Sizing Up Chris Grier
Chris Grier is now ‘King of the Dolphins’
Chris Grier is a reserved man of exceptional football experience and lineage, whose demeanor, while awkward, leaves little to dislike.
While the Robert Downy Jr’s of the world, the witty genius, exist, they appear far more often in Hollywood scripts than in real life.
Most brilliant leaders have the Bill Belichick ‘personality’– socially awkward, in some regard. Though more often than not, the quiet leaders are low key because they are bland or incompetent… a la’ Joe Philbin.
In a personality contest, I’ll take Grier’s reserved, but unoffensive nature, over Belichick bellicose persona…
…BUT the goal of VP / GM isn’t being ‘Mr. Likable’.
Grier’s job is to put together a talented team… having an endearing persona is only a cherry on top.
Belichick is belligerent, but one of the greatest builders of a football team in NFL history. I’d take great and gruff seven days a week… and twice on Sunday.
Insert Cliche: Only time will tell… Blah, blah, blah
It will take Grier’s decisions stacking up to get a clearer sign as to which end of the spectrum of talent acquisition and team building Grier is closer to: Belichick or Tannenbaum. As of now, the exact level of Grier’s acumen is an unknown…
…But his history can offer data’s points to hint at a guess. So, let’s dial it in closer.
Keep this quote in mind:
“He’s (Grier) been a guy behind the scenes in making a lot of the personnel decisions but not leading the organization,” Ross said Monday.
Let’s work on the notion that this statement only includes the last three years… Should we be thrilled?
The ‘winning picks’ Grier has been reported to be attached to over his tenure with the Dolphins:
- Left tackle Laremy Tunsil and Jake Long
- Cornerback
Xavien Howard, - Running Backs Kenyan Drake and Jay Ajayi
- Defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick and Rashad Jones
- Defensive lineman Paul Soliai, Vincent Taylor, and Davon Godchaux
- Receiver Jarvis Landry
- Center Mike Pouncey
Of this list, Landry, Howard, Jones, Talyor, and Godchaux are the best considering talent for value. These all were excellent finds. Tunsil, Long, and Minkah fell into the Phins laps and it didn’t
But, you could spin these three picks in another direction. While Grier found good players with these three picks, he missed out on better options twice by not choosing Matt Ryan and Derwin James.
But with all the picks so far, Grier was just a voice of many and wasn’t calling the final shot.
What I am fixated on though as a negative event for Grier is the 2017 Draft.
Round 1, Pick 22 (No. 22 overall) Charles Harris, DE:
Terrible in run support, has been unproductive, a better option in a 3-4, missed out on stud T.J. Watt.
Round 2, Pick 22 (No. 54) Raekwon McMillan, LB:
A two-down player with blatant weaknesses in the 2nd Round isn’t wise. Everyone said he was too slow in the modern game. Grier thought differently… he was wrong. Yes, McMillan reached 105 tackles (the context of them is another story), but Zach Cunningham picked a couple spots after McMillan is a far better player at the same position. McMillan was also a poor match for the Wide 9 given his weaknesses and the scheme’s weaknesses.
Round 3, Pick 33 (No. 97) Cordrea Tankersley, CB: Showed production early, but once teams had tape on Tankersley, he fell off a cliff. Much better corners were taken just before and just after in Rasul Douglas and Jourdan Lewis.
Round 5, Pick 20 (No. 164) Isaac Asiata, OG:
Still hasn’t started or even played in an NFL game.
Round 5, Pick 35 (No. 178) Davon Gochaux, DT:
Excellent pick and saved the draft from being a disaster.
Round 6, Pick 10 (No. 194) Vincent Taylor, DT:
Another excellent pick and moved the draft towards average returns.
Imagine Watt and Cunningham (not to mention Douglas) to go along with Taylor and Godchaux… that’s the difference between okay and special.
We don’t know who picked who…
…But what we know is that Grier and his staff set the grades which led Harris coming over Watt and McMillan over Cunningham and Tankersley over Rasul Douglas. Those are three big misses, back-to-back-to-back, in the same draft.
Here’s another thing: hasn’t these types of missed opportunities been the mode of operation in Miami for decades?
As a person, I like the image that Chris Grier presents… But I’m still very skeptical of his ability to acquire talent. Grier could crush my concerns within a few months by his job of
I hope like hell he nails each and every step!
Grier has been with the Phins for 20 years, so one offseason is enough to know what we have in our new leader. At least this time around, with Ross’ streamlined hierarchy, we’ll be certain of who to praise or blame. Go Phins!!!
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This article from Dolphins media.Even at this stage, with Godchaux and Taylor still trying to prove themselves, it looks like Grier has once again made good use of the late rounds. His best find was Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones in the fifth round in 2010,
I would agree! Maybe for Grier the early rounds may not have been his call? But 1st round I don’t believed in trading up because the Dolphins usually will get burned but I do believed in trading back.
