Pouncey gave his all to the Phins, but his release is best for all involved
Pouncey was elite talent worn down to average by injury
Shocking news cme today that Mike Pouncey has asked to be released. So, despite two other articles in the process of being put together, Phinsnews has had to jam the breaks on the presses and get this news out first.
The Front Office was pressuring Pouncey to take a pay cut, but he refused to take less. Pouncey’s refusal and the Dolphins lack of long-term vision for him is the reason for his desire to be released. Now that his cut is a done deal, Pouncey is a Free Agent, which is what he wanted so he can continue his career elsewhere ASAP.
Pouncey was a good pick for Miami with the 15th overall in 2011… But the human body isn’t meant to last long under the kind of duress that the NFL puts on a player. Pouncey’s quality playing time was far less than what he or the team had hoped for, but when healthy in his early days he was elite. Now though after several hips surgeries, a staph infection, miracle procedures, and a limited practice schedule he was average overall. His pass protection, leadership, ability to attack the second level, and calls were still at a high level.
Mike Pouncey was a force out of college
His Achilles Heel was his lack of power at the point of attack, which is well below average. This lack of power left him open to be victimized in certain schemes and limited his effectiveness dramatically in the run game.
Pouncey’s fragility was another major negative factor in his game. His need to rest his hips as a precaution lessened cohesion of the O-Line unit as a whole. A leader needs to be involved to lead. Allocating that much money ($9 million) to such a large question mark isn’t smart football.
Fans should give a nod of congratulations to Mike Tannenbaum and Adam Gase for holding to their evaluation in this matter. Can you say a sign of hope?!
Pouncey’s release brings more positives than negatives
I like this move for several reasons… despite how much I liked Pouncey as a player over the years.
- A primary issue was inconsistency, removing a huge “?” will help with consistency team-wide.
- This is a fiscally responsible move.
- Gase displayed strong attached to certain players in 2017. This cut shows maturity as an H.C.
- This will likely force Miami to invest a decent chip on the OL… hopefully in the draft.
- The ‘will he make it won’t he make’ / ‘over and under’ chatter on games played will die.
- Drake is Miami best weapon, now the “D’s” A Gap can be attacked in the run game.
- Kilgore is cheaper ($2 million in 2018) and more beyond so it opens the future CAP up.
In a round-about way, the Offensive Line is much improved
Here’s a good read on Kilgore.
I’d of been more concerned if the Sitton deal (tad bit expensive, but excellent for 2018) wasn’t in place and there wasn’t the Kilgore trade. since it is and they have, Miami is in a much better situation at Offensive Line. Even though the pass protection may be a bit less, the run blocking with be dramatically increased with these two. And given what the Fins do in the draft and how Brendel improves, it could end up much better ‘at the end of the day’. Also, DT’s lining in the A Gap will no longer have a revolving door to the backfield in front of them. That’s a very good thing.
So now it’s on to watching hours of film on Sitton and Kilgore… That is after a fond farewell to a fine Miami Dolphins player in Mike Pouncey. Best of luck Mike. As a fan, I thank you for all you gave–and you gave a lot! Well, Phins Fans, say what you want, but it’s been interesting so far. Go PHins!!!
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