Dolphin Shout - Miami Dolphins Blog

15 Most Important Dolphins for 2013: #14 Daniel Thomas

2013-06-18T20:59:00.000-04:00

Daniel Thomas is Miami's leading returning rusher and touchdown scorer. (Photo: USA Today)

With Reggie Bush now in Detroit the Miami Dolphins will have fairly big shoes to fill at running back. In his two seasons as a Dolphin, Bush averaged better than 1,000 yards rushing per season and provided big play capability both on the ground and through the air.

Tasked with the responsibility of replacing Bush will be second year back Lamar Miller and third year Daniel Thomas. While Bush averaged more than 1,000 yards per season with Miami, the Dolphins do not have a single player on the roster with 1,000 career rushing yards.

Conventional wisdom seems to point to Miller being the starter. Even quarterback Ryan Tannehill has given Miller the endorsement, but should that be the case, Thomas will still take on a huge role for the Dolphins.

The most experienced back on the team, Thomas has not lived up to the expectations set for him when the Dolphins took him in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of Kansas State. Thomas has averaged just 3.5 yards per carry, but he carries a 230-pound frame and is more of a power runner than Miller. Thomas has also fought fumbling issues as he put the ball on the ground three times last season despite just 91 carries.

Thomas however, is a better pass blocker than Miller and has an edge in experience. Thomas happens to also be Miami's leading returning touchdown scorer from a year ago as Bush and tight end Anthony Fasano each signed elsewhere during the offseason. Additionally, Thomas is the only player on the roster to have a 100-yard rushing game in his career. Thomas also finished with 15 receptions last season for better than 10 yards per grab despite being a bigger back.

If nothing else, Thomas will be Miami's short-yardage back which is an important role and one of the roles that has suited Thomas best. All four of Thomas' touchdowns a year ago came on the ground and within three yards of the goal line.

The Dolphins were in the middle of the pack in the NFL last season when it came to converting third downs. In a league where defensive interiors are bigger and stronger than ever before, games are often won and lost on third-and-short which makes Thomas' role all the more significant.

While Lamar Miller is presumed to be the starting running back for the Dolphins in 2013, Daniel Thomas is Miami's leading returning rusher and touchdown scorer. Thomas will be an important piece for the Dolphins this upcoming season even if only as a short-yardage back. The most experienced back on the team, Thomas could be asked to provide some leadership for a corps of young rushers as well.

Mike Ferguson is a staff writer at Dolphin Shout and the founder and editor of Outside the Redzone. Like Outside the Redzone on Facebook!

Miami Dolphins 2013 Running Back Review

2013-06-17T15:00:00.003-04:00

This offseason Miami didn't shop for a running back during free agency. Steven Jackson, Ahmad Bradshaw and Michael Turner were available, and all were passed on by Ireland. Reggie Bush moved on to the Lions via free agency, leaving us with no veteran experience at the position.

But maybe that's the point. It's time for a youth movement.

Since 2011 Ireland has drafted a running back between the second and fifth rounds, infusing the lineup with young fresh legs and talent. Building a running back core through the draft and undrafted free agency makes sense, especially in the second year of a new system. This allows these backs to grow and learn and for the coaches to weed out those that do not make the cut.

Barring injuries and here are four backs who should make the roster.

Lamar Miller, Age 22
5'11" 218 lbs
Drafted in the 4th round of the 2012 Draft out of the University of Miami. He is known for his explosive speed and expected to be the opening day starter. He is one of the reasons Bush was not re-signed. Granted, he didn't have a jaw dropping rookie season, but when he touched the ball he was explosive and moved decisively forward. His 2012 stats were the following:

| 13 games | 51 rushes | 250 yards | 4.9 average | 1 touchdown | 12 first downs |
|Here's an interesting stat: 0 fumbles |

Part of his problem last year was his lack of pass blocking skills, which shouldn't be a problem to correct. It could also be argued that he had trouble picking up a new offense, which can be a challenge for some. Here are some highlights of his 2012 season:

As you can see Miller is always moving the chains and should continue to do so. He has also set a goal of 1,500 yards rushing on the season, so there is a lot to get excited about.

Daniel Thomas, Age 25
6'1" 233 lbs
Thomas was drafted in the second round of the 2011 Draft and has not lived up to expectations yet. He has had some injury issues, which I won't fault any player for, but for a back his size he doesn't quite run with confidence. Yes, he is athletic and coming out of Kansas State he was highly productive, but the time is now for him to realize his time on the Dolphins is limited. His 2012 stats were the following:

| 12 games played | 91 rushes | 325 yards | four touchdowns (which, by the way, is his career total) | 3.6 average | 15 first downs |
| He has fumbled five times in his limited action during two seasons |

One thing I read recently which I liked was Thomas feels it's an open competition at running back in response to Miller being anointed the starter. I hope that motivates him to be more than just a backup. Here's some tape to watch from Thomas last year:

Mike Gillislee, Age 22
5'11" 210 lbs
Some mock drafts had Miami taking Gillislee out of the University of Florida in the mid-to-late rounds, which is what Ireland did in the fifth round. His only season as a starter was during his senior year but he made the most of it:

| 244 rushes | 1,152 yards | 4.7 average | 10 touchdowns

He is known for being good at many things. He's quick and agile and good at making defenders miss. He has the skill set to be a solid contributor on the Dolphins from day one. Check him out here:

Marcus Thigpen, Age 27
5'9" 195 lbs
Marcus, signed last year from the Canadian Football League, earned a starting job on special teams and never looked back. His 2012 stats were:

| 38 kick returns | 1040 kick return yards | One kick return touchdown | 26 punt returns | 316 punt return yards | One punt return touchdown |

He is a threat to return it any time and has come into this off season with some lofty goals, including showing up in better shape. Will he be a starter? Probably not. Can he contribute on the offense? Yes he can.

