Tuesday Dolphins Mailbag: Defense, Gesicki, McDaniel, and More

Part 1 of the post-Bills game SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From Ricardo Hernandez (@Ricardo96451182):

Hello Alain, The Dolphins’ defense seems filled with keepers at the prime positions (CB, Edge, DT) you’d think other teams would be happy to have, yet they are at the very bottom of points allowed on the road. Why do they have to be the worst? Can’t they just be mediocre?

Hey Ricardo, if you’re going to do something, might as well do it all the way, right? JK. I also think that maybe we should revisit the talent on this roster and see exactly what the Dolphins do and don’t have. And those “keepers at the prime positions” have to perform for the defense to work, and that’s not always been happening. I also would make the argument that the last two weeks the Dolphins did a lot of good things defensively on plays with bad outcomes because of great performances by Justin Herbert and Josh Allen, and those things will even out in the long run.

From Jorge boyd (@raga1922):

Hi Alain, do you think Zach Sieler deserves to go to the Pro Bowl this season?

Hey Jorge, I’ve liked Zach Sieler from the time the Dolphins got him and I think he’s had a very good season. But the AFC is loaded with really good defensive tackles, including his own teammate Christian Wilkins, and I’m not sure he’s in that elite category just yet. Wilkins actually might be, though.

From Brandon (@bcheat81):

Will/should the refs penalize the home team for unruly fans (throwing snowballs) in snow games going forward?

Hey Brandon, I don’t believe that will happen, nor do I believe it should. And my reason is pretty simple: There were Dolphins fans in the stands Saturday night; what if they threw snowballs to get Buffalo penalized?

From John Minns (@lilMINNS):

Is the uptick in the play of Jaelan Phillips in any way tied to the play of Bradley Chubb? Chubb isn't generating the sacks, but just wondering if he is providing opportunities for others by attracting added attention? Do you understand Gesicki usage?

Hey John, from what I observe upon first viewing and after rewatching the games, I don’t see Bradley Chubb necessarily getting extra attention and it looks to me like Phillips is getting things done on his own — and he’s been great in the last month. As for Gesicki, no, I don’t get it. I understand he’s not a good blocker, but there’s no reason to me he’s not more involved in the passing game.

From David (@dkar84):

What are some things you saw different offensively compared to the last two games that were positive?

Hey David, the running game success clearly jumped out, though the rushing averages weren’t bad against the 49ers (4.1) or Chargers (4.8). The passing game was a lot more solid, with receivers getting open more often than they did against the Chargers and Tua being more on target than he was against the 49ers. I don’t think it was some magic formula.

From Elliot Zovighian (@ElliotZovighian):

Do you think Byron Jones is pulling an Odell Beckham and only wants to play in the playoffs?

Hey Elliot, interesting theory that I had never heard before, but I truly don’t buy it. And that kind of move requires the team going along with it, which won’t happen in every situation.

From Dave (@angryvet59):

Merry Christmas Alain to you & yours! Small sample for sure, but how would you say Tua did in a cold-weather game? How has the defense in two consecutive games given up time consuming drives starting at opponents 10-yard line or less & with a 3rd & long somewhere in that drive?

Hey Dave, Merry Christmas right back at you! I thought Tua played very well against the Bills, though the Dolphins caught a break with the weather because the only issue was the cold until the fourth quarter when the massive snow arrived. As for the defense, I think I’d put half of it on the Dolphins not being able to step up with a big play and the other where you have to tip your hat to Justin Herbert and Josh Allen for great performances.

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From Miami Dolphins Québec (@Dolphins_Quebec):

Hi Alain, long question today! A huge part of the Dolphins fan base is very disappointed with Boyer's coaching. (Maybe having the DB unit could help to play the scheme the defense is build for). IMO the biggest disappointment comes from McDaniel's coaching. I have the feeling he is not a game changer. I only saw poor clock management and no adaptation during the tough games (SF, LAC). He's a rookie coach but right now I except more. W/L is close to last season’s with a way better roster. What's your opinion on the two coaches (Boyer, McDaniel)?

