Dolphins Thursday Mailbag: Who Stays, Who Goes; More Flores/Grier Fallout; Tua/Watson; and More
Part 2 of the latest SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag, with more questions (and answers) on topics ranging (obviously) from the Flores firing fallout to Tua and the QB questions to a free agency forecast.
From van Simmons (@vans12njinca):
Do you view the organizational structure as dysfunctional with the constant turnover in head coaches?
Hey Van, yep, it would be hard to suggest otherwise. And it’s not just the head coaches because there’s been massive turnover among decision-makers — as far as we can tell because it’s always been murky who’s had final call.
From Miami Dolphins Québec (@Dolphins_Quebec):
Salut Alain ! You've been around the Dolphins for a long time so you met many coaches ;) Why Ross likes rookies HC ? (Philbin, Gase, Flores) What's the main difference between a rookie coach and a veteran one when he takes over the team?
Salut, Stephen Ross likes the flavor of the month, which explains the hirings of Gase and Flores, who both were hotshot candidates when they were hired. The hiring of Philbin — no offense — will always baffle me. The disadvantage of hiring a rookie HC is that you have nothing to indicate how they’ll deal with issues that don’t apply to coordinators. So rookie HCs are more of a wild card, though I’m not suggesting it can’t pan out.
From Guy McBuddy (@McbuddyGuy):
Hello, Alain. Do you believe in ghosts?
Hey Guy, that would be a no. And I'll take it a step further and say that "Ghostbusters" was atrociously overrated. Yeah, I said it.
From Ricardo Hernandez (@Ricardo96451182):
You’ve mentioned the notion of a franchise QB passing your eye test, but are there any such players out there (excluding accusation-overflowing Watson) offering a better likelihood of being acquired than simply continuing to develop Tua?
Hey Ricardo, yeah, that is the question facing the Dolphins. There currently are no such players, but there’s obviously been a lot of scuttlebutt about guys like Rodgers and Wilson becoming available. And if they do, the Dolphins should do everything in their power to make a trade happen. I’m not advocating dumping Tua, but I am saying it would be foolish not to upgrade at quarterback with somebody who’s a franchise quarterback over somebody who maybe — though not likely from this vantage point — will reach that status.
From Daniel Demers (@demers77):
Ils ont beaucoup de cap space. Qui crois-tu qui part et qui reste? Merci
Bonjour Daniel, here’s the translation: They have a lot of cap space; who do you believe will leave; and who stays? The Dolphins have about 20 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents and they’re obviously not re-signing him all of them, and they also will let go of some players to free up even more cap space. Having said all that, it’s tough to make predictions like that until we know who the next head coach will be, particularly with someone like Mike Gesicki, who just as an example was a good fit for what Adam Gase wanted to do offensively but maybe not as much for Brian Flores. But for some names, I would tell you I would be highly surprised if Emmanuel Ogbah wasn’t re-signed, and I think the Dolphins either will move on from Eric Rowe or keep him with a restructured deal.
From spaceship mirror (@spaceshipmirror)
is there any chance that the current narrative is slightly off and that Grier and Flores both established a consensus that Tua wasn’t going to cut it?
Hey, yeah, that’s the great mystery trying to figure out who right now is a Tua backer and who isn’t. It’s pretty safe to say at this point that Flores definitely was not a Tua backer, but I can’t speak to Grier’s thoughts on the topic.
From Dave (@angryvet59):
Coach Flo was big reason Watson wanted to come to Miami. Has that ship sailed?
Hey Dave, I would not believe so because there are other factors in Miami’s favor here, namely the lack of a state income tax and the weather.
From Tuddle Army (@TuddleOnRadio):
Chris Grier has the scouting chops and the respect in the NFL circles as a good player personnel man but does he have the personality to be the leader of your organization? By all accounts be is a nice quiet man but does he have the presence to demand respect as the head man?
Grier has the type of personality that makes him ideal to work for an organization that puts a premium on collaboration and communication, which is what Stephen Ross emphasized at the press conference to discuss Brian Flores’ firing. The Dolphins’ power structure — in terms of who has final say — has been a bit of a mystery for a while now, though it doesn’t seem it’s never really required an alpha GM. If that’s what Ross eventually wants, then you’re right that Grier isn’t really that type of guy.
