Roth Math Comes Up Zero (updated)

This just in from Pro Football Talk:

"Roth's odyssey ends on the waiver wire

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 24, 2009 5:52 PM ET

Dolphins linebacker Matt Roth's odd journey this season with the Dolphins has concluded in a surprising place: the waiver wire.

Adam Schefter reports the Dolphins waived Roth Tuesday and signed former Lions defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis.  The Dolphins also picked up defensive back Evan Oglesby.

Roth, a former second-round pick, was a starter for Miami's playoff team last season and generally considered a key part of their defense.  But a mysterious injury and some friction with the organization about a possible new contract soured Roth's '09 campaign before it started.

Expect plenty of teams to put in a waiver claim for Roth, especially team that run a 3-4 defense.  The 1-9 Browns make for a sensible destination."

And from Adam Shefter:

"Waiver claim order for today on former Dolphins LB Matt Roth is Browns, Bucs, Rams, Lions. So if Browns want Roth, Browns have Roth."

So it doesn't look like the AFC East will be Roth's next destination.

The Roth Math

It's amazing how much confusion the media can cause when left unchecked, so here's the deal on Matt Roth eligibility.

NFL rules clearly state that a player on the inactive PUP list is not allowed to practice until AFTER WEEK six. This means that he is technically allowed to practice starting on Tuesday morning (10/20/09).

He's allowed to put on pads/helmet/jock, etc. and bang heads starting no sooner than that day.

The Dolphins need to have him activated by the weekly deadline in order to have him eligible for the game that week. This part I don't know for sure but I believe it is Wednesday at 7pm Eastern. This is why no one is ever traded or signed late in the week.

So, despite the fact that Matt Roth may be at practice on Tuesday morning, he will not technically be a part of the 53 man roster, therefore he is in-eligible to play until Miami makes a decision on whether to 'activate' him (he is signed, and does count against the salary cap, just not the 53), or place him on season-ending injured reserve. They have three weeks to decide.

The confusion is coming out of the fact that Miami has a BYE in week six. The rules are not about the individual team games, but the physical time, i.e. 6 weeks, not 6 games.

However, the likelihood that Miami would rush to decide on whether to activate him after only Tuesday and Wednesday practice, is low. I'm not saying it won't happen, but I know if I were the GM, I wouldn't even think about making that decision in the first week. Besides the fact that Roth would be coming in (even if 100% healthy) at week 1 speed when everyone else is at week 7 speed, there is also the conundrum of having to let another player go before activating him.

So to summarize, Matt Roth is allowed per NFL rules to rejoin the team as soon as Tuesday as an active member. Being 'allowed to be activated' and 'being activated' are too very different things and could be days or weeks apart.

Training Camp - Day 4

Photos provided by Home SuperBowl 2010. Thanks for sharing your summer vacation slideshow with us! ;) (click to enlarge)

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UPDATE: It's now been reported that Roth DOES have a groin injury but Coach Sparano said it's not serious. Maybe he doesn't think as highly of his groin than I do of mine. Any groin injury is serious. more than anything, it's a nagging injury - obviously it's been nagging Matt Roth for a few years now.

• Just found out Vontae Davis has $3.05 million in incentives on his contract, meaning the total was 5 years, $13.3 million. My May 18th estimate was 5 years, $13.5 million. Toot toot!

• Joe Berger is lined up at starting RG, Shawn Murphy has moved to the second team.
• Andy Alleman has moved to 2nd team Center to replace Berger.
• Cobbs appears to be fine after minor 'tweak' yesterday.
• Bess is starting, Camarillo to 2nd team.
• Drew Rosenhaus is at training camp, oh boy!
• Wildcat shows up, per Mike Berardino: "Now ronnie hands to ricky, flips to henne, hits cobbs deep. Decent crowd cheers."
• And here we go - per Mike B: "Dthomas working at rg on inside run drill" !!!! (3rd team, but contact!)
• Mike B: "Thomas puts louis ellis on the ground. Ellis pounds turf with left hand" (wow, a louis ellis mention!)
• Omar Kelly chimes in: "Patrick Turner just caught a 40-yard TD pass over Vontae Davis during tandem drills. OK, I'm starting to buy the hype finally."
• Sean Smith's Agent just twittered: "Might have a new nickname for 31 Sean Smith after watching this practice. "Lockdown""
• The latest beat-write contradiction seems to be Cameron Wake. Omar Kelly has been 'feeling' him the last few days whereas Edgar Thompson called him out as a chump undeserving of a roster spot. I would tell you what Armando thinks, but he is apparently taking the practices off and not really reporting live.
• According to Omar, Donald Thomas only went through one set of tandem drills today. Still, it's a start. If he can handle two sets tomorrow, then 3 the next day, etc.
• Reports from Edgar and Omar saying Pennington stank it up today.
  
