Eich getting C snaps

if it works out and the Phins get some sort of value out of Eichenberg, then that's the best we can hope for, i guess...

Eichenberg has been taking snaps at center during organized team activities.

If Eichenberg ends up primarily playing center in 2023, it would be his third position in three NFL seasons after playing left guard in his second season and left tackle as a rookie in 2021.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/dolphins-lineman-liam-eichenberg-trying-194900819.html

but it seems to me he's on the Mike Dieter career path.

I'm all for linemen cross-training at multiple positions, especially for players that aren't guaranteed starting positions.

It is interesting that Eich is getting center reps with Feeney on the team.  It could be the coaches just wanting to have another option at center just in case - or it could mean that Feeney (or maybe Wynn?) is in line to get the LG job and Eich will get a shot to be the backup center and guard.  It's way too early to read anything into it, but it definitely makes me wonder...

Regardless, I just hope Eich can stay healthy and improve his play.

I hate to say it, but he STANK!

I thought Eich was going to work out and be alright, but I'm starting to think he is just as stinky as the majority of the Phins Oline draft picks of late.

A 2nd rounder that the Phins had to TRADE UP to get and he has not locked down a position yet on an Oline that has HOLES to fill!!!

No, all indications are he STANKY!

I thought Eich played OK before the injury last season. He certainly wasn't great, but he was solid enough to not be a liability in what was arguably the most potent offense in the NFL at the time. If he can get back to that level - and hopefully improve - he'll be fine.

Hopefully Eich can contribute in a positive manner. The team has all the makings of a championship team if the line improves. If we can be a top 5 line then we have a shot at the championship.

Next offseason McDaniel's biggest coup would be hiring a great offensive line coach. Someone with a proven track record that can maximize talent and develop players.

This past offseason, the big hiring was Fangio. This one is next and would springboard us to the next level.

white1 wrote:Next offseason McDaniel's biggest coup would be hiring a great offensive line coach.  Someone with a proven track record that can maximize talent and develop players.

This past offseason, the big hiring was Fangio.  This one is next and would springboard us to the next level.

It is a hard position to fill. There simply aren't many great offensive lines, let alone offensive line coaches, in the NFL anymore.

And now we know the real reason for this...

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2023/06/dolphins-connor-williams-absent-from-mandatory-minicamp

Methinks this could be trouble. If only Zach Tom had been drafted, HE could've been moved to center (sighs).

No surprise - it's pretty much the only way players can get at least some sort of leverage these days, even if ultimately the team always wins.

Teams can't rescind Fines anymore due to New Agreement, Hopefully something Positive will happen before TC starts.

finskev wrote:Teams can't rescind Fines anymore due to New Agreement, Hopefully something Positive will happen before TC starts.

Yeah, he's losing $50,000 a day so I doubt he'll stay out long.

So even when it looks like one of Grier's free agent Oline signings has worked out... it blows up in the Phins' faces???

GEEZE!

It just never seems like the Phins can catch a break when it comes to the Oline.

How nice would it have been if Grier had traded up to #42 in the 2021 draft and taken Creed Humphrey instead of Eich??

finfanatic wrote:So even when it looks like one of Grier's free agent Oline signings has worked out... it blows up in the Phins' faces???

GEEZE!

It just never seems like the Phins can catch a break when it comes to the Oline.

How nice would it have been if Grier had traded up to #42 in the 2021 draft and taken Creed Humphrey instead of Eich??

HA!!! PREACH IT FF!!!

But nooooo, we just can't ever have an actual center, can we? Must be against Grier's religion or something

The team has put the orange jersey on Eichenberg denoting his stand out play at camp. Is this just smokescreen or is Eichenberg actually performing at a high level?

CarsonChris wrote:The team has put the orange jersey on Eichenberg denoting his stand out play at camp. Is this just smokescreen or is Eichenberg actually performing at a high level?

