Switch to a 3-4 defense?

[FTLDOLFAN]

Does anybody think that might be a good idea?

NT Jordan Phillips - At 6'5 330 lbs he certainly has the size to play the NT position.

DE Suh - I know he is ideally suited to be a 4-3 DT but he didn't really have much of an impact last year in that role. I don't see why he couldn't move to DE in a 3-4 scheme especially if he lost about 20 lbs. He might welcome the move since he would see fewer double teams playing as a 3-4 DE.

DE Carl Nassib or Jonathan Bullard - I think at least either one of them should be available in the 2nd round. They are both ideally suited as 3-4 DE's.

OLB Olivier Vernon - He was more of a 3-4 OLB coming out of Miami. He is a liability against the run as a 4-3 DE. He is probably better suited to play as a 3-4 OLB. He has good coverage skills and he can rush the passer.

OLB Dion Jordan - This is the position he should be playing since it would suit his skill set more favorably. He needs to get back down to about 260 lbs.

OLB Yannick Ngakoue - He quietly put up some impressive numbers at Maryland as a Senior with 38 tackles 15 for a loss and 13.5 sacks. He would mainly play on passing downs since he is a better pass rusher than Dion Jordan. I think we could draft him in the 3rd round.

ILB Jelani Jenkins - I know he is better suited as a 4-3 WLB but he could probably move to ILB in a 3-4 scheme since he would be playing next to another ILB.

ILB Blake Martinez - Tackling machine with good instincts for Stanford. We should be able to get him in the 4th round. He is the kind of player the Patriots would take.

DB Trumaine Johnson - Very good corner for the Rams and he is only 26 years old.

DB Vernon Hargreaves - We draft him in the first round.

FS Tashaun Gipson - Very good FS for the Browns and he is only 25 years old.

SS Rehsad Jones - Pro Bowl safety.

How would that defense look?

[AquaXI]

I like how you mixed it up and got a superb end result. I don't want to be stuck with one type defense. Better get the best athletes and adapt in a hybrid and able to play 2 positions while letting the coaches figure out to best use them.

[cuchulainn]

Yes, please... lol...

Would love to sign both Johnson and Gipson and draft Hargreaves or Alexander in the 1st.

Not sure how realistic it'll be to expect DJordan back... If you caught the presser today from Tbaum and Grier...

Tannenbaum / Grier notes

Andrew Abramson @AbramsonPBP 3m3 minutes ago Mobile, AL
Tannenbaum is meeting with media says he will take a close look at restructuring Suh's deal so less of cap hit next year

Adam Beasley @AdamHBeasley 2m2 minutes ago
Will Dion Jordan have a spot when he's eligible to return? Tannenbaum said this is a "meritocracy".

Andrew Abramson @AbramsonPBP 28s29 seconds ago Mobile, AL
Chris Grier says Dolphins would love to have Vernon and Miller back but they'll see what happens when negotiations begin

Andrew Abramson @AbramsonPBP 3m3 minutes ago Mobile, AL
Tannenbaum not saying much on whether he expects Dion Jordan to play next season. If he's reinstated they'll take a close look at him

My take from the presser was that OV, Grimes and Miller aren't that high on the priority list though they may be playing them down as a negotiation tactic. Suh restructuring should be a must and will depend on what FAs they want to pursue.

When Jordan gets reinstated in April they will take a look at where he is physically and mentally, then give him a shot to make the team. I wouldn't count on him though. More likely we see a re-structure Coples and a FA or rookie at OLB.

[FTLDOLFAN]

Yes, please... lol...

Would love to sign both Johnson and Gipson and draft Hargreaves or Alexander in the 1st.

Not sure how realistic it'll be to expect DJordan back... If you caught the presser today from Tbaum and Grier...



My take from the presser was that OV, Grimes and Miller aren't that high on the priority list though they may be playing them down as a negotiation tactic. Suh restructuring should be a must and will depend on what FAs they want to pursue.

When Jordan gets reinstated in April they will take a look at where he is physically and mentally, then give him a shot to make the team. I wouldn't count on him though. More likely we see a re-structure Coples and a FA or rookie at OLB.

I hope we can at least sign either Trumaine Johnson or Tashaun Gipson in FA and if we sign both of them that would be ideal. If we can't sign Gipson then we can draft a FS. I like Darian Thompson from Boise State in the 2nd round or Deon Bush from Miami in the 4th round.

I think we should resign OV. We can't keep shedding talent. I would also draft another pass rusher. Like I mentioned Ngakoue in the 3rd round. I would hope we have Dion Jordan next year. Does anybody know if he still wants to play football? Does he want to retire at such a young age? With the proper coaching he could still be a stud if we use him properly.

[DolphinsFreak]

The 3-4 scares me because no linebacker on the Dophins has impressed me since Zack Thomas. It would be that much harder to fill the holes if we had to add another linebacker to already LONG list of needs. JMO

[Driven_Phinsane!]