• Armando finally chimes in with: "Matt Roth talks to the media but says nothing. "I'm not allowed to talk about medical issues.""

• here's a phone vid from Home SuperBowl 2010, showing the size of DThomas' arms.
• Practice Video for Day 4:
  

• Sean Smith's agent was in attendance at practice today and said: "The stamina and fitness of Miami Dolphins players will never be tested. No one in the NFL works harder in more painful and brutal climates."

Facing the Dolphins' Roth

"On a scale of 1-10, I would rate last season a 6. I was hurt and couldn’t do what I really wanted to do. I had a tear in my groin from the year before and it still bothered me, but I got it fixed about three months ago."

These are the words of incumbent strong-side linebacker, Matt Roth, who, along with several other Dolphins, had to adjust to playing new positions and played through nagging injuries.

"Last season was a lot of fun because we went from 1-15 to a playoff team with a lot of the same guys from the year before, which made it extra special. The guys came back and changed things up, everyone got on board and played hard, played tough. We kept getting close the year before but we would still lose. Last year we put it all together and got those close wins."

This off-season:

"I spent some time fishing and hanging around at the beach but I couldn’t do any swimming because I had the surgery. I also just got engaged, to Brooke, but we haven’t set the date yet."

Regular season?

"What can Dolphins fans expect from me this season? A lot of sacks. I’m not into making predictions, but it’s going to be a lot."

When you add up the sacks Roth predicts for himself, as well as the addition of Cam Wake, the re-joining of the team by Jason Taylor, and the returning AFC sack champion, Joey Porter, with the year's experience of Philip Merling and Kendall Langford, along with the added youth and determination of Tearrius George, 2009 looks to be a year where the Dolphins could have a very good front seven, perhaps one of the best in the league. There will be a small group of young guys playing behind and learning for Porter and Taylor, both of whom I'd guess have two more seasons left in the tank if they stay healthy, and we have yet to see who if any of the large group of OLBs get moved to the inside. We have yet to see how that pans out as well as the competition along the DL for Jason Ferguson's eventual successor.

But while I still have minor concerns regarding the nose tackle and inside linebacker positions, I definitely feel better about the defense as whole than I did even at this time last year. How about you guys? Can you remember back to May/June 2008 and do you feel considerably more confident now than you did then? (Try to forget about the team's record when thinking about this)

The 2009 Miami Dolphins Linebackers - The Beginning

The following rundown was compiled by part-time blog contributor and full-time Knight of the Realm, The Knight Who Says Ni! who e-mailed it to me before scurrying off to find a shrubbery (one that is nice and not too expensive). Before we get into it, keep in mind that the Dolphins began the 2008 season with only SEVEN linebackers on the active roster and ended the season with TEN, after adding two for special teams and an aging vet when Crowder got hurt. Two of those players, Kershaw and Walden, are still on the roster as of now.~Tinshaker

OLB Joey Porter 6-3 250 - A seasoned pass rush specialist at this point in his career. If we can get some pass rush from some of the other OLBs we can keep Joey fresh all game and all season long. If we can cut his plays from what seemed like 45-50 last year to 30-35 this year, we might have a fresher more productive Joey late in the year as opposed to last year when he seemed to wear down.

OLB Matt Roth 6-4 270 - Now that Roth knows he's a SOLB on this team, I'm sure he spent his off-season conditioning himself to play OLB, not DE. Roth was up to about 283 last year and maybe dropped some weight during the season. Roth is a big guy and I don't expect him to drop too much weight but I could see him at 265-270 this year. That's his edge, a big physical guy to match up on TEs, set the edge against the run and provide some pass rush. It was his first year as a 3-4 OLB so I think we can expect him to get better, not worse. He was pretty good last year.

OLB Jason Taylor 6-6 250 - We all know what JT is capable of. Yes he's getting a little long in the tooth but I still think he has something left. The best role for him at this point in his career is being a pass rush specialist. Instead of the 50+ downs a game he's played for most of his career, maybe now it's 25-30. He can help keep Porter fresh. His presence also allows Cameron Wake to develop for a year and not have the pressure to be the 'other' pass rusher right off the bat.

