Clock is ticking on the Miami Dolphins and decisions are about to be made

The clock is ticking on the Miami Dolphins and decisions are about to be made regarding the future of this team and the direction it needs to go.

So as the depression of watching another playoff season go by with no aqua and orange representation, and with another clean sweep of the powers that lead our beloved franchise being removed, the fans are left to ponder who will be the new leaders and how will the new staff build a better, more competitive Miami Dolphin football team.

So, it appears that New England defensive coordinator Brian Flores is the leading candidate to take the Miami Dolphins head coaching vacancy, but really there are only three people who know if that is true or not. Stephen Ross, Chris Grier and of course Brian Flores. Unfortunately for everyone the playoff rule for hiring a coach from a staff currently involved in the playoffs has stinted the excitement for the new hire and has led the grapevine to go wild with speculations.

It’s getting tough hearing all the hires, plans and drafting strategies for most of the other NFL teams not currently still playing, as the Miami Dolphins sit back and wait for the stars to align so they can proceed with their off-season plans. Chris Grier, the new leader of the pack, seems to have a solid game plan and has slowly made some changes to not only the coaching tree, but to the executive branch as well. He has lined up some personnel with a lot of scouting pedigrees and that can only help build a stronger team in my opinion.

What are some immediate decisions the new head coach and Chris Grier will have to make? First and foremost, the assistants, which have already been ravaged from the other coaching changes around the league. There have been some names linked to the Miami Dolphin franchise but nothing is a done deal and no definitive roles have been placed, just a whole lot of my sources say kind of stuff.

There are going to be many changes to this roster for sure and of course everyone is eagerly awaiting for what is to happen at the QB position, well my sources are telling me that, hah, just kidding, no source has any idea what will happen yet, as the man calling that shot hasn’t even been hired yet, so let’s make that clear. If the new head coach wants and hopefully will make a change at the most important position the team, he will have some options.

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The new head coach has to decide if he keeps, releases, drafts, hires a journeyman or just simple rolls with a current QB on the roster whose name is not Ryan Tannehill. Then follows the decision to which draft do you take a young future QB, this one or the coveted 2020 draft. Myself, if I’m the Dolphins and Kyler Murray is there at 13, I take him and if the Miami Dolphins are as bad as everyone projects them to be, you simply take another one in the 2020 draft and let the competition begin, what could it hurt? I also would pitch hard for Nick Foles to be the in between, it would be cheaper than Ryan Tannehill and would bring better leadership, accuracy and pocket presence to the position.

So now we get to the draft and this of course would change once we have a firm grasp of schemes the new head coach will want to deploy. But, we have immediate needs at several positions. If the Dolphins don’t want Kyler Murray or Dwayne Haskins then first and foremost get me two of these offensive lineman:

Michael Dieter (Guard) from Wisconsin. A diverse three position experienced offensive line bully. Very athletic, meaning he can pull and would be excellent at the screen pass set up Kenyan Drake and Kalen Ballage will be running.

Chris Lindstrom (Guard) from Boston College. Big and strong with quick feet that moves well at all levels and possesses great hands. Unfortunately, he might be a top 10 pick and will be long gone before the Dolphins pick at 13.

Tyler Biadasz (Center/Guard) from Wisconsin. A power center who use to play guard, so he is another offensive lineman with multiple position experience. He plays with a solid base and is a great lane creator. A little coaching and he can be as solid as they come. he simple can move people.

Elgton Jenkins (Center) from Mississippi State. A stellar combo blocking center, meaning he can get out to the next level and get his hands on someone. He possesses great football IQ which helps with his ability to recognize blitz packages and delayed developing blitz plays. Also has good lateral movement which comes into play for pulling or in screen plays.

Now the Miami Dolphins will also need a big defensive tackle to help stop the rail road that has been running through the middle of our line for years. There are a lot of options here like:

Christian Wilkins (Defensive Tackle) from Clemson. One of many great defensive players from this Clemson team. He is an elite penetrator with a huge motor that is always wide open. He is a slippery player which allows him to disengage late from his block and has great hands.

Ed Oliver (Defensive Tackle) from Houston. This guy is really intriguing, he is a little light, but possess fantastic leverage that helps him mask his mass deficiency. A huge motor on this guy and has proven to be an elite penetrator as well. Of course, most of his games are against the smaller schools in the AAC, but he could be something special.

Rashard Lawerence (Defensive Tackle) from LSU. The Dolphins luck with LSU guys has been very good and this could be another possibility. A big and powerful violent handed defender. He needs some work to help with his attacking creativity but can handle the double teams well.

The new head coach and Chris Grier must address these three spots immediately. The offensive line has some bright spots as does the defensive line, but gaping holes also exist. Cameron Wake will most likely create another issue for this team, but after watching him this last season I think father time has bit into the man’s invincibility. I think it is actually time to move away from him as a starter, or all together and re-energize that position with some youth and attitude.

I think this Miami Dolphins team is on the right path now, but we really won’t know anything until we actually see what starts to develop in the coming months. I for one am excited to see change. I really hope we see a young gun-slinger soon and that just might be the spark that this team needs the most, for its players and its fan base.

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