Future offensive line?

[FinFan in KC]

Albert, Tunsil, Pouncey, Bushrod and James

[AquaXI]

Tunsil and Bushrod is perfect but to tell you the truth I'm worried about our bookends. I honestly think James is overrated and Albert with all his injuries won't be the same. Don't get me wrong they are OK but like Gase said today's Ends are Monster fast.

[FTLDOLFAN]

Albert, Tunsil, Pouncey, Bushrod and James

I would agree with that assessment that should be our starting o-line on opening day. Tunsil will be our LT of the future after we get rid of Albert which will probably be next year. I think Turner should move to backup LT, he just doesn't seem to be able to cut it as an OG. Young will probably be our backup RT. James had a good rookie season at RT but then injuries plagued him last year so if he can get back to his rookie form we should be alright. Thomas will probably be a backup OG and this will be his last year with the Dolphins. Steen Urbik and Douglas will probably compete for 2 backup interior o-line positions.

Then we will be back to square one again next year where we have to find 2 starting OG's considering Tunsil will move to LT and Bushrod's age.

[DolphinsFreak]

Funny that the Dolphins best Right Guard is a Left Tackle.

Aparently Dallas Thomas is being attacked on social media and he is upset about these internet tough guys typing mean things about his play on the field that they would never say to his face. It seems as though Thomas is trying to get tough with Average Joe's who are correctly evaluating his performance rather then take his anger and his "tough guy" attitude on the field and use it against guys his own size.

[cuchulainn]

I don't think there is any doubt that Tunsil will be the starting LG by game 3 of PS. The coaches have been bringing him along slowly and rotating him in as he learns the new position and gets comfortable working inside.

Bushrod was Gase's starting LT in Chicago before injury and he hasn't gotten much work this off-season at the new position.

The concern remains with the OL... 1st drive of the Giants game - 1st down, run play, Dallas Thomas get's beat. He was stood up by the DT and the run by Ajayi went for no gain. Next play Albert half-asses it, Dallas get's beat, and Tannehill is under instant pressure. He dumps the ball to Landry for 1 yard. Then 3rd and 9, Dallas Thomas gets bull rushed by a 3rd round rookie right back into Tannehill, who tries to move up, but James is also crushed back into him. Dallas stands and watches as the rookie defender mauls his QB.

Brandon Albert usually saves himself for the RS and never goes all out in the PS, but for someone who lost 25 lbs, he looked stiff and immobile. He usually plays a bit upright, but he showed less lateral movement in his slide and made little effort to seal off OV and prevent him from going inside. I expected more pride from him and he looked like he didn't GAF.

Billy Turner is still inconsistent at RG. He is clearly better than Dallas Thomas on the other side though. He still has his good punch and shows good strength. He can get to the 2nd level while trying to make contact on LBs. He gets in trouble when he lunges, which is where he got beat badly and ended up on the ground and allowing an easy sack when he was taking snaps at RT.

Pouncey is still weak at the POA. He just lacks ideal strength for a Center. Steen is a work in progress while learning OC, but I like him a lot and he doesn't look overwhelmed like Jamil Douglas did last season.

Bushrod is another LT learning to play OG. He's also coming off injury. Not sure he's going to beat out Turner anytime soon.

Urbik wasn't anything special, nor would you expect him to be, but he anchors well and should be good depth.

Laremy Tunsil, while not facing the Giants 1st stringers, just physically made it look easy when he was out there. He holds up well at the POA and when other's are getting pushed back, he's holding his ground. He's still learning the position though and having to learn his assignments. He missed an assignment in the 2nd Qtr on a pass play intended for Grant resulting in Matt Moore getting hit on the release. Tunsil picked up the DT to the inside and the Giants were able to get aother defender in the gap he created. He should've passed off the DT to his inside shoulder to Steen at Center and picked up the defender who came around into the hole he created. This is just inexperience for him though. He'll pick this stuff up as he gets more snaps.

[Seadog]

Start Tunsil at LT and put Fat Albert at RT, what we put out on the field last week was an total embarrassment to the game...And if Gace still thinks DT is a good OL, he should turn in his clip board...

First 1st down, midway through the 2nd Q....

[Driven_Phinsane!]

Start Tunsil at LT and put Fat Albert at RT, what we put out on the field last week was an total embarrassment to the game...And if Gace still thinks DT is a good OL, he should turn in his clip board...

First 1st down, midway through the 2nd Q....

I'd love to see those two manning the Tackle spots..and maybe think about replacing the turnstiles at the Guard positions with ticket booths, at least then the opposing D would have to slow down for a second while they look for the appropriate change....