The 1st round is just want it is! If you have to guess if the player should be in the 1st round then they don’t belong in the 1st round. The best player/character you will not go wrong, even if you have too many in that position. Trades later.
Where are the Dolphins?
2017 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: RB Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
2017 CO-OFFENSIVE ROOKIES OF THE YEAR: RB Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs and RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
2017 DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: CB Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints
2017 PFWA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Offense
QB – Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
RB – Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs; Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
WR – Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams; Juju Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
TE – Evan Engram, New York Giants
C – Pat Elflein, Minnesota Vikings
G – Dan Feeney, Los Angeles Chargers; Jermaine Eluemunor, Baltimore Ravens, and Ethan Pocic, Seattle Seahawks (tie)
T – Garett Bolles, Denver Broncos; Ryan Ramczyk, New Orleans Saints
Defense
DL – Derek Barnett, Philadelphia Eagles; Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns; Carl Lawson, Cincinnati Bengals; Dalvin Tomlinson, New York Giants
LB – Jarrad Davis, Detroit Lions; Reuben Foster, San Francisco 49ers; T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
CB – Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints; Tre’Davious White, Buffalo Bills
S – Jamal Adams, New York Jets; Marcus Williams, New Orleans Saints
Special Teams
PK – Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs
P – Rigoberto Sanchez, Indianapolis Colts
KR – Ryan Switzer, Dallas Cowboys
PR – Jamal Agnew, Detroit Lions
ST – Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals
Nada for us… okay, I can live with that. If you had all three end up above avg players that would be fine… but two are busts and 1 is overpriced and limited…
Looking back in 2017 draft picked 22nd I noticed these players earned more value than our 1st round picked. THERE’S TALENT IN EACH ROUND.
1.Tackle: Ryan Ramczyk, New Orleans Saints
Draft position: Round 1, No. 32 overall.
Ramczyk quickly proved himself to be a stalwart on the Saints’ line, starting all 16 games and establishing himself as a solid right tackle. He has Pro Bowl potential and should be a factor in this league for a long time.
2. Linebacker: Jarrad Davis, Detroit Lions. Traded up one spot maybe?
Draft position: Round 1, No. 21 overall.
Davis started 14 games and finished the season with 96 tackles, 2.0 sacks, a forced fumble and an interception. Though he wasn’t quite as dominant as I thought he’d be, ultimately, he played well. Matt Patricia should have no trouble getting the most out of Davis as the Lions’ next coach.
3. Tight end: Evan Engram, New York Giants
Draft position: Round 1, No. 23 overall.
Engram finished with 722 rec
4. Cornerback: Tre’Davious White, Buffalo Bills
Draft position: Round 1, No. 27 overall.
White was burned on just 39 of 77 balls thrown his way. He finished with 18 passes defensed, four picks and 69 tackles in a really phenomenal rookie season. He matched the impact of former Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore — who left via free agency for New England — at a significantly lesser cost to the team.
5. Linebacker: T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
Draft position: Round 1, No. 30 overall.
Watt surprised me every step of the way. I didn’t think he’d be a first-rounder, and I didn’t expect him to make such a significant impact immediately. But he played quite well in 2017, finishing with 7.0 sacks, seven passes defensed, a pick and
6. Defensive lineman: Dalvin Tomlinson, New York Giants
Draft position: Round 2, No. 55 overall.
Tomlinson started 16 games, finishing with 50 tackles and a sack. He projects as a solid player, if not quite a regular Pro Bowler.
7. Center: Pat Elflein, Minnesota Vikings
Guard: Ethan Pocic, Seattle Seahawks
Draft position: Round 2, No. 58 overall.
While he might never climb to the level of a Pro Bowler, Pocic — who allowed two sacks — projects as a long-time starter after playing reasonably well in his first pro season. He’s a versatile lineman who can play guard or tackle.
8. Draft position: Round 3, No. 70 overall.
Elflein projects as someone who will be very good for the next 10 years, even if he never quite reaches the Pro Bowl tier. He’s a technically sound player who did a very good job helping to stabilize the Vikings’ offensive line.
9. Defensive lineman: Carl Lawson, Cincinnati Bengals
Draft position: Round 4, No. 116 overall.
Lawson contributed 8.5 sacks and 59 pressures (per PFF), which is a nice total for a first-year pro. If he can stay healthy, Lawson will be a Pro Bowl-type player.
10. Running back: Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
Draft position: Round 3, No. 86 overall.
Hunt is tricky to evaluate. He’s a good player in a good system, as his dazzling start to the year — in his first seven games, he averaged 143 yards from scrimmage, with almost a touchdown per game — proved. But then he hit a lull, averaging just 59 yards from scrimmage and failing to score once in five games from Week 8 to Week 13. He rebounded, and, of course, finished the season as the NFL’s rushing leader, but at this point, I tend to think Hunt will be more of a very good pro than a sure-fire perennial Pro Bowler.
