gofins60
Club Member
Good points, and I agree. At first I thought the o-line issue ever since Philbin was all caused by the Front Office, but eventually realized that the coaching side was also a problem. Linemen that did okay under Sparano didn't do as well under Philbin, and the only way that's possible is if what Philbin wanted them to do wasn't as effective as what they did under Sparano. Even having several 1st round picks on the line didn't help with their overall performance under Philbin and Gase. I know it's just my opinion and a generalization, but it sure seems like a line with most of the same guys was better at run-blocking under Philbin, but worse at run-blocking under Gase.No, you aren't the only one who sees this. I have been against drafting OL, especially in rounds 1 and 2, until recently. I thought about this problem and changed my mind. Drafting OL every year is a good strategy, it doesn't have to be in rounds 1 or 2, but you can't just draft offensive linemen without a plan and that's what we've been doing for way too long
And to clarify, I was against drafting OL because I felt the same way as you, we had no idea how to do it and therefore wasted so many picks and resources on them it was getting ridiculous.
Drafting OL is only one part of the process. It has to be a collaborative process that starts with the HC or OL coaching telling the GM what he needs in a T or IOL and then figuring out who the right prospects are. Evaluating and developing them are the keys and imo in years past we didn't come close to doing that. We'd draft a guy like Dieter or Billy Turner because we needed an IOL and then not have a plan. We'd throw a guy like Jamil Douglas into the fire and then act shocked when he failed. Or move AJ from LT to LG to RT and then declare him a bust when he couldn't hold down his position successfully.
I'm encouraged by AJ but still feel like we wasted 1-2 years figuring out where he fit best. That's on Flores and his parade of OC's and OL coaches. Too say Flores was allergic to learning anything about OLs and offense is being kind. I'm not very encouraged by Liam Eichenberg who doesn't have the athletic gifts or strength that AJ and Robert Hunt do. He's also been passed around like a party favor but I feel like the biggest problem is that the FO knew they needed another tackle, saw he was one of the best T's left and then overdrafted him out of a sense of desperation. I don't see a guy who is going to grow into a solid starter in Eichenberg and it's a shame we wasted so much time and draft picks on him. Maybe he sticks as a backup but this roster and O are better if we upgrade from him this year.
I think McD and Butch Barry know what they want in an OL and hopefully this signals a change in how we do business in contracting our O-line.
It seems to me that previous GMs were better at drafting o-linemen, but the OL coaching and/or Head Coach's offensive philosophy was bad. And now, many say that the current OL Coach is good, but IMO Grier is worse than previous GMs when it comes to drafting o-linemen. I also believe that McDaniel doesn't care too much about the line because if he did, they would have had a real Center on the active roster in case Williams got hurt. Making Eichenberg the Center shows that they don't value the o-line. IOW, I don't think Miami will ever have a strong o-line under Grier and McDaniel.