(NFL Head Coach) The 2013 Season And Onwards, Rebuilding The Miami Dolphins

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

The past five seasons have not been kind to the Miami Dolphins organization. After going 1-15 in 2007, it looked as if the Dolphins were going to set the ship right from 2008 onward.

They hired a promising young coach in Tony Sparano. They drafted a very powerful left tackle number one overall in Jake Long, as well as a solid corner in Brandon Flowers, plus the QB of the future in Brian Brohm.

Add that to acquisitions of Asante Samuel and Kawika Mitchell on defense, and bringing in Ken Dorsey to be the short term answer at quarterback, the Dolphins looked to be on the way up.

But the Dolphins would only gain one more win, finishing 2-14 in 2008. Management wasn't ready to give up on Sparano, and with the 2nd overall pick, the Dolphins drafted what was thought to be the man that would fix the defense. Defensive Tackle Lorenzo Spragan from Florida State.

Big mistake.

Spragan has had little to no success, and now is 10 million on the cap and has two very bad legs.

The Dolphins did show improvement in 2009, going 6-10. But that wasn't good enough, as management fired Sparano. The new head coach was the recently fired Mike Smith. Smith hadn't done anything in two years in Atlanta, but they felt he could fix the defense.

With the 7th pick in 2010, the Dolphins took Oklahoma WR Jamal Binger. Binger started slow, but by 2012, he justified his selection with 1,236 yards and 9 TD. They also traded up to the 30th pick swapping with the 49ers for DE Jay Bishop, who while not bad, hasn't been anything stellar, and likely never will be.

Despite Binger's pick, the Dorsey led Dolphins made no improvement in 2010, going 6-10 once again. In the next draft they chose CB Kelly Addai with the 10th overall pick, another mistake ultimately. Addai played 1 game in 2011, and showed failure a year later.

The Dolphins would go 5-11, and Mike Smith would get outed. The Dolphins didn't know where to go at head coach. But while Sparano was there, they had improved.

So they brought Tony Sparano back for another shot. With the 6th pick, they picked DT Charles Harrison in an effort to replace the error of Spragan, and so far, Harrison has shown to be solid.

But the 2012 season was perhaps the biggest disaster yet. The team went 1-15. Sparano was canned again, and the team looked very lost.

They still had Dorsey, who hadn't done much, to a large contract. Brian Brohm had hardly gotten to play, and it was obvious he'd been given up one. Jake Long and Brandon Flowers, the two strong players from the 2008 draft, wanted out.

Meanwhile on the other side of the country, Jordan Slocum had just taken the 49ers to an unbeaten season, and had won his 3rd Super Bowl in 5 years. Citing a desire for a "new challenge," he left the 49ers, who were ready for another run.

And he took over the Miami Dolphins.

There is obviously much work to do to make the 2013 Miami Dolphins even respectable. Not all hope is lost. They still had Jamal Binger and Charles Harrison, two young studs. Samson Satele is a strong center, and Asante Samuel remains a top corner.

But the contracts of Dorsey, Brohm, Spragan, Addai, David Thomas and a few others put the Dolphins in bad shape finacially. That, and both Jake Long and Brandon Flowers wanting out, only one can be retained with the franchise tag.

It's going to be a tough road...

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

It was not long before players were released. Many of them were low end players making a little too much. SS Dewayne Sanford, LB Mike Love, RT Chris Torrence, LT Ed Rhodes, TE Jack Guy among them. The veteran back Travis Henry was cut.

Also, the massive contract of Lorenzo Spragan was terminated. After paying out the bonus of 7.5 million dollars, only 2.5 million was saved from the 10.0 M salary. But all of the money you can get is needed when you in this trouble.

With some money, the Franchise Tag was used. You need a Left tackle to start your offense, and Jake Long is too talented (96 OVR) to let walk. His deal is 9.9 M.

The salary cap is at 25.77 million. The Dolphins have the 2nd overall pick, and only their picks in other rounds. They do NOT have their 4th rounder however. Looking to trade anyone possible, but stuck so far.

Here is the roster. If possible, I like a run heavy offense with some west coast passing. My base D is a 3-4, but I run 4-3, 3-3-5, and dime interchangeably.

