Kiko Alonso offers a good shot for Miami to have their best MLB since Thomas.
Kiko Alonso was initially considered by fans just another piece in a “farce of a trade”.
I believe that Kiko Alonso has the potential to have more of an impact than any off-season player acquisition of 2016…and could ultimately determine the success or failure of the Dolphins defense.
Alonso is a player that had a monster inaugural season playing in a base 4-3 defense, but a serious knee injury, as he went into his second season, began his decent. Traded the following year, fitted into a 3-4 defense as well as suffering some set backs with another knee injury, the thumb of under performance kept pressing down on his career.
Alonso is two years removed from his initial torn ACL, and “claims”, he is now finally 100% healthy.
Multiple reports from the completed OTA’s have “claimed” that the coaching staff was actually surprised at how good Alonso has looked thus far, especially in how fast he plays. If Alonso can continue to build on this, and most importantly stay healthy, the Dolphins MAY have finally found their best MLB since Zach Thomas.
Zach was excellent in coverage, but he was more of a “thumper” than Alonso, and his fire hydrant body type fit into the hard-nosed, smash-mouth era that was the style of his time. Kiko Alonso is very little like Zach Thomas physically. He is rangy, athletic and agile which fits the current style of the game perfectly. Alonso and Zach are alike in that they are true middle linebackers – albeit with Kiko in the modern mold. And a true, talented MLB with leadership skills is something that the Dolphins have not even sniffed since Zach left.
Let’s all take a moment of silence in honor of Zach Thomas.
Okay, back to Alosno.
If Alonso can put up numbers even nearly similar to his Rookie season, then the Dolphins defense is going to be very much improved from last season – very, very much improved!
During Alonso’s Rookie season in 2013, he had 159 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries and 4 interceptions. If he can put up similar types of numbers, which based on last year’s numbers for linebackers would have ranked him as easily one of the top linebackers in the entire league, then I am going to flex bold and say that Miami is going to have a top 5 defense.
That would be a huge jump for a defense that was one of the worst in the league. But, if he can play like that, compounded by the fact that he has talented players around him on defense in Wake, Suh, Williams, and Jones, then a top 5 defense is very much in the realm of possibility and not simply fan hype. The million dollar question that football gambling fans want to know is, can he actually get back to his 2013 form?
For Kiko Alonso, the greatest hurdle is health, not ability.
The fact that Alonso has put up impressive numbers in his career already is encouraging. The Dolphins and their fans aren’t asking pigs to fly – and that’s always nice. He has already proved he can be a stud at middle linebacker in the 4-3 scheme, and not a player that has merely shown glimpses of a higher potential. Secondly, considering that Alonso will be playing in a more comfortable scheme built to his specific skill set, and that he is as healthy has he has been in years, then the odds are in favor that he might replicate his outstanding 2013 season.
I think it’s a fair estimation that if Alonso stays healthy that he can rake up an average of 8 tackles a game, which would be a pace of 128 tackles for the season, and then add 2 interceptions, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recoveries. Those stats would still rank him as one of the best linebackers in the league, and put Miami’s defense in the position to be at least in the top 10. And that’s my fellow Fin Fans would be stellar!! Go Fins!!!
