Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Gillislee was drafted #164 overall by the Dolphins, in the 5th round of the NFL Draft.  He’s 5’11″, 208 lbs and ran the 40 yard dash in 4.55 seconds.  He’s not blazing fast like Lamar Miller and he didn’t have a ton of production at Florida, but Gillislee will compete for a spot on the Dolphins roster.  He didn’t become the starting running back at Florida until his senior season, when he carried 244 times for 1,152 yards and 10 TDs.  that’s over a 4.7 yard per carry average in the SEC, which isn’t too shabby.

Gillislee doesn’t do any one particular thing really well.  BUT, he does a lot of different things well.  He can catch the ball out of the backfield, he has good vision to spot running lanes, and he’s good in pass protection.  For these reasons, I believe that Gillislee will be the Dolphins 3rd down back this season.  I think the Dolphins will use Lamar Miller as their starting running back, with Daniel Thomas backing him up.  Gillislee will come in on 3rd and long or obvious passing situations to help pick up defensive blitzers.  (CLICK HERE, continued on page 2)

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The Dolphins played a 4-3 defense for a majority of the season in 2013 under first year defensive coordinator, Kevin Coyle.  However, the moves made this offseason would suggest that changes are coming to the Dolphins defense.  Gone are run stoppers Kevin Burnett and Karlos Dansby, from the middle of the defense.  Incoming defensive pieces include the more athletic linebackers Philip Wheeler, Dannell Ellerbe, hybrid Dion Jordan, and defensive tackle Vaughn Martin.  These new pieces suggest that the Dolphins might be considering a more hybrid defense in 2013.

In this hybrid system, where will rookie Dion Jordan fit in?  I think the Dolphins will break the rookie in slowly.  I know, I know, he was the #3 selection in the draft.  BUT, he’s coming off of a shoulder injury and will miss most of the offseason workouts due to school.  The NFL prohibits players from participating in OTA (organized training activities) until they have graduated or finished their semester.  this means Jordan will take part in the June mini camp, but after that, we won’t see him again until training camp in late July.  All of this hinges on how quickly he can rehab his shoulder injury.  (CLICK HERE, continued on page 2)

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It seems as though the Dolphins are not willing to pay for any renovations, completely on their own.  Their goal in all of this is to bring more Super Bowls, NCAA football bowls, and international sporting events to South Florida.  Apparently, the powers that be did not see it as a worthwhile investment.  The Dolphins argued that the renovations were necessary to win future Super Bowls, which bring a large amount of economic boom to the South Florida community.  Again, the politicians saw things a little differently.  You can understand why, since the Marlins Park was recently paid for by taxpayers…..and we saw what happened there.  After 1 season of ‘going for it’, the Marlins dismantled their team and now operate with the 2nd lowest payroll in MLB.  After essentially getting burned, you can sort of understand the politicians position, even though the deal was structured MUCH differently with the Dolphins.

But why are these renovations so crucial for hosting a Super Bowl?  Didn’t the Dolphins just host a Super Bowl a few years ago?  Well, it all comes down to the NFL’s feeling that the stadium needs to be upgraded.  Usually, the NFL helps hosts cities by pressuring local communities to help build or renovate stadiums, then they rewards those communities that help, by giving them Super Bowls.  Super Bowls are not only prestigious  but they bring hundreds of thousands of people into a community for a week, which helps to spur the local economy.  Roger Goodell even tried to help the Dolphins by appearing before the state legislature last week.  (CLICK HERE, continued on page 2)

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As soon as Clabo was released a month ago, we wrote this post, suggesting that the Dolphins should be interested in Clabo.  It may have taken a month, but the Dolphins ultimately got Clabo…at a reasonable price.  Clabo is has started for the Falcons since the 2006 season and has not missed a game since then.  Clabo will turn 32 years old this season and is  6’6″, 325 lbs.  He is a very solid addition to the Dolphins offensive line.  According to ProFootballFocus, Clabo grades out as the best right tackle in the NFL over the last 3 years:

“Tyson Clabo has always been near the top of our OT rankings. His +67.6 @PFF grade over the past 3 seasons is the best of any right tackle.”

So, it would be hard for even the most pessimistic Dolphins fan to hate this signing.  Clabo is a talented player who doesn’t miss games due to injury.  He upgrades the offensive line.  However, the signing of Clabo means that the Dolphins are most likely going to have Jonathan Martin starting at left tackle (Ryan Tannehill just cringed a little).  Martin was ranked by ProFootballFocus as the 76th best offensive tackle (out of 80), in the NFL in 2012.  That scares me.  It probably scares you.  And it almost certainly scares the Dolphins and Mr. Tannehill.  (CLICK HERE, continued on page 2)

Since there isn’t a lot of news to report, we wanted to share a few stories with you that caught our attention.  Our Miami Musings this week will take a look at what we can expect from the Dolphins rookies, a Twitter hoax perpetrated by one of our readers, and a post that takes a closer look at what areas the Dolphins have improved in since last season.

Rookie Mini-Camp opens – Armando Salguero, Miami Herald

Armando does a pretty good job of laying out what we can expect from the Dolphins 2013 rookie class.  He suggests (and I think he’s right) that Dion Jordan and Jamar Taylor must contribute this season.  He says a reasonable expectation for Jordan should be 7-9 sacks and 15 hurries.  I don’t think that is unreasonable at all. Yes, Jordan will miss a good portion of the offseason work due to his class schedule and his shoulder injury, BUT if used correctly, he should be able to put up those kinds of numbers.