POS	Name	OVR	Salary	Yrs left	Age	Season	Penalty
QB	Ken Dorsey	85	7.7 M	2	31	9	6.7 M
QB	Brian Brohm	77	4.9 M	4	27	5	6.0 M
QB
HB	Marcus Mercer	85	1.1 M	2	23	2	760 K
HB	Cletis Parker	70	630 K	3	24	1	380 K
HB
FB
WR	Jamal Binger	90	7.9 M	2	26	3	7.2 M
WR	Carl Howry	77	920 K	1	25	3	180 K
WR	Rohan Bryant	69	890 K	3	23	1	1.1 M
WR
TE	David Thomas	76	2.6 M	5	29	7	6.3 M
TE	Aundre James	65	420 K	2	24	1	340 K
TE
T	Jake Long	96	9.9 M	1	28	5	None
T	Mark Wilson	89	4.4 M	3	31	7	2.6 M
T
T
G	Jacob Bell	81	1.4 M	2	31	9	None
G	Brad Butler	82	2.5 M	1	28	7	1.0 M
G	Brian Spitz	86	610 K	1	25	2	180 K
G
C	Samson Satele	91	5.0 M	3	27	6	3.5 M
C
DE	Jay Bishop	83	2.8 M	2	26	3	1.4 M
DE	Charles Johnson	81	1.8 M	2	26	6	1.2 M
DE	Jarvis Green	84	3.6 M	1	33	11	880 K
DE
DT	Charles Harrison	86	6.9 M	4	24	1	6.4 M
DT	Lorenzo Spragan	78	9.9 M	2	26	4	7.4 M
DT
OLB	Kawika Mitchell	84	3.4 M	3	31	10	3.3 M
OLB	Kevin Burnett	80	1.1 M	1	28	8	300 K
OLB
OLB
MLB	Brandon Siler	80	1.2 M	4	26	6	1.4 M
MLB	Bobby Carpenter	77	770 K	5	29	7	2.1 M
MLB	Billy Stratton	76	970 K	RFA	26	3	None
CB	Asante Samuel	92	7.3 M	5	31	10	13.3 M
CB	Kelly Addai	76	4.5 M	3	23	2	3.3 M
CB	Jack Weaver	75	620 K	1	24	2	90 K
CB
CB
FS	Eric Weddle	85	2.5 M	2	27	6	890 K
FS	Rusty Rodgers	73	640 K	2	26	2	None
SS	Michael Boulware	76	1.2 M	2	30	9	670 K
SS
K
P	Adam Podlesh	83	600 K	1	29	6	250 K

Thoughts by position:

QB: Despite his high overall, Ken Dorsey BLOWS. He had a learning of 99 which gives him this overall. But he's a noodle arm (81) with mediocre accuracy (86) and low awareness (69). Brohm has better awareness, much better arm (91) and slightly worse accuracy. But Brohm can still develop into a good QB.

The bad thing is money. No one will take Dorsey's deal, and cutting him saves very little. Plus, Brohm is making a lot for an unproven QB.

I could go after one of two stud QB's available in the Draft, or stick with Brohm. I'd like to trade down from the 2 if possible, because I need lots of picks.

HB: Marcus Mercer is another high learning guy. But he's pretty much average in almost every aspect of the game. The wild card is Cletis Parker, who is basically a sprinter. He has GODLY speed, but is a true project.

Willie Parker would be the free agent play, and there is a high end draft play, but is HB the biggest need? Could Mercer suffice for now?

FB: No FB on the roster, and the rookies suck. There are a few solid blockers out there that will be signed.

WR: Binger is a stud, and Howry has a very high potential (89!) but is in his last year. The killer is Bryant. Terrible WR, terrible potential, but 840 K against the cap, and even moreso if I cut him.

WR class is weak in the draft, but free agent WR's are too pricey. I might stick with Binger and Howry and go from there.

TE: Although David Thomas is ok, his contract is BRUTAL. 2.5 M now for 5 years, and a HUGE signing bonus. He'll be on my roster for another few seasons. I'm kinda stuck with him as the starter.

T: Long is a stud. Wilson is another high learning guy, but he's good enough that I don't feel like spending on a replacement for him.

G: Spitz has a high potential in his last year. Bell and Butler are two average cuttable veterans. There are a few strong guards in the draft, but this could be a free agent play. Rondell Owens, Chris Snee, and Kris Dielman are the studs.

C: Satele is a solid center.

I will get to the defensive evaluation and staff evaluation tomorrow.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Defense:

DE: Bishop's alright, he'll start. But his potential is 85, he can't get much better. Johnson isn't worth what he's getting paid, but he'll probably stay because I wouldn't save much. Although Green is good, he's damaged goods. His overall health is below 50%. I'll probably get rid of him and save about 2.5 million.

DT: Harrison is the future, he's young and solid. I need a backup though.

OLB: Kawika Mitchell is still solid, but Burnett is very meh. Right now I'll keep him, but he's movable.

MLB: Siler's ok, Carpenter is very meh. But both guys have more signing bonus than total salary. So it costs money to get rid of them, meaning they both stay. Siler could maybe be my 2nd MLB, but either way, yikes.

