Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Fifth-Year Options, Tua Topics, Backup QBs, and More
Part 2 of the pre-49ers game SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:
From Earl Gottfried (via email):
Hello Alain, keep up the good work! So with Austin Jackson out again for injury, do you think the Dolphins should decline his 5th year option (along with Noah's, too, for that matter) and start looking elsewhere for long-term RT and CB replacements or just make a lightweight contract offer and still look elsewhere? They both seem to have been reaches at their draft positions.
Hey Earl, yeah, I think it would be an absolutely shocker if the Dolphins exercised the fifth-year option for either Jackson or Igbinoghene. That said, it’s not impossible that both could be back with the team in 2022 (particularly Jackson), but Jackson’s injury issues this year have prevented him from showing he could be a long-term answer at right tackle for sure.
From Scott Eckenrode (@snake21104):
Is it hyperbole to call this the biggest six-game stretch in over two decades? I believe if they finish this off right, it cements Tua and this team as legitimate contenders for the foreseeable future. Especially considering the competition and circumstances.
Hey Scott, no, I don’t think it’s hyperbole at all. I think you hit it right on the head actually because a successful finish to the season with a couple of quality wins thrown in, especially one in bad weather, would eliminate whatever remaining questions there are about Tua as a bona fide franchise quarterback. And with that piece of the puzzle firmly in place and with other high-end players already locked up for next season and some beyond, this would stamp the Dolphins as instant Super Bowl contenders for 2023 (assuming they don’t reach quite that level already this year).
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From Erik Gregg (@egregg5):
Thanks for your Phins coverage, always level-headed analysis. Based on some reporting, the weather could be rainy and windy in SF on Sunday afternoon. What would your game plan on offense be? Does the narrative that Tua struggles in bad weather have an effect?
Hey Erik, first off thanks. As part of my weekly game preview, I include the weather forecast and the latest for Santa Clara between 4 and 7 p.m. ET on Sunday calls for rain in the first hour and winds somewhere around 8-12 mph, which is not overly worrisome. As for the narrative that Tua struggles in bad weather, well, when it comes to his NFL career, it’s not a narrative, it’s a fact and he said so himself he had issues in the rain at Tennessee last year. So, yes, best-case scenario for the Dolphins is that it’s raining all game and Tua lights it up anyway. That would erase any bad-weather concerns and maybe silence the conversation for good.
From Phinfanalyst (@Phinfanalyst):
Who is currently the most unheralded gem on this Dolphins staff?
Hmm, it’s a tough question to answer without first knowing who’s been “heralded.” Using the criteria of coaches who have been mentioned as potential future head coaches, that would mean Frank Smith and Darrell Bevell. Removing them from the equation, I think you have to look at Sam Madison, particularly for the work he’s done with rookie free agent Kader Kohou. I think Wes Welker also deserves kudos for getting the most out of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, understanding they’re really talented to begin with.
From mikethewreck (@mgcroteau):
What exactly happened in the second half against Houston that got Tua pulled out of the game? Was it a change to a more attacking defense, missed assignments by the replacement tackles, or play calls that were not predicated on a shorter time available to throw? And of course will San Fran be able to exploit these weaknesses?
Hey Mike, I'm guessing you're asking why the pass protection fell off so dramatically after Armstead left the game that Mike McDaniel felt the need to pull out Tua with a comfortable lead in the second half, and from what I saw upon reviewing the game was a missed assignment or two, guys getting beat off the snap too quickly, Houston coming on a blitz. Brandon Shell and Robert Jones both had a rough time, there was one sack where Durham Smythe was asked to block an edge defender and really got beat. So it was a combination of factors, but it looked more like physical issues.
From Dion Gardiner (@dantegardiniore):
You've mentioned before about the backup QBs not showing properly because they didn't get the full week of practice. I was wondering why the week of practice is so important? Do the plays change that much throughout the season?
Hey Dion, it’s not a question of the plays because the backups will study the game plan just the same and do the ever-popular “mental reps.” But the benefit of having the reps as the starter is to build that connection and timing with the receivers that is so important in the passing game. As an example, if you recall Teddy Bridgewater’s interception late in the Cincinnati game, it came when the ball went by Mike Gesicki before Gesicki turned around and looked for it. That was a clear example of QB-receiver not being on the same page, and they likely would have been more in sync had they run that play in practice a few times during the week.
From Bruce T (via email):
Alain, my second time writing to you. I appreciate your answers the first time. The OL has been a huge problem for this team so long that I have lost count of the years. Seems like decades. After acquiring Hill and Waddle and knowing Tua's potential, it's particularly disturbing that the ongoing OL issues could possibly derail another season. When the Dolphins signed Armstead, it was no secret that he was unlikely to survive the year unscathed and Jackson's failures were already well known. So, why do you think the front office didn't add at least one other impact lineman to the team? I remember thinking that they weren't finished with just Armstead and Williams. And, is there no one out there now they couldn't bring in? Seems they haven't really tried. Even if Armstead comes back in time for Buffalo, what makes us think he won't go out again? To make matters worse, they have precious few draft picks next year to fix what I think is still the team's most glaring problem: blocking. (I'd take another DE, too). I had an idea. The fans should get together and file a class action against the NFL to restore the Dolphins' picks. The argument is simple. Taking our picks because of the actions of Mr. Ross penalize the fans more than they penalize the owner. The NFL should have given him a much larger fine (he barely felt the one they did throw his way) and left the fans alone. What do you think?
Hey Bruce, I like you thinking outside the box, but I hope you weren’t serious about fans suing the NFL to restore picks. Your point has merit about the Dolphins and the offensive line, but the problem is that landing a stud O-lineman via trade or free agency is a lot easier said than done. I don’t recall there being a lot of other great options on the free agent market this year. Now, maybe this is where we can complain about the Dolphins not going hard after Joe Thuney last offseason or trying to make a trade for Orlando Brown before both ended up in Kansas City. If we’re being fair, too, the Dolphins landed two good linemen with Armstead and Williams, and the question becomes whether you would have preferred the Dolphins settle for a much lesser left tackle without Armstead’s injury history. Or would we have preferred the Dolphins not made the Laremy Tunsil trade in 2019? But I do get the frustration and I’m sure the team will do its best to address the situation in the offseason — it’s just impossible to find a stud who could seamlessly join an offensive line at this time of year.
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