DL Rotation Thoughts
by DolphDallas on Aug 18, 2011 5:32 PM EDT
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PrintI'd like to see Tony McDaniel and Jared Odrick become the starters and Randy Starks moved back to back-up Nose Tackle and here's why:
I feel that Randy Starks, Kendall Langford, and Phillip Merling have a great deal of untapped versatility that could be used even more effectively in a hybrid 3-4 4-3 front and used with a nickel defense 4-man line.
Our starters would be:
LDE McDaniel 6-7 310
NT Soliai 6-4 345
RDE Odrick 6-5 304
Langford, Starks, and Merling would be more than capable backups sent in waves, but they would be even more dangerous used on third and long and in passing situations because they are outstanding pass rushers and natural mismatches in quickness and power. Nickel DL specialists if you will.
I would hope that Nolan would use Wake/Taylor on either end with his hand on the ground:
Wake - Langford - Starks - Merling OR Langford - Starks - Merling- Wake
Taylor - Langford - Starks - Merling OR Langford - Starks - Merling - Taylor
I believe that the additional benefit that the mismatches/shifting would create in addition to having Starks/Langford/Merling fresher would outweigh the loss of Langford and Starks on the starting lineup. IMHO, McDaniel and Odrick are more stout against the run anyway, perhaps slightly less proficient at pass rush.
The nickel defense would include AJ Edds as linebacker with Dansby/Burnett and the nickel corner Sapp/Allen or
AJ Edds with Sapp/Allen and Jimmy Wilson as the dime safety.
One interesting feature is when the Langford-Starks-Merling rotation is in the base defense, you could morph more easily between 3-4 and 4-3 and cause more confusion...
4-3 look
LDE Langford, LDT Starks, RDT Merling, RDE Wake
LLB Misi, MLB Dansby, RLB Burnett
********************************************************
3-4 look
LDE Langford, NT Starks, RDE Merling,
LOLB Misi, LILB Dansby, RILB Burnett, ROLB Wake
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keep our starters and rotate odrick and tony mc daniel in
D line man get tire fast, cause they have to fight against O line man
I SUPPORT OUR FRONT OFFICE
I SUPPORT SEAN AND VONTAE
I SUPPORT REGGIE WITH ATLEAST 12 CARRIES A GAME
Starks was a probowler at DE
Just keep him there. Yeah I expect to see some 4-3 fronts with Starks and probably Odrick playing as DTs and then JT and Wake as the DEs. Having Burnett, Dansby, and Edds as the LBers would be able to cover the Pats using Woodhead, Gronkowski, and Hernandez.
So keep Starks mainly as DE and use 4-3 only on passing downs.
I got S + What a Dog's Tail Does.
Bring back Pat White. He is the chosen one.
Keep the line as it is
Rotating Odrick, McDaniels and Merling at DE. Fields can spell Soliai. On passing downs my 4-3 would be Wake and Taylor at DE and Odrick and TMac at DT the LB’s would be Dansby,Edds and Burnett. Blizting either Dansby or Burnett every so often.
"If you are what you say you are, you wouldn't have to say it."
"It's OK to be a follower, as long as you're following the right leader." – Smithology
that's good
effectively the back-up 3-4 DEs are the DTs in the nickel…so the starters can rest…still think Langford and Merling would be awesome in the nickel…sacking the QB instead of getting pushed around against the run
Definition: scatback, n., an offensive back in football who is elusive and fast. Out with the WILDCAT...and in with the WILD-SCAT:
WR _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ LT LG C RG RT TE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ <- - - - - - - - - - - - - SC _ _ _ _ _ WR
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FB _ _QB (Henne) . . . . . . . . . \_ SC = Bush/Grigsby/Livas
My pass rush would come
Mainly from my LB’s off the edges and an occasional blitz from Dansby or Burnett, sometime both. I like the height of Odrick 6’5" and TMac 6’7" to clog up the middle and make it hard for the QB to dump the ball off. They also should be able to bat some passes down.
