, so you know he will never take his life or career in the NFL for granted. And really here, so far in five games, the Dolphins have two interceptions, and Wilson has accounted for half of them. He also has a forced fumble. I’m not saying Wilson is going to be great, but it’s good to have some heart on your team and Wilson could certainly be the heart of a defense.

5. Brandon Fields – How can you not? He’s our MVP so far this season (and I really wish I was joking when I said that). I mean, listen to these stats. He is averaging a yard shy of 50 yards per punt. Out of his 22 punts this season, 10 of them have landed inside the 20. His long for the season: 70 yards. And he has yet to have a touchback. Field position is the most underrated aspect of a football game in my opinion, and we overlook how often Fields pins his opponents deep in their own territory. If we had any sort of defense, that would seriously help keeping points off the board.

Those are my five. I considered Mike Pouncey, Vontae Davis and Dan Carpenter as well, but ultimately ended up with these guys.

What about you? Who would you take off the roster? Think my picks are nuts? Let me know!

Twitter – @notquiterosey