What's with the offensive line?

[Landshark]

A friend of mine on another site pointed this out.  This line has been in "rebuilding" mode for five years.  It started with drafting Jake Long #1 overall 5 years ago. Then they drafted Jerry, followed by Pouncey, and finally Jonathan Martin this year.   This line is getting worse by the year despite having two supposed "offensive line gurus" as head coaches.  What gives?

[Brian Fein]

Your friend's statement at the end is false.  The line has been better this year than in years past.  Problem is Jake is having an off year (I suspect he may be playing injured since he's in a contract year).  So the left side is starting to look like the weak link.

[Landshark]

Your friend's statement at the end is false.  The line has been better this year than in years past.  Problem is Jake is having an off year (I suspect he may be playing injured since he's in a contract year).  So the left side is starting to look like the weak link.

It also may be the wrong scheme.  The West Coast Offense features small, quick linemen if I'm not mistaken.  Long is neither.

[fyo]

Long has played well the past two games -- or at least nowhere near as poorly as the rest of the line, in particular the right side. So it's back to status quo

[Brian Fein]

I don't fault Long's play.  But I do suspect he's being quiet about an injury.  He does seem a bit slower on the move, but that might be perception.  I'm noticing him on the ground a lot more. 

Given his history of injury and past questions about durability, it wouldn't surprise me if he was hiding it so that he could say "look I got through a whole season, I'm not fragile" during his contract negotiations.

[MikeO]

Jake Long is damaged goods. Not the same player he once was. It's very obvious. He was a GREAT left tackle, he is now an average to slightly above average LT at best, and he is declining to boot. Jake will be the most difficult decision Miami has this offseason. I suspect they will franchise Sean Smith (if they can't work out a long-term deal) and they will try to sign Jake but if they can't they will probably be more willing to lose Long than Smith.

Smith's franchise tag number is relatively low compared to Jakes. It also lets them put Smith's deal off for a year and buys them time.

[Pappy13]

Jake Long is damaged goods. Not the same player he once was. It's very obvious. He was a GREAT left tackle, he is now an average to slightly above average LT at best, and he is declining to boot. Jake will be the most difficult decision Miami has this offseason. I suspect they will franchise Sean Smith (if they can't work out a long-term deal) and they will try to sign Jake but if they can't they will probably be more willing to lose Long than Smith.

Smith's franchise tag number is relatively low compared to Jakes. It also lets them put Smith's deal off for a year and buys them time.

The big question is will someone other than Miami be willing to pay him like a top 5 LT. I kinda doubt it if they have looked at game tape lately, but you never know. He's not just getting beat these days, he's getting beat BADLY. I said earlier in the year they should pay him and keep the line intact, but as each week goes by I'm finding it harder and harder to justify that. Miami might be having to go back to the draft yet again for a lineman next year.

[BigDaddyFin]

The guard play sucks and has for awhile.  That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

Jake Long is definately playing hurt even if nobody wants to admit to it.
Pouncey is playing better.
Martin is still a questionmark at RT because he's a rookie.  He gets caught with changeup moves and gets out of position and looks stupid like rookies do sometimes. 

John Jerry gets blown up at the line of scrimmage way too often.  He seems to at least be competent in pass protection most of the time.  He's also playing the easiest pass blocking position.  He misses blocks often at the second level and depending on what defense you're playing that can be a huge problem.

Incognito, well there's a reason the guy's been with like 4 teams.  He too misses blocks at the second level and has on a number of occasions gotten blown back in pass pro, which for a guard is pretty bad. 

We haven't had high-caliber guard play on this team in a long time.  You have to go back to Kevin Donnalley and one-hit wonder Jamie Nails. 

Landshark, you are correct in your assessment, in that generally with a West Coast offense you need more athletic guys (think Denver's Superbowl lines from about 15 years ago as a good example).  The problem is that your average size NFL lineman keeps getting bigger, so what was 250 pounds in the 80s became 285 by the end of the 90s and is now in the 310-320 department. 

[MikeO]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/24/jake-longs-decline-creates-dilemma-for-dolphins/

and

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/24/3111919/decline-of-miami-dolphins-jake.html

Jake Long's declining play is starting to get addressed now.

But privately, everyone knows that isn’t right. The truth is Long’s play has fallen so far off from an elite level he is more often mired in mediocrity than lifted up in excellence.

[bsfins]

I've felt there are far too teams that would take even a diminished Jake long right now to play tackle,Someone is going to throw a lot of money at Jake.

At this time I see him like Todd Wade when we were in this situation with him,I wouldn't mind re-signing him,but not for free agent type money.When someone throws the money at him, Thanks Jake,and good luck to you...

[MikeO]

At this time I see him like Todd Wade when we were in this situation with him,I wouldn't mind re-signing him,but not for free agent type money.When someone throws the money at him, Thanks Jake,and good luck to you...

Yep!  I stated around draft time we should have used him as a trade chip to move up in Rd 1 maybe. Or to get another pick. Because then he still had some value, although those of us who watch him every play of every game saw the early signs that he was on a fast decline. Now he has little value overall, everyone knows it, and its either overpay to keep him or let him walk and letting him walk is the better option.

The NFL is all about value. That's one of the many reasons Marshall had to go. He wasn't worth his contract. Same here with Jake, its not that he is horrible but he isn't worth what it will cost to keep him. We can get equal play at Left Tackle and have it cost a lot less!

[MikeO]

Jake Long was terrible vs Seattle yesterday. He isn't helping his cause any

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Whether Long stays or goes will have a lot to do with whether he wants to stay or not. 

He isn't the all-pro player he was in 2010, but he is still a starting quality OL on any team, if he isn't with Miami he will be starting somewhere.  If he demands elite dollars the Fins would be smart to let him test FA.  If he want to remain in Miami he can accept a starting but not an elite contract. 

[MikeO]

Whether Long stays or goes will have a lot to do with whether he wants to stay or not. 

He isn't the all-pro player he was in 2010, but he is still a starting quality OL on any team, if he isn't with Miami he will be starting somewhere.  If he demands elite dollars the Fins would be smart to let him test FA.  If he want to remain in Miami he can accept a starting but not an elite contract. 

Fins also have enough cap room to franchise him for a year, get maybe the last decent year out of him, then let him walk the following year. Allows them to address other positions next year and put off the LT position for another year. Deal with it in 2014