Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: Are These Dolphins Really Different?

Part 1 of a Steelers game Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Islandboi:

Your thoughts on Phins going ahead to practice in the cold?

Given the Dolphins’ lack of success in cold-weather games in recent years, I say it makes sense to try anything different, though Mike McDaniel said another reason was to reduce the gap between the final practice of the week and game time in light of it being played in prime time. Whether it makes any difference remains to be seen, but why not try something new?

From Thomas Hudson:

So, I can't help but notice that a lot of the offseason moves for the Dolphins seem to be working out pretty well. The Ramsey trade was a big win, the secondary is better than expected, those rookie D-linemen look like a solid foundation for the future, and the O-line even looks good these days. Did the Dolphins ironically fire Chris Grier after his best offseason, or was this the impact of people like (Brandon) Shore and (Champ) Kelly having more input? And is this offense really something new, or it is something the team was working toward knowing Hill would be leaving next year anyway? This line looks like it was built to block in the run scheme McDaniel wants to use, with pass blocking being a distant secondary concern. Thank you for the work you put in to bring us good stories.

Hey Thomas, you make a good point that Grier’s offseason work looks a whole lot better now than it did a month ago, but the problem is there was no overlooking the Dolphins’ 2-7 record and also understand that Stephen Ross had to deal with an angry fan base that risked becoming completely indifferent, which is worse. It’s almost fair to suggest Ross had little choice but to give the fans some kind of action. As for the playing style, yes, I do think the Dolphins wanted to move away from such an emphasis on the passing game toward a more run-oriented approach and that would have happened next year in my opinion because Tyreek Hill wasn’t going to be re-signed even without his injury. Losing him in Week 4 just accelerated the transition.

From Ed Helinski:

Get out the ouija board and tell us if Monday’s game makes it a 5-game winning streak for the Dolphins?

Hey Ed, you will find my final prediction in the complete game preview I wrote on the site Friday. I will say here that I do feel confident these aren’t the same old Dolphins too reliant on the passing game and not well equipped to play December football, particularly against quality opposition. But I also have to point out I’ve been fooled before (and will be fooled again).

From Tim Gore:

Why would Vegas make this a pick-um game (-3) when Steelers are at home and cold weather? Am I just a fool for buying into the Steelers mystique, or is Vegas telling us something about the Dolphins?

Hey Tim, yeah, this is a case of the Steelers mystique. Yes, Bill Parcells said you are what your record says you are, but this is a pretty mid (as the kids would say) Pittsburgh game, with their offense and defense both ranked in the high 20s in the NFL. It’s actually hard to look at the Dolphins and Steelers right now and not conclude that Miami is the better team. So I’m not surprised by the line at all.

From Dan P:

No real questions. Just waiting to see if this team is really different. Can they break some narratives or will they revert back to who they’ve been?

Hey Dan, that is the big question, isn’t it? And this is very big for Mike McDaniel’s job status because if they indeed show they’re that same team that can’t win games on the road in December against winning teams, then what will have changed after Stephen Ross’ edict that the status quo wouldn’t be acceptable? As I indicated earlier, I do think this is a different team, even if the overall talent level might not be as good as what the Dolphins had in previous years.

From Toby Marmorino:

Hey Alain, why do I get the feeling that the Pittsburgh game coming up to the Dolphins is like Charlie Brown trying to kick the ball in one of the Peanuts cartoons where Lucy always pulls the ball away from him just as he's about to kick it and he falls for it every time? But each time he's led to believe that this will be the time she actually leaves the ball there. I can't help but feeling like we really think we're going to get over the hump against a winning team and in the cold weather yet somehow, someway the ball will be pulled away from us and we will fall flat on our back. Am I nuts, or will the ball finally be left there for us to kick? Keep up the good work.

Hey Toby, first off thanks. Look, I totally get Dolphins fans being very nervous about this game and the same old Dolphins showing up because that’s what they’ve known for the past several years. And the reality is that this new formula behind the four-game winning streak looks like a winner, but the facts are that the last three opponents all have a 3-10 record. So the question becomes: Was the Buffalo game a sign of bigger and better things to come for the Dolphins or was it a fluky one-off where Miami caught the Bills a bit flat seven days after they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs? It's a legitimate question.

From JGH:

Can I ask one about Philip Rivers? What other professional sport could a guy walk on to the team and start after 5 years off?

Hey JGH, probably no other one if we’re being honest, but football is unique and good quarterbacks are such a rare commodity that you have situations like these. Also don’t underestimate the fact that Rivers’ game never was about athleticism but rather about smarts. Plus he has a long relationship with Colts head coach Shane Steichen that dates back to their days together with the Chargers. And Rivers was coaching high school football, so he was involved with the game. Combine all those factors and that’s why you have what absolutely is a wild and unique situation.

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