Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Jackson, Tua, Chubb, and More
Part 3 of the Thanksgiving week, pre-Texans game SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:
From Phinfanalyst (@Phinfanalyst):
With the addition of Chubb, how aggressive do you expect this defense to become from a blitz rate perspective? Obviously, the idea is to get pressure with 4, but what kind of exotic things should we expect from Boyer?
Hey there, the ability to get exotic with blitz packages and showing all-out pressure (whether or not you send it) depends more of having stud corners who can handle top receivers in man coverage and adding an edge defender like Bradley Chubb. So, for that purpose, the return of Byron Jones would be way more significance to me than the addition of Chubb. Where Chubb can help is in making the Dolphins NOT have to depend on blitzes to get pressure on the QB.
From phin1984! (@Phin1984Gareth):
What do you think the ceiling is our 2 UDFA DBs? McKinney and Kohou.
Hey there, good question. I see a lot of promise in both players, I think Kohou has the higher ceiling of the two because I see a very good tackling cornerback who’s also looked very good in coverage. He’s already a starting cornerback for the Dolphins with Byron Jones out and the possibilities are really intriguing for him once we see him make some plays on the ball beyond PBUs. As for McKinney, the book on him always was a really smart player with great instincts, but maybe somewhat limited athletically. That caps his ceiling a bit.
From yolli71 (@yolli71):
Do you think Miami will work Jackson back into the RT position? In other words, give him some snaps every other series or late in the game? He played well in camp and is still very young & can move. He should get a chance to show what he can do.
Hey there, no, I don’t believe the Dolphins will work Jackson back into the lineup. When they’re ready to have him back in at right tackle, it’ll be full go in my opinion. The question is when that will happen and I have a hard time justifying making a switch right now after the O-line had its best outing of the season against Cleveland.
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From Nancy (@FingalNancy):
How much will Fins win by?
From Crash Jensen (@Sngly):
Is it too early to extend the contracts of McDaniel, Tua and Tyreek?
Yes, yes and yes, but for different reasons. McDaniel signed his contract this year, the Dolphins gave Tyreek a huge extension after they traded for him, and NFL rules prevent an extension for Tua until next offseason.
From MetalBruinsPatriotsOhMy (@BruinsOh):
Miami is bad on special teams. Outside of their rushing defense, the rest of the defensive stats have them at 20th or worse. They also haven't run the ball very well. One-dimensional teams historically haven't won many playoff games. What do you think their “realistic” ceiling is?
Hmm, Bruins/Patriots in the handle, sure sounds like a question from Boston. The problem with stats is that they lack context, and there have been enough flashes on defense to refrain from calling the Dolphins “one-dimensional.” I would make the argument that the Dolphins aren’t too one-dimensional to be 7-3 and likely to be 8-3 and holding the second seed in the AFC playoffs through 12 weeks. While K.C. clearly looks like the team to beat in the AFC, who right now clearly looks like a more legit contender than the Dolphins? Nobody?
From FinsUpMass (@paulbdotcome):
With a season-defining road trip around the corner, how does the team focus on Houston without overlooking them?
Hey Paul, that’s a good question and I would say Job 1 for Mike McDaniel this week. It’s a very easy game to look past and I’m sure he’s spent a lot of time this week drilling into his players the idea of not overlooking the Texans, who simply are bad. I would say that’s easily the biggest concern heading into this game is the Dolphins coming out flat.
From Dave (@angryvet59):
First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to you & your family Alain! I guess the next true test for Tua will be a cold rainy/heavy snow game. If he gets ball control cleaned up & can effectively throw intermediate passes, along with an improving run game, how good can they be?
Hey Dave, thanks. Yeah, if the Dolphins passing game can be efficient in cold weather, the possibilities are almost endless for this team because the defense figures to get better down the stretch with Bradley Chubb on board and certainly if Byron Jones eventually returns. Those two games at Buffalo and New England absolutely will be telling.
From Wally (via email):
Alain, I read you all the time and appreciate your coverage and insight. First time I am submitting a question. What cap does Chris Grier always wear? I cannot identify the logo. Why doesn't he wear a cap with a Dolphins logo?
Hey Wally, so here’s the deal. It’s a New Era Golf hat that he wears, but as to why, I’m afraid I can’t help.
From Nick (via email)
I keep reading on different sites that Tua is having a great season … but then go on to question whether it’s just the system. Do you think that’s a fair critique? Surely you play to your strengths when you build a team … with the exception of a few very special quarterbacks (eg Mahomes), seems to me every quarterback can only be a product of their environment … look at Geno Smith and Russell Wilson! Do you think that we read too much into being a “franchise quarterback” and could teams that dump their 1st round busts after a couple of bad seasons learn a lesson from the Dolphins? (Let’s be honest, we usually teach the league how not to do things….)
Hey Nick, my thought is quarterbacks need help around them to achieve high success, but how much help is what differentiates different levels of QBs. Having said that, no, I don’t believe that Tua’s success in 2022 is “just the system.” While it’s a great system and there’s also ridiculous speed outside to make it work, you still need the quarterback to get the ball to those receivers and Tua deserves credit for having an excellent year doing that — just like Mike McDaniel deserves massive credit for his offensive scheme and getting receivers open for Tua. And, finally, no, I don’t believe every QB is a product of their environment, though it clearly plays a big role.
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