For years, I have watched and listened in horror as Coles has burned us again and again with big ground gainers and way too many NYJets TDs.
Yet, I think his best days are over. After re-signing Y Bell, I don't think we can afford Coles. Let's rely on Tuna and Ireland to work some magic in the draft.
Re: Are Miami Dolphins interested in now-available Laveranues Coles?
The problem with this is how he fits on the roster.
We have Ginn, who we spent the #9 pick on. And it would be foolish to let him go before his 3rd season, especially with the progress he has made.
We have Bess, who the coaching staff loves. And he has a chance to be a really nice slot guy.
We have Camarillo, another guy the coaching staff loves. And they just signed him to a long term deal. He can be a good #4 WR.
We have Brandon London, another guy that the coaching staff is high on. He has great size.
And we have Wilford, who costs us more against the cap to cut than it does to keep him.
That's 5 roster spots
And there have been reports that the team is enamored with several of the group of Nicks, Heyward-Bey, Britt, and Robiskie. Coles is no longer a #1 WR, which is what we really need. And he's on the wrong side of 30. If we sign Coles, it likely means not drafting a WR, because it's just too many roster spots. In the long term interest of the team, is this really the way they want to go? And Coles walked away from $6M guaranteed this year. Is he really going to settle for a the low $ kind of deal that would be more appealing to us?
Re: Are Miami Dolphins interested in now-available Laveranues Coles?
I see us cutting London and either cutting or trading Wilford. I think we'll make room if we can get Coles. The chemistry alone between him and CP is worth it!
Re: Are Miami Dolphins interested in now-available Laveranues Coles?
montequi Wrote:
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> I see us cutting London and either cutting or
> trading Wilford. I think we'll make room if we
> can get Coles. The chemistry alone between him
> and CP is worth it!
I think London has too much potential to let go of just yet. And CP is not the long term answer at QB for us. His lack of arm strength is one of the reasons we struggle to run the ball. The safeties are always near the line of scrimmage to help against the run because they know CP can't beat them deep. So, I'm more concerned with getting a young guy to develop chemistry with Henne.
That said, I do see the need for us to have a veteran WR to help teach our guys how to make themselves better at the NFL level. So, I'd be ok with a Coles signing, but it would have to be:
a) short term
b) short money
c) he has to earn his playing time, and be willing to accept a backup role if need be
It will be interesting to see if we make a play for him.
Re: Are Miami Dolphins interested in now-available Laveranues Coles?
I was thinking the same thing about the logjam at WR but at some point you have to realize we can't just keep fielding a bunch of #3 WR's. All of those WR's you mentioned scored 5 Touchdowns TOTAL and most are the same receiver in a different wrapper.
We also have speedsters, Anthony Armstrong and Todd Lowber on the developmental squad.
The questions are...
1. Can Tedd Ginn turn the corner in his 3rd year and 2nd year in the same system?
2. What is the ceiling for Davone Bess? Has he reached it or can he improve. In 6 starts, he averaged 5.8 receptions and 61 yards/0 TD's per game. He had no 100 yard games.
3. What is Camarillo's ceiling? He averaged 4.5 receptions and 51 yards/.16 TD's per game. He had one breakout performance. 11/111 yards.
4. Where is the ceiling for London, Armstrong and Lowber? London has value as a ST'er but is still in developement like AA and TL.
5. Why did Wilford suck so bad? The coaches say he works hard but can he correct his mistakes this year?
It seems as though Bess and Camarillo are smart players but have very limited physical skills. Bess is similar in size to Lav Coles but does not possess Coles' speed even at 31 years old.
As much as everyone loves Bess and Cam, the fact is they will probably never be elite receivers. Everyone compares Cam to Welker but he is nowhere nar as quick as Welker...neither is Bess.
We are screwed with Wilford and cannot continue to let him take up valuable roster space and be inactive. We have to talk him into restructuring his deal or just cut him loose come preseason if he is not ready to start. NOBODY is going to trade for him.
If everything pans out, Ginn will turn into the 1200 yard/10 TD guy he should be and we will draft a WR that comes in an lights it up and turns into a franchise player along the lines of Reggie Wayne or TJ Housh.
Then Bess and Cam fill the role they are suited for...Slot and 4th WR for spread formations.
So, to answer the question about Coles. He would be a great insurance policy for all the above. Unfortunately, someone will have to pay the price for his presence with their roster spot.
Cam has a torn ACL and is a risk. Coles has the ability to come in and give us 1000 yards and 7 TD's due to his familiarity with Chad.
So, we bring him in for a reasonable price (this is do-able) with a stipulation that any guaranteed money is based on making the team and incentives. We draft a WR and see what happens come September.
One scenario...Ginn starts with Coles and Bess works the slot.
2nd scenario...Ginn starts with new rookie, Bess or Cam work the slot and we release Coles in September.
I agree on the upsides of Bess and Camarillo. But, the fact is that the coaching staff loves them, in spite of their limitations.
Bess is a poor man's Welker. He's very quick on the underneath routes. He will be a good slot guy for us once the two outside positions are more established.
Camarillo may not be ready to start the year. And any loss of speed from his injury could be devastating. He runs great routes and has great hands. But, on a good team, he's the 2nd slot guy in a 4 WR formation.
I doubt that Ginn will ever be a 1200 yard guy. He certainly never will be that with Pennington as the QB. Ginn is too frail to be a guy who catches 80 or 90 balls. I will be happy if he settles in as a 50-60 catch guy, but one who makes big plays, averaging 17-20 yards per catch with 8-10 TD per year.
London has the potential to be a real threat, because of his size. He can be a factor over the middle, down the field, and in the red zone. But, playing at UMass, he needs more experience.
What we are dying for is a number one guy. And it needs to be a guy who is physical enough to go over the middle, and fast enough to make plays downfield. Is Coles that guy? At 5'11, 193, he doesn't have the size we need. And he hasn't averaged more than 12 yards per catch since 2003 with Washington. I don't know. When I watch him, he looks like a guy who has lost a lot in the last 2 seasons. If his role is to battle Camarillo for playing time, that's fine. But, if we're expecting him to be our #1 guy and make our passing game more feared, I don't think he's even close to being that guy.
Re: Are Miami Dolphins interested in now-available Laveranues Coles?
If he were here last year he would have been our #1 guy and outperformed everyone. LC had 70/850/7 with a new QB that threw 22 INT's last year. He also had to share the ball that was spread around to several other recievers and backs. Cotchery 71 rec, Keller 48, Stucky 32, Leon Washington 47, Thomas Jones 36.
His upside is limited but I am intrigued about the hook-up with Chad. If you look at the numbers....Coles and Chad's best years have all come in the same seasons. Their down years are all the same as well.
There is no reason to think that Coles could not gain 150 more yards with Chad then he did with Favre. That would put him at 1000.
Plus, a tough veteran (one of the few WR's BP has drafted) could provide Ginn with invaluable mentoring that he really needs to make that next step easier.
What the heck did they ever see in Wilford anyways? It's not like he has ever lit it up, in any of the years he's been in the league! Potential I guess?