2024 Miami Dolphins: Chop, Chop !! (3 Viewers)

[Ironman2131]

If Mostert and Waddle are back I can see Miami's offense being okay (around 17-20 points, with maybe one more score if they get a short field) against KC. But even against a down KC offense I have no idea how Miami is going to stop the Chiefs unless they're just coughing up the ball left and right.

 

[Todem]

Too many injuries to overcome. And 9 degrees makes everything hurt even more for the guys playing hurt.

 

[Desert_Power]

If Mostert and Waddle are back I can see Miami's offense being okay (around 17-20 points, with maybe one more score if they get a short field) against KC. But even against a down KC offense I have no idea how Miami is going to stop the Chiefs unless they're just coughing up the ball left and right.

Chiefs have looked fully capable of stopping themselves on offense, but have been really impressed by Rice down the stretch.

 

[SoBeDad]

Too many injuries to overcome. And 9 degrees makes everything hurt even more for the guys playing hurt.

KC should be giving more than 3 and a half points. Miami is the worst team in the playoff team vs teams with a winning record. Plus the injuries, 3 new ones in the last game.

 

[Desert_Power]

I'd like to see Miami go to a 3-3-5 look and bring Jones on the field and near the line as kind of a hybrid LB/S. I'm willing to die by Pacheco rather than by Mahomes.

Interesting idea. If Holland is healthy, the safety position is suddenly the strength of the defense. Maybe the best bet it is to use one of these guys to man up Kelce while keeping the others back to contain a big play from Rice or Pacheco in space.

Ogbah does have two 9 sack seasons in his past. Miami will really have to hope he recaptures some of that magic.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Jerome Baker - Let's discuss and this is just side note to the laundry list of other off season things we need to sort out BUT..

-Last night in the 2nd Half after he almost knocked the WR out for the Bills on the last play of the 1st Half(Sweet hit/tackle-BOOM!) but in the 2nd Half he is going to close in on a guy and you can clearly see another Miami defender coming in fast from in front of the receiver and Baker is trailing and sometimes buddy, you gotta pull up a little just out of self preservation but instead he arrives at a high speed and at the same time as the DB closing in and he absorbs the worst of it just like Jones did to him when he landed on IR...

-Baker looked like he might have a broken/fractured hand/wrist from the way he was showing the pain after that hit.

We already know this but Jerome Baker should have a low awareness level in Madden, anything above 35 is criminal...but he has a lot of god given strengths and in short spurts he really can lay the wood at ILB, I actually think he does pretty well against the run and can also get pressure on the QB, not very good in pass coverage but he's not terrible. It's his unawareness at times of what is happening around him, it's frightening.

$11+Million vs about $3.5M to cut him post June, think we might have to say bye bye to Baker, I'm sure he will start and do fairly well for another team.

Like I said, I saw the play where he blew up his wrist and it should have or could have been avoided
-I like players that don't get hurt all the time

 

[travdogg]

Question for Dolphins fans, is Christian Wilkins a dirty player?

Video making the rounds on twitter/X of him basically hitting, grabbing, squeezing Josh Allen's family jewels on/after his QB sneak, to the point that it clearly wasn't incidental. Wouldn't have faulted Allen (or a Bills OL) from stomping on Wilkins in the moment.

 

[ChuckLiddell]

Question for Dolphins fans, is Christian Wilkins a dirty player?

Video making the rounds on twitter/X of him basically hitting, grabbing, squeezing Josh Allen's family jewels on/after his QB sneak, to the point that it clearly wasn't incidental. Wouldn't have faulted Allen (or a Bills OL) from stomping on Wilkins in the moment.

Hes that guy who you are happy is part of your team and not the opponent's team.

Little dirty? Maybe. But in a playful and utterly annoying way.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Question for Dolphins fans, is Christian Wilkins a dirty player?

Video making the rounds on twitter/X of him basically hitting, grabbing, squeezing Josh Allen's family jewels on/after his QB sneak, to the point that it clearly wasn't incidental. Wouldn't have faulted Allen (or a Bills OL) from stomping on Wilkins in the moment.

1st I've heard of any of this
-Miami still needs to extend him if they hope to compete, he is a big part of the Defense and he knows it

 

[ChuckLiddell]

Question for Dolphins fans, is Christian Wilkins a dirty player?

Video making the rounds on twitter/X of him basically hitting, grabbing, squeezing Josh Allen's family jewels on/after his QB sneak, to the point that it clearly wasn't incidental. Wouldn't have faulted Allen (or a Bills OL) from stomping on Wilkins in the moment.

1st I've heard of any of this
-Miami still needs to extend him if they hope to compete, he is a big part of the Defense and he knows it

It wasnt from this season, I think it was 2021 season.

 

[travdogg]

Question for Dolphins fans, is Christian Wilkins a dirty player?

Video making the rounds on twitter/X of him basically hitting, grabbing, squeezing Josh Allen's family jewels on/after his QB sneak, to the point that it clearly wasn't incidental. Wouldn't have faulted Allen (or a Bills OL) from stomping on Wilkins in the moment.

1st I've heard of any of this
-Miami still needs to extend him if they hope to compete, he is a big part of the Defense and he knows it

It wasnt from this season, I think it was 2021 season.

Apparently, there is a history, as Wilkins did it Sunday Night, as well as in 2022. Also, a video of him doing a cup check on Curtis Samuel well after a tackle.

Allen addressed it, it was the play where Allen was shoving downward after he got up, and said Wilkins is known for that, and has been for years, but he (Allen) knows that, and needs to keep his cool.

 

[Desert_Power]

Question for Dolphins fans, is Christian Wilkins a dirty player?

Video making the rounds on twitter/X of him basically hitting, grabbing, squeezing Josh Allen's family jewels on/after his QB sneak, to the point that it clearly wasn't incidental. Wouldn't have faulted Allen (or a Bills OL) from stomping on Wilkins in the moment.

He's been doing this stuff since college.

 

[ChuckLiddell]

Signed Bruce Irvin and Malik Reed in addition to Justin Houston. They are building a defense from scraps for the playoffs. Sad.

Dolphins Also Signing OLBs Bruce Irvin & Malik Reed To Practice Squad

According to Tom Pelissero, the Dolphins are also signing veteran OLBs Bruce Irvin and Malik Reed to the practice squad. Miami has been hit hard by injuries at edge rusher and desperately needed reinforcements going

nfltraderumors.co

 

[Gatorman]

I'd like to see Miami go to a 3-3-5 look and bring Jones on the field and near the line as kind of a hybrid LB/S. I'm willing to die by Pacheco rather than by Mahomes.

Interesting idea. If Holland is healthy, the safety position is suddenly the strength of the defense. Maybe the best bet it is to use one of these guys to man up Kelce while keeping the others back to contain a big play from Rice or Pacheco in space.

Ogbah does have two 9 sack seasons in his past. Miami will really have to hope he recaptures some of that magic.

Considering Holland and Jones are both capable Blitzers, why wouldn't you? Rotate all 4 tackles and Ogbah, Gordon, and one of the LBs at the edge.

 

[=Smackdown=]

Signed Bruce Irvin and Malik Reed in addition to Justin Houston. They are building a defense from scraps for the playoffs. Sad.