[kelbail2.2]

Fair assessments all around on our O line. Clearly remember the play where Tunsil helped double one guy which allowed another rusher to slide right past and pressure the QB. Whether it's Pouncey or Tunsil or our RG, one thing that stands out is that the offensive lineman that ends up without a guy to block in pass protection has to do a better job of scanning back and forth and aiding his fellow line mates. Instead of just picking one guy and throwing oneself into a double team, they need to realize that just a good jolting punch to the collar bone of an engaged rusher as a momentum stopper can be all his teammate needs to stabilize his block and this tactic can be applied to two or three rushers on one play. There have been instances where a blocker could have punched one Defensive Tackle and then slid back the other way and punched the other rusher and then stood firm and held an extended arm on both rushers as they converged and the three O linemen would have created a wall that stopped the defensive push altogether. Even worse, I've seen an OG or even our Center not get engaged off the snap and stand in his place and do nothing at all. I mean, retreat to the depth of the oncoming rushers' push and don't allow them to slide back in your direction or allow DEs to loop inside.
On our first pass play when Vernon gets inside of Albert and shoots inside, Billy Turner engages the LDT first and then Pouncey absorbs his inside shoulder. At that point, Turner disengages and slides outside to no one and leaves Pouncey in a man to man block. When Turner realizes he has put himself in no man's land, he goes and unnecessarily throws himself into the DE who is completely under the control of J James. First off, once Turner took on the DT, Pouncey could have applied a good punch to the DTs right shoulder and maintained pressure with his arm extended then slid right back to the left and destroyed Vernon with a near blind side hit. If the old #57 was still at the pivot, Vernon would have been carried off on a stretcher. This O line needs to do a better job of keeping their heads up and being less individualistic. They need to learn to do a better job of chipping and using each other and pinned D linemen to seal leaks and form a wall.
Ronnie Lott once said the best player in football was Dolphins' Center Dwight Stephenson because when you rushed Dolphins QB Dan Marino and you saw Dwight Stephenson, you were scared. When you didn't see him, you were terrified.
That said, once Tunsil steps in at LG and the line gels and becomes a unit, the talent will shine. I like Bushrod at RG. Much more natural in pass pro. This group should really watch film of the '84 team and how they worked together and handled stunts and blitzes. This unit can be DOMINANT. It starts with being smart and being ONE.

[kelbail2.2]

BTW FinFan, that starting five you listed, "Now that's my kind of party!"

[cuchulainn]

Fair assessments all around on our O line. Clearly remember the play where Tunsil helped double one guy which allowed another rusher to slide right past and pressure the QB. Whether it's Pouncey or Tunsil or our RG, one thing that stands out is that the offensive lineman that ends up without a guy to block in pass protection has to do a better job of scanning back and forth and aiding his fellow line mates. Instead of just picking one guy and throwing oneself into a double team, they need to realize that just a good jolting punch to the collar bone of an engaged rusher as a momentum stopper can be all his teammate needs to stabilize his block and this tactic can be applied to two or three rushers on one play. There have been instances where a blocker could have punched one Defensive Tackle and then slid back the other way and punched the other rusher and then stood firm and held an extended arm on both rushers as they converged and the three O linemen would have created a wall that stopped the defensive push altogether. Even worse, I've seen an OG or even our Center not get engaged off the snap and stand in his place and do nothing at all. I mean, retreat to the depth of the oncoming rushers' push and don't allow them to slide back in your direction or allow DEs to loop inside.
On our first pass play when Vernon gets inside of Albert and shoots inside, Billy Turner engages the LDT first and then Pouncey absorbs his inside shoulder. At that point, Turner disengages and slides outside to no one and leaves Pouncey in a man to man block. When Turner realizes he has put himself in no man's land, he goes and unnecessarily throws himself into the DE who is completely under the control of J James. First off, once Turner took on the DT, Pouncey could have applied a good punch to the DTs right shoulder and maintained pressure with his arm extended then slid right back to the left and destroyed Vernon with a near blind side hit. If the old #57 was still at the pivot, Vernon would have been carried off on a stretcher. This O line needs to do a better job of keeping their heads up and being less individualistic. They need to learn to do a better job of chipping and using each other and pinned D linemen to seal leaks and form a wall.
Ronnie Lott once said the best player in football was Dolphins' Center Dwight Stephenson because when you rushed Dolphins QB Dan Marino and you saw Dwight Stephenson, you were scared. When you didn't see him, you were terrified.
That said, once Tunsil steps in at LG and the line gels and becomes a unit, the talent will shine. I like Bushrod at RG. Much more natural in pass pro. This group should really watch film of the '84 team and how they worked together and handled stunts and blitzes. This unit can be DOMINANT. It starts with being smart and being ONE.

Some good stuff in this post... agree on all accounts....

Was watching some Marino highlights this morning. There wouldn't be a guy within 2 yards of Marino on some throws. Just crazy how good this OL was at times and how he could bullet the ball down the field. Sad about Dwight. Glad he made the HOF. Well deserved.

Never heard Dwight say anything about Pouncey, but he had some good stuff to say about Tunsil.

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2016/06/dwight-stephenson-laremy-tunsil-has-all-the-tools-that-you-need-to-be-great.html

"The quarterback needs to be able to set back there and have confidence in the offensive line," Stephenson said at his charity golf tournament Wednesday morning. "I do think it was part of the problem last year."