CB: Samuel obviously solid. Addai is a bust, his potential only reaches 83. Right now I could save a million but I figure I'll keep him for one more year. Weaver is a much cheaper version of Addai, so he doesn't suck. Need a CB here, the draft is REALLY DEEP with corners this season.

FS: Weddle is solid, Rodgers is an ok backup

SS: Michael Boulware kinda blows. Can't save too much by cutting him, but I don't want to keep him as my starter.

K: I have none, and the draft isn't my saving grace. Hooray free agency.

P: Podlesh is fine.

Here's my staff.

OC Mike Sheppard (50): Only level 3 performance, and his development levels don't go past 3 with the exception of WR (where he's maxed) and QB physical. He does not have a single special skill.

DC John Mitchell (60): High play call/strategy and such, but also only a level 3 performance max. His developments are around 3 and 4 for most positions. Only has a few basic special skills.

ST John Bonamego (64): Performance is a ONE (Can go to 3) which is a yikes. His developments are all 4's, and he has the kick returner special skill. Any kicker with him will suck though.

QB Josh Looman (50): Hey! It's the producer of the game! His performance is level 3 but can max, developments are at 3 and can max to 4. He already has a few special skills as well. I'll probably promote him to OC next season.

RB Floyd Huffman (22): This KILLS me, because I know I will have NO RUN GAME AT ALL. His performance is a 1, and CAN'T IMPROVE. Developments are a 3 and can max to 4. No sepcial skills. He's gonna suck.

WR Chad Merriam (70): Performance only goes to 2. Most of his development is at 3 but can go to 5. He does have half of the special skills, which is a saving grace.

OL Tom Nalen (37): Former player who can improve. Only level two performance right now, but he can max to 5. His physical development only goes to 2, but his learning/intangibles go to 5 (and are at 4) He also has the pass and run block special skills.

LB Mike Haluchak (58): Performance only goes to 2. Development is solid, 4, 4, 3 (Max of 4, 5, 5) He also has a couple special skills.

DL Al Kennedy (53): Performance is 1 and can't go higher (Brutal) Development has all maxed at 4. No special skills.

DB Glenn Pires (33): Performance is a 2 and can go to 3. His development are all at 3, and can go to 4. He does have a few special skills surprisingly.

GM Bill "Garzoli" (33): They really aren't nice to Parcells. Has the small school insider, level 5 trade negotation. Contracts at 2 but can max. He can't scout offense for anything but can scout D solidly.

Trainer Andrew Lee (56): 2, 3, 3 with maxes of 3, 4 and 3. Has the first two special skills.

[kblu54]

dude the dolphins are mess from top to bottom... good luck man, looks like you're in for a long road ahead

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

3 more cuts were made, RG Brad Butler, FS Rusty Rodgers, and SS Michael Boulware.

My big free agency "Splash" was made signing G Rondell Owens. Owens is only 24, a complete beast, and can improve. I got him 5 years, 4.9 M against the cap now, only 4.0 total signing bonus. He's default as a LG, but I might play him at RT.

I also made a big trade. I wanted to get a safety who is a beast like Tyrus Barber was for me, and I found a vet. I traded over-rated RT Mark Wilson and the damaged Jarvis Moss to the Jets straight up for Kerry Rhodes.

Rhodes is in the final year of his deal, but I think he'll be worth it by what he does for the D.

Cap is at 24.15 M. No luck with other trades. The Raiders would be willing to give up a 3rd (75th) for my HB Mercer. I'm not sure yet there, because Mercer is a 85/91 player. I think I might find a draft guy just as good, but it's a risk. Haven't done it, but still considering.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

I move Owens to RT, and signed Marshal Yanda, who I moved to RG. My O-Line looks fairly solid now. I also signed MLB Akin Ayodele. He's not great, but he's better than what I have.

I did make some trades. The Raiders removed the deal for Mercer, but the Browns offered BETTER (67th instead of 75th plus a 7th next year) Needing the picks, and seeing solid draft prospects, I took it.

I also traded away worthless WR Rohan Bryant (69), took his cap hit just to get rid of him. I got HB Sugar Snider (81) from Buffalo, who I originally brought into the league.

He's not great, but this is. The Broncos were willing to give up the 81st pick to get Snider, which I jumped on.

Also, the game has always hated Vernon Davis, thus the 49ers signed Todd Heap. This put Davis on the block, and I brought him in. I gave away a 6th and a 5th next year. Seems steep, but he's worth it. I'll probably put him in the depth chart as my #2 WR behind Binger.