Dolphins Also Signing OLBs Bruce Irvin & Malik Reed To Practice Squad

According to Tom Pelissero, the Dolphins are also signing veteran OLBs Bruce Irvin and Malik Reed to the practice squad. Miami has been hit hard by injuries at edge rusher and desperately needed reinforcements going

nfltraderumors.co

It is - signing dudes off the street to the active roster for a playoff game.

Wonder what Cam Wake is up to theses days?

 

[Gatorman]

Signed Bruce Irvin and Malik Reed in addition to Justin Houston. They are building a defense from scraps for the playoffs. Sad.

Dolphins Also Signing OLBs Bruce Irvin & Malik Reed To Practice Squad

According to Tom Pelissero, the Dolphins are also signing veteran OLBs Bruce Irvin and Malik Reed to the practice squad. Miami has been hit hard by injuries at edge rusher and desperately needed reinforcements going

nfltraderumors.co

It is - signing dudes off the street to the active roster for a playoff game.

Wonder what Cam Wake is up to theses days?

Trace Armstrong and Jason Taylor coming in for the weekend.

 

[ChiefD]

Too many injuries to overcome. And 9 degrees makes everything hurt even more for the guys playing hurt.

KC should be giving more than 3 and a half points. Miami is the worst team in the playoff team vs teams with a winning record. Plus the injuries, 3 new ones in the last game.

It's 4 now, but I agree 100% with this. With all the injuries Miami has, this feels more like it should be a 6.5 line. Either Vegas knows something or they don't trust the Chiefs. I think it's the latter.

I'm probably gonna bet Miami to cover the 4. This game is going to be closer than you guys think. The Chiefs are not that good. At all.

 

[SwampDawg]

Well the best hope for the Dolphins is that as a guy who bets $5 here and there, maybe $10 if I'm feeling confident I put a C note on a Chiefs/Bills ML Parlay Monday morning at -119 (it's now -138). I don't see anyway outside Allen getting hurt that the Bills lose so the best chance to break up my bet is a Phins win.

 

[SwampDawg]

Hey @Ministry of Pain this is for you

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...fs-ravens-take-top-spot-eagles-fall-off-hard/

 

[Capella]

Don’t see a thread on it but I have to say this is one of the best Hard Knocks I’ve ever seen. Lots of good guys on this team. Hopefully they don’t get killed Saturday.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

LT-Armstead
RG-Rbert Hunt
RT-Austin Jackson

All 3 seem good to go, Eichenberg practiced in full on Thursday, hopefully that is a good sign heading into the weekend.
I hear Waddle should be back on the field Sat Night

 

[IHEARTFF]

Don’t see a thread on it but I have to say this is one of the best Hard Knocks I’ve ever seen. Lots of good guys on this team. Hopefully they don’t get killed Saturday.

It really is great. So many cool people around and on the team. Makes it hard as a KC fan to root to kick their behinds but I’ll just hope for a clean no injury game.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Don’t see a thread on it but I have to say this is one of the best Hard Knocks I’ve ever seen. Lots of good guys on this team. Hopefully they don’t get killed Saturday.

It really is great. So many cool people around and on the team. Makes it hard as a KC fan to root to kick their behinds but I’ll just hope for a clean no injury game.

Don't fall for that show, it's been a complete evil demon for Miami
Every week starting with Black Friday, it's been lose a star on Defense or Offense or BOTH
We have a skeleton crew tonight

-Also they make Mike McDaniel look like Ghandi which doesn't help when I am chastising his play calling and in game decisions

 

[Capella]

Don’t see a thread on it but I have to say this is one of the best Hard Knocks I’ve ever seen. Lots of good guys on this team. Hopefully they don’t get killed Saturday.

It really is great. So many cool people around and on the team. Makes it hard as a KC fan to root to kick their behinds but I’ll just hope for a clean no injury game.

Don't fall for that show, it's been a complete evil demon for Miami
Every week starting with Black Friday, it's been lose a star on Defense or Offense or BOTH
We have a skeleton crew tonight

-Also they make Mike McDaniel look like Ghandi which doesn't help when I am chastising his play calling and in game decisions

True but it’s got my wife watching this game tonight like somebody’s life is on the line. She really likes this team lol.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Don’t see a thread on it but I have to say this is one of the best Hard Knocks I’ve ever seen. Lots of good guys on this team. Hopefully they don’t get killed Saturday.

It really is great. So many cool people around and on the team. Makes it hard as a KC fan to root to kick their behinds but I’ll just hope for a clean no injury game.

Don't fall for that show, it's been a complete evil demon for Miami
Every week starting with Black Friday, it's been lose a star on Defense or Offense or BOTH
We have a skeleton crew tonight

-Also they make Mike McDaniel look like Ghandi which doesn't help when I am chastising his play calling and in game decisions

True but it’s got my wife watching this game tonight like somebody’s life is on the line. She really likes this team lol.

On another note, after watching this debacle
Looking forward to the Bucs game tomorrow night

 

[Capella]

Don’t see a thread on it but I have to say this is one of the best Hard Knocks I’ve ever seen. Lots of good guys on this team. Hopefully they don’t get killed Saturday.

It really is great. So many cool people around and on the team. Makes it hard as a KC fan to root to kick their behinds but I’ll just hope for a clean no injury game.

Don't fall for that show, it's been a complete evil demon for Miami
Every week starting with Black Friday, it's been lose a star on Defense or Offense or BOTH
We have a skeleton crew tonight

-Also they make Mike McDaniel look like Ghandi which doesn't help when I am chastising his play calling and in game decisions

True but it’s got my wife watching this game tonight like somebody’s life is on the line. She really likes this team lol.

On another note, after watching this debacle
Looking forward to the Bucs game tomorrow night

Baker should be able to wing it around better than Tua at least. Maybe.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Don’t see a thread on it but I have to say this is one of the best Hard Knocks I’ve ever seen. Lots of good guys on this team. Hopefully they don’t get killed Saturday.

It really is great. So many cool people around and on the team. Makes it hard as a KC fan to root to kick their behinds but I’ll just hope for a clean no injury game.

Don't fall for that show, it's been a complete evil demon for Miami
Every week starting with Black Friday, it's been lose a star on Defense or Offense or BOTH
We have a skeleton crew tonight

-Also they make Mike McDaniel look like Ghandi which doesn't help when I am chastising his play calling and in game decisions

True but it’s got my wife watching this game tonight like somebody’s life is on the line. She really likes this team lol.

On another note, after watching this debacle
Looking forward to the Bucs game tomorrow night

Baker should be able to wing it around better than Tua at least. Maybe.

The games today should drive the point home how hard it is to walk into opposing stadiums and win Playoff games

 

[Ministry of Pain]

26-7
7 minutes left in the 4th Q

-Miami will fall to 11-7 this year
-Miami went 9-9 last year

McDaniel is now 0-2 in the Playoffs

Skylar Thompson looked a lot better losing 34-31 at Buffalo last year than Tua tonight losing 26-7...Miami has NO OFFENSE, i thought this was Mikey McD's specialty?
Why is Mike McDaniel revered so much? What does he do that is so special to fans and people looking from the outside at this team?
Rich Eisen soundbites?

