Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua, Tyreek, the Fangio Effect, and More
Part 1 of the latest SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:
From Rob Hellebrand (@dolfanrob1):
I’m currently watching old games on NFL game pass during the offseason, and wondered about Ryan Tannehill constantly getting passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. He’s relatively tall, but it happened several times a game. Any idea why he was so vulnerable to that?
Hey Rob, Tannehill did have a lot of passes batted down during his time with the Dolphins and the only explanation was a lack of awareness of what was in front of him — rather than, as someone suggested on social media, thinking he could throw the ball through a defender’s arm. Tannehill also was never known for having a quick release, which gave defenders more time to get their hands up if they had their eyes on his movements. Tua Tagovailoa, for example, has a very quick release, which makes it more difficult for defenders to just react to him beginning his throwing motion and putting their hands up to deflect the ball.
From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):
Hey my friend, what 3 players on this Phins team have the greatest potential for growth? What is their ceiling by the end of the year? Finally, if they match their potential with this season’s opportunity, what affect would it have on the Dolphins season in terms of wins & losses?
Hey Dana, OK, let’s tackle this and understand that we’ll be talking about lower-profile players because guys like Jaylen Waddle and Terron Armstead, for example, don’t have as much room for growth as a younger, non-established player. I’ll start with Trill Williams, who’s a favorite of mine because of what I saw last summer. I think he’s got the physical attributes to make a contribution in the secondary and get significant playing time. The next is Austin Jackson, who has yet to live up to his first-round status but looked very good physically in the offseason. If he can take that big step forward, it obviously would help solidify the offensive line and make that unit that much more solid. And, third, I’m going to go with Tua, who took a huge step last season and can take another big one in 2023 if he can develop and demonstrate the ability to create when things break down. If he does that, the offense could be borderline unstoppable and thinking Super Bowl would not be unrealistic. And Tua absolutely would stamp himself as an elite quarterback.
From Jay Cutler (@bigbadsmokinj):
How badly can a Tyreek suspension derail the Phins season in your opinion?
Hey Jay, this is an impossible question to answer without knowing details of a hypothetical suspension. So I’ll answer like this, Tyreek Hill was team MVP in 2022 for a reason and he’s the guy who makes the offense what it is because of what his speed does to opposing defenses. So anytime he’s not in the lineup, the offense just isn’t the same. That’s a fact. But if there is a suspension and it’s not a lengthy one, it shouldn’t have a major impact in the long run.
From Phinish ‘Em (@KyleEdw84380051):
I was thinking about this the other day and I am curious what your take would be. During the many years of Dolphins underachievement, what do you see as the main common denominator contributing to that underachievement? Do you think/believe we remedied it now?
Hey Kyle, I think we pretty clearly can suggest the biggest reason the Dolphins “underachieved” — or failed to achieve — during their lean years is that they simply weren’t good enough at quarterback even in those seasons when overall the roster was pretty good. As to whether that’s remedied, there’s certainly reason for hope after what we saw from Tua in 2022, but he has to do it again and, just as importantly, stay on the field.
From Ken Dasher (@kdash65):
Hey Alain! Listening to some old Genesis stuff and would say Wind & Wuthering is one of their best from that era. Thoughts? Phins Q: Other than Tua, what 1 player would hurt the team most by missing significant time this coming season?
Hey Ken, love me some old Genesis, though I’m going to be honest and tell you I’m not nearly as familiar with W&W as I am with “Selling England By The Pound” and “A Trick Of The Trail,” both of which are all-timers for me. As for the Phins question, I think the choice comes down to Hill and Terron Armstead, and it’s almost a toss-up for me. But for the sake of not avoiding the question, I’ll make it 50.1 for Hill and 49.9 for Armstead.
From Bipbop1966 (@bipbop1966):
Alain, how will Vic Fangio’s presence help or detract from the team if the possibility of a losing streak (hopefully not) happens?
Before I address Fangio’s potential impact, I’m going to go back and take issue with the implication that it was the defense that caused the two losing streaks last season — and I apologize if you weren’t going there — because those two skids weren’t more on the defense than the offense and/or injuries. In the three-game losing streak against CIN, NYJ and MIN, the Dolphins were without Tua for 2 ½ games and without Terron Armstead for 1 ¾ games, and more significantly were minus-7 in turnover ratio. The Dolphins also were minus-3 in turnover ratio in the late-season losses against the 49ers and Packers, and minus against New England. And the offense gained only 219 total yards against the Chargers. So, really, the only loss you could pin on the defense last season was the one at Buffalo when the Bills gained 446 yards. Having said all that, the hope is that Fangio will help the defense go back to its takeaway ways when Brian Flores was head coach because that’s what led to the seven-game winning streak in 2021 more than anything else.
From Francisco Rivero (@Francis0River0):
I understand the love Dolphins fans have for cook. However, if Cook did sign with Miami, what realistic role would he have? What would happen to the other backs in the room?
Hey Francisco, the first thing that would happen to the other running backs is that Salvon Ahmed likely would join Myles Gaskin as being on the outside looking in unless either Raheem Mostert or Jeff Wilson Jr. ended up being traded. As for Cook’s role, the Dolphins wouldn’t bring him without making him a key component of the offense, which would mean he would start and get the bulk of the carries. If that weren’t the case, why bother bringing him in in the first place?
From Roy Moxam (@RoyMoxam):
Hi Alain, what are your thoughts on the Fins bringing in D.J. Fluker?
Hey Roy, I certainly would never oppose bringing him for a workout to get a look to see if he could help, though I just don’t see it happening. I think have sufficient options for the left guard spot, where Fluker is best suited, with Liam Eichenberg, Isaiah Wynn and Robert Jones.
From Lee Michael Morrison (@Vigilfox):
Any inside information on the Dolphins ditching the beached whale logo and making throwbacks their primary uniforms?
Hey Lee, this actually is a very popular topic among certain Dolphins fans, but I have heard or see nothing to suggest it’s even remotely on the horizon.
From Ron G (@CapeCodRon86):
Did you get a new hat yet??
Hey Ron, I did get a new hat (actually, my lovely wife got it for me), but it’s the same exact same blue Montreal Expos hat, just a replacement for when my current one needs to be shelved. But, no, I’m not changing the look now because I consider it my signature as an ode to my place of birth and to all pro sports franchises that were displaced (and, for the record, the Washington Nationals mean nothing to me).
