per Ireland's press conference. Starks will be the NT and Odrick will be the DE. I really like the Odrick pick alot now.

Could be Ireland talk....

I think they bring in someone, either UDFA or someone with the 7 picks remaining.

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RIP Tom
RIP Tone

Perhaps, but then what was the point of picking Odrick?

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RDE

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RIP Tom
RIP Tone

Man we have 7 picks left... the Patsies have 8... wtf man the Pats always seem to get better and better... they added Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes from my Gators.... and they go Ronkowski to fill in at TE... ugh!!!

Anyways... back to the topic... Starks is about Jay Ratliff size too isn't he?? I like the move of him to NT... mainly because I think he'll be an every down player and be switching over to DT in 4-3 sets... it'll be interesting to see what our starting Defensive Line looks like come week 1!!

Lol..yeah, I said they might have three options, didn't think of moving him inside to NT.

It's plausible, but he's not really a two gap guy. I don't really know what their intentions are.

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Just as depth or what?

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That was 2008 how the F am I supposed to remember that? I don't even remember what I had for dinner last night...

Sadly the Bills ruined my hopes and dreams....

Iowa, this is Ireland talking......LOL

Sparano and Nolan will have the final say, I would think. He did say , "not to give away any stratagy". LOL

The "versatility" they have added has me thinking alot of things.

Anyway's, the Ireland PC is on MD.com

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RIP Tone

Yeah, I know, you just said you figured they'd get a NT elsewhere and not put Starks there. That, to me, almost makes Odrick as a wasted pick...I just don't think you draft depth guys in the first round.

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Randy is best as a DE/DT. You can line him up over the center in pass rush downs, but playing Randy at NT for run downs is not a good idea in my opinion.

Miami needs to take a NT prospect tomorrow with one of there picks.

Plus, it not like Jeff has not spoken with a forked tongue a few times already.

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Does any of it really matter as far as who's starting in the beginning of the game? Anyone who has been to a game with this new Front Office running things has seen just how often they switch packages... it's unbelievable. Almost every play there are players swapping in and out on defense... all of these guys will serve a purpose for the different packages this team likes to run.

To a certain extent, you're right, and to another extent; they were switching in and out because nobody was an every down player.
Yes, you want to rotate bodies on the front line to keep them fresh, but why draft a guy in the 1st that you plan on rotating and playing on a 1/3 of the snaps? You've gotta have a guy that takes the majority...who's it going to be? If they think it's Odrick, then ok, but who does that push out?

I can guarantee Dansby isn't on and off the field...he'll get his rest maybe somewhere in the game if the defense is getting run over, but as an ILB getting huge money, you better be on the field every play.

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I'm just saying... I don't think these guys are so much looking for guys who can go out there and play a certain number of snaps... I think they're looking for guys who perform at a high level when they are out there... get a bunch of guys together who can perform at a high level then you have the luxury of continuously swapping players in and out without much difference in the talent level.

Gotchya. Similar to what the Giants had when they won the Super Bowl

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Have you ever watched Dallas's nose tackle?

He puts up similar numbers to Starks.

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Can't have three starting defensive ends...

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He didn't really the position in the preseason.

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Exactly. Unless you don't have holes.

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At some point in the past, you could say that for any position. There is always a first when a new trend starts.

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With the plan to move Starks to NT, the Odrick pick makes alot more since.......and keeping that info in-house allowed the Fins to make everyone think they were looking for a NT while they were really looking for a DE.

So that means a starting DE job is up for grabs between Merling and Odrick......should be a good battle to watch for during camp.

I still hope they draft someone to groom into the NT position over the next few years, as it seems like Soliai will never be more than a serviceable backup at the position.......

I'm kinda confused here... is Cameron Wake a OLB on the roster or a DE??

I remember him lining up mostly in a 3 point stance which would say he's a DE... but no one seems to be mentioning his name for this "battle for DE spot" conversation.

That explains a lot... I thought I was going crazy or something because I keep seeing his name associated with being a Linebacker but never really remember seeing him play standing up.