Pathetic effort tonight top to bottom, coaching to QB to the rest of the team
Miami sucked hard tonight, disappointing to see this as the end of the 2023 season

The needle has not moved

Brian Flores 19-15 his last 2 seasons as Miami Dolphins Head Coach who would not carry out Stephen Ross' requests with $$$ that he throw or lose football games.
M&M is 20-16, similar records and yet one is held in a Ghandi like light at the moment and the other is viewed as a terrible head coach that held Tua back
Hmmmmmmmmm, we might need to revisit this

 

[Ministry of Pain]

To my fellow Miami fans on here, thanks again for another great season of posting back and forth, feel like we have a good nucleus here and one of the more spirited team threads
That's a reflection of all of you

Let's enjoy the rest of the Playoffs and start plotting the off season.
I would like to know what changes next season with the same HC/DC in place(not a bad thing to have consistency) what personnel or play designs do you want to see changed?
Will Tua take the field on a 5th Year option after this incredible Pro Bowl season me pieced together? Do you trust Tua and what areas do you think he can actually improve in?
Players that are always injured even when they start...Waddle, Armstead, Howard, and others who missed a lot of time including the new toy Jalen Ramsey at Corner.

I'm interested in how you all think of 2023, succss, failure, unsure? I'm a little unsure myself, saw some things I liked and saw things that need to be addressed
I'm almost sure I will start a stand alone Mike McDaniel thread so I don't always have to pound down in here, i know many of you love this guy, i have a lot of questions and criticisms.

You knew we were gonna lose tonight, this was not a surprise after the last few weeks and losing some of our best players on Defense,
3 starting Edge rushers, 25 sacks, nobody is overcoming that. Tough pill to swallow so late in the season when we were led to believe this could be a special season
Lot of empty calories/stats that are meaningless now.

 

[Desert_Power]

Feel like they have to move on from Fangio. The injuries were awful and you cannot blame that on him, but the scheme was an issue all season.

Tight end has to be a priority in the offseason.

Connor Williams injury was huge. I think Butch Barry did a great job managing the line though all the injuries but there was just too much of a dropoff with that one. Is this why McDaniel gave up on attacking the middle of the field?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Feel like they have to move on from Fangio. The injuries were awful and you cannot blame that on him, but the scheme was an issue all season.

Tight end has to be a priority in the offseason.

Connor Williams injury was huge. I think Butch Barry did a great job managing the line though all the injuries but there was just too much of a dropoff with that one. Is this why McDaniel gave up on attacking the middle of the field?

Fangio is the highest paid Asst in the NFL, $4.5/$5M per season
He made Miami wait when he was helping Philly to the Super Bowl last year
Fangio has head coaching experience and is there in case McD falters
I don't think he is going anywhere plus Miami was 9-3 with Ramsey coming back, things looked good but then Edge Rushers dropped like flies down the stretch
Chubb is his guy from Denver, the secondary when they can actually take the field in full force is filled with playmakers but they could use another DB or two

Tight End? Not sure I envision a big TE in this offense but yeah it would be a great scheme change to have a weapon there. Not sure Tua would exploit it.

Miami is set in 2024 at LT and RT, what i mean is both those positions have starters and they are paid well, nobody is walking in and taking Armstead or Jackson's spot BUT...
They might need another Tackle for the weeks when injuries arise, especially Armstead.
Bigger issues for Miami or inside along the IOL, Connor Williams likely won't be back IMHO, even though he was perhaps our best OL, he didn't say a whole lot as a leader.
Robert Hunt...how much money does Miami tie up at Right Guard, tough question to answer with this guy. 2nd/3rd Rd compensation pick if he walks and signs elsewhere?

Miami exploits the weak, folds to the stronger teams. 56-19 vs the Ravens was a total wake up call
Just like when they came here and mauled us in the season opener 59-10 a few years back, anyone remember that game when we were in total rebuild, traded Minkah quickly after.

 

[Gatorman]

26-7
7 minutes left in the 4th Q

-Miami will fall to 11-7 this year
-Miami went 9-9 last year

McDaniel is now 0-2 in the Playoffs

Skylar Thompson looked a lot better losing 34-31 at Buffalo last year than Tua tonight losing 26-7...Miami has NO OFFENSE, i thought this was Mikey McD's specialty?
Why is Mike McDaniel revered so much? What does he do that is so special to fans and people looking from the outside at this team?
Rich Eisen soundbites?

Pathetic effort tonight top to bottom, coaching to QB to the rest of the team
Miami sucked hard tonight, disappointing to see this as the end of the 2023 season

The needle has not moved

Brian Flores 19-15 his last 2 seasons as Miami Dolphins Head Coach who would not carry out Stephen Ross' requests with $$$ that he throw or lose football games.
M&M is 20-16, similar records and yet one is held in a Ghandi like light at the moment and the other is viewed as a terrible head coach that held Tua back
Hmmmmmmmmm, we might need to revisit this

Well, in the post mortem of the season there is always blame to go around, so lets get to what is good and what is not so good.

The good:
Aside from what MoP might feel (and I have no idea why he is still mentioning Flores): Miami has a good young coach. His players on both sides of the ball want to play for him and he gets the best out of them. He still needs to "mature" into the role and not everyone is Sean McVay, but the last coach alienated as many players as he uplifted, and his(Flores) defensive scheme had more issues than Miami's offense scheme did.

Miami's defense when healthy was top tier. Injuries derailed a likely championship caliber D. Now, it does need some work. The Linebackers and the Slot corner position needs to be better. Anytime Allen or Mahomes needed to make a play, one was available over the middle where the Linebackers or Kader Kouhu was.

Tua: he will be in the "Bad" as well, but he led the league in passing and until things started to fall apart in December you felt no lead against us was safe.

The Running game: Achane is the guy. We will always have a committee approach, but the kid can ball. We are no longer "looking" for our RB. He is now on the roster on a rookie contract. Wilson, Mosert, whomever will be the "complimentary" back.

The Offensive line and OLine coaching. Excellent Job. Can't say enough of how this mash unit was able to both protect Tua and Open holes for the running game. Most of our O line woes (remember the Flores lines with essentially the same players) have been solved.

The interior Defensive line: Seiler, Watson, and the other guys simply changed games.

The Bad:

Injuries: Some would call this "bad luck" but the past few years have been marked by some really bad injuries to key players. Last year it was Tua. This year it was everyone BUT Tua. Baltimore changed their Strength and conditioning staff after the issues they had a few years ago. Maybe this needs to be addressed?

Dumb Penalties: When you are an "on the cusp" team you have to be better diciplined. Chubb, Watson both had bad penalties in games that were outcome changers. Penalties as much as wins and losses are a coaches stat. Shula and Tony Sporano were the only phins coaches who's teams were the least penalized. They are also the last coaches to win the AFCE.

In game coaching: This has to improve. I think McDaniel takes his scheme too much for granted and builds his counterpunches the week after a team shows it to him. Self Scouting and in game adjustments need to evolve. Your run game can score from anywhere, yet the "jet sweep" style concepts have not been seen in 5 weeks.

