Miami appears to have made a smart move by acquiring Akeem Spence
Akeem Spence has been Miami’s best Defensive Tackle in 2018… so far that is.
After an ugly game against the Panthers, Adam Gase has been under fire from Dolphins fans. Coach Gase though is upbeat and sees the team trending in the right direction. Many fans completely disagree. No one, not even Gase, can say what will become of the 2018 Season at this point…
…But the proof is in the pudding, and so far, the reviews of the pudding have been mixed.
One area Gase and fans should agree on is with Akeem Spence.
Spence has been the Dolphins best D-Tackles so far. This isn’t a backhanded compliment saying they all suck, and he’s the best of the worst. Actually, I think Jordan Phillips and Spence will open up as starters this week, and fans will be pleased with the results. Also, Vincent Taylor and Kendell Langford showed plenty last week as well. The only real major disappointment at this point, at the heart of the defense, has been Godchaux and the Middle Linebacker.
But don’t take my word on it. Here’s the tape:
#93 Spence consistently holds the line or presses the pocket.
Spence can’t be faulted in the least for the poor run defense, he beats single blockers and holds up well under double teams. There is added bonus with Spence: he’s here on a 3 yr $9 million contract. While it’s still early, his play, considering it’s $17 million less than Suh, is an absolute ace in the hole for Tannenbaum. Yes, he is playing a notch and a half, or maybe two, below Suh, but that’s still good-quality football. A conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2019 for this type of play and to unload Suh’s contract is a major feather in the GM’s hat…
…if this level of play continues, of course.
Spence plays from whistle to whistle at 100%. That’s a leader. Also, wasn’t that hump move in the last play beautifully (that didn’t sound right, did it)? Again, I expect Phillips and Spence to do very well when paired together. Now the question is, can the Middle Linebacker play behind them be competent?
#93 Spence was even effective in pass rush last week
Taylor has also been very effective. His style of play is much like Spence. He is ranked the 3rd DT on my depth chart and with many of the pay per head reviews sites.
Kendall Langford was a big surprise. I missed some of his good work the night of the game. But when I went back to the tape for study, I was impressed. After I heard the story about the tragic death of his newborn baby last year, I picked up my pom-poms.
Langford is ranked 4th with Godchaux behind him. But his body of work is limited. This week will be a big game for him.
Take a close look at the play below. This is quintessential of the LB play last week. Kiko shaves the block, instead of attacking and stacking, and McMillan is very slow to read. It’s not to get on Kiki because he is having a good camp. But Miami needs an MLB who can stack and shed and better reads from McMillan. Langford does his job and occupies two blockers. But Godchaux can’t get enough pressure to force his second blocker to stick. The Guard moves to his second block… and that where the problems begin for Miami.
You might or might not like Gase, Tannenbaum, and Grier, but liking the Akeem Spence move is where fans should be in lockstep at this point. Sometimes I can’t tell when Gase is just pumping his player to the press with coach speech or saying what he really believes. When Gase speaks of Spence I know he’s telling the truth… because the tape backs him up. Big, big game coming this week. Go Phins!!!