Third year’s the charm for Matt Roth

By Hugo Guzman  |   Thursday, July 05, 2007  |  Comments( 8 )

Miami Dolphins
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!
There's an old cliché that goes, "The third time's the charm." This saying typically refers to the particularly strong belief that a specific undertaking will succeed on the third attempt.

Nobody is completely sure of its origins, but this idiom seems to be particularly fitting when referring to Miami Dolphins defensive end Matt Roth.

The former second-round pick has occasionally teased the South Florida faithful with his combination of power and outright tenacity but has yet to become a consistent contributor along the defensive front. Now, heading into his third season, this holdover from the Nick Saban era is currently slated to start opposite eventual Hall of Famer Jason Taylor and is primed to stake his claim as one of the centerpieces of Miami's youth movement on defense.

But is Roth really starting material?

Detractors will be quick to point out that while Roth possesses a power rushing style and tenacity that are well suited for defensive tackle, which, incidentally, is the position he played in college, his physical stature (6-foot-4, 272 pounds) pigeonholes him into the defensive end slot. In addition, Roth's lack of production in his first two seasons, and comparisons to the two guys drafted after him (linebacker Channing Crowder and cornerback Travis Daniels), give some observers the impression that the 24-year-old was a bit of a reach in the second round and that he will never really amount to much at the pro level.

Fortunately for Miami, there are legitimate rebuttals for both of these stances.

Guys like Green Bay's Aaron Kampman and Baltimore's Trevor Pryce, who ranked second and fifth in the league in sacks this past season, respectively, provide concrete proof that there is still a place for the oversized end in the NFL. Ironically enough, Kampman, who finished the '06 season with 15½ sacks, sports the same physical dimensions as his pass-rushing counterpart in Miami.

Then again, maybe it's a bit of a stretch to compare Roth to Kampman, considering that the former, an ex-University of Iowa standout, didn't accrue anywhere near that many sacks in 2006. In fact, Roth has only 4½ sacks in two seasons with the Dolphins. That's not exactly an overwhelming figure for a former first-day pick.

However, a closer look at both the depth chart and Roth's production trend helps to instill optimism in even the staunchest of naysayers. During his first two years, Roth played behind a bevy of proven veterans, greatly diminishing his opportunity to make the type of impression that draftmates Crowder and Daniels (to a lesser extent) made in their first pair of seasons on the job. When you're stuck behind seasoned playmakers like Kevin Carter, David Bowens and Vonnie Holliday, it's hard to get on the field, let alone make an impact.

Yet, despite having to compete for snaps with these guys, Roth still managed to make the most of his playing time, registering 20 tackles and one sack in only eight games as a reserve in 2005. In 2006, his sophomore campaign, Roth gradually increased his level of production as the season progressed, bagging 37 tackles, 3½ sacks and three forced fumbles. Most impressively, all of his sacks and forced fumbles occurred in the final seven games of the season, when he was entrenched in the defensive rotation. Clearly, this is a young player on the upswing.

Roth still has plenty of hurdles to overcome in order to attain legitimate starter status, and he's heading into a crucial third season under the tutelage of a new head coach, Cam Cameron, who did not draft him and is therefore not necessarily as loyal or patient as Saban might have been had he not chosen not to run off to Tuscaloosa, Ala., and coach the Crimson Tide.

Regardless, the starting job is now Roth's for the taking, and based on the surge in production at the tail end of his second year, the seemingly tireless motor that powers him is set to thrust the defender into perhaps borderline stardom for Miami.

Original Miami Dolphins insight, courtesy of RealFootball365.com
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (8)

About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report
CommentsComments: 8  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
phintim		11:01 AM
07/05/2007
Roth was a great pick in terms of value in the 2nd round in 2004 draft. If you are just talking about his production after the...
No.2
Kevin		02:39 PM
07/05/2007
Roth weighed 272 three years ago. He now weighs 295. He's much bigger and stronger now, not to mention he has more flexibility...
No.3
phinsman		04:02 PM
07/05/2007
I am a U of Iowa season ticket holder and Roth rarely played DT in college he almost always lined up at DE. I can tell you he was...
Team News  |  View All Dolphins Content
Henne takes baby steps, Wake...
In a game filled with mental mistakes and execution errors, the Miami...
1 year, 3 months ago   |   Henne takes baby steps, Wake takes giant strides in Dolphins win over Packers ( 4 )
For Dolphins, it’s not how t...
Dolphins fans are fretting because of Miami's two-game slide, and with...
1 year, 4 months ago   |   For Dolphins, it’s not how they start, it’s how they finish ( 1 )
Wait until the Dolphins’ off...
As exciting as a second straight road win is for the Miami Dolphins, w...
1 year, 4 months ago   |   Wait until the Dolphins’ offense catches up with the defense ( 2 )
Random observations from Dol...
If there's one thing I've learned over the years it's that a win is a...
1 year, 5 months ago   |   Random observations from Dolphins’ Week 1 win at Buffalo ( 11 )
Dolphins Ginn in New York
Returning a kickoff for a touchdown is a very rare thing in the NFL. W...
2 years, 3 months ago   |   Dolphins Ginn in New York ( 1 )