The QB position: Tua is likely the type of QB that needs everything perfectly set up around him to succeed. Can we win a championship with him? I think so, but he is not a QB anyone fears ala Mahomes, Allen, Stroud, Purdy, Rodgers, etc. I'm not sure we can "swtich" tracks on this in any meaningful way, but McDaniel needs to decide what he wants to Develop at QB beyond Tua. Maybe a reclamation project like a Mac Jones, or a day 2/3 draft pick. I use the perfect "What if" scenario: What if the Dolphins took Purdy in the 7th round rather than Skylar Thompson? Where would this team be? Teams should always be "developing" Qbs. Mike White may have been a decent add, but if he and Skylar are in the room next year Miami is not improving at the position no matter what Tua's status is. Tua needs to keep working on his game. Brees get himself into sick shape and had a lengthy and stellar career. Tua solved the concussion problems with judo and a new helmet. Now he needs to add a running game and some "pocket breakdown" moves when things get ugly.

The Offensive Line: Kudos to what they managed to do, but its time to draft and develop a center/guard regardless of Connor Williams' status. Eich is a good "depth" Player and tough as heck, but if you need to start him at any position for more than 5 games then you didn't build your line correctly. We saw what Creed Humphrey did last night and I was screaming for the Phins to draft him but we took Eich instead. Imagine if Our first three picks were Holland, Phillips, and Creed????

Linebacking: Not sure what linebackers are supposed to look like in Fangio's system, but the ones in Baltimore and Buffalo are faster and better than what we got.

Slot Corner: No more Kader Kouhu. Either develop a better boundry corner and move Ramsey into the slot as he gets older, or get one who can compete. Also, we still need more depth at corner.

The Draft: Stop drafting guys that don't play. Tindall in 2022, Can Smith this year, The WR who sat on the bench the whole year in 2022 (Ekzuma) and got hurt this year. Players need live reps. If you are going to use a second day pick on a guy he has to be able to contribute. If Cam smith sucks then either the scout who got him should be fired or the guy coaching him. No player maybe other than a QB gets better sitting on the bench a whole season.

I'd say our window is open and 11 wins is nothing to sneeze at. Everyone, Coach, assistant coaches, players, etc, need to develop.

 

[JohnnyU]

Was Swift there? Asking for a friend

 

[Desert_Power]

Dumb Penalties: When you are an "on the cusp" team you have to be better diciplined. Chubb, Watson both had bad penalties in games that were outcome changers. Penalties as much as wins and losses are a coaches stat. Shula and Tony Sporano were the only phins coaches who's teams were the least penalized. They are also the last coaches to win the AFCE.

Do you mean Wilkins here?

 

[Gatorman]

Dumb Penalties: When you are an "on the cusp" team you have to be better diciplined. Chubb, Watson both had bad penalties in games that were outcome changers. Penalties as much as wins and losses are a coaches stat. Shula and Tony Sporano were the only phins coaches who's teams were the least penalized. They are also the last coaches to win the AFCE.

Do you mean Wilkins here?

Sorry, yes. Brain fart.

 

[Todem]

26-7
7 minutes left in the 4th Q

-Miami will fall to 11-7 this year
-Miami went 9-9 last year

McDaniel is now 0-2 in the Playoffs

Skylar Thompson looked a lot better losing 34-31 at Buffalo last year than Tua tonight losing 26-7...Miami has NO OFFENSE, i thought this was Mikey McD's specialty?
Why is Mike McDaniel revered so much? What does he do that is so special to fans and people looking from the outside at this team?
Rich Eisen soundbites?

Pathetic effort tonight top to bottom, coaching to QB to the rest of the team
Miami sucked hard tonight, disappointing to see this as the end of the 2023 season

The needle has not moved

Brian Flores 19-15 his last 2 seasons as Miami Dolphins Head Coach who would not carry out Stephen Ross' requests with $$$ that he throw or lose football games.
M&M is 20-16, similar records and yet one is held in a Ghandi like light at the moment and the other is viewed as a terrible head coach that held Tua back
Hmmmmmmmmm, we might need to revisit this

Well, in the post mortem of the season there is always blame to go around, so lets get to what is good and what is not so good.

The good:
Aside from what MoP might feel (and I have no idea why he is still mentioning Flores): Miami has a good young coach. His players on both sides of the ball want to play for him and he gets the best out of them. He still needs to "mature" into the role and not everyone is Sean McVay, but the last coach alienated as many players as he uplifted, and his(Flores) defensive scheme had more issues than Miami's offense scheme did.

Miami's defense when healthy was top tier. Injuries derailed a likely championship caliber D. Now, it does need some work. The Linebackers and the Slot corner position needs to be better. Anytime Allen or Mahomes needed to make a play, one was available over the middle where the Linebackers or Kader Kouhu was.

Tua: he will be in the "Bad" as well, but he led the league in passing and until things started to fall apart in December you felt no lead against us was safe.

The Running game: Achane is the guy. We will always have a committee approach, but the kid can ball. We are no longer "looking" for our RB. He is now on the roster on a rookie contract. Wilson, Mosert, whomever will be the "complimentary" back.

The Offensive line and OLine coaching. Excellent Job. Can't say enough of how this mash unit was able to both protect Tua and Open holes for the running game. Most of our O line woes (remember the Flores lines with essentially the same players) have been solved.

The interior Defensive line: Seiler, Watson, and the other guys simply changed games.

The Bad:

Injuries: Some would call this "bad luck" but the past few years have been marked by some really bad injuries to key players. Last year it was Tua. This year it was everyone BUT Tua. Baltimore changed their Strength and conditioning staff after the issues they had a few years ago. Maybe this needs to be addressed?

Dumb Penalties: When you are an "on the cusp" team you have to be better diciplined. Chubb, Watson both had bad penalties in games that were outcome changers. Penalties as much as wins and losses are a coaches stat. Shula and Tony Sporano were the only phins coaches who's teams were the least penalized. They are also the last coaches to win the AFCE.

In game coaching: This has to improve. I think McDaniel takes his scheme too much for granted and builds his counterpunches the week after a team shows it to him. Self Scouting and in game adjustments need to evolve. Your run game can score from anywhere, yet the "jet sweep" style concepts have not been seen in 5 weeks.

The QB position: Tua is likely the type of QB that needs everything perfectly set up around him to succeed. Can we win a championship with him? I think so, but he is not a QB anyone fears ala Mahomes, Allen, Stroud, Purdy, Rodgers, etc. I'm not sure we can "swtich" tracks on this in any meaningful way, but McDaniel needs to decide what he wants to Develop at QB beyond Tua. Maybe a reclamation project like a Mac Jones, or a day 2/3 draft pick. I use the perfect "What if" scenario: What if the Dolphins took Purdy in the 7th round rather than Skylar Thompson? Where would this team be? Teams should always be "developing" Qbs. Mike White may have been a decent add, but if he and Skylar are in the room next year Miami is not improving at the position no matter what Tua's status is. Tua needs to keep working on his game. Brees get himself into sick shape and had a lengthy and stellar career. Tua solved the concussion problems with judo and a new helmet. Now he needs to add a running game and some "pocket breakdown" moves when things get ugly.

The Offensive Line: Kudos to what they managed to do, but its time to draft and develop a center/guard regardless of Connor Williams' status. Eich is a good "depth" Player and tough as heck, but if you need to start him at any position for more than 5 games then you didn't build your line correctly. We saw what Creed Humphrey did last night and I was screaming for the Phins to draft him but we took Eich instead. Imagine if Our first three picks were Holland, Phillips, and Creed????