Check out his punt return touchdown:

Other Possibilities

Jonas Gray, Age 22
5'9" 225 lbs
He spent last season on injured reserve as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame in 2012. In his senior year in 2011 his stats were:

| 114 rushes | 791 yards | 6.9 average | 12 touchdowns |

He was very productive. He has the size to be a power back but he is a year behind and facing competition. Here is a very large video with Gray's tape from college:

Cameron Marshall, Age 21
5'11" 215 lbs

Played four years at Arizona State, posting decent numbers:

| 2,700 yards | 38 touchdowns |

Here are some of Marshall's highlights from college:

Fullbacks
Jorvorskie Lane, Age 26
5'11" 258 lbs
"J Train" was a feel good story in 2012. He was reunited with Mike Sherman, his college coach at Texas A&M, after not even being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2009 because of conditioning issues. He played hard last year running over defenders, but he is still rough around the edges in the NFL. Currently the Dolphins are pursuing recently released fullback Vonta Leach. If Leach isn't signed I expect Lane to be the starter.

Evan Rodriguez, Age 24
6'2" 240 lbs
Drafted out of Temple in 2012 by the Bears, he was released this offseason due to a series of legal issues. He played in 12 games last season and was targeted 8 times for 4 receptions and 21 yards. He is considered a hybrid FB/TE. If he doesn't work out then it's no big loss.

Charles Clay, Age 24
6'3" 250 lbs
Drafted in the 6th round out of Tulsa. He is a hybrid FB/TE who appears to be better suited to play TE. He's very athletic and versatile, but has had some issues picking up the offense this offseason.

We will see how the preseason shakes out. There is still time before the start of the season, but I like who we have. Let me know what your thoughts are and thanks for stopping by.

Email me at shawn@dolphinshout.com.

The Patriots and Dolphins, Paper Tiger Offenses

2013-06-11T20:36:00.000-04:00

The following is the first in a 3 part series... First, comparing the AFC-East offenses.

This is what they call an eye-chart! The number geeks, scouring the web looking for justification of the conclusions they've already come to. Guilty! Guilty as charged! Depth charts in June are like Depth charts in February, completely different from what they were when the season began. What are fans to do, watch baseball with one eye on the ticker hoping not to see an injury in OTAs scroll across the bottom of the screen?

That's why number geeks survive, inundating readers with useless number crunches they can vehemently refute until the real games begin. Consider the chart above...

Green=4 - Blue=3 - Yellow=2 - Red=1

No rocket science this time! Just a simple comparison based on the current depth charts of the offenses in the AFC-East. A pro-bowl caliber player is colored green and worth 4 points. A good player, better than average at his position, is blue and worth 3 points. An average player at his position is yellow and worth 2 points. A player in need of an upgrade is red and worth 1 point.

Oh, but on close inspection, the numbers don't add up! Correct, that's because the QB position has been multiplied by two. Hopefully, the need for a little stat manipulation is socially acceptable to those with a lowly QB. If not, well tough, the stat manipulator has the only copy of the spreadsheet!

Therefore, the scoring system has been established by the ignorant notion that a franchise QB is worth at least twice as many points as other positions.

Of course, the stat manipulator is also a Dolphin fan, but no compensation was awarded to the other teams in the division. The stat manipulator decided it was unnecessary...

The winner of the ACF-East may be the easiest division in sports to handicap, New England has Brady - the other teams don't, any questions?

Perhaps paying so much attention to Brady and New England negates the end game, getting to the playoffs. Once in the playoffs, anything can happen. After all, the Jets went to two AFC championship games with Mark Sanchez!

The obsession with winning the division turns from learning to play your own game, to figuring out how to stop those other guys, the Patriots have Brady - Miami does not.

Repeat after me!

The Patriots have Brady - Miami does not!

Perhaps it's a little deeper, the Patriots have an identity - Miami does not!

Being overly concerned about Brady, has taken the focus away from the Dolphins going out and finding their own Brady - Identity.

Drafting a QB was ignored in Miami for Tom Brady's entire career. Stopping him became more important than beating him.

It means all those numbers from the master of manipulation come down to a simple fact. Ryan Tannehill needs to be better than Tom Brady, the caveat is the word, "now." Brady has lost the last two Super Bowls he's played in and while it does nothing to negate his "past" greatness, the change of the guard is imminent.

Take away the stat master's QB doubling and what happens?

Such magic in the hands of mere mortals!

Things get a lot more interesting. It's time for the Dolphins to play Miami football and let the Patriots start trying to stop them. Great teams always make their rivals forget about being great and obsess with beating the greats.

As Steely Dan once said, "if you live in this world, you're feeling the change of the guard." New England's time has come, Belichick knows it. He'll hand the keys off to Josh McDaniel as soon as Brady tells him. He's such a nice man, he even gave Josh his Tebow toy to play with.

In Miami, the change of the guard is named Ryan Tannehill. If he's the real deal, Miami rises in the east. If he's another wannabee, well you know the motto, "keep drafting a QB until you get it right!"

Look again at the chart, use your imagination...

Ryan Tannehill in blue and Brady in blue?

Perhaps there's a new beast in the east!