Hey there, usually not a fan of dumping on coaches unless there’s something glaring and I frankly don’t see it with either McDaniel or Boyer. The Dolphins have scored 13 or 14 in the third quarter in four of their past seven games, which certainly suggests good halftime adjustments by McDaniel. As for Boyer, we cannot overlook the injuries in the secondary or the fact this team does not have a game-changing off-the-ball linebacker. So I’m not sure how much of the shortcomings on defense fall on him.

From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):

Hey my friend, what is Mike McDaniel’s biggest strength and what is his biggest weakness?

Hey Dana, from where I sit, the biggest strength is passing game designs he produced to take full advantage of the speed he has on the outside, though I could add his good feel with how to deal with players. As for a weakness, I think sometimes he gets too cute for his own good in the play-calling instead of going with the obvious call when the situation begs for going with the obvious.

From Christopher Vallo (@Christo11147106):

The main thing that bothered me was going for the 2-point conversion earlier in the game. It seemed to me like it was an unnecessary risk that early in the game. I thought it might come back to bite us in the butt later.

Hey Christopher, yeah, early third quarter might be a tad early to be chasing the two points and had the Dolphins just taken the extra point there, the Sanders field goal in the fourth quarter would have made it a 30-21 game. But let’s also not forget that the Bills didn’t go for a touchdown late in the game because they didn’t need to and maybe it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Bottom line is I don’t think it was a determining factor in the outcome, though I see your point.

From Mike Mangaras (@mangaras_mike):

Alain! Shame on you, but I’m not gonna talk about the DROPS!! I really see McD growing frustrated with our D and I really believe we’re going to see KC in the 1st round. What can we do this late in the season to help our coverage? Or is it just as easy as saying “talent is limited”?

Hey Mike, let’s “drop” the first topic, shall we? See what I did there? As for the pass defense, yeah, it’s kind of late in the season for drastic changes. What would help is more consistency from the pass rush, particularly at key times. Buffalo signed Von Miller in the offseason for just that reason; this is where Bradley Chubb needs to step up for the Dolphins.

From Salwa (@DolFan_Salwa):

Should we worry about McDaniel play-calling issues?

Hey there, I wouldn’t. For the most part, he’s been very, very good and we’ve got the results to prove it. Like most fans, I think he gets too pass-happy at times in third-and-short situations, but I also think he’s smart enough to adjust.

From ItsTuaClockSomehwere (@MigzSwervin):

Do you think that McDaniel was just overthinking when he stopped calling run plays in the second half? You already know Mostert had over 100 yards in the first quarter? Why go away from that?

Hey there, how about yes and no? On the one hand, yes, maybe the Dolphins should have kept running it with the success they were having. But it’s also important to point out — and I haven’t see anybody mention this — that Mostert finished with 17 carries, which was one off his season high and two off his career high. So it’s possible that McDaniel has Mostert on a pitch count and didn’t want to over-use him.

From Chris Bustin (@ChrisBustin13):

Hey, Alain. I have a hypothetical question for you this week. Let’s say that you have the deciding vote for the Offensive Player of the Year Award. However, you can pick only between two players: Tyreek Hill or Justin Jefferson. Which player would you select, and why? Thanks!

Hey Chris, I’d go with Hill and not because I cover the Dolphins. I’d go with Hill because while their numbers are similar, I think the way Hill has transformed this offense and opened everything for the other receivers on the team is of extreme value that can’t be measured by stats.

From NoBlantons (@TracedBuffalo):

Used me already, but I am very curious what options the team has for releasing or trading Howard and Byron Jones during the offseason? Horrible contract ramifications? Both are expensive. X has clearly lost a step or 3.

Given their age, contracts and what’s transpired in 2022, I think we can pretty much forget about the idea of the Dolphins getting any kind of value for either in a trade. As for releasing either player, it didn’t make any sense for the Dolphins to do it with Howard because of the cap ramifications. As for Jones, the Dolphins would save $14 million of cap space with a post-June 1 designation but also would be eating a lot of dead money because of the remaining prorated portion of his signing bonus.

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