11. Punt returner: Jamal Agnew, Detroit Lions
Draft position: Round 5, No. 165 overall.
Agnew — who also contributed on a limited basis as a defensive back — led the NFL in punt-return yards (447), average (15.4) and touchdowns (two — no one else had more than one), earning a first-team All-Pro nod for his efforts. Agnew also returned 11 kicks, with an average of 17.8 yards per kick return.
My thing about 2017 was that each of the players taken in the 1st Round were reaches due to strong flaws. At this point, all three are misses. McMillan has a nice stat padding 100 tackles but that’s more a mirage in my opinion. Even if you like him, you can’t draft a 2 down LB in the 2nd Round. Baker was a much better and more physical player than McMillan at 215lbs… You can’t get that kind of return from 1-3 Rds. But we’ll see, maybe Grier learned… a new scheme (3-4) would help a lot… maybe they will develop.
Yeah!
That’s just it the last two decades we have reached for more players, that has resulted in more misses than Hits.
I’ve think we should go 3-4 to many players are failing in this 4_3 system. Nick Saban implemented this system and they never switched backed.
Jimmy has me really interested in Richard… I really like his personality. He’s a 4-3 guy though, but he ha some good schemes. Harris and Mcmillan don’t fit his mold for players at their position… that would be interesting.
We did an article on Watt, but his injuries scared us… Given how little Harris has produced was a DE the most needed position? I still think Grier can pan out, but he must be far more consistent…
Time will tell Admin the number 3 and picked 177th were the best picks selected out of that draft.
Round 1, #22 Overall: DE Charles Harris ?
Round 2, #54 Overall: LB Raekwon McMillan ?
Round 3, #97 Overall: CB Cordrea Tankersley Overall: A
Round 5, #164 Overall: G Isaac Asiata ?
Round 5, #178 Overall: DT Davon Godchaux. Overall A
Round 6, #194 Overall: DT Vincent Taylor ?
Round 7, #237 Overall: WR Isaiah Ford Overall C
Here we go it’s January 2019 and while we are looking for the next coach. Moving trading pieces has began.
Adding Talent these two free agents guys I have been sold on since college, Both are steady evolving into eventually starting QB’s.
http://www.rotoworld.com/recent/nfl/10325/cardale-jones
This is where Nic Shimonek is getting noticed. If you limit Nic Shimonek’s seemingly endless throwaways last season, he was incredibly accurate. Add in his drops, which every quarterback deals with, and he threw accurate balls nearly 80 percent of the time.
http://kkam.com/is-nic-shimonek-a-future-elite-nfl-quarterback/
Doug Farrar of Bleacher Report wrote a great piece where he says Nic Shimonek could be the “Secret Star” of the 2018 Draft. And while that might seems ridiculous, there is some merit to the headline.
Farrar talks through several key plays from the former Texas Tech QB’s past, and gets the perspective from the source itself: Nic Shimonek.
Still, quarterbacks get poorly scouted every year at every level, and Shimonek often looked out of place in The King’s Air Raid system.
If Nic Shimonek can get experience, 2017 was his first year starting since high school and can get in the right system. One that doesn’t sit squarely on his shoulders. Something like Doug Marrone’s system in Jacksonville, where the running backs are the focal point and the passing game thrives on play action and deep shots
You were singing praises of him last year, Steve. What do you think about Falk? I would like to see 3 QBs competing with a 4th as a long shot who needs to shine very bright and early to stick.
Falk has potential like many Dolphins he had a wrist injury this season. In my books he survived the season. I would worked him in camp with the intent to seriouly start him.
Go after in the Draft Kyler Murray to Haskins for QB in the 1st round. If we missed Halen Hurt is right there in the second round, Non of the QB,s other than I mentioned comes close to Jalens production ETC.
In addition go after Oklahoma State Quarterback Tyler Cornelius who is terribly underrated, Cornelius beat West Virginia Wil Grier 45-41, He beat Boise State QB Rypien 45-21. HE LOST TO KYLER MURRAY OKLAHOMA 47 TO 48 ONE POINT.
Cornelius tied a Liberty Bowl record with four touchdown passes and Kolby Peel made a critical fourth-down stop with 1:01 left as the Cowboys upset No. 24 Missouri 38-33 on Monday. Cornelius is terribly underrated since this was his 1st starting season, He may be drafted round 6th are not drafted since their record was maybe 8 and 6 I think. We must get him he is about 6’6 232LBS PASSED FOR 32 TD AND RUSHED FIR 10 TD IN 2018.
I have a lot of college tape to watch… I don’t even recognize those names to be truthful…