Dolphins Mailbag: Dissecting the Problems, Tua's Arm, Much More
Miami Dolphins fans are understandably upset with what's going on with the franchise, and that comes across loud and clear in the questions in the latest All Dolphins mailbag.
Here's part 1:
From Craig M (@Dolfan2334):
Can you play GM, Alain? What, if anything would you want to do between now & the deadline? What are the priorities come the offseason, either in the draft, by trade or FA? Can Grier save his job? Should he be allowed to spend in FA & draft again?
Hey Craig, that’s a lot of questions crammed in there. Between now and the trade deadline, I’d like for the Dolphins to identify pending UFAs they’re not going to re-sign to see what they can get for them (assuming it’s more than compensatory picks they could get). I always find the Grier questions funny because it assumes he makes the personnel calls on his own, which I don’t buy for a millisecond. But, yes, he’ll be allowed to spend in FA and the draft again unless there’s a regime change.
From Reza Hariri (@Therealrezpect1):
One thing I loved about Shula was his ability to adapt to his talent. He was tough but adaptable. It seems coaches today are more stubborn and less adaptable, especially Miami’s staffs the last 20 years. Why are our coaches so stubborn? When it comes to roster construction it seems we add to certain positions such as WR, OL , DB , TE but neglect or de-emphasize other positions such as LB, RB or DE . Part of our draft misses are we reach for certain positions and we ignore others. Thoughts?
Yes and yes. I kid, Reza, but Shula was unique in his ability and willingness to fit his scheme to personnel and not vice versa. It’s a very rare quality in a coach. You’re absolutely right on the second point regarding de-emphasizing certain positions, and running back is the one that clearly jumps out.
From jorge boyd (@raga1922):
Hi Alain, was the last fourth-and-1 stop of Brown the fault of a missing assignment by Durham Smythe or was it a coaching problem?
Hey Jorge, since I don’t know the exact play call and everybody’s responsibilities on the play (only coaches would know that), it’s impossible to say whether there was a coaching problem there. Let’s start with saying giving Brown the ball on the biggest play of the game wouldn’t have been my first choice. And, yes, Smythe letting Josh Allen get inside of him ruined the play.
From Chris (@cibriddon):
How much of this season is down to the significant over-achievement of last season with a modest side — partly due to a bit of luck, a lot of turnovers and a top defense — rather than it being a good side that’s got a lot worse. Maybe they were always a 6 to 8 win team!
Hey Chris, I absolutely do think the 2020 season was a case of a whole lot of things bouncing the right way for the Dolphins and now those things are just not happening this year. I don’t think they had a 10-6 roster last year, though their 2021 roster is much better than 1-5.
From Sewage Joe (@joe_sewage):
Is there a stat that tracks ball speed in the air? My concern with Tua is that even if he’s accurate, the ball floats and that gives defenders time to close gap on the receiver, especially on a screen play. Is this me failing the eye test or is it a thing?
Hey Joe (or is it Sewage?), I’m pretty sure NextGen Stats tracks such things, though I haven’t seen anything. But, no, your eyes aren’t failing you. Tua’s arm strength was a concern (at least for me) from his day at Alabama. The arm strength is functional if he can set his feet and really step into the throw, but it’s sub-par if that doesn’t happen. Oh, and for the person claiming on Twitter that Tua has a much better arm than Chad Pennington, that is completely false.
From Jeff Golden (@Goldenjeff72):
Someone calls for X in the coming days, what would be fair price? Merci Alain.
Hey Jeff, that’s a very good question and a relevant one because I certainly could see teams calling for X. The problem here is the same we had in the summer, the combination of Howard’s contract and his history of knee issues. It also doesn’t help that X hasn’t had nearly as good a season so far in 2021 as he did last year. I’m thinking getting a second-round pick at this time might be the best the Dolphins could do.
From E-Rod (@phinfan2003):
If we don’t make the playoffs this yearr, whose job is most in danger: Flores or Grier?
Hey E-Rod, I happen to think Flo and Grier are a package deal, but if I have to pick one of the two here, I’d say Grier because of the work Flores did in 2019 and 2020.
From Jason Frank (@jerichf1323):
Why do I continue to punish myself with this franchise?
Hey Jason, because you’re a loyal fan. And when things finally get turned around, you’ll have more right to celebrate and cherish than somebody who’s abandoning ship right now.
From El Ax (@AxLopezC):
No more questions!! Mr. Ross is about to hit the reset button… Again!!!! So sad and disappointing.
Uh, OK.
From Matt L (@cogator06):
Why???
Hey Matt, because everything that went right in 2020 has gone wrong in 2021, because too few players have taken the expected jump in their second season (or third) and because Flores hasn’t been able to push the right buttons the way he did last year.
From Ricardo Hernandez (@Ricardo96451182):
The recent QB debate on whether Herbert would have the same success in Miami is fueled by a perception that players leaving the Dolphins find greater success elsewhere. Is this a misconception? Have there been players who’ve failed elsewhere until finally being developed here?
Hey Ricardo, without digging too deep into the media guide to look at all the players who have come around, there are two obvious names to come to my mind. The first clearly is Cameron Wake, and the other is Oronde Gadsden.
