Signing Lehr would be lateral move for Dolphins

By Hugo Guzman  |   Thursday, March 15, 2007  |  Comments( 11 )

Miami Dolphins
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!
According to free-agent guard Matt Lehr's agent, the ex-Atlanta Falcon would like to meet with the Miami Dolphins in the near future. The Falcons released the former starter on Monday, and he was offered a contract by the New York Giants on Tuesday. However, the six-year veteran is planning to visit South Florida in the coming days before accepting any offers.

At first glance, Lehr might appear to be an upgrade on the offensive line. After all, he was Atlanta's starting left guard for the past two seasons, helping pave the way for the league's best rushing attack. In addition, the 27-year-old already has five years of NFL experience, three of them coming in a starting role.

But a closer look at Lehr's performance in recent years hints at the idea that, at best, signing the Virginia Tech product would be a lateral move when compared to the performance of recently departed left guard Jeno James.

A look at Atlanta's rushing stats from 2006 shows that both starter Warrick Dunn and backup Jerious Norwood fared much better running to the right side, and that includes both off-tackle and toward the sidelines. To be fair, though, Dunn did gain the bulk of his yardage right up the middle, and Lehr did have a hand in that success. Still, he was clearly not the Falcons' strong suit when it came to running the football.

And as a pass blocker, Lehr once again left something to be desired. Although he has proven to be solid at avoiding costly penalties, taking zero false starts and no holding calls in '06, he is a bit of a turnstile when it comes to protecting the quarterback. Over the past two seasons, Lehr has given up 3½ and 3.75 sacks, respectively. That's actually a downgrade from James, who allowed just two sacks in 2005 and only one during an injury-shortened, nine-game '06 campaign.

Despite his past struggles, the 6-foot-2, 304-pound Lehr clearly has some upside to him, like avoiding the yellow flag and being a part of one of the best rushing attacks in recent memory (although some would say that Michael Vick's elusiveness was more the cause than the offensive line). And considering the Dolphins currently have just two guards at this point, with one being the little-known Dan Stevenson, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to shore up that position with some starting-caliber talent.

Nevertheless, if Miami was hoping to upgrade at the left guard position, Matt Lehr probably isn't the man for the job.

E-mail Hugo Guzman at hguzman@realfootball365.com
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (11)

About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report