Barring injury this line should be dominant and fresh. With at solid 7 man rotation.
"If you are what you say you are, you wouldn't have to say it."
"It's OK to be a follower, as long as you're following the right leader." – Smithology
by NawlinsPhinFan on Aug 18, 2011 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Langford fits in also,being 6'6"
He’s a little lighter than Odrick and TMac, but his height makes him a good fit. I don’t know if he ever played DT in the 4-3, however I do know both TMac and Odrick come from 4-3 DT backgrounds. Your correct Langford should be part of this rotation.
"If you are what you say you are, you wouldn't have to say it."
"It's OK to be a follower, as long as you're following the right leader." – Smithology
by NawlinsPhinFan on Aug 19, 2011 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions
That's just crazy enough to work
i’d rather have langford as a starter and drop mcdaniel as the DT in the 4 man front, putting starks back on the corner.
nice original thought though – my first rec ever!
by i'm ron burgundy?? on Aug 18, 2011 7:09 PM EDT reply actions
Not a chance
Starks is a Pro Bowl DE and Langford was playing near a Pro Bowl level last year. You don’t take those out for Merling, an inconsistent performer, and Odrick. That’s like trying to move Jake Long to Center…
- Attempting to debate with a person who has abandoned reason is like giving medicine to the dead.
- Defeat isn't bitter if you don't swallow it.
IMO, Merling is a better pass rusher than both of them as he is a true 43 DE.
Mercenaries never die. They just go to hell to regroup. - Unknown. I dont always make paradoxes, but when i do, i don't.- Brock Obama. Leading the fighter escort of SU-47s for the Lindley Bandwagon "pm striker king"- WZB.
Merling absolutely could be the better pass rusher... if he was consistent.
- Attempting to debate with a person who has abandoned reason is like giving medicine to the dead.
- Defeat isn't bitter if you don't swallow it.
Clarification on two points...
One, I’m not advocating putting Merling into the starting DL, I am suggesting Odrick might be more productive as a starter in the RDE role and Starks would be more productive in the Nickel DT and backup NT role staying at 6-3 305 instead of gaining weight. The question is, would we lose production if our top two DLinemen were redeployed into a different role and two really good players, Tony McDaniel and Jared Odrick (who haven’t proved anything yet) were to take the grunt-work run-stopping 1st /2nd down 3-4 line role.
My thought is that a 3-4 end doesn’t really get a lot of stats, he just has to hold his ground and let others make plays. When the opportunity presents itself, both McDaniel and Odrick are capable of making plays. What I am saying is redeploy Langford, Starks, and Merling into a different role, which might have even more playing time as the Nickel line and hybrid 3-4 4-3 line. Here, Langford, Starks, and Merling could run stunts and be effective doing it.
Secondly, Randy Starks made the pro-bowl this year due to his achievements last year playing mostly in the Nickel line (where he got most of his sacks). I acknowledge that part of his decline in performance was due to moving him back and forth between NT and RDE. However, he is a better pass rusher than run-stuffer and so this new role would put him in a Jay Ratliff type scenario (staying as backup NT and not moving back and forth and spending time in the Nickel 4-man line). If Langford were to be moved to his new role as backup LDE and Nickel DT, he would actually get more stats and make the pro-bowl because it would put him in situations where he could get mismataches and sacks. Utilize his athleticism more than holding the point of attack as a 3-4 starting DE on first and second down.
Long story short: the safe route is just to use Ron Fields as the NT backup, who will hold the point of attack, but may not rack up the sacks OR take a risk, and use Starks as a game-changer in the Pass rush NT role and rack up some sacks, fumbles, and negative loss plays.