OLB Cameron Wake 6-3 255 - The 2-time CFL Defensive Player of the Year is now a Dolphin. He has the size, speed and athletic ability. Does he have the other intangibles that make a good OLB? We're going to find out. We're looking for him to provide some pass rush for us and be one of those guys who can rotate at OLB.

OLB Charlie Anderson 6-4 250 - Last year was his first season as a 3-4 OLB after playing in a 4-3 in Houston for 4 years, mainly playing special teams. He did show some signs as a pass rusher there as well. He should be further along this year but this year is make or break for him in my opinion. After 6 years in the league you are what you are. Now is his time and I think he knows it.

OLB Erik Walden 6-3 245 - He has the size, speed and aggressiveness to be a 3-4 OLB. Does he have the skill set to be a pass rusher in the NFL? If not will he convert to the inside or just remain a backup LB and special teams ace? That's what we're going to start to find out this year.

OLB Quentin Moses 6-5 260 - He was a highly touted pass rusher coming out of Georgia in 07 and fell to the 3rd round for Oakland. He was cut and claimed by Arizona, cut again and claimed by us all in that same year. He's still with us so the trifecta must see something in him. He looks the part with his large 6-5 260 frame but does he lack the other intangibles to make him a pass rushing beast? I think this is his last shot to make the Dolphins. If he doesn't improve we'll go in another direction with someone else. The signing of JT might be the beginning of the end for him.

ILB Channing Crowder 6-2 245 - We all know what we have in him. He's a smart, active, energetic, physical and fast LB who can do a little bit of everything but does not excel at one thing. He's probably best making tackles all over the field and he's adequate in coverage. He's not a big play impact guy but at only 26 years old and now in his 4th year with 3-4 experience and with one year under his belt as the 'Mike' LB calling the defense, I think we can expect more from him this year and I would bet you Channing agrees.

ILB Akin Ayodele 6-2 245 - A solid veteran who plays smart and physical despite not being a great athlete. He adds leadership and experience to a relatively young team. You needs guys like this. That said we need to challenge him this year.

ILB Reggie Torbor 6-2 245 - That challenge could come from this guy. Now that he has a year playing 3-4 ILB under his belt coming from a 4-3 defense with the Giants, he should be ahead of where he was last year. Hopefully he'll think less and just play. I liked the way he played for the Giants. He could do a little bit of everything and he's active. He didn't seem as comfortable with us last year.

LB Tearrius George 6-4 260 - He has excellent size, he was very productive in the CFL and now he has a chance to prove that he can play at the NFL level. Is he a WOLB a SOLB or an ILB? With the signing of JT I say it's backup SOLB and ILB.

LB Orion Martin 6-3 260 - He looks like the same type of prospect/project as George. Same size and plays similar if you watch some video on them. The trifecta must have seen something in him to sign him as undrafted rookie FA. Is he a WOLB a SOLB or an ILB? With the signing of JT I say it's ILB.

ILB William Kershaw 6-3 240 - Another undrafted LB from 06 who has bounced around a bunch of teams' rosters thus far. He has to step it up and show he can play ILB at the next level this year or I don't see him making the team. I don't think there will be enough roster spots to develop him. Maybe the practice squad if he's still eligible.

ILB J.D. Folsom 6-3 240 - Our last draft pick in the 7th round. The trifecta likes his size, intelligence, character and hustle. He will have to win a spot on special teams to make the team. He's a long shot but you never know.

That's 14 LBs and outside of Porter, JT, Crowder and Ayodele, most of these guys don't have a lot of 3-4 experience. So with a year or two of experience for some of them, I would think they would be ahead of where they were last year. When they don't have to think too much they can play faster and we can do more creative things with them.

There will be a lot of competition this year for probably 8 spots. I'd say there is only 1 spot open if you consider Porter, Roth, JT, Crowder, Ayodele, Wake and Torbor locks and I do. 7 LBs will be competing for one spot. That's good competition. But who knows, another LB or two could step up and surprise us by knocking someone else off. That's what competition is all about. There are only 5 LBs on this team from past regimes in Porter, Roth (DE), JT, Crowder and Moses. It didn't take long for the Parcells LB mold to take place.