Linebacking: Not sure what linebackers are supposed to look like in Fangio's system, but the ones in Baltimore and Buffalo are faster and better than what we got.

Slot Corner: No more Kader Kouhu. Either develop a better boundry corner and move Ramsey into the slot as he gets older, or get one who can compete. Also, we still need more depth at corner.

The Draft: Stop drafting guys that don't play. Tindall in 2022, Can Smith this year, The WR who sat on the bench the whole year in 2022 (Ekzuma) and got hurt this year. Players need live reps. If you are going to use a second day pick on a guy he has to be able to contribute. If Cam smith sucks then either the scout who got him should be fired or the guy coaching him. No player maybe other than a QB gets better sitting on the bench a whole season.

I'd say our window is open and 11 wins is nothing to sneeze at. Everyone, Coach, assistant coaches, players, etc, need to develop.

I agree with a lot of this. The injuries killed our season....no doubt in my mind....but:

Tua 2-10 on the road vs teams with a winning record.

We beat one team....one in 2023 with a winning record. That's not a championship caliber team.

We need to address the center position front and center in the 2024 draft and go from there. And keep drafting QB's till you land one that is truly special. It can be done. I don't need stats recited to me about Tua's 2023 season....my eyes see what I feel. Not special. Not championship caliber....not a January QB. Extremely limited.

Juat a shame how this season disintegrated before our very eyes over the course of 5 weeks.

 

[SoBeDad]

To my fellow Miami fans on here, thanks again for another great season of posting back and forth, feel like we have a good nucleus here and one of the more spirited team threads
That's a reflection of all of you

I hope we keep it up for the draft and beyond. Now that we lost, we have a better chance of drafting an impact player in round 1, OL, CB, even a WR who drops as Tyreek will be 30 in a few months. A big WR like Keon Coleman or Brian Thomas. What if lefty Penix becomes available in round 1, unlikely but it would be an interesting decision.

Our oline coach worked miracles this year with multiple lineups, 2nd most behind NYJ, so I'd prioritize BPA in first round, and OL later. As a frustrating reminder, billionaire owner Ross is responsible for a forfeit of our 3rd round pick this year.

The honeymoon is over for McDaniel. He'll be on the hot seat in 2024. Same for Tua, who will have to do it the Lamar way IMO. I don't think he gets a new contract. $23M against the cap for the 5th year option, but a long term contract could be worse.

 

[Lansdowne]

Dolphins need to open up the offense more, stop relying on bubble screens and for Tyreek Hill to bail them out when the offense stalls. Need a reliable third option in the receiving game, especially for those times when Jaylen Waddle is injured. Mike McDaniel doesn’t like to use the TE as a receiving option but he should reconsider that and try upgrading there as well. Tua has two come-from-behind wins a season every season dating back to his rookie year. So it can be done but the key is not falling behind in the first place.

I think the Dolphins suffered some real bad luck health wise on defense. Can’t really do much about that other than hope you have the depth to sustain it. I know the last two season finishes were discouraging but I think the Dolphins have the pieces in place to remain a threat in the AFC. Just need to be more dynamic and creative on offense. Would also help if Tua protected the ball better.

 

[Desert_Power]

Dumb Penalties: When you are an "on the cusp" team you have to be better diciplined. Chubb, Watson both had bad penalties in games that were outcome changers. Penalties as much as wins and losses are a coaches stat. Shula and Tony Sporano were the only phins coaches who's teams were the least penalized. They are also the last coaches to win the AFCE.

Do you mean Wilkins here?

Sorry, yes. Brain fart.

Yeah, I figured. He's a good, but dirty player. No problems letting him walk.

 

[Gatorman]

I’d like to thank the cowboys for making me feel better about the dolphins…

 

[SoBeDad]

I’d like to thank the cowboys for making me feel better about the dolphins…

Another benefit of a GB win, I believe our draft pick goes up 1 slot.

 

[BobbyLayne]

With the Lions ending a 32 year drought (9-game playoff losing streak), the longest drought without a playoff win now belongs to the Miami Dolphins, who have not won since December 30, 2000.

 

[Gatorman]

With the Lions ending a 32 year drought (9-game playoff losing streak), the longest drought without a playoff win now belongs to the Miami Dolphins, who have not won since December 30, 2000.

I'm realatively sure that will change in the next few years.

Edit to add: To be honest, who cares. All I want is a championship. AFC or Superbowl. We've made the playoffs two years in a row after just missing for 2 years in a row before that. Baby steps I guess. Every team still in this other than, say, Detroit and Green Bay are going to be disappointed if they don't win it all. Some, like Dallas who got embarrassed, and the Bills who have a great team that always seems to come up short, have a lot more pressure to win it than Miami did. SF likely is on the hot seat a little as well.

Expectations can do that to people.

 

[SoBeDad]

With the Lions ending a 32 year drought (9-game playoff losing streak), the longest drought without a playoff win now belongs to the Miami Dolphins, who have not won since December 30, 2000.

There are several Detriot-Miami connections. Maybe Miami should've stuck with Campbell?! Just joking. I think his stints in Miami as head coach and in NO under Payton helped him become a better head coach in Detroit.

I'm gonna a go out on a limb and say Ben Johnson, who spent 6 or 7 years in Miami under Philbin, DC, and Gase might be a better offensive coordinator than McDaniel, still TBD. The McDaniel approach of stretching defenses horizontally at the LOS and vertically using deep passes needs more nuances. Kurt Warner has some critique of both Tua and the scheme in the last game. The Miami offense was at near full strength vs KC (minus their best olineman, Connor Williams, imagine if Penei were out) and was shut down, as it was vs most of the better teams, which happened later in the season after Williams went down, so maybe a coincidence. I still don't know why they haven't prioritized a receiving TE or a big body who can catch over the middle, Tua is asked to make too many long throws. Miami is an outlier in its use of TEs. The RB receiving patterns are limited. Both he and McDaniel will get one more year. But this should've been the year on defense, if not for so many injuries to high performing players. Next year, with cap issues, and edge players returning injuries or signing elsewhere, with no 3rd or 4th round picks, could be a losing season. This year, Miami had the 4th easiest schedule. BTW, GM Grier shares some blame with many recent misses such as 2nd rounder Cam Smith who was inactice for UDFA Ethan Bonner in the KC game.

 

[=Smackdown=]

26-7
7 minutes left in the 4th Q

-Miami will fall to 11-7 this year
-Miami went 9-9 last year

McDaniel is now 0-2 in the Playoffs

Skylar Thompson looked a lot better losing 34-31 at Buffalo last year than Tua tonight losing 26-7...Miami has NO OFFENSE, i thought this was Mikey McD's specialty?
Why is Mike McDaniel revered so much? What does he do that is so special to fans and people looking from the outside at this team?
Rich Eisen soundbites?

Pathetic effort tonight top to bottom, coaching to QB to the rest of the team
Miami sucked hard tonight, disappointing to see this as the end of the 2023 season

The needle has not moved

Brian Flores 19-15 his last 2 seasons as Miami Dolphins Head Coach who would not carry out Stephen Ross' requests with $$$ that he throw or lose football games.
M&M is 20-16, similar records and yet one is held in a Ghandi like light at the moment and the other is viewed as a terrible head coach that held Tua back
Hmmmmmmmmm, we might need to revisit this

Well, in the post mortem of the season there is always blame to go around, so lets get to what is good and what is not so good.

