Dolphins Mailbag: McCourty vs. McCain, Right Tackle, Tua, and More
Part 1 of the latest All Dolphins mailbag before we go on a two-week vacation with the family (wife and kids):
From GT (@Miami_Cool):
How will the Fins Co-OCs work? Who’s play calling?
Hey GT, Brian Flores, George Godsey and Eric Studesville all were asked that very question during the offseason and all of them responded by saying something to the effect of those things needing to be decided at some point and that everything will be collaborative. My best guess — and it’s just that — if that there’s one designated play-caller it would end up being Godsey because he was OC with Houston in 2015-16, whereas Studesville does not have previous OC experience in the NFL.
From Cameron Sparks (@Cam3ronSparks):
Seeing your ranking the Top 100 Dolphins plays in history on SI, what is your personal favorite play/moment while covering the team? #FinsUp
Hey Cameron, love that question! The greatest play I had the chance to write about was the “Miracle in Miami,” but because I was on deadline and was forced to rewrite my game story, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I otherwise would have. I think the two plays that do jump out at me in my time covering the team (full time since 1989) were Lamar Smith’s OT touchdown against the Colts in the 2000 playoffs and Trace Armstrong’s sack and strip of Doug Flutie in the final seconds of the 1998 playoff game against Buffalo. I’m sure I’m forgetting some, but those are the two that immediately came to mind. They were just incredibly exciting and I wasn't writing on deadline for either, so I got to enjoy them to their fullest.
RELATED: The 73rd Greatest Play in Dolphins History
From Josh Mains (@jmains):
What would a successful Tua season look like from your eyes?
Hey Josh, I have two different answers, one big picture and one with stats. I’ll start with big picture and it’s the most important one in my eyes. A successful Tua season for me would be to see signs that it’s obvious he’s going to become a franchise-type quarterback in the NFL, something I just didn’t see during his rookie season. What exactly those signs are is hard to describe, but you just know it when you see it. That might not satisfy some fans as an answer, but I’ve been doing this for more than 30 years and I know what a franchise quarterback is supposed to look like. In terms of stats, well, since Tua’s biggest strength is accuracy, that means a completion percentage around 65 percent and a lot more throws downfield.
From jorge boyd (@raga1922):
Hi Alain I know is early but who do you think has a better chance to end up as the right tackle for the team?
Hi Jorge, I think Liam Eichenberg is going to be given every chance to win the job in training camp and preseason and I’m inclined to think he’ll be ready for it. Everywhere you look and see scouting reports about Eichenberg, the talk is how NFL-ready he is even if he might not have the same kind of ceiling as some of the other offensive linemen in the 2021 draft. That said, if Eichenberg shows he might need some seasoning, then it’s wide open between D.J. Fluker, Jermaine Eluemunor and Jesse Davis.
RELATED: The Inside Scoop on Liam Eichenberg
From Reza Hariri (Therealrezpect1):
Hi Alain. In hindsight do you think Miami should have kept McCain instead of sign McCourty . Not sure if that’s an upgrade. I think Hooker would have been an upgrade.
Hey Reza, totally agree with you on Hooker being an upgrade — assuming he’s fine physically because he’s had some injury issues since the Colts drafted him in the first round. As for the McCain-McCourty issue, yeah, maybe McCain is a better safety at this time, but he also cost a lot less (a little over $1 million, per overthecap.com, compared to more than $5 million for McCain). And I have no issue with moving on from McCain at that price because he just wasn’t a big-impact player for the defense, in my view.
From Tua Tickets to Paradise (@HansMichaelHolt):
International travel? aka Epcot?
Hey TTtP, good one! Not Epcot, though we’ve done our share of Disney (and Universal) trips because my wife … I mean, my kids … are huge fans of it. :-)
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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @PoupartNFL.
