Sports Buzz

Philbin assesses his defense; notes on Fins, Heat, Canes and Marlins

BUZZ COLUMN

We served up Joe Philbin’s Tuesday comments about the Dolphins offense in our last post. Here are some quick hits from Philbin on the team’s defense and other topics:

 ### He threw open a starting cornerback job (Vontae Davis is a no-brainer to start at one spot) and made clear he wants more production from Miami’s top two picks in 2010: Jared Odrick and Koa Misi.

Philbin said cornerback Richard Marshall will have a shot to win a starting spot; keep in mind his overall numbers last year were better than Sean Smith’s. One advantage of having Marshall as the nickel cornerback is he's best equipped of the cornerbacks to play against the slot receiver. But if Marshall clearly outplays Smith in August, Marshall could start and shift to the slot when the Dolphins face three- and four-receiver sets, which obviously happens a lot. 

Philbin said Marshall “played the ball relatively well, is more than a willing tackler and has the physical toughness we like.''

He said the Dolphins “would love to find another guy that can add a real presence” as a pass-rusher, primarily on third down. That likely will come in the draft. But he also wants more from Odrick (22 tackles, six sacks in 2011): “Now in year three, you would like to see [him] really step up and emerge.”

The Dolphins have been looking for a veteran linebacker that can compete with Misi, with Philip Wheeler still a top target. “We would like to see Misi emerge a little more and be more productive and make more impact plays,” Philbin said. “He has played very well at the point of attack.”

Wheeler tweeted Tuesday: "I think I'm taking my talents to South Beach. Not sure yet, though." As of Tuesday afternoon, he had not agreed to terms, but that could happen at any point.

### The Dolphins continue to leave the door open for a return by Yeremiah Bell, and he’s considering it, depending partly on what offers he gets elsewhere. But Philbin likes Reshad Jones, Chris Clemons and Tyrone Culver and could see them competing for two starting jobs; he said there's no great distinction between the strong and free safeties in the defense that will be utilized by coordinator Kevin Coyle.

### Philbin called on Davis and Smith “to play at a higher level on a more consistent basis, week in and week out. They’ve shown spurts where they’ve played extremely well on tape. We've got two corners from a measurables, size, speed standpoint we're really excited about.”

### Philbin appreciates that Stephen Ross is paying more than $1 million to upgrade the facility: “We have a brand new team meeting room, brand new locker room. It’s not done to make this place Club Med or the Taj Mahal. [But] it makes a difference.”

 ### When Miami’s defense uses a 4-3 – and that will vary – he’s not sure which linebacker (Karlos Dansby, Kevin Burnett or Misi) is best equipped for the middle…. He loves his defensive line: “Paul Soliai is a rare kind of player. I like what we’ve seen from Tony McDaniel. Love his size, very athletic. Randy Starks is strong and productive. It has a chance to be a very, very good front four.”

### Will mild-mannered Philbin yell at players? “You can’t be someone you’re not. You’re a teacher. There are two situations when you jump down a player’s neck: if they’re not giving maximum effort or keep making the same mistakes over and over. Then you have a problem. I’ve dropped an F-bomb in my day. I’m not saying I’m never going to. The loudest yeller doesn’t necessarily impress me.”

### Philbin cracked that his team will not appear on HBO’s Hard Knocks because “I’m built for radio, not TV.” He said he has zero input in how much Jeff Ireland offers players: “I wasn’t good at math.” And of his transition from Green Bay to South Florida, he said, “I’m 0-and-1. I bought a much bigger house than I needed.”

Remember, please read our previous post for a look at everything Philbin had to say about the team's offense, position by position.

CHATTER

### The Dolphins have not decided yet whether they would take Ryan Tannehill if he’s there at No. 8. Browns coach Pat Shurmur said Tuesday that he’s “looking forward to [Colt McCoy] being our guy,” but they nevertheless plan to host a visit with Tannehill, which certainly leaves open the possibility that Cleveland could take him at No. 4.

“I believe at No. 4, they ought to pull the trigger on Tannehill,” NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said. “I believe Tannehill could become the answer.’’ If Cleveland takes him, it could eliminate an appealing option, but also eliminate a conundrum, for Ireland, who knows he would get a more immediate impact at that spot by picking a pass rusher (Quinton Coples, Melvin Ingram) or a receiver (if Justin Blackmon surprisingly drops)… Contrary to reports, Peyton Manning did not write a letter to Ross when he ruled out Miami. But the two men exchanged e-mails.     

### The Heat’s offensive falloff has been so dramatic that Miami has gone from averaging 106 points in an 11-game stretch to 93.1 in its past 13.

Beyond the fact that Miami's shooting percentage has declined, rebounding “more than anything has brought our fast break and overall scoring numbers down,” Erik Spoelstra said. “We don’t run in those games.”