The good:
Aside from what MoP might feel (and I have no idea why he is still mentioning Flores): Miami has a good young coach. His players on both sides of the ball want to play for him and he gets the best out of them. He still needs to "mature" into the role and not everyone is Sean McVay, but the last coach alienated as many players as he uplifted, and his(Flores) defensive scheme had more issues than Miami's offense scheme did.

Miami's defense when healthy was top tier. Injuries derailed a likely championship caliber D. Now, it does need some work. The Linebackers and the Slot corner position needs to be better. Anytime Allen or Mahomes needed to make a play, one was available over the middle where the Linebackers or Kader Kouhu was.

Tua: he will be in the "Bad" as well, but he led the league in passing and until things started to fall apart in December you felt no lead against us was safe.

The Running game: Achane is the guy. We will always have a committee approach, but the kid can ball. We are no longer "looking" for our RB. He is now on the roster on a rookie contract. Wilson, Mosert, whomever will be the "complimentary" back.

The Offensive line and OLine coaching. Excellent Job. Can't say enough of how this mash unit was able to both protect Tua and Open holes for the running game. Most of our O line woes (remember the Flores lines with essentially the same players) have been solved.

The interior Defensive line: Seiler, Watson, and the other guys simply changed games.

The Bad:

Injuries: Some would call this "bad luck" but the past few years have been marked by some really bad injuries to key players. Last year it was Tua. This year it was everyone BUT Tua. Baltimore changed their Strength and conditioning staff after the issues they had a few years ago. Maybe this needs to be addressed?

Dumb Penalties: When you are an "on the cusp" team you have to be better diciplined. Chubb, Watson both had bad penalties in games that were outcome changers. Penalties as much as wins and losses are a coaches stat. Shula and Tony Sporano were the only phins coaches who's teams were the least penalized. They are also the last coaches to win the AFCE.

In game coaching: This has to improve. I think McDaniel takes his scheme too much for granted and builds his counterpunches the week after a team shows it to him. Self Scouting and in game adjustments need to evolve. Your run game can score from anywhere, yet the "jet sweep" style concepts have not been seen in 5 weeks.

The QB position: Tua is likely the type of QB that needs everything perfectly set up around him to succeed. Can we win a championship with him? I think so, but he is not a QB anyone fears ala Mahomes, Allen, Stroud, Purdy, Rodgers, etc. I'm not sure we can "swtich" tracks on this in any meaningful way, but McDaniel needs to decide what he wants to Develop at QB beyond Tua. Maybe a reclamation project like a Mac Jones, or a day 2/3 draft pick. I use the perfect "What if" scenario: What if the Dolphins took Purdy in the 7th round rather than Skylar Thompson? Where would this team be? Teams should always be "developing" Qbs. Mike White may have been a decent add, but if he and Skylar are in the room next year Miami is not improving at the position no matter what Tua's status is. Tua needs to keep working on his game. Brees get himself into sick shape and had a lengthy and stellar career. Tua solved the concussion problems with judo and a new helmet. Now he needs to add a running game and some "pocket breakdown" moves when things get ugly.

The Offensive Line: Kudos to what they managed to do, but its time to draft and develop a center/guard regardless of Connor Williams' status. Eich is a good "depth" Player and tough as heck, but if you need to start him at any position for more than 5 games then you didn't build your line correctly. We saw what Creed Humphrey did last night and I was screaming for the Phins to draft him but we took Eich instead. Imagine if Our first three picks were Holland, Phillips, and Creed????

Linebacking: Not sure what linebackers are supposed to look like in Fangio's system, but the ones in Baltimore and Buffalo are faster and better than what we got.

Slot Corner: No more Kader Kouhu. Either develop a better boundry corner and move Ramsey into the slot as he gets older, or get one who can compete. Also, we still need more depth at corner.

The Draft: Stop drafting guys that don't play. Tindall in 2022, Can Smith this year, The WR who sat on the bench the whole year in 2022 (Ekzuma) and got hurt this year. Players need live reps. If you are going to use a second day pick on a guy he has to be able to contribute. If Cam smith sucks then either the scout who got him should be fired or the guy coaching him. No player maybe other than a QB gets better sitting on the bench a whole season.

I'd say our window is open and 11 wins is nothing to sneeze at. Everyone, Coach, assistant coaches, players, etc, need to develop.

This sums it up pretty well.

What started out as such a fun season came crashing down again in the stretch run. Speed & finesse get punched in the mouth on the road/cold come playoff time.

Whether we like it or not, McDaniel & Tua will be here for the forseeable future. Can only hope McDaniel improves and learns from his mistakes. There are just ZERO in game adjustments to what opposing defenses do to the Dolphins offense. Lot of fans in Miami want play calling to come form someone else besides McD. Always abandoning the run game has been going on for McDaniels entire time here.

Not worried about Fangio and the defense, everywhere he’s gone his defense has improved in Year 2 as he brings in more guys to fit his scheme.

I’ve said this before, but our special teams coach (Crossman) and punter (Bailey) should not be back next year.

Players I don‘t see back with the team next year - X (still a solid corner but not worth 25 mil a year), Baker, Ogbah, Berrios, Apple, Kohou, Claypool, Riley, Mike White, Chosen.

Draft & FA needs to focus on Oline (again), the entire LB core, and CB.

 

[Gatorman]

26-7
7 minutes left in the 4th Q

-Miami will fall to 11-7 this year
-Miami went 9-9 last year

McDaniel is now 0-2 in the Playoffs

Skylar Thompson looked a lot better losing 34-31 at Buffalo last year than Tua tonight losing 26-7...Miami has NO OFFENSE, i thought this was Mikey McD's specialty?
Why is Mike McDaniel revered so much? What does he do that is so special to fans and people looking from the outside at this team?
Rich Eisen soundbites?

Pathetic effort tonight top to bottom, coaching to QB to the rest of the team
Miami sucked hard tonight, disappointing to see this as the end of the 2023 season

The needle has not moved

Brian Flores 19-15 his last 2 seasons as Miami Dolphins Head Coach who would not carry out Stephen Ross' requests with $$$ that he throw or lose football games.
M&M is 20-16, similar records and yet one is held in a Ghandi like light at the moment and the other is viewed as a terrible head coach that held Tua back
Hmmmmmmmmm, we might need to revisit this

Well, in the post mortem of the season there is always blame to go around, so lets get to what is good and what is not so good.

The good:
Aside from what MoP might feel (and I have no idea why he is still mentioning Flores): Miami has a good young coach. His players on both sides of the ball want to play for him and he gets the best out of them. He still needs to "mature" into the role and not everyone is Sean McVay, but the last coach alienated as many players as he uplifted, and his(Flores) defensive scheme had more issues than Miami's offense scheme did.

Miami's defense when healthy was top tier. Injuries derailed a likely championship caliber D. Now, it does need some work. The Linebackers and the Slot corner position needs to be better. Anytime Allen or Mahomes needed to make a play, one was available over the middle where the Linebackers or Kader Kouhu was.

Tua: he will be in the "Bad" as well, but he led the league in passing and until things started to fall apart in December you felt no lead against us was safe.

