Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: Taaffe, Grant, Sullivan, and More

Part 1 of a post-minicamp weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Mark Lever:

So I recently asked OBJ what happened in Miami and he responded it’s a long story (and) time is too valuable to waste. I just wanted to know what your opinion was on what happened to him.

Hey Mark, well, I’d probably say first of all the Dolphins had no business signing him in May when he was coming off a knee procedure and was looking at recovery time with little chance of a bidding war for his services. When he did finally get onto the field, he simply was impactful in the least up to the point he asked for his release and the question is whether he ever felt great physically. But he shouldn’t have been signed in the first place.

From Rashan Jones:

Is there anything that can be learned from these minicamps that can be useful when it gets to the preseason and regular season?

Hey Rashan, because the practices are conducted with no pads and no tackling, it’s almost like a passing game but without real game circumstances. So the answer here is usually not unless something really weird happens. The biggest thing always in the spring is avoiding significant injuries.

From FinsWatch:

Hey Alain, any update on Michael Taaffe's level of play so far? Feel like his name's been absent from a lot of the reporting.

Yeah, Taaffe hasn’t gotten a lot of attention because he simply hasn’t been around the ball very much. While it’s way too early to make any predictions, I’d say it’s more likely than not that his main contributions as a rookie will come on special teams.

FOCUS ON THE BIG GUYS

From Dave Campbell:

Greetings Alain! Something that's been a question (for me anyway) is on those short-yardage plays is that Aaron Brewer is on the smallish size. Does that contribute to those struggles in your opinion? I think we have the RB in Ollie Gordon II now. Always look forward to great written content on MiamiDolphinsonSI.Com plus fantastic info on both All Dolphins and Dolphins Collective podcasts.

Hey Dave, thanks as always. Yes, Brewer is on the smallish side for an interior offensive lineman and his forte is getting out in space and, while I don’t recall plays where he’s gotten blown up at the line to kill a short-yardage play, I also don’t recall the opposite where he’s moving defenders off the line.

From Jon Russell:

Hi Alain, is there a chance that Kenneth Grant is usurped by Jordan Phillips on the depth chart come week 1?

Hey Jon, I don’t really those two as being in competition because they play different roles. Phillips is a run stuffer who at times will line up over the center if the Dolphins are using three down linemen, while Grant’s role entails more all-around work along the defensive line and getting to the quarterback. So who will be in the lineup will depend more on what Jeff Hafley is trying to accomplish on a particular snap and what the offense is showing than anything else when it comes to Phillips and Grant.

From Jayco:

Greetings Alain, Jerry Sullivan coached wide receivers for 24 years in the NFL. His son drafted three wide receivers this year. To your knowledge, has any reporter asked JES if he leaned on his dad for input?

Hey Jay, that’s an excellent question and I don’t recall anybody asking Jon-Eric Sullivan if his father (who was an assistant with the Dolphins in 2004 incidentally) provided any input on Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell and/or Kevin Coleman Jr.

DUCK, WILLIS AND STARTING ON THE ROAD

From John Pardue:

Is Storm Duck scheduled to be available by the opening of training camp?

Hey John, that’s a very good question as I wrote in my minicamp overview the fact that he wasn’t seen at all during the first three weeks of practices open to the media might not be a promising sign. Hafley said Duck still was working his way back from the ACL injury he sustained in the victory against the Atlanta Falcons last October. It’s a shame because Duck had a very good training camp last summer before he got hurt in the opener against Indy and then again against Atlanta.

From JCEsq1982:

From your observations, has Willis shown any real development as a pocket passer? And absent such growth, do you believe a QB can realistically be considered a franchise‑level player if he lacks the ability to operate at a high level from the pocket, even if he has above‑average mobility to lean on?

Malik Willis has started six games in his career, including three during his two seasons with the Green Bay Packers, so I think maybe we should slow down before we decide he’s going to have issues operating from the pocket. And to answer your question directly about this spring, I didn’t see anything overly alarming in the way he operated the offense. So let’s give it some time before we overanalyze this.

From Ed Helinski:

With all of the changes made this offseason, does starting the season with road games in three of the first four weeks help or hurt the Dolphins?

Hey Ed, that’s an interesting question, but I’m not sure it makes any difference whatsoever. I’m sure the idea of team bonding on a two-week West Coast trip will come up, but that also can be overrated.

From Jorge boyd:

Hi Alain, have you seen an effective pass rush these OTA and Minicamp or has the OL hold their ground?

Hey Jorge, I put very little stock in the pass rush in the spring when there are no pads contact is limited and would mention it if there was something drastic one way or another, either the pass rush dominating or not getting anywhere near the quarterback. What we saw during the 11-on-11s were some wins for the offense, some wins for the defense, but nothing really noteworthy.

From Jason Kirkland:

Hey Alain, how are ya, bud? If one of the most annoying sayings ever (iron sharpens iron) is true, does that mean that 90% of the Dolphins roster will be dull? Thanks for all your great work, as always.

Hey Jason, yeesh, you had to go there? Yes, I hate this saying, which suggests that the better the competition the better a player will get. Which is why it’s great to talk about having competition throughout the roster but I prefer having less competition and more top-end players because it’s unrealistic to have great competition between top-end players at a lot of spots. To directly answer your question, yes, the roster leaves a lot to be desired.

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