But Stephenson has reason for optimism. And his name is Laremy Tunsil, the Dolphins' first-round pick and future left tackle. (Tunsil is expected to play guard as a rookie.)

"I think [Tunsil] is going to turn out to be a good addition," Stephenson said. "He looks like an athlete. He looks like he can do a lot of things. Obviously, I feel like he can play left tackle. He looks like a guy that has all the physical tools that you need. He has good quickness, he has his size and everything. It looks like he's a very intelligent gentleman. I think he's going to be a good addition to the Dolphins."

[kelbail2.2]

Should I dare say it? Best O line in football in 2016. Should I say it? Okay, I won't. But I believe it.

[AquaXI]

Wow that's going out on a limb. I'll be modest and say that we are only 10-13 but I hope you are right.

[Wulf]

Tunsil and Bushrod is perfect but to tell you the truth I'm worried about our bookends. I honestly think James is overrated and Albert with all his injuries won't be the same. Don't get me wrong they are OK but like Gase said today's Ends are Monster fast.

I see us looking into getting another OT next off-season, because James seems to get his name called more for penalties than big plays,
and Laremy Tunsil moving back to the outside to replace Albert in the near future. Overall, this year's starting OL could just be the best one we've fielded in a decade, but there is much room left for improvement...

[cuchulainn]

I see us looking into getting another OT next off-season, because James seems to get his name called more for penalties than big plays,
and Laremy Tunsil moving back to the outside to replace Albert in the near future. Overall, this year's starting OL could just be the best one we've fielded in a decade, but there is much room left for improvement...

I tend to give to James the benefit of the doubt as most of the negative stuff about him comes when facing premier pass rushers. Wake and Mario have beaten him, but that's been expected. No OT wins them all against some of the best DE's in the game and the AFCE has really stout defenses.

I will say that James hasn't look or performed the same since the leg injury. Hoping we can keep him and Albert both healthy enough to start and finish this season. We are simply not a team that can overcome missing Albert, Pouncey, and James as much as we did last season. I do feel better about our depth this season.


Per PFF:

Pass blocking:
Albert...+5.3
James...+1.5
Pouncey..-0.9
Turner...-4.0
Fox....-19.8
Douglas...-20.1
Thomas...-21.9

Run blocking:
Pouncey...+1.4
James...-5.3
Albert...-7.4
Douglas...-10.7
Fox...-17.2
Thomas...-23.2
Turner...-24.2

That looks really accurate IMO. Jettisoning Fox was a must, but Thomas needs to never see the field again in any capacity other than a backup role.

I wish we'd traded Pouncey a season or two ago or moved him permanently to RG. In 2014, the line calls and protection was much better with Satale at OC than at any point with Pouncey. I was hoping we'd take Mack off the Browns hands when the were shopping him a couple seasons ago.

Intrigued by Anthony Steen and hoping he develops as Pouncey has missed playing time each of the past 3 seasons. Steen is squatty with short arms and those kind of guys are usually better off at center. Don't ever want to see Douglas back at OC in any capacity. He's a huge liability in that role.

[DolphinsFreak]

C'mon Cuch, you're being way to kind to Thomas. After seeing these numbers he should never see the field again as a Dolphinin any capacity. Even the untrained eye can see th guy is not a good guard but when you couple the eye test with these numbers, it's time to CUT the bottom two players.

Per PFF:

Pass blocking:
Albert...+5.3
James...+1.5
Pouncey..-0.9
Turner...-4.0
Fox....-19.8
Douglas...-20.1
Thomas...-21.9

Run blocking:
Pouncey...+1.4
James...-5.3
Albert...-7.4
Douglas...-10.7
Fox...-17.2
Thomas...-23.2
Turner...-24

[cuchulainn]

C'mon Cuch, you're being way to kind to Thomas. After seeing these numbers he should never see the field again as a Dolphinin any capacity. Even the untrained eye can see th guy is not a good guard but when you couple the eye test with these numbers, it's time to CUT the bottom two players.

Per PFF:

Pass blocking:
Albert...+5.3
James...+1.5
Pouncey..-0.9
Turner...-4.0
Fox....-19.8
Douglas...-20.1
Thomas...-21.9

Run blocking:
Pouncey...+1.4
James...-5.3
Albert...-7.4
Douglas...-10.7
Fox...-17.2
Thomas...-23.2
Turner...-24

I mostly agree, but we can't cut them all and these numbers were for Thomas as a starter. Most backups post similar numbers.

People have been upset with the coaching staff playing Thomas so much with the 1's in camp, but IMO, they were only letting him audition for a backup role while grooming Tunsil to build his skill and confidence.

[DolphinsFreak]

They are set at LT with Albert, Bushrod and now Tunsil, so I think Thams' days are numbered with the Dolphins. I think this his last season in Miami. Gase has no ties with him and he's proved his "worth" with the team.