Monday Dolphins Mailbag: Tyreek, Phillips Fallout, More Tua Topics
Part 2 of the post-Jets game All Dolphins mailbag:
From Big Yonko (@Cashoutkeke):
I was listening to the live recap on the AllDolphins Podcast. Just a question: Do you think Tua isn’t the long-term answer? I heard you say stats show they haven’t done it in December/January. I agree. I just wanted to know if you think Tua is the long-term Dolphins QB. Love the work btw.
Thanks Yonko. Here’s what I think: I think the Dolphins are heavily invested in making it work with Tua and they have the results to prove it, for the most part. But my aspirations are Super Bowl contention and this team hasn’t won a playoff game since 2000. And Tua’s December/January resume so far in his career has me unwilling at this point to say he absolutely is the long-term answer. But I’m also not willing to say he’s not. More data is needed, from where I sit.
From Brandon Quinn (via email):
I’d rather lose a game to a Garden City high school QB over losing 72 and 15 in one game. If we play 2nd string rest of the year, I think we win 2-3 more games. I know they won’t even have this conversation till like week 16, but if you could, is the #1 seed or absolute health more important?
Hey Brandon, that is one very intriguing question. I could take the wimpy way out and say it depends on what not absolute health looks like and how banged up the other playoff teams are. For the sake of playing along, I think I’d prefer the No. 1 seed because it requires then only two wins to get to the Super Bowl instead of three.
From Mike Small (@realmikesmall):
Do you notice that when the Dolphins take Tyreek Hill and Waddle out of the game, they run the ball basically every single time? Am I just being captain obvious here? Did you notice a lot more plays under center for Tua? Was that to get the running game hitting the holes quicker? Did you see any wrinkles off of that?
Hey Mike, I didn’t really think about it until you brought it up, but yeah it does seem there are an awful lot of running plays when Hill and Waddle are out. As for lining up under center, I think I noticed that when the Dolphins were in clear run-the-clock mode. And I think they figure at that point the opponent knows the run is coming anyway.
From Jeff (via email):
Hey Alain, I turned on the game, saw Hill make a catch and then one hop to try to take off any pressure on his ankle. First it was his calf, then hip, now the ankle. If there was any time in the season for him to get a game off, go on a honeymoon, it would be this week. He needs to recover. Heck, let's say to Tyreek, with his competitor mindset, that this makes him earn the record because Megatron did it in less games. Calvin Johnson also did that record through some pretty tough injuries as well and hearing that story was a real eye-opener for me as a fan or outside observer. What would you do if you made that call this week? Does extended time off help? Tape can only do so much.
Hey Jeff, your premise is a legit one, but good luck getting Tyreek to sit out when he’s been so vocal about chasing 2,000. There’s also no guarantee that a full week of rest would ail everything that’s hurting him or that he couldn’t get injured again very quickly upon his return.
From Miami mark (@MarkWardlaw97):
Do you think it’d be worth it to start using a QB sneak package with someone not named Tua under center? I get we don’t make him rush to keep him healthy (smart), but the sneak is just so good in short yardage.
Hey Mark, I see two problems with your suggestion. Number one is that if you bring in somebody just to run a sneak, it eliminates the element of surprise and I’m also not sure Mike McDaniel trusts his offensive line enough to get that kind of push when the opponent knows it’s coming. And then it’s not like the Dolphins have a big, powerful QB they can use in those situations like they did when they had Jacoby Brissett.
From MAKE THROWBACKS PERMANENT (@THROWBACKS4EVER):
Which iteration of Dolphins uniforms is your favorite?
How about the orange color rush unis? Wrong answer? I know what you want me to say, but I’m afraid I’m not as enthusiastic about those as I’m going to guess you are. I think I like the mid-1990s unis and also the orange jerseys they wore for Sunday night games a few times.
From Marco A. Briceño (@marco091090):
Are Tua picks a concern? Will it affect his contract negotiations?
