Mike Pouncey Injured his hip against the Cowboys and will likely miss the rest of Preseason…and maybe the opener.
Mike Pouncey is a Pro-Bowl Center and the top-paid player at his position in the NFL.
Miami Dolphins Center, Mike Pouncey had right hip surgery in the off-season. On Friday night, against the Dallas Cowboys, he injured his left hip and * will be on the shelf for 4-6 weeks**.
Pouncey will miss the rest of preseason…and maybe, the season opener again the Seattle Seahawks.
What does this mean to the Dolphins offense? And is this a terrible turn of events?
First, let’s refresh our memory on what positives Pouncey brings to the table: experience, good pass protection, good calls for pre-snap assignments and reads, vocal leadership, excellent second-level run blocking, speed and agility.
Pouncey is ranked at around #11 in the league at his position.
His salary makes him #1 highest paid in the league.
Now, let’s refresh our memory on his negatives: oft injured, lacks strength, terrible drive blocking and ineffective at the point of attack.
Essentially, Pouncey is a pass-blocking center with very little run-blocking ability who has been injured three of his fives seasons…this will make it four out of six.
In Bill Lazor‘s pass-happy system that preferred perimeter run and rarely ran between the tackles, Mike Pouncey was a quality center for that system.
But, for Adam Gase‘s system that likes to run and run inside, Mike Pouncey is a liability. He might be the best center on this squad, but he is still a liability if the 2016 Dolphins want a running game.
As long as Pouncey is the Dolphins Center, Miami will always have problems with the inside running game.
The second problem is that neither Jamil Douglas or Anthony Steen have proven to be centers who can dominate at the point of attack. Steen, who has a better build than Pouncy, shorter and heavier, with which to generate power at the point of attack, still might prove that he’s the man for the job…but, at this point he hasn’t looked very good in the run game either.
Pouncey’s injury could be a blessing in disguise, or it could create a whole new set of issues.
The last two options for Miami is to acquire a new center, or turn to Kraig Urbik.
Both of these options have drawbacks.
It will be extremely hard to find a quality center at this point, and Urbik isn’t a center by trade — although, he has played one on T.V (sorry, couldn’t resist).
Might I add, Urbik pancaked the DT he was facing on his first run play as center in the 3rd quarter as a possible good omen?!
Go back and watch Urbik in the 3rd Qtr. Yes, it was against 2nd and 3rd string, but he had a couple of pancakes. Urbik also, along with Tunsil,sprang Pead on the 45 yarder, and while he did have standstills, he was never beaten at the point of attack…also, he showed a bit of nastiness.
Now, to be fair, he did get beat to the spot at the second level. On a 3rd and 1, he couldn’t get to the middle-backer. It was a total breakdown all along the O-front, and the play was stopped for a loss. The break down was partly his fault, but it wasn’t his alone as at least three other linemen missed their assignments.
In this skill-set of speed, agility and getting to the second level, Pouncy has him trumped with a Royal Flush.
Urbik did receive more reps against the Cowboys than Douglas and almost as much a Steen. So, the staff has their eye on him. They even brought Steen back in in the 4th and ran like mad…maybe to test Steen’s blocking?
Not sure of Urbik’s grade on reading D-fronts, or leadership, but he can run-block well and seems to be solid in pass-block. His set-ups were wide and he wasn’t easily moved.
Personally, I want Miami to run the ball and run it inside. The only way they have a shot at making this 2016 season a successful one is if they run the ball.
They won’t be able to run it with Pouncey, unless they scheme around him.
They won’t run it with Douglas.
Steen or Urbik are the only two with a chance to give Miami an inside running presence.
If I were the best pay per head fanatic, I’d bet if the Dolphins want to run, Urbik seems like the best man for the job.
Miami has struggled for years to run the ball inside. The only consistent has been Mike Pouncey. Maybe, this could be a blessing in disguise. Go Fins!!!
* This article stated that Pouncey was “set to have a small “clean-up” procedure”, which I read from a tweet if a beat reporter, or “misremembered”. This appears not to be the case…much apologies.
** Miami is considering Pouncey have surgery “The decision is whether or not to have Pouncey undergo another minor hip procedure and miss the next 4-6 weeks, or have him play through the pain, and possibly cause more damage.”
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/sfl-dolphins-preparing-to-play-season-opener-without-mike-pouncey-20160821-story.html