Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The Dolphins' decision to release LB Zach Thomas comes as no surprise given the regime change in Miami, coupled with concerns over Thomas' age and injuries. I would expect the Dolphins to get bigger at linebacker as they more fully commit to the 3-4 scheme.
Miami was already a 3-4 team before Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano took over, but their linebackers weren't as big as the ones Parcells favored in Dallas. When the 2007 season ended, the Cowboys' listed weights for starters on defense averaged 301 pounds on the line, 257 pounds at linebacker and 204 pounds in the secondary. The Dolphins averaged 299, 245 and 200.
League-wide, the starting defensive linemen in 3-4 schemes outweighed their 4-3 counterparts by about 18 pounds per man (307.3 to 289.2). The starting 3-4 linebackers outweighed their 4-3 counterparts by about 13 pounds per man (252 to 238.9). The NFL lists Thomas at 228 pounds.
As new Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland said during his introductory press conference: "We like prototypically-sized football players." Sparano subsequently said bigger isn't necessarily better in all cases, but the prototypical Parcells linebacker is bigger than Thomas, no question.