Great question. I doubt the coaches would use the orange jersey that way, because I'm sure it is usually obvious to everyone who the player of the day is. My guess is that Eich probably had a good day of practice. Maybe he wasn't the best player, but good enough that getting the orange jersey was appropriate. So my answer is - he probably played well, but got the jersey to put some heat on Williams.

finfanatic wrote:So even when it looks like one of Grier's free agent Oline signings has worked out... it blows up in the Phins' faces???

GEEZE!

It just never seems like the Phins can catch a break when it comes to the Oline.

I think you're completely exaggerating the situation. This is a simple June OTA holdout, that happens every single offseason on multiple teams. Nothing has "blown up" in the Dolphins' face, and this doesn't mean that the Williams signing didn't work out.

Now if Williams skips actual camp workouts in late July, then maybe there's a problem. But on June 9? This is a non-issue at this point.

JMP wrote:I think you're completely exaggerating the situation.  This is a simple June OTA holdout, that happens every single offseason on multiple teams.  Nothing has "blown up" in the Dolphins' face, and this doesn't mean that the Williams signing didn't work out.

Now if Williams skips actual camp workouts in late July, then maybe there's a problem.  But on June 9?  This is a non-issue at this point.

Except for the fact that 1.) Williams is the only player doing this that I'm aware of and 2.) he's getting fined a non-negotiable 50 grand per day for doing so. He's literally only harming himself but at this point people like him are too deluded to even realize THAT much. Even HIS OWN TEAMMATES see this, which is why none of them have done the same thing. Williams has now outed himself as the one guy in the locker room who's not that interested in the team winning. You think that won't be a problem later on when or IF he comes back???

It's a better problem to have a center who played well and wants a new deal, than signing a center who turns out to be a total bust and then we eat the dead money. We've done both.

Still a problem, and for one example on spending money instead of Dalvin Cook - this one fits too.

white1 wrote:It's a better problem to have a center who played well and wants a new deal, than signing a center who turns out to be a total bust and then we eat the dead money.  We've done both.

Still a problem, and for one example on spending money instead of Dalvin Cook - this one fits too.

Dontcha just love how, at a time when players across the board are getting paid far more than they did even a decade ago and the latest CBA was specifically designed to prevent holdouts, that some guys still decide to hold out anyway?

The worst part about this is, Connor Williams actually believes he's doing this out of principle and for "justice". He genuinely sees himself not only as a martyr, but morally superior! This is why he's going to likely drag this on for months despite the daily $50K fines, because in his mind he's the modern day Rosa Parks/Gandhi/Martin Luther King Jr. and the team he voluntarily agreed to a contract with that he's still on is "oppressing" him.

DolFan 316 wrote:

Except for the fact that 1.) Williams is the only player doing this that I'm aware of and 2.) he's getting fined a non-negotiable 50 grand per day for doing so. He's literally only harming himself but at this point people like him are too deluded to even realize THAT much. Even HIS OWN TEAMMATES see this, which is why none of them have done the same thing. Williams has now outed himself as the one guy in the locker room who's not that interested in the team winning. You think that won't be a problem later on when or IF he comes back???

It absolutely will not be a problem in the locker room when Williams come back, just as it never is when this happens across the league every year.  Players do not begrudge other players their right to seek more money.  

This is not a unique situation, and Williams is not the only player in the NFL holding out.  I know the Bills' Stefon Diggs and the Jets' Quinnen Williams are both holding out this year, at least during OTAs like Connor Williams.  Not sure of anyone else right now, but I remember last year three prominent players did what is now called a "hold-in", where they attended July training camp but refused to practice until their contract dispute was worked out: Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf and Derwin James.

[*EDIT: Vikings' Danielle Hunter and Giants' Saquon Barkley are also holding out right now. And Cards' Budda Baker skipped voluntary OTAs this offseason.]

[**EDIT 2: Chiefs' Chris Jones is skipping the team's mandatory minicamp because he wants a new deal.]

I agree that Williams is only harming himself at this point, but the way the league is set up holding out is really the only option a player has to put any sort of pressure on a team - even if in the end it is only a token gesture and not "real" pressure.  