So here are my picks:

Draft Picks
1	2
2	34
3	66
3	67
3	81
5	130
Next
1
2
3
4
6
7	CLE
7

Don't imagine I'll do too much more moves before the draft. I have 19.08 million in cap room.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Signed the best free agent kicker, Lawrence Tynes. Done with free agency, 17.18 M in cap room.

Draft ideas:

Spoiler

In a perfect world, I'd like to trade down as much as possible because I generally need players. At the #2, I basically have the choice of everyone, and my choice would be CB Arnez Soriano. He's a Champ Bailey clone, total machine.

There is also Logan Axelrod (P Manning) but right now I'm stuck with two big QB contracts. Michael Dash (88 POT, Cadillac) is my targeted RB, looks like he'll go anywhere from 5-15. There's Darnell Dansby, a FS who could be moved to corner. But plenty of corners exist in the Draft that are worth getting.

The linebackers generally suck, which is disappointing. Andre Wiggins, a big DE looks appealing late 1st round.

My O-line is set for now. There's a few good ones out there, but I don't think I'll go high for one. The WR class is also pretty weak overall.

A few other RB's I'm watching are Yeremiah Grant (Jacobs) Scottie Spikes (DeAngelo) and Ricky Raye (McFadden) each are 2nd-3rd round guys. Unfortunately, Spikes and Raye's potentials are low after workouts. But my GM does suck at potential evalution, so I'll still consider them since their other numbers are solid.

Hopefully I can stockpile picks, my roster only has 30 players I believe, just need bodies at this point.

[milkman41]

Can't wait to see what you do in the draft man

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

I made too many trades to list, continually moving down to get more picks. I ended up picking 13 players, and gained 7 other picks for next seasons' draft.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to trade away the two. Here's the recap:

Spoiler

1	2	Arnez Soriano	CB
2	17	Scottie Spikes	HB
3	2	Lamar Springs	G
4	28	Leonard Webb	LB
5	2	Jaret Gant	HB
5	16	Donald Tillman	WR
5	19	Kedrick Alford	OLB
5	22	A.J. Rudolph	DE
5	31	British Miller	HB
6	22	Mickey Little	T
6	23	Champ Grant	DT
6	27	Eddie Cherry	OLB
7	27	Brenden Sawyer	DE

Logan Axelrod (QB) went first. No one would even OFFER me something for the #2, so I had a tough choice. RB was the biggest need, but the best guy wasn't worthy of the pick. Soriano is a MACHINE at CB (Champ Bailey comparison, good at everything) I just couldn't pass up the once in a lifetime guy.

Scottie Spikes was the next best HB pretty much. His combine/senior day stats were very solid, but his potential was a mediocre 81. Because my GM's potential evalution is crap, and because I need RB's, I picked him anyway.

As much as I like Springs at guard, he wasn't my guy. C Josh Ruud (Kreutz) was stolen from me, one pick away someone traded up for him, when I had the 66 and 67 next. (BAH!) Ruud was going to be a machine, but Springs is still good.

Webb's a decent all around LB. Not overly impressive, but considering my crappy linebackers, he might start.

Gant's another RB play. Julius Jones comparison, not all that great, but I need to get RBs.

Tillman's another Hester/Cotchery comparsion type guy, meaning he'll probably be like Casper Greer. Either way, that's probably my 4th WR right there.

Alford was compared to Derrick Brooks, and I liked his build. (Low coverage ratings, not realistic to a Brooks, but oh well)

Rudolph was compared to Kampman, and reminded me A LOT of Luke Hughes/Scotty Skaggs on my 49ers teams, and I think he can be that.

British Miller (Rudi) another RB play.

Little was a Willie Anderson comparison to help build O-line depth. Grant is a high strength (Hovan) DT who will probably be my 2nd DT.

Cherry was a Takeo Spikes mold, decent look, hopefully good potential.

Sawyer was more or less a DE depth pick (KGB)

My undrafted signings:

Marc Thigpen	FS
Phillip Sanderson	CB
Andrew Goodson	QB
Phillip Michaels	WR
Ryan Gilbert	DT

My picks for next year are as follows.

1
2
3
3	NE
4
4	NE
4	IND
5	NE
6	CLE
6
7	CLE
7	ARI

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

I signed a couple of free agents: FB Korey Hall (who'll start) and HB Brandon Jacobs. I also grabbed former QB bust Chris Essex, who if developed right, can be solid.

Soriano's being a douche in contract talks. Even the smallest deal he wants is MASSIVE (Like 8 Mil on the cap) and of course, he's leaving. Ugh. Signed everyone else though.

For what reason, the game didn't even BRING IN camp invites. (WTF?) I have 11 million in cap (Granted Soriano will eat that) but a roster of 47. Guess I'll have to manually search...