Where I disagree with Mando is regarding Dallas Thomas.  This was a 3rd round pick that Mando suggests, has time and could be a backup this season.  With the state of the Dolphins line, I think that would be a disappointment.  The Dolphins can move Richie Incognito to right guard and play Thomas at left guard, if he’s as good as we all hope.  There should not be an extended waiting period for him to contribute.  (CLICK HERE, continued on page 2)

Photo Courtesy of Clemed via Wikipedia

Let me be honest for a second, I actually like Tim Tebow. I, like many people, have had enough of the circus that follows him wherever he goes including the ridiculous coverage that ESPN gives him.  The guy was very good at Florida and showed some heart in Denver, but let’s face facts, he’s a backup quarterback in the NFL at best (and that is being generous).  I wish Tim the best of luck, but I do not believe he should even be considered by the Dolphins.

First, let’s look at the on the field effects.  Tebow would not beat out any of the 3 quarterbacks on the Dolphins roster right now.  He’s not better than Tannehill, Moore, or Devlin. Period.  If he were willing to switch positions, say to fullback or H-back, he still wouldn’t have much of a shot.  I highly doubt he’ll be as good of a blocker or pass catcher as Jorvorskie Lane at fullback.  The H-back position would essentially take the place of the Dolphins tight ends.  Is he going to beat out Dustin Keller?  No.  Will he beat out Dion Sims, the recent 4th round draft pick of the Dolphins?  No.  I’m not sure if he would beat out Charles Clay or even Michael Egnew, but even if he did he’d be the 3rd tight end on the team.  (CLICK HERE, continued on page 2)

The OT market continues to churn: Dolphins have considered Bryant McKinnie and Eric Winston, and Tyson Clabo will visit starting tonight

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) April 30, 2013

We mentioned Clabo as a viable option at the beginning of April.  Clabo will turn 32 this year, but has been an extremely durable, extremely good right tackle for the Falcons.  He hasn’t missed a game for the Falcons since he took over the starting job in 2006.  Clabo is also the highest rated right tackle by ProFootballFocus over the last 3 years.

As we mentioned yesterday, there is no way to know what the Dolphins ultimately want to do with their tackle situation.  Do they trust Jonathan Martin enough to play left tackle?  If so, signing Winston or Clabo makes sense.  However, if they are not sold on Martin at left tackle and want to keep him at right tackle, then trading for Albert or signing McKinnie would make sense.

The Dolphins are making one thing perfectly clear: They have options.  This is intelligent for a number of reasons.  First, the players the Dolphins are talking to want to find work.  So if the Dolphins can make it clear that they have multiple options, it may help lower the player’s price tag.  Secondly, the Dolphins might REALLY want to get this trade done for Branden Albert.  If the Dolphins make it known that they have multiple options, they’re probably doing so to make the Chiefs realize that their trade offer of a 3rd round pick in 2014 should be good enough.

We won’t know until someone is signed, but the Dolphins are doing their best to create as much uncertainty as possible.  The more viable options they have, the better their chances of getting the best deal possible.

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Photo Courtesy of Bobak Ha’Eri via Wikipedia

McKinnie hasn’t gotten much love from the World Champion Ravens.  He played well during their playoff run, so he’s certainly worth considering.  You have to also think that bringing McKinnie in, could be a leverage play to get either Eric Winston or the Chiefs, to blink in the Dolphins negotiations with each of them.

The Dolphins obviously know they need to either find a left tackle and move Jonathan Martin to right tackle OR bring in a starting caliber left tackle.  McKinnie would be the second of those two options.  The problem with McKinnie is that he will be 34 in September and has been showing some signs of decline.  We’ll see where this goes, but I’m guessing the Dolphins might want to get this tackle situation fixed quickly.

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Photo Courtesy of Jeffrey Beall via Wikipedia.org

The Dolphins came out of the 2013 draft, selecting only 1 offensive linemen, Dallas Thomas from Tennessee.  While Thomas played left tackle for part of his college career, he moved to guard in his senior season (and didn’t allow a sack).  Most would agree that Thomas projects more as a guard in the NFL than a tackle.  That is where I see him fitting in.  I think Richie Incognito will move over to right guard replacing John Jerry, and Thomas will be the Dolphins starting left guard.

But what about the tackle position?  Right now, the Dolphins would trot out Jonathan Martin at LT and Nate Garner at RT (possibly competing with John Jerry).  The Dolphins have not shown a ton of faith in Jonathan Martin at LT, because they haven’t signed a starting right tackle yet.  The reason that is important is because Martin would be the Dolphins right tackle if they can find a left tackle.  It’s all interwoven and has a bit of a domino effect.  (CLICK HERE, continued on page 2)

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Jamar Taylor is 5’11″, 192 lbs.  He ran the 40 yard dash in 4.39 seconds and bench pressed 225, 22 times.  He doesn’t mind getting physical with wide receivers and can help against the run.  Taylor was thought by some to be the 4th best cornerback in the draft, so it was surprising that he lasted so long.  Although Jeff Ireland said cornerback wasn’t a ‘need’, he knows that the NFL is a passing league and quality cornerbacks are valuable.  Here’s a look at Taylor’s highlight reel: