Arian Foster starting for Miami

Looks like Ajayi is a wasted pick........

Chris Wesseling wrote:After drawing raves from the opening of training camp, Arian Foster has finally pulled ahead of Jay Ajayi on the Miami Dolphins' Week 1 depth chart.


Citing Foster's edge in experience, consistency and knowledge of the offense, coach Adam Gase named Foster the starting running back for Sunday's game at Seattle.

"That is the correct spot for him to be in," Gase added, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post.

The Dolphins' backfield is the latest example of the unreliability of August depth charts. While Ajayi remained a ceremonial No. 1 throughout the month, Gase tipped his hand as far back as Aug. 2, when he declared that Foster would be rolling with the first-team offense for the rest of camp

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000695528/article/arian-foster-to-start-over-jay-ajayi-in-dolphins-opener

Lets just hope that Foster doesn't hurt himself in the play of the game.

I figured this was going to be a lock when they first picked him up. It's surprising to me that it took this long.

Degarmo wrote:I figured this was going to be a lock when they first picked him up.  It's surprising to me that it took this long.

Exactly. Foster and Ajayi are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Foster is one of the league's best backs when healthy, and Ajayi is nothing. Night and day. Really, Ajayi is lucky he even made the final 53...he sure didn't earn it.

Besides being the second or third round there is no real need for Ajayi being there. If Tannehill pans out and I hope he does, Miami needs to get a RB

rightchea wrote:Besides being the second or third round there is no real need for Ajayi being there. If Tannehill pans out and I hope he does, Miami needs to get a RB

Don't forget - Ajayi was actually a 5th round pick.  He is an easy cut if he doesn't improve this season.

Foster is a stopgap and Drake is at best a 3rd down and change of pace back.  RB is definitely going to be a need next offseason.  It would've been better to keep Miller, but too late now!

They most certainly should have kept Miller. Not doing so was just because of more shit cap management from Tannenbaum, even though he's not officially in charge of such a thing.

Degarmo wrote:They most certainly should have kept Miller.  Not doing so was just because of more shit cap management from Tannenbaum, even though he's not officially in charge of such a thing.

The worst part is, we have tons of cap space now and absolutely could have paid Miller what he wanted.  In fact, the money we offered to CJ Anderson for 2016 was just about the same as the money Miller got from Houston.  Clearly, the Dolphins weren't interested in keeping their own homegrown talent. 

Probably didn't matter anyway, because I'm sure Miller wanted to get the hell away from the Dolphins, and who could blame him?

Eh.... running backs.

Yeah, I hear you guys on letting Miller walk. At the same time, as much as I lambasted Ajayi after last week's game I kind of changed my mind on the kid. The one 13 yard run up the middle was really nice, he showed some explosion and power there.

I am encouraged that Gase made Foster the starter. Omar was saying on twitter all month that Ajayi would win the job, because young players are "fragile" and you can't hurt their confidence. Eff that. Foster came in with the proven track record and pedigree, then proved he was healthy in practice and during the games. He won the job, earned the job, he gets the job.

Ajayi wants playing time? Well he better make some damn yards when he gets his touches in the real games, starting this week.

Drake is the wild card. Looks like total injury prone tease, there is a long shot he actually develops into something. Otherwise, if Ajayi shows nothing this season, we're looking for a running back yet again in next year's draft. This cannot continue. Failed attempt after failed attempt at filling the same holes on the roster repeatedly.

Foster is head and shoulders the best back on the team, and it's not close at all.  You can see a level of expertise and professionalism every time he steps on the field.  He knows what to do and he's done everything a million times before.  The Phins desperately need him to stay healthy.

Ajayi is supposed to be a big, tough, bruising back.  The reality is, he's big, soft and hesitant.  Far too often he dances instead of just hitting a hole, and it seems like he doesn't know how to follow blockers.  In the passing game, his routes are sloppy and his hands are suspect.  Honestly, to me he seems more like a practice squad player than a potential starter at this stage.  He plays with some enthusiasm, which is nice to see on a pretty stale offense, but he really has a lot of work to do to get where he needs to be.

Drake can help in the passing game as a receiver, but IMO he isn't going to be much of a factor until he learns how to block.  His role is 3rd down back and change of pace, but if he can't block it makes that role meaningless.  I expect very little from Drake - I just don't think he's an NFL player yet.

I think Pead can be a bit of an X factor.  If he can get healthy and return to his preseason form, he'll be a nice complementary back to Foster.  I just hope the coaches give him a legit opportunity to be the #2, because right now that's what he should be IMO.

Good point on Pead, and as I said in another thread I'm thrilled the Fins decided to keep him on the 53 man roster.

He is another guy that came in and had to earn a job, and this was probably his last stop in the NFL. Pead admitted he didn't do enough as a rookie and young player to stick with the Rams, but it seems like he got his head right and came in to work.

Not only did he impress the coaches with his work, his play was pretty obviously #2 back-worthy to the fans watching the preseason games.

Omar made a bold prediction that Pead will be entrenched as our starting running back by the time 2016 comes to a close. With Ajayi performance (or lack thereof), and Foster injury history - it's not a bad bet to make. I would love it if we could fill a hole on this roster simply by signing a jourenyman free agent who blossoms.

With the stable of injury-prone RBs we have, it's very possible that the starting RB at season's end will be someone that's not currently on the roster!

I. Pead

a little.

Degarmo wrote:I. Pead

a little.

I hope you at least cleaned up after yourself.

Anderson looked really good last night and He could have been a Fin but because the FO made such a Bad Offer it was so easy to Match.

Speaking of Ajayi...

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000697249/article/rams-taking-it-slow-with-jared-goff-victor-cruz-on-his-return#Ajayi

MIAMI DOLPHINS: Putting pressure on Ajayi to step up. Arian Foster winning the starting job with the Dolphins is a testament to the veteran running back's work in returning from an Achilles tear at age 30.
It's also an indictment of Jay Ajayi's offseason and training camp, as the 2015 fifth-round pick was supposed to be the No. 1 back for Miami.
But along the way, according to a team source and another person informed of Ajayi's status with the team, Ajayi didn't respond to the challenge Foster's arrival presented. The Dolphins' coaches wanted to see Ajayi dig in, work hard and force the team to keep him in the top spot while Foster -- who signed in July -- complemented him. Instead, they saw Ajayi sulk and struggle through a subpar preseason (18 carries for 49 yards and a fumble).
The hope now is Ajayi will finally respond to seeing Foster begin the season as the starter.
"The message has been received," one source said.
-- Mike Garafolo

That's actually a great way to judge a player: give him legit competition, and see how he reacts.  If he goes full speed ahead and works his ass off even after losing his job, you know you have a football player.  If instead he sulks and acts like a loser, you know you have a weak-ass fraud.  Sounds like the Phins found out which one Ajayi is.

Yeah, I was disappointed in Ajayi's preseason performance. I thought he was going to show something since he was finally healthy in training camp.

No doubt, Foster looked like the far better RB. Let's just hope he stays healthy.

And Pead gets better in a hurry.

Ajayi sulked?!?! WTF. you don't sulk - you compete!! what the hell does he think this is, some kind of powder puff game? this is grown-ass men playing professional football. this is your job.

Still way too many soft players on this roster. 

Agreed. You weed out weak players just like anything else.

One at a time.

Absolutely love how Gase is handling the players. I think he may be a real coach. Made Tunsil work for the starting guard position. Doesn't like the way Parker or Ajayi respond to the NFL work load. He isn't kissing the front office staffs ass when it comes to players. He's making the team compete to play. Haven't seen this in a long time!

I do like the way Gase has handled Parker and Ajayi.

But I still think the "make Tunsil sit behind Dallas Thomas" was fucking stupid and served no purpose. Tunsil didn't have to earn anything - he was going to be a starter from the second he was drafted, and everyone knew it. Why was Howard handed a starting job after missing most of training camp, but Tunsil had to "earn" his job by competing against a clearly inferior player???

I've been reading today that the coaching staff wanted to keep Lamar Miller and Lamar wanted to stay - but Tannenbaum chose to let him walk over a $500,000 dispute. Arian Foster has been one of my favorite players in recent years and I'm glad we have him...but Miller is younger, more durable and just entering his prime. I expect Miller to become an All Pro-level talent in Houston, and I think this is a decision that will blow up in Tannenbaum's face...as bad or worse than trading up for Carroo, among other things.

JMP wrote:

Degarmo wrote:I. Pead

a little.

  I hope you at least cleaned up after yourself.

I've been wanting to say that since I saw him on the roster. I could not find a way to work it in, so in true Degarmo style, I forced into a conversation where it wasn't warranted, got just about the reaction I expected, but still walked away, head held high, in self satisfaction that I made a really easy pun; and I will do it again, oh yes, I will do it again.