During this stretch, the Heat has been outrebounded by alarming margins: by 18 to Utah, 10 to Orlando, 16 to Chicago and Indiana, 12 to Philadelphia. Chris Bosh’s rebound average has dipped to 7.8 – lowest since his rookie year and three boards fewer than three years ago. What’s more, Udonis Haslem said teams “are sending more guys back now to defend us in transition.”

Spoelstra said he remains convinced the Heat can play its up-tempo style against good defensive teams in the playoffs, “but if the games have less possessions, we have to win those games as well. We never intended to be a wild run-and-gun show.” 

 ### Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch said Dallas Crawford, who switched from cornerback to running back last month, has moved to receiver, where UM expects him to do damage in the slot.... Al Golden said Asante Cleveland has been the best of the tight ends but "that group has to really keep coming." David Perry had a goal-line fumble in Saturday's scrimmage and Clive Walford isn't quite at the level the staff wants.... Receiver Kendal Thompkins has flashed in past springs, then had little opportunity when the season started. But Golden said he believes this year might be different.

### There’s no player Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria wanted more after 2010 than catcher John Buck, but he needs to do more to justify his $6 million salary for 2012 and ‘13. After hitting .281 for Toronto in 2010, he plunged to .227 as a Marlin (worst among all National League catchers with at least 250 at-bats) and threw out 17 of 100 base-stealers (worst among all starting catchers).

“Maybe it was an adjustment to the league,” Marlins executive Larry Beinfest said. “The average can come up but I don’t think it necessarily needs to get to .281. He hit some big home runs. We got what we wanted in terms of leadership behind the plate.” Playing home games in air conditioning will help; Marlins catchers have talked for years about how draining it is to play here.... Outfielder Austin Kearns (.364) has essentially wrapped up a roster spot. Aaron Rowand (.133) might not last more than a few more days. The Marlins reportedly inquired about Orioles outfielder Nolan Reimold, but Baltimore wasn't interested in moving him.

  

Philbin talks QB battle, needs at receiver and o-line; draft order set

Dolphins coach Joe Philbin spoke to the media at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach on Tuesday morning, and here are the highlights of what he had to say about his offense and his overall impressions of his team:

### Though many Dolphins fans are angry with some of the personnel moves – and more than two dozen of them protested outside team headquarters last week – Philbin said, “I’m excited about the reception I’ve received. It’s phenomenal. I’m glad there are fans with passion who care about the direction of this team. We understand not everyone is going to like every single decision. I love the fact they’re passionate. They didn’t throw any eggs at my car when I drove by. We’ll see how long that lasts.”

### Asked what concerns him about his team, “I’m concerned about everything. We’ve watched a lot of tape, we’ve identified areas we need to get better. I told [Steve Ross and Jeff Ireland] when I interviewed there’s a ton of focus on the quarterback position. My position, when I watched the tape, was our offensive line needs to get better if our quarterback position is going to play better. That's going to be a priority.”

### So has Miami found its five starting offensive linemen? “Not at all. Hopefully we can provide a little more competition.” (Jake Long, Mike Pouncey and Richie Incognito are obviously set as starters; more on below.)

### He said the quarterback battle will be an “open competition” between Matt Moore and David Garrard. “I told David my only obligation to Matt Moore is he played well last year and he deserves an opportunity to compete for the starting position, just as David does.”

### His impressions of Moore: “I thought he managed the games relatively well. He’s not a by-the-book quarterback. He was very productive. Good arm strength. Kind of has a knack, an ability to move a team. He and I had a great conversation on the team Friday and he sounds very excited, very optimistic. He’s anxious to compete for a job.”

### His impressions of Garrard: “Had very good productivity in 2010. He throws a real catchable ball, can spin it pretty good. He moved well, threw the ball well, has good velocity on his ball. Fundamentally, has nice mechanics. I like his personality. I did some research on guys with Jacksonville – all the reports were positive about the kind of person he is. He is very comfortable throwing the ball on the move. He can be a factor in the vertical game as well. The biggest part of the visit was making sure our medical staff was comfortable where he is” after last year’s back injury." The medical staff was comfortable with it.

### Philbin wanted to make clear that the Dolphins very much pursued Matt Flynn, who got a bigger offer from Seattle. “We made an aggressive push. We got him in here relatively quickly. We had a great meeting. Matt and I had a number of conversations prior to his arrival, some subsequent ones after. The visit was excellent. He got along well with the offensive staff. It always takes two people to get a marriage.” 

### Philbin declined to say why Brandon Marshall was traded, beyond saying, “We thought it was in the best interests of the team moving forward.”

Asked if there’s a so-called No. 1 receiver in his offense, he said, “Part of the philosophy is to have balance. We want our quarterbacks to have progression reads where they’re not necessarily isolated on one specific individual. We’re going to play to our hot hand and strive to create mismatches. When we install a passing game, it isn’t necessarily built on: ‘You’re the number one guy, you’re the number two guy, you’re the number three guy.’ It’s more multiple. We can have a variety of guys lined up in that spot. It’s not necessarily that there isn’t one, but not necessarily that there is one. We’re going to expose the weaknesses of the defenses with formations.