I'd be open more to a hybrid defense and i love a good 3-4..My problem is that an elite NT (which it pretty much takes to run a really good 3-4) is about as hard to find as a top tier franchise QB..Maybe JPhillips can evolve into that guy, maybe not,, i know he has the talent but if we rely on him to man the spot and he doesn't step up, we'd be stuck with a lot of guys geared toward playing a specific D...It'll be interesting to see Vance Josephs take on the new (hopefully it's gonna be way different than the OLD) D.

[Bahamas]

we won't be moving to a 3-4...

If anything we are going to be playing a 3-4 hybrid nickel package, where your line up make sense....but we will only be in nickel in passing situations.

[So Be]

Phillips has not shown VG ability to take on blockers at DT, next to Suh, let alone being a NT. That could change in a year or so but not now. May be wrong but don't see suh being happy with the change. May need to look at a trade next year IF we do not restructure. OV is gonna get a ton of money as a pass rushing 4-3 DE, and will not stay for a change. Not overly religious but, counting on Jordan would be a second "Resurrection." Moving Jenkins to a new position makes little sense, see Ellerbe and Wheeler, etc.

Going to a 3-4 this year would be a good move IF you are looking for a top 5 draft pick next year. JMO

[Seadog]

We have no LB'ers, so a 3-4 would be disastrous for this team.

There is not 1 single LB that could start on a good D in this league, the only LB I saw that did well when they let him play, Hewitt....

[cuchulainn]

Agree with Bahamas... reposting the below again...

Whether we ''run'' a 4-3 or a 3-4, it's mostly just nomenclature anyway as most of your defense is nickel in today's NFL. As for players, Mitchell played Nose in Phillip's 3-4 while in Houston. Suh can play anything up front, but would most likely be a DE. Wade Phillips' style of 3-4 uses a shaded NT and a 3-technique. It won't matter much with Suh as he's capable of playing 1, 2i, 3, and 4i techniques. He's a definite fit IMO...

Jordan Phillips was a NT in a similar style of defense at Oklahoma, so he is already familiar with it. The hard part would be finding a guy to play the J.J. Watt role - the 4, 5 and 6 technique guy. On the roster, that's most likely Coples and/or Shelby as guys who probably have similar skills for the role.

One of the "DE" spots under Phillips is someone playing 3-technique, which is mostly what Suh has played. It's a one-gap scheme so I don't think there's much worry about Suh sitting as a 5-technique and 2-gapping. He's a fit, and his position doesn't change that much. You can still move him where you want him and have him create havok.

We're really going to need a pass-rush OLB. Wake is only good for situational football at this point. If we don't re-sign Vernon then we'll need a 4/5/6 technique end, unless they think Coples and/or Fede can do it. We need to prioritize re-signing Shelby, then get a bigger ILB to play next to Jenkins and a bigger SAM. Not sure any of our other LBs are a fit, but we'll see if Hewitt can continue to develop and fill out his frame...

YMMV.

[Seadog]

...We're really going to need a pass-rush OLB...

This is a very big key part of a successful D.....

[cuchulainn]

Yeah, let's see what we do with Coples... not sure we're through with him. Previous year at OLB, he had 6.5 sacks and a FF.

[cuchulainn]

Found this on Dion Jordan from Tessler Performance Sports, who trains a lot of NFL players around the league... Hope it's true.

Brett Tessler @TesslerSports
Next year's Comeback Player Award will go to Dion Jordan. SUPREMELY talented & horribly misused in the past.. knows this is his last chance.

[Dolfan1]

Found this on Dion Jordan from Tessler Performance Sports, who trains a lot of NFL players around the league... Hope it's true.

I got some ocean front property in Arizona. / From my front porch you can see the sea. / I got some ocean front property in Arizona. / If you'll buy that, I'll throw the golden gate in free.…

[cuchulainn]

I'll take it... lol...

That's the only positive news we've had on DJ in forever. If he really is working out with Tessler Sports, it's a good thing. Again, I'm not banking on him, just taking a wait and see approach. At least it's not an arrest warrant...

[Dolfan1]

LOL, excellent point.

[So Be]

Joseph's plans on defense - Sticking with the 4-3

New Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will unveil his defensive plans when he meets with the media for the first time on Thursday.

But one thing is already clear: He will continue to run a 4-3 defense, according to a source.

It’s no surprise that the Dolphins want to stick to a 4-3 — it’s the defense best suited for Ndamukong Suh and it’s also what Joseph is familiar with from his time as defensive backs coach of the Bengals.





The Dolphins are at the Senior Bowl this week scouting talent with major needs in the secondary and at linebacker. They are also looking to add defensive line depth.

It’s still undetermined whether Miami will bring back cornerback Brent Grimes or defensive end Cam Wake at their current salary — they’re both more than a $9 million cap hit next year although neither is guaranteed.

Wake has said he is open to a possibly restructure. Grimes hasn’t publicly said if he would take less money to return.


http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpo...-vance-joseph/

[Dolfan1]

"Grimes hasn’t publicly said if he would take less money to return"

probably has to get Miko's permission first..

[Daytona Dolfan]

Not for nuttin' but I'd have to get my wife's permission first also.... I'd rather face Denvers defense then piss her off.