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6 Defining Coaching Staff Decisions- 2009 Season- Miami Dolphins

This is a quick review of what I think have been the most important decisions this Coaching Staff and Front Office have taken since the start of the 2009 off season until this day. 

1- Jake grove - Many doubted this off season move, not me I can proudly say. That big of a white man playing Center can only mean one thing; success. All kidding aside, he has been outstanding. There is no way you could argue that, since right now we are the best rushing attack in the league. Specially when running between the tackles, your center is a big part of that success. Good move right there. 

2- Let chad henne sit- Many wanted Henne on the field as soon as possible when he was drafted, however, after watching his poise and grasp of the offense you can't help but feel like all that time he spent learning behind Pennington really gave him a chance to prepare for the job. Just look at the true rookies that are out there. Mark Sanchez has looked awful the last couple of games and they are saying the playbook and offense is still too complex for him, plus he is still to green on reading and understanding defenses. Not Henne though. 

3- Keeping Ricky on the field- Specially Matty insisted this off season that Ronnie Brown had got to get much more touches for him to get into a rhythm and be successful, even if that meant keeping Ricky on the sidelines. Well, thank God this coaching staff is still giving Ricky  a lot of touches , both in the running game and the short passing game. The guy is just a stud, and brings some elements to the table that Ronnie doesn't have. He's broke a couple of long ones in the wildcat, a huge screen pass and some key third down situations. One where he jumped over a jet defender to get 3 more yards and a key first down. Im going to go on a limb here and say this: on his prime, Ricky was twice the runner Ronnie will ever be. Not that it matters though. Good to see Ricky back and producing.  G4H 

4- starting sean smith bye eric green- This was either one of the two next suppositions. One, they brought in Eric Green to start while keeping the two rookies, including Sean Smith, on the bench developing. Or, they wanted to push one of the two rookies to out perform Green on practice and earn the starting spot. Either way, Sean Smith won the starting job while Davis has been getting a lot of playing time. In my opinion this was excellent. Not only because both rookies are developing nicely and quickly, but because Smith has been a vital part of this secondary thus far. He did a nice job against Reggie Wayne plus he contained Roddy White nicely. If you need any evidence of that, there is a reason why Will Allen is getting targeted by opposing quarterbacks, not Smith. Bottom line, Sean Smith is quickly becoming a star and that wouldn't have happened if he was on the sidelines. 

5- Keeping Lex Hilliard on active roster- special teams. - In my opinion this was an excellent decision. Not only because we got to keep a solid running back for the future, other wise he would've been snatched of the practice squad by now. But we also got a special teams beast. An absolute beast. If I recall correctly, he had like 3 tackles against the Colts on special teams. This is important because we know what big of a problem special teams has been for us since last season, and I think it is no coincidence that they are coming along nicely at the opposing return game at least. In my opinion a big part of this has been Lex Hilliard trying to earn a job. 

6- Giving back Camarillo starting spot- - On the preseason  it seemed like Camarillo had lost a step because of his knee injury. He was not getting on the field and could only see how Brian Hartline kept taking his job away. However, there is a reason why the preseason is only that, while the big games are played on September. Since then, Camarillo has been getting on the field a whole lot. He may not put up big numbers, either because of his limitations or our passing game limitations but there is no doubt that the man is clutch. He is exactly the opposite of what Ted Ginn has been for us. He doesn't have the phisical talent but he is the most reliable receiver in the clutch. Have any doubts? look back at the 2 key third downs on the last drive against the Jets. Yes, that was Camarillo making both catches. 

This fanpost was written by one of The Phinsider's registered users.

5 recs  |  Comment 14 comments

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I think you also should have added

bringing in Wake and Taylor. They are our leaders in sacks right now.

by luvs2drnk on Oct 21, 2009 7:33 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

JT was/is

a mistake and thus not listed :)

Confidence breeds success, self-doubt breeds failure

by Blaze453 on Oct 21, 2009 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hes lost something for sure and we need a better starter but for the money he is

making he would still be a bargain as a decent back up.

"I hope you know a lot more than you believe in"-Gram Parsons

by texascowpunk on Oct 21, 2009 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Well that mistake is 23rd in the league in sacks.

And the team leader in sacks as well. How is that a mistake again?

by luvs2drnk on Oct 21, 2009 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

You make some excellent points for our coaches here.

I’d also say sticking with the wilcat formation and the great rushing success that has afforded us. That’s practice and preparation.

and the dragfly aint a beer. on the flip! - Finsxfactor's tribute to Wild Zion Beaver
23 Phinsider Feud Points!

by kdock on Oct 21, 2009 7:44 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Thank you, exactly great point. I was thinking of adding that.

Sticking to the wildcat and make it part of our base game plan has been excellent. No more gimmick

by MauMontaV5 on Oct 21, 2009 8:03 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

hmmm

in my defense – Ronnie still seems to be getting more carries this year, which is what I wanted. It just so happens that the Dolphins, as a team, are running it more – which meant not reducing Ricky’s touches.

Like you said, in his prime, Ricky was a better player than Ronnie. But today, Ronnie is the superior back. And that says a lot about him because Ricky is still damn good.

by Matty I on Oct 21, 2009 8:33 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Yeah that’s true, that’s why I didn’t write something like “glad he was wrong” hahah. I was just taking an amicable jab at you hahah

by MauMontaV5 on Oct 21, 2009 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

You can attribute that to

the fact our base offense is gaining over 4 yds per rush. Compared to last year where it was barely over 3.

by luvs2drnk on Oct 21, 2009 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

nice write up mau, rec'd

i got to agree with you on grove. After the first game i was iffy on it, and our entire o-line bc of how much we invested in them.
now they’e gelling nicely and it shows in our entire teams rushing stats. PTR! PTR!

El Peezy... "the Calvin Johnson of rookies.. instant impact" -Prime Time
"el peezy ['the real deal'] strikes fear in opponent bloggers hearts" -finsx
"El Peezy is a man of the people...Don’t hate the player – hate the game." -KC

by el presidente 00 on Oct 21, 2009 10:40 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

do you guys remember the last wildcat play againts the Jets

if im not mistaken they pulled Justin Smiley next to Grove which opened the gap for Ronnie to get in.

by g35phin on Oct 22, 2009 2:19 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

It was next to Thomas,Smiley followed Polite and RB followed them both

but every man held their ground and did a great job..they’re definetly coming around.

by firedanhenningnow on Oct 22, 2009 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Jake Grove has been apleasnt suprise despite a rough start

Current Phinsider Feud Points: 23

There are times in my life wheere I have self-doubt, but when this happens, I simply ask myself: What would Don Draper do? So I bone a random whore.

by Patssuck456 on Oct 26, 2009 9:57 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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