The Running game: Achane is the guy. We will always have a committee approach, but the kid can ball. We are no longer "looking" for our RB. He is now on the roster on a rookie contract. Wilson, Mosert, whomever will be the "complimentary" back.

The Offensive line and OLine coaching. Excellent Job. Can't say enough of how this mash unit was able to both protect Tua and Open holes for the running game. Most of our O line woes (remember the Flores lines with essentially the same players) have been solved.

The interior Defensive line: Seiler, Watson, and the other guys simply changed games.

The Bad:

Injuries: Some would call this "bad luck" but the past few years have been marked by some really bad injuries to key players. Last year it was Tua. This year it was everyone BUT Tua. Baltimore changed their Strength and conditioning staff after the issues they had a few years ago. Maybe this needs to be addressed?

Dumb Penalties: When you are an "on the cusp" team you have to be better diciplined. Chubb, Watson both had bad penalties in games that were outcome changers. Penalties as much as wins and losses are a coaches stat. Shula and Tony Sporano were the only phins coaches who's teams were the least penalized. They are also the last coaches to win the AFCE.

In game coaching: This has to improve. I think McDaniel takes his scheme too much for granted and builds his counterpunches the week after a team shows it to him. Self Scouting and in game adjustments need to evolve. Your run game can score from anywhere, yet the "jet sweep" style concepts have not been seen in 5 weeks.

The QB position: Tua is likely the type of QB that needs everything perfectly set up around him to succeed. Can we win a championship with him? I think so, but he is not a QB anyone fears ala Mahomes, Allen, Stroud, Purdy, Rodgers, etc. I'm not sure we can "swtich" tracks on this in any meaningful way, but McDaniel needs to decide what he wants to Develop at QB beyond Tua. Maybe a reclamation project like a Mac Jones, or a day 2/3 draft pick. I use the perfect "What if" scenario: What if the Dolphins took Purdy in the 7th round rather than Skylar Thompson? Where would this team be? Teams should always be "developing" Qbs. Mike White may have been a decent add, but if he and Skylar are in the room next year Miami is not improving at the position no matter what Tua's status is. Tua needs to keep working on his game. Brees get himself into sick shape and had a lengthy and stellar career. Tua solved the concussion problems with judo and a new helmet. Now he needs to add a running game and some "pocket breakdown" moves when things get ugly.

The Offensive Line: Kudos to what they managed to do, but its time to draft and develop a center/guard regardless of Connor Williams' status. Eich is a good "depth" Player and tough as heck, but if you need to start him at any position for more than 5 games then you didn't build your line correctly. We saw what Creed Humphrey did last night and I was screaming for the Phins to draft him but we took Eich instead. Imagine if Our first three picks were Holland, Phillips, and Creed????

Linebacking: Not sure what linebackers are supposed to look like in Fangio's system, but the ones in Baltimore and Buffalo are faster and better than what we got.

Slot Corner: No more Kader Kouhu. Either develop a better boundry corner and move Ramsey into the slot as he gets older, or get one who can compete. Also, we still need more depth at corner.

The Draft: Stop drafting guys that don't play. Tindall in 2022, Can Smith this year, The WR who sat on the bench the whole year in 2022 (Ekzuma) and got hurt this year. Players need live reps. If you are going to use a second day pick on a guy he has to be able to contribute. If Cam smith sucks then either the scout who got him should be fired or the guy coaching him. No player maybe other than a QB gets better sitting on the bench a whole season.

I'd say our window is open and 11 wins is nothing to sneeze at. Everyone, Coach, assistant coaches, players, etc, need to develop.

This sums it up pretty well.

What started out as such a fun season came crashing down again in the stretch run. Speed & finesse get punched in the mouth on the road/cold come playoff time.

Whether we like it or not, McDaniel & Tua will be here for the forseeable future. Can only hope McDaniel improves and learns from his mistakes. There are just ZERO in game adjustments to what opposing defenses do to the Dolphins offense. Lot of fans in Miami want play calling to come form someone else besides McD. Always abandoning the run game has been going on for McDaniels entire time here.

Not worried about Fangio and the defense, everywhere he’s gone his defense has improved in Year 2 as he brings in more guys to fit his scheme.

I’ve said this before, but our special teams coach (Crossman) and punter (Bailey) should not be back next year.

Players I don‘t see back with the team next year - X (still a solid corner but not worth 25 mil a year), Baker, Ogbah, Berrios, Apple, Kohou, Claypool, Riley, Mike White, Chosen.

Draft & FA needs to focus on Oline (again), the entire LB core, and CB.

The issue with Howard will be can we find a better corner for less than he counts against our cap? Not saying he is worth 25 Mil, but depending on how he affects our cap (kind of like Armstrong at LT) it may be better to keep him and Move some of his money around.

I think the LBs need to change, and Baker as much of a gamer as he is, needs to go. Ogbah is gone. Berrios who knows? He wasn't a bad player but I think Trent Sherfield was a better guy for this team.

 

[Gatorman]

I was thinking today how, sadly, this is kind of mirroring the Adam Gase Hire. Now, I think McDaniel is a must better coach than Adam Gase so I think the outcome will be different (Gase is no longer in the league, I think where McDaniel will be in the NFL for another 30+ years if he wants to), BUT:

Gase came in to a bad situation with a coach who had given up on the starting QB. He lifted up Tannyhill and gave him a vote of confidence, and he played well until getting hurt down the stretch. he only difference in the narrative is Tannyhill didn't rehab his knee properly and it got hurt again, and then we had the Cutler fiasco.

McDaniel believes in Tua. Tua was healthy this year, but Miami cannot assume that another injury is improbable. Look at all the QBs that got hurt this year who were workhorses. If Tua goes down in training camp next year, it cannot be another wasted season. We need to develop the back up plan.

 

[SoBeDad]

Miami is an outlier when it comes to its use of TEs. Notice how other playoff teams have made extensive use of TEs. The only one that comes close to Miami's low usage is LAR, and they have 2 tough over the middle WRs in Nacua and Kupp, plus Stafford's arm. Miami needs to use their TEs more in the passing game, like in the DAL game when Tua was 5 for 56 on 5 targets to Smythe, his most targets since game 1. We need a physical 3rd WR who can catch and knows routes, like Sherfield in 2022, and Ezukanma might've been if not for the neck injury. Tua can't be slinging it downfield so much on difficult tight window or anticipation throws, when short throws keep drives alive. Also, what happened to those high percentage short throws that Tua made to Waddle pre-McDaniel, screens, crossing patterns, etc? I'm not yet sold on genius McDaniel.

 

[Todem]

I was thinking today how, sadly, this is kind of mirroring the Adam Gase Hire. Now, I think McDaniel is a must better coach than Adam Gase so I think the outcome will be different (Gase is no longer in the league, I think where McDaniel will be in the NFL for another 30+ years if he wants to), BUT:

Gase came in to a bad situation with a coach who had given up on the starting QB. He lifted up Tannyhill and gave him a vote of confidence, and he played well until getting hurt down the stretch. he only difference in the narrative is Tannyhill didn't rehab his knee properly and it got hurt again, and then we had the Cutler fiasco.

McDaniel believes in Tua. Tua was healthy this year, but Miami cannot assume that another injury is improbable. Look at all the QBs that got hurt this year who were workhorses. If Tua goes down in training camp next year, it cannot be another wasted season. We need to develop the back up plan.