Hey Marco, Tua’s picks absolutely are a concern and you hope they disappear down the stretch. They will not affect contract negotiations when the time comes for those unless they get out of control.
From ORLANDO ALONSO (@Oalonso59):
Alain, what do you think is the cause for the Dolphins offense playing so sloppy?.
Hey Orlando, the Dolphins actually moved the ball well against both the Raiders and Jets, but you just can’t have three turnovers in a game — which they did each time. As to why the turnovers are happening, it’s a combination of sloppiness, greed and poor execution.
From Common Reader (@SnackService1):
What interdimensional monster snacked on Tua's arm? And could that same invisible beast somehow be the cause of Tua's pick-6? It's hard to blame the pick on the play call like McD wants us to.
If you look at the replay (and I did a few times), that pick isn’t on the play-call or even the velocity. Rather, just watch how Tua hesitates to make that throw and how Berrios is well into his break by the way the ball is released. That was the exact definition of a timing play where Tua needed to throw to a spot before Berrios made his cut and where he was going to end up, but rather he waited until after the cut was made. That was the issue there, not really arm strength — even if the pass indeed didn’t have much juice behind it.
From John Minns (@lilMINNS):
With Phillips out and Ogbah/Gink in, what does the team lose? Flores' Ogbah was dangerous.
Hey John, the Dolphins lose a dynamic playmaker who was at the top of his game and a consistent factor both against the run and the pass. Put simply, Phillips was playing at absolutely a Pro Bowl level before he was injured. And great point about Flores and Ogbah. The way Flores used Ogbah was brilliant and it got the most out of him.
From Anthony Gil (@its_gil305):
How much will the defense regress with JP out?
Hey Anthony, as well as Phillips was playing, I think the Dolphins are well equipped to be able to overcome his loss. The guys up front have been playing superbly pretty much all season and the secondary is pretty darn impressive at this point with Ramsey in there.
From mikethewreck (@mgcroteau):
Do you think Phillips looks up Aaron Rodgers' surgeon for the Achilles repair? Why aren't more people talking about Wilkins making the block downfield to spring Holland for the pick-6? The dude is amazing. Chubb and Baker helped too, but you don't expect 300-pounders to move like that.
Hey Mike, first off, Mike McDaniel indicated Saturday that Aaron Rodgers apparently has made a move to try to get in touch with Phillips to offer whatever help or advice he can. As for Wilkins, he indeed does move very well for a 300-pounder. Then again, this is nothing new. He’s a different dude. Remember how he did the split after Clemson won a national title? That’s not exactly typical of a 300-pounder, either.
From Chris Thompson (@ct2000ec):
Alain.. my question is does Mike D. just don’t believe his O-Line and running backs can’t get 1 to 2 yards needed to move the chains on the ground?
Hey Chris, I don’t know if that’s what he believes, but it sure does seem that way sometimes.
From Doris “Dot” McMillan (@DorisPMcMillan):
Tyreek dropped a phenomenal TD pass by Tua on 4th down. It was an absolutely elite throw. Considering the accuracy of the throw and the potential impact of Tyreek’s miss, are you starting to consider Tua as MVP?
Hey Doris, do I consider Tua an MVP based on that one great throw that Tyreek dropped? The answer would be no. In fact, despite that bad drop, Tyreek is still my Dolphins MVP. Not sure he’s NFL MVP, though.
From Fins Broke My Heart (@Phinzup44):
Have you noticed that the offensive line has more difficulty when Connor Williams is out than when Armstead is out? Seems like Armstead might be a cap casualty in a few seasons while we should prioritize Connor. Thoughts?
Hmm, you’re not wrong, but I think the offensive line missing Williams more than Armstead might be more about Kendall Lamm being a better backup left tackle than Liam Eichenberg as a backup center. But, yes, I do think Armstead eventually will be a cap casualty because of his age and injury history.
