Wednesday Dolphins Mailbag: McDaniel, Armstead, Tua, and More
Part 2 of the post-Texans game SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:
From Craig M (@Dolfan2334):
Level of confidence this team will beat the Niners this weekend, with or without Armstead? If Armstead were to miss all three road games, minimum W/L record you would think is acceptable for Miami?
Hey Craig, my level of confidence for a win at SF obviously would be higher with Armstead in the lineup, but still no better than 50-50 (which still is pretty good). As for what’s acceptable for the three-game road trip, well, that depends on the ultimate goal. If the goal is making the playoffs, then even 1-2 would be fine because it would leave the Dolphins at 9-5 heading into their final three games. If the goal is to at least win the AFC East, then you want at least 2-1 with one of the wins being the rematch at Buffalo, which would secure the tiebreaker for the Dolphins against the Bills.
From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):
Hey my friend, been a long time since the Dolphins put a team away before halftime, right? How big a role will Mike McDaniel’s familiarity with the Niners staff, players, and system play in the game this Sunday?
From Ricardo Hernandez (@Ricardo96451182):
Hello, Alain. Do the 49ers have a greater advantage being very familiar with Coach McDaniel, or does he have a greater advantage being familiar with the 49ers?
Hey Dana and Ricardo, I think you should by now I’m not a big believer in this idea of familiarity because, yes, McDaniel knows all about the 49ers, but the 49ers also know all about McDaniel. So it’s a wash there, and both sides might end up doing things differently to play against tendency.
From mikethewreck (@mgcroteau):
What can our defense do to mitigate the skill players (Kittle, Deebo, even Jimmy G) of the 49ers? How much has McDaniel changed the offense from the Kyle Shanahan system? Seems like more vertical than horizontal passing routes.
Hey Mike, mitigating the skill players can be done by getting pressure on Jimmy G, like the Dolphins did when they played at San Fran in 2020 (before he was pulled at halftime). That one is pretty simple. As for McDaniel implementing more of a vertical passing game, yes, that’s undeniable — then again, McDaniel didn’t have Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle with the 49ers. As good as Samuel and Kittle are, they’re not burners like the guys the Dolphins have.
From Nick Soto (@CertifiedSoto):
Do the Fins stay on the West Coast to adjust to time all next week or do they make the haul twice in a week?
Hey Nick, not only will the Dolphins stay in California between the games against the 49ers and the Chargers, it’s a pretty good assumption they requested to the NFL that those road games be scheduled in back-to-back weeks so they could do just that. It’s also what they did in 2016 when they had back-to-back road games against the Chargers in San Diego and the Rams at the L.A. Coliseum.
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From Eric (@kindsir15):
What are your overall thoughts on the Mike McDaniel scheme? In your opinion, what position has played better to take this offense from statistically speaking one of the worst to top five?
Hey Eric, there are few words to describe how much I love McDaniel’s offense. Creative. Brilliant. Inspiring. Take your pick. The second question is harder and if you throw in the word “better,” that suggests somebody who already was there last season and under that criteria the only answer here can be Tua. And it’s not just that he’s played better, which he clearly has, but he’s also been put in a perfect situation to maximize his ability.
From Randy Millard (@dolphan013):
Assuming no Armstead/Jackson/Jones for the rest of the year (and knowing you'll be eviscerated by our fan base if you don’t say 6-0), what do you see our W/L being to end the year? I say 3-3.
Hey Randy, of course it’s 6-0. There! Took the easy way out. All joking aside, I do think that navigating the final six games of the season without (especially) Armstead, Jackson and Jones (though the Dolphins haven’t had him all year) would be tricky and going 3-3 to finish up 11-6 would be very respectable.
From Eric Gafford (@gtgeric):
How do we protect Tua against the physical Niners without Armstead!
From Jorg (@jorgt1966):
How can Dolphins OL adjust to not get slaughtered by SF defensive line?
Hey Eric and Jorg, very carefully. The actual answer here figures to be a combination of max-protect, more chipping from the backs, screen passes, anything to slow down the 49ers pass rush.
From Javier (@jboy1724):
Love your work brother! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Who’s playing LT against the 49ers, and how do they keep Bosa in check?
Hey Javier, thanks. Thanksgiving was good. My best guess at this time is that Brandon Shell would play left tackle IF Austin Jackson is healthy enough to start, and then it would be Greg Little if Jackson doesn’t play and Shell would then be the starter at right tackle. And you keep Bosa in check by either double-teaming him or chipping him every chance you get.
From LEGION OF ZOOM SZN (@1972wasgreat):
How concerned should we be with this OL for the next 3 games?
Hmm, very? Yeah, there’s no point in sugarcoating things, the offensive line has to be a major concern at this time if Armstead has to miss those games. Let’s not forget that the line really struggled for the last three quarters of the Jets game and the entire Minnesota game when Armstead was out earlier this season. I don’t expect things to be as bad as they were against Houston after Armstead’s injury, but it’s going to be difficult for the offense to maintain its really high level of production with pressure on Tua becoming more of a factor.
From Darryl Jake Jacobsen (@A2REntertainers):
Hi Alain. Love your work! Realistically, since we won't have Armstead for Sunday against the 49ers, are they really going to put Shell in there after Tua got sacked 4 times after the switch? What options make the most sense to replace Armstead in that left tackle position?
Hey Jake, if the Dolphins went to Shell first after Armstead got hurt against Houston, that kind of tells you he’s their first option even though he’s clearly more comfortable on the right side. Greg Little was the next man up after Shell moved over to the right side to take over for Austin Jackson, so guess that’s another possibility. I’m not a fan of moving starters from another spot, whether it be Robert Jones from left guard or Robert Hunt from right guard, and there’s no natural left tackle on the practice squad. Bottom line is there are no great options at this time, but that’s not uncommon when you lose a Pro Bowl tackle.
From sweetpou812 (@pfs0u812):
Mr. Poupart, we have seen Herbert play, I would say, at a high level — 2800 yards, 17 TDs with his entire offensive line out basically… should we expect to see Tua still play like an MVP without TA?
Hey there, I’ll leave Justin Herbert out of any discussion at this time (I’m sure he’s going to be talked about plenty enough next week before the Dolphins-Chargers game). As for expectations for Tua without Armstead, it’s unchartered territory for this year because Tua always has had him in the lineup. Whenever it’s mentioned that the Dolphins haven’t won without Tua in 2022, it also should be pointed out that they also were without Armstead for three-plus quarters against the Jets and the whole game against Minnesota. All that said, I think the offense in general isn’t likely to be as productive because the longer-developing plays where Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle get wide open 15-20 yards down the field will be harder to produce if Tua is under duress, but I still would expect Tua to play at a high level because his confidence is through the roof right now and because Mike McDaniel will scheme things up to make up for the absence of Armstead.
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