Again, right now this is really a non-issue.  If he's still holding out (or holding in) in training camp, that becomes a bigger deal.

another reason why Eich is getting those C snaps is because the FA that was signed to be the actual backup C is...

Dan Feeney, signed to play guard and backup center, has been sidelined by an injury.

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article275725611.html

the Phins do love signing those injured players. but honestly, i'm not worried just yet. its still just OTAs. if Williams is still holding out and Freeney is still hurt halfway through training camp, then there might be a problem - unless of course Eich somehow turns into an amazing (ok, i'd settle for more than capable) center overnight.

It doesn't sound like Feeney's injury is serious, but certainly worth keeping an eye on. Regardless, at this point the more Eich can do the better - even if he just ends up being a quality backup at multiple positions.

forget all the noise about under-valued RBs. it appears interior OL maybe joining the ranks of the unhappy.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38035015/sources-cowboys-zack-martin-considering-not-reporting-camp

i don't really care what happens to Martin (as i'm not a Cowboys fan), but this does make me wonder if Connor Williams will report next Tuesday when training camp opens?

ok, ok... i'll say a little more. the truth is - i don't know what to believe here. on the face of it, it appears, yes Martin (who is still one of the best), is very underpaid.

Martin said he is "woefully underpaid relative to the market," a source said.

Martin is scheduled to make about $7 million less this season than the NFL's top-paid guards. Chris Lindstrom of the Falcons and Quenton Nelson of the Colts are at the top of that list this season at an average of $20 million.

yes, in a free market economy of supply and demand, one would think a talent like Martin would get paid more or at least close to equal that of Lindstrom and Nelson (who has dealt with injuries). but then again...

The Cowboys and Martin's representatives had brief discussions at the combine in February about a re-working the seven-year, $93.41 million deal he signed in 2018, according to sources.

In March, the Cowboys restructured Martin's contract for the fifth straight year to help create salary-cap space, turning nearly $12 million of his $13.5 million base salary into signing bonus. Martin is signed through 2024. As a result of all of the restructurings, Martin's cap figure next year tops $23 million.

first, nobody forced him to sign a 7 year contract that in all likelihood would not age well considering the salary cap continually increases. but, the 7 years was necessary to spread out his whopping guaranteed money. and he happily re-negotiated FIVE times to get even more guaranteed money. so while the article (and Martin's representatives) will have you believe he's underpaid for the coming season ($7M less than the top OG earners), its because he already got all his money up front, right? That $23M cap hit is based on real money (up front bonus) he really received (already), right?

see, i don't know what to believe here. is the Connor Williams situation any different?

Martin signed in 2018. And hasn't bothered to say he was underpaid all the time Da'Boyz were handing him big-arse converted-salary to bonus checks, but now he wants to renegotiate???

Williams signed with the Phins LAST YEAR and suddenly wants to renegotiate?? When he sees just how gawd-Awful the rest of the Oline is in comparison??!!!

This has stupid written all over it IMHO!

I don't begrudge a guy trying to maximize his earnings in a league where the Owners hold basically ALL OF THE CARDS, the table, the table cloth, the chairs, etc... but... it just looks bad when a free agent who JUST SIGNED is holding out.

finfanatic wrote:Martin signed in 2018. And hasn't bothered to say he was underpaid all the time Da'Boyz were handing him big-arse converted-salary to bonus checks, but now he wants to renegotiate???

Williams signed with the Phins LAST YEAR and suddenly wants to renegotiate?? When he sees just how gawd-Awful the rest of the Oline is in comparison??!!!

This has stupid written all over it IMHO!

I don't begrudge a guy trying to maximize his earnings in a league where the Owners hold basically ALL OF THE CARDS, the table, the table cloth, the chairs, etc...  but... it just looks bad when a free agent who JUST SIGNED is holding out.

I agree, but I'll hold off on killing Williams for now. Holding out in OTAs doesn't mean anything to me. But if he has an extensive holdout during camp...he's fair game!