Quote:
By Omar Kelly Sun Sentinel
9:52 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2013
"Never put off tomorrow what you can do today." - Thomas Jefferson.
That's the best way to explain why the Miami Dolphins used Tuesday, the start of free agency, to rebuild the team's linebacker unit.
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They are age, personality, money, and performance. I've split them all up so we can properly dissect this.
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Age: ... . So the Dolphins technically got younger, but not by much. ...
Personality: ... Dansby and Burnett were two strong-willed individuals ... I can't help but think that was held against them by this regime.
Money: I've hinted that this would likely be Dansby and Burnett's last season in Miami based on their rising costs. ... I'm guessing the pair of new linebacker will cost Miami about $7-8 million in cap space all together. Dansby and Burnett were supposed to cost the Dolphins $14.275 million in cap numbers.
Performance: What's odd about Wheeler's signing is that Miami brought him in for a workout last season when the team was searching for linebacker depth. Wheeler competed with Quentin Groves and Gary Guyton in the same workout and Miami signed Guyton. Guyton didn't make it to the team's 53-man roster, but Wheeler started 16 games for the Raiders and contributed 109 tackles, three sacks and forced two fumbles.
His production was clearly impressive, but Profootballfocus.com rated Burnett a better linebacker ...
However, what's clear is that Ellerbe and Wheeler are superior blitzers to Dansby and Burnett. ...
But on the flip side Ellerbe struggles in coverage, which is where Dansby and Burnett excelled. ...
So....in summary, Ellerbe and Wheeler are SIGHTLY younger than Dansby and Burnett, obviously cheaper, and the Dolphins hope they'll be better blitzers.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miam ... 0767.story
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