I don't know. Do you have the statistics on that? If not, why even bring it up?

I do know that there was a first time use for the shotgun formation, the spread offense, the I-formation, the 43 defense, the Tampa 2, the end around, the return of the 34 defense, the onside kick.

All those things succeeded and were then mimmicked. This has already succeeded under these same guys.

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In a 34 defense you want your defensive ends to be at least 6'4 and at least 290 lbs.

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I'm interested in seeing it unfold. I like the idea. Doing something innovate can be fun. Look at how the Jets and Ravens defenses play? One of those Ravens defenses was Nolan's by the way. Innovative to the max. Expect a lot of pressure on the QB this year.

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I'm very excited to see this Mike Nolan defense... look what he did with a whole lot of scrubs in Denver last year... this guy just flat out knows defense.

Note on JP's post... if Griffen falls I think we should take him as he's a much bigger LB than Misi... thoughts?

This is from Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Very interesting as he talks about tweaks that Mike Nolan is making to the 3-4 scheme.

Meet Dolphins new starting NT: Randy Starks

Dolphins general Jeff Ireland just announced that the Dolphins have resolved their nose tackle issues.

The team's new starting nose tackle is Randy Starks.

"[Coach] Tony [Sparano] talked to Randy about it today," Ireland said. "The quote he gave was, 'I'm at home there.' "

Not really certain I was hearing correctly that the team moved it's best defensive end to nose tackle, I asked Ireland if Starks had to compete for the starting NT job. He said Starks is indeed penciled in as the starter.

That has definite repercussions.

First-round pick Jared Odrick, Kendall Langford and Phillip Merling will compete for two starting jobs at defensive end.

Paul Soliai remains the team's backup nose tackle. And Jason Ferguson, out the first eight games of the season while serving an league-imposed suspension, can probably ease in and take fewer snaps per game than in the past. That, by the way, is a good way for Ferguson to stay healthy.

Also, the Dolphins are likely moving away form the classic 3-4 to a hybrid version where the nose tackle is often offset to one side or the other of the center. In the past, Miami's nose tackle was seemingly always over the center's helmet.

Most importantly, the move puts the draft in a different light. Before this announcement, everyone believed the Dolphins needed to address the nose tackle and free safety position on Saturday.

Now we now they have a need at free safety, having addressed defensive end (Odrick), wide receiver (Brandon Marshall), nose tackle (Randy Starks), and outside linebacker (Koa Misi). That's a pretty awesome way to spackle holes on the roster.

I like it.

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No you can't....



Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins ... z0lzZ8xfM5

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RIP Tom
RIP Tone

Yay way to solve a issue internally great job i think this will be a good move with odrick & Langford on the ends...Can Merling Play OLB? at all?

No, but Phillip can provide depth at the DE/DT position.

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I never said they won't put him there....what I thought I said was that they would bring in someone else into the mix....should have added "to compete."

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RIP Tone

Agreed. Merling has the size to move into a 3 technique on obvious passing downs. Him and Odrick inside with Wake and either Misi or Anderson on the outside should be able to put adequate pressure on the quarterback.

Worst idea in the history of ideas.

Starks is not an NT. I don't care if we're talking hyrbrid or pure 3-4. We've all seen what happens when he mans the position.

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If this is true it makes for 5 guys who can rotate in and out of the nose - Ferguson, Soliai, Starks, Odrick and McDaniel. Certainly could keep players fresh.

If Starks can do it it solves an enormous need.

I think part of the reason that Odrick was drafted is because he can play inside or outside. Bill Parcells likes competition and Odrick puts pressure on Langford, Merling, Starks, McDaniel, and Solai to produce.

I like the idea of Starks playing nose sometimes and playing end other times. He is emerging as a force that can really disrupt offenses.

We already know he can't. We've already seen when he had to man that position.

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This is retarded. Starks has failed there before. Why would they do that? Idiots... should have taken Cody when they had the chance.

We've all seen what happens when he mans the position when he hasn't played or practiced it.

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