“You want to have someone big who can attack the middle the field. I don’t envision us being locked into Davone Bess always going to play in the slot or Brian Hartline is always going to play outside. You want to create more work for the defense. How are we going to match this up? We may line up a tight end as the widest receiver. We need flexibility formation wise. I don’t want to be locked in.”

### It’s clear he expects to find at least one receiver in the draft. “You’re talking to a guy who in nine years, we never had one guy [receiver] come in as a free agent and really contribute. Let’s get guys in our culture, and have faith in our ability to teach and develop.”

 ### On his receivers: “We have to look within the roster to get more production and more development out of younger guys. It’s our job to bring these guys along.” He said Hartline “runs real well. I had a couple good meetings with him. He’s ready to step up. I’m excited about it.”

 ### In the search for receivers, he wants precise route-runners and “somebody who can separate versus man coverage. You’re looking for a guy with body control that can get in and out of breaks quickly. You would like to see how competitive a guy is running across the middle.”

### On some of the young receivers on the roster: Clyde Gates “obviously has some great speed; you’re always looking for a vertical presence in the passing game.” He said Marlon Moore and Roberto Wallace “are unknown quantities. There’s not a lot of game film. We’ve watched a little of the practice tape, relying on what Jeff and his staff have seen.”

### On his running backs: On Reggie Bush – “The one thing that’s exciting to us as a staff is he has a chance to line up in a couple different positions. You can have two tight ends with Reggie in the backfield. You might be able to go empty. Have a fullback with Reggie in the game and be a three-wideout [set]. He can do some things in the passing game for you. We’re excited about the flexibility he gives the offense.”

He said “we’re excited” about Daniel Thomas: “Big guy. Looks like he’s in good shape. He was a little hampered in his development last year, had a couple of nagging injuries. Those have been rectified. He’s a big, different size players. Steve Slaton has had some very good production in the league. We felt he was a good fit schematically. We need guys with a variety of skills in their toolbox.”

### On where the team stands at tight end: “I thought Anthony Fasano played well. He caught the ball well, made some difficult catches, made catches in traffic. We like what we saw there. Charles Clay is a young, emerging guy. I don’t know if you want to call him a hybrid. He can go a couple different places for you and looks comfortable doing it.”

### On his offensive line: “We like Pouncey’s athleticism, love his competitiveness. We thought he had a very, very good rookie year. That’s a critical position. He will have a lot of responsibility with blocking schemes. Incognito did some good things.  The rest of the interior (meaning right guard) isn’t quite as settled. Jake has come by the office a number of times. All the things you hear about him are true. He’s ready to take on a more active leadership role on the ballclub.”

### Asked if he has enough information to project Lydon Murtha as his starting right tackle, Philbin said he does not. As a coach at Iowa, Philbin recruited Murtha coming out of a high school in Minnesota. “Obviously showed a lot of promise.”

### He said he is not sure if John Jerry is a guard or tackle: “We have to find a home for him. He’s got to earn a spot. The good news is he has played a couple of them. The bad news is he has not anchored down one spot.”

### Philbin said “you can’t necessarily fix everything in free agency, nor do you want to do. When you’re doing it the right way, you’re developing your own guys, re-signing your own guys.”

### Does he need to tell fans this will take a while to get the team where he wants? “To say I have a great handle on where the 2012 Dolphins are at this minute is not accurate. It would be a disservice to players saying we’re in a rebuilding mode. I’m very confident we will have a well prepared team. We will have a team that will get better during the season.”

### On Ross, overall: “First day I interviewed for the job, he and I sat together for an hour and half. I thought we had a good match and good marriage. We’re different guys. I like his frankness, his honesty; he’s up front. I told him, ‘You’ve got to have faith.’ There’s something about me that prompted him to hire me. You’ve got to have faith in the people you hire. He’s a hard worker, which is one of the reasons he appealed to me.” 

### Though Buffalo signed two terrific pass rushers (Mario Williams and Mark Anderson), Philbin said: “Our last check was our left tackle [Long] is a pretty good."

 ### On whether his offense uses a fullback: “At certain times, it may be important. There may be times we may not be in a lot of fullback [sets]. It’s game plan specific. I don’t know if it’s an absolute must. [CFL import] Jerome Messam is an interesting prospect. Real big man. We’re interested to get our hands on him and see how he picks up the pass protection.”

Check back later for more of what Philbin had to say.

ONE MORE NEWS NOTE: The NFL announced the full seven-round draft order on Tuesday, and Miami will have eight picks: at 8, 42, 72, 73, 103, 145, 196 and 215. The 73rd pick comes from Chicago - via Carolina - from the Marshall trade. The Dolphins and Saints flip-flopped sixth round pick as part of the Reggie Bush trade.