Definition: scatback, n., an offensive back in football who is elusive and fast. Out with the WILDCAT...and in with the WILD-SCAT:
WR _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ LT LG C RG RT TE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ <- - - - - - - - - - - - - SC _ _ _ _ _ WR
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FB _ _QB (Henne) . . . . . . . . . \_ SC = Bush/Grigsby/Livas
NIce post but kinda lost me with all the change ups!!
I would keep the Best three on the field as much as possible and rotate the others in. Keep an eye out for Merling thhis year , he is an untapped beast, he has it in him, we just have to get it out, just like Soliai. He is big and strong and started to show promise before his injury. I may have just jinks him, but we will see. I would have Starks, Soliai, and Odrick in ther as much as possible. Odrick if fully healthy will have a very good year. Opps another Jinks. Damn it I will shut up now!!
Agree about rattling Henne , we have shaken his tree enough, maybe he just need a pat on the back
TO ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE; ONE MUST STUDY,TO ACQUIRE WISDOM ONE MUST OBSERVE !!
YOU ARE NOT BORN A WINNER, YOU ARE NOT BORN A LOSER, YOU ARE WHAT YOU MAKE YOURSELF BECOME !!
I LIKE TO TAKE A AMBIEN RIGHT BEFORE I GET ON THIS SITE,15 MINUTES LATER, ITS A GREAT RIDE
yep... now he's gonna blow
way to go Dave…..
I got S + What a Dog's Tail Does.
Bring back Pat White. He is the chosen one.
Sorry
TO ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE; ONE MUST STUDY,TO ACQUIRE WISDOM ONE MUST OBSERVE !!
YOU ARE NOT BORN A WINNER, YOU ARE NOT BORN A LOSER, YOU ARE WHAT YOU MAKE YOURSELF BECOME !!
I LIKE TO TAKE A AMBIEN RIGHT BEFORE I GET ON THIS SITE,15 MINUTES LATER, ITS A GREAT RIDE
starks is our best DE
if you want to rotate anyone out, make it Langford
Miami's Superstars: Reggie Bush, Brandon Marshall, Jake Long, Karlos Dansby, Cameron Wake, Vontae Davis and Sean Smith (just wait), Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Mike Stanton, Gaby Sanchez, and Hanley Ramirez. :)
I love the discussion
Our defensive line is the strength of the team. Period. No other team in the NFL has the talent and depth that Miami has along the line. It allows for some great flexibility in regards to zone blitz packages. It also frees up our defensive backs, allowing them to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage more often.
I really don’t see a reason to tinker too much here, though. Starks, Soliai and Langford make for the best (not one of the best) three man front in the NFL. Consider the fact that Langford and Starks are backed up by McDaniel, Odrick and Merling, and we have the most complete line in football.
The thing to remember is that someone is going to get injured. Whether it’s Starks or Merling, we’re going to be glad that we have every one of these guys this year. The nice thing is that there isn’t too much of a difference between these guys. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but each brings something unique to the table.
Odrick is a truly explosive athlete. McDaniel is ridiculously long. Langford might be the most complete 3-4 defensive end on the roster, and Starks is perhaps the most talented.
No matter who is starting, the defensive line is going to be special.
Agree with D-Vince. Our D should be special this year, if Burrnett steps up and a little more play from DB's we are close to a shut down D!!!
We may have the D we have been looking for , for years!! Ex. Ravens or Pittsburgh style!!!
TO ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE; ONE MUST STUDY,TO ACQUIRE WISDOM ONE MUST OBSERVE !!
YOU ARE NOT BORN A WINNER, YOU ARE NOT BORN A LOSER, YOU ARE WHAT YOU MAKE YOURSELF BECOME !!
I LIKE TO TAKE A AMBIEN RIGHT BEFORE I GET ON THIS SITE,15 MINUTES LATER, ITS A GREAT RIDE
There are a few variables
Davis/Smith, Clemons/Jones, Koa Misi and linebacker depth, but the defense could easily be top five in 2011. If a few things go our way, they could be number one.
by DolfanVince86 on Aug 19, 2011 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions
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