The difference between Gase and McD is culture. The locker room was toxic under Gase.

I actually played golf with several players from that era....let's just say it was a hostile working environment.

What I did love about this team is they played for each other and egos were clearly left at the door.

Injuries clearly ravaged our defense down the stretch. And that stunk because legit they were playing elite football.....Baltimore is where that giant thud of the season came crashing down.

But you guys know I don't think we have a shot in hell to win an AFC title with a QB that must have everything go perfectly.

That's not January football....you need a QB to create when plays breakdown or have the ability to keep plays alive. I have never seen that with Tua.

Yeah he throws a pretty ball. But he also panics in the pocket and makes bad decisions in big moments vs top teams. The proof is in the pudding.

So as I lifelong Dolphins fan I continue to wait for the elite franchise QB to get it done.

Unfortunately they don't come around that often. We all know that.

And hey it's just football.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

26-7
7 minutes left in the 4th Q

-Miami will fall to 11-7 this year
-Miami went 9-9 last year

McDaniel is now 0-2 in the Playoffs

Skylar Thompson looked a lot better losing 34-31 at Buffalo last year than Tua tonight losing 26-7...Miami has NO OFFENSE, i thought this was Mikey McD's specialty?
Why is Mike McDaniel revered so much? What does he do that is so special to fans and people looking from the outside at this team?
Rich Eisen soundbites?

Pathetic effort tonight top to bottom, coaching to QB to the rest of the team
Miami sucked hard tonight, disappointing to see this as the end of the 2023 season

The needle has not moved

Brian Flores 19-15 his last 2 seasons as Miami Dolphins Head Coach who would not carry out Stephen Ross' requests with $$$ that he throw or lose football games.
M&M is 20-16, similar records and yet one is held in a Ghandi like light at the moment and the other is viewed as a terrible head coach that held Tua back
Hmmmmmmmmm, we might need to revisit this

Well, in the post mortem of the season there is always blame to go around, so lets get to what is good and what is not so good.

The good:
Aside from what MoP might feel (and I have no idea why he is still mentioning Flores): Miami has a good young coach. His players on both sides of the ball want to play for him and he gets the best out of them. He still needs to "mature" into the role and not everyone is Sean McVay, but the last coach alienated as many players as he uplifted, and his(Flores) defensive scheme had more issues than Miami's offense scheme did.

Miami's defense when healthy was top tier. Injuries derailed a likely championship caliber D. Now, it does need some work. The Linebackers and the Slot corner position needs to be better. Anytime Allen or Mahomes needed to make a play, one was available over the middle where the Linebackers or Kader Kouhu was.

Tua: he will be in the "Bad" as well, but he led the league in passing and until things started to fall apart in December you felt no lead against us was safe.

The Running game: Achane is the guy. We will always have a committee approach, but the kid can ball. We are no longer "looking" for our RB. He is now on the roster on a rookie contract. Wilson, Mosert, whomever will be the "complimentary" back.

The Offensive line and OLine coaching. Excellent Job. Can't say enough of how this mash unit was able to both protect Tua and Open holes for the running game. Most of our O line woes (remember the Flores lines with essentially the same players) have been solved.

The interior Defensive line: Seiler, Watson, and the other guys simply changed games.

The Bad:

Injuries: Some would call this "bad luck" but the past few years have been marked by some really bad injuries to key players. Last year it was Tua. This year it was everyone BUT Tua. Baltimore changed their Strength and conditioning staff after the issues they had a few years ago. Maybe this needs to be addressed?

Dumb Penalties: When you are an "on the cusp" team you have to be better diciplined. Chubb, Watson both had bad penalties in games that were outcome changers. Penalties as much as wins and losses are a coaches stat. Shula and Tony Sporano were the only phins coaches who's teams were the least penalized. They are also the last coaches to win the AFCE.

In game coaching: This has to improve. I think McDaniel takes his scheme too much for granted and builds his counterpunches the week after a team shows it to him. Self Scouting and in game adjustments need to evolve. Your run game can score from anywhere, yet the "jet sweep" style concepts have not been seen in 5 weeks.

The QB position: Tua is likely the type of QB that needs everything perfectly set up around him to succeed. Can we win a championship with him? I think so, but he is not a QB anyone fears ala Mahomes, Allen, Stroud, Purdy, Rodgers, etc. I'm not sure we can "swtich" tracks on this in any meaningful way, but McDaniel needs to decide what he wants to Develop at QB beyond Tua. Maybe a reclamation project like a Mac Jones, or a day 2/3 draft pick. I use the perfect "What if" scenario: What if the Dolphins took Purdy in the 7th round rather than Skylar Thompson? Where would this team be? Teams should always be "developing" Qbs. Mike White may have been a decent add, but if he and Skylar are in the room next year Miami is not improving at the position no matter what Tua's status is. Tua needs to keep working on his game. Brees get himself into sick shape and had a lengthy and stellar career. Tua solved the concussion problems with judo and a new helmet. Now he needs to add a running game and some "pocket breakdown" moves when things get ugly.

The Offensive Line: Kudos to what they managed to do, but its time to draft and develop a center/guard regardless of Connor Williams' status. Eich is a good "depth" Player and tough as heck, but if you need to start him at any position for more than 5 games then you didn't build your line correctly. We saw what Creed Humphrey did last night and I was screaming for the Phins to draft him but we took Eich instead. Imagine if Our first three picks were Holland, Phillips, and Creed????

Linebacking: Not sure what linebackers are supposed to look like in Fangio's system, but the ones in Baltimore and Buffalo are faster and better than what we got.

Slot Corner: No more Kader Kouhu. Either develop a better boundry corner and move Ramsey into the slot as he gets older, or get one who can compete. Also, we still need more depth at corner.

The Draft: Stop drafting guys that don't play. Tindall in 2022, Can Smith this year, The WR who sat on the bench the whole year in 2022 (Ekzuma) and got hurt this year. Players need live reps. If you are going to use a second day pick on a guy he has to be able to contribute. If Cam smith sucks then either the scout who got him should be fired or the guy coaching him. No player maybe other than a QB gets better sitting on the bench a whole season.

I'd say our window is open and 11 wins is nothing to sneeze at. Everyone, Coach, assistant coaches, players, etc, need to develop.

When i first read this I wanted to go item by item, still might do so but I just wanted to share that for a game just ending, not even out of Wildcard Weekend, intelligent and well thought out post. Do I agree with all of it? Of course not but it's not far off from a lot of things that I feel.

There's a lot to digest and unpack in there, I might break mine up over several posts
I think Miami fans might be in for a some what boring draft with emphasis on the OL and Edge, no way all 3 of them will be ready to roll Week 1
IOL from left to right is going to need to be addressed.
TE? Any chance Norchad Omier from the UM BBall wants to switch sports? He is the absolute prototype for some of these TEs who came off the basketball court.

Kader Kohou was an UFA that has played his butt off and has had to cover for big stars in the Secondary being absent all season from Ramsey 1st Half to Holland and Howard
And I am with you on the Draft...'22 and '23, nothing to show for it EXCEPT where Grier traded picks for established players and infused talent quickly
I'm torn on Grier, good at trades and getting guys from other teams but his Draft picks are highly questionable