Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Jalen, Jets, and More

Part 1 of the latest SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):

Hey my friend, the consensus is that Aaron Rodgers will have a great season. I have more fingers on my left hand than there have been QBs that have played well after 40. He turns 40 in December. He played sub-par for himself last year, and players generally decline as they age. It’s pointed out that his receiving corps was sub-par last season, but I only see the Jets receiving corps as a minor upgrade from last year’s team. He had a good running game last year & a superior O-line than he has with the Jets. Please set me straight & tell me why I’m wrong.

Hey Dana, if you’re banking on Rodgers having another sub-par season, I think you indeed are going to end up being wrong. You can mention the age, but that’s a tough sell after what we saw from Tom Brady not long ago. His receiving corps with the Jets is very, very good (much better than he had last year in Green Bay). And don’t forget he played through a thumb injury (yes, it’s a factor) for several weeks last year. He’s also got a stud running back with Breece Hall (and maybe soon also Dalvin Cook) and a great defense. The one big question with the Jets is the O-line, which was as bad last year as anything the Dolphins have fielded in recent years when they were down at that position.

JALEN RAMSEY TOPICS

From Leon Fresco (@FrescoLeon)::

Do you think Jalen Ramsey ever ends up playing a down for Miami? We all know how this will play out. December will come and McDaniel will say “not ruling him out,” and season will end. Next season, hamstring pulls and calf strains. Tale as old as Dolphins time.

Hey Leon, man, why so gloomy? No, I’m not buying your premise and the reason is that Ramsey is 29 and it’s not like he’s battled injuries throughout his career. Shoot, he missed a COMBINED six games in his first seven NFL seasons. Now, is it possible that he doesn’t play at all in 2023? Sure. But to suggest this is just the start of a series of health problems is going too far IMO.

From Craig M (@Dolfan2334):

Is it true Dolphins fans canceled the SB parade after the Ramsey injury yesterday? Asking for a friend. Thanks.

My buddy Craig being a smart aleck here. What’s wrong with Dolphins fans being completely jacked up about the possibilities for 2023? And, no, the parade wouldn’t be canceled if Ramsey can come back for the final weeks of the regular season.

From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):

Hi Alain. With Jalen Ramsey not expected back until December, do you think the Fins will look at FA market? Eli Apple perhaps?

Hey OGJ, Mike McDaniel said the Dolphins indeed will be bringing in cornerbacks for workouts and All Dolphins contributor Dante Collinelli wrote about some veteran options Friday. And, indeed, Apple was among the players listed.

From Anthony Berardo (@berardo_anthony):

Why does this always happen to us?

Hey Anthony, that’s sadly life in the NFL. And the reality is that it happens throughout the NFL, not just to the Dolphins.

DOLPHINS MEDIA MATTERS

From rob hellebrand (@dolfanrob1):

With The NY Times and the LA Times dropping their sports department, do you worry about the future of sports reporting? Some pretty big names in the local area have recently transitioned away from their newspapers; I’m not sure what happened there. Is this a stressful time?

Hey Rob, yeah, as a former newspaper guy myself and somebody who used to love reading the newspaper from start to finish, it’s a shame what’s happening with that industry. And, yes, it is a stressful time, though there’s something to be said about worrying about things you can control.

From Dave (@angryvet59):

Darth Kader, Cam Smith & Nick Needham already on roster so no panic on the CB front, right? Ever have a player/coach get snippy or refuse to talk with you in response to a written article? Sue Sue Sudio worst song ever in ’80s decade? Appreciate all your hard work, Alain!

Thanks Dave, even though I’m going to start off by disagreeing with you on Sussudio, which is fine by me. My choice for that dubious award would be “Walk Like An Egyptian” (and I like The Bangles). In terms of the CB position, no, there’s no reason to panic because the Dolphins do have depth at that position even if X is the only corner on the team at the same level as Ramsey. And then regarding player/coach negative reactions, Brock Marion got upset with something I wrote way back when (can’t even remember what it was) and I know Zach Thomas wasn’t thrilled about something I wrote one time — not about him but about Larry Izzo where I pointed out something to the effect that as much of a stud as he was on special teams he was a non-factor on defense. But that’s Zach, though, sticking up for a teammate/friend because he never would have reacted had I written anything negative about him (which I don’t think I ever did).

DOLPHINS HISTORY TOPICS

From Hebert Gutierrez Morales (via email):

Hi Alain, some days ago, hearing your podcast with Omar (a must see, by the way), you were talking about the best CB duos in the team’s history. I remember one tandem which promise to be one of the best but, at the end it didn’t pan out: Vontae Davis and Sean Smith. As far as I remember, their potential was amazing but never worked as expected for the Fins. What did happen? Should the team have been more patient with their development? Or it was more a personal issue with both of them? Now a music question, I know you are fan of the original Genesis formation, led by Peter Gabriel. But, do you like some songs from the post-Gabriel era? What are you Top 5 Songs from Genesis without Gabriel?

Hey Hebert, thanks as always, and you make a very good point with Davis and Smith, who did look like a really promising CB tandem. Davis was good with the Dolphins, but had some maturity and off-the-field issues that led to the Miami trading him to Indy, where he became really good. As for Smith, he was an eight-year starter in the NFL, including four years after leaving Miami but he never took that next step after a solid rookie season in 2009. Finally, I love a lot of post-Gabriel songs and my top 5 would be: Ripples, Entangled, Undertow, Follow You Follow Me, Misunderstanding.

From Columnist, Phins com (@PhinChris)::

Make sense of Bob Kuechenberg being passed over yet again for the HOF. I can’t.

Hey Chris, yeah, considering he’s been a finalist like nine times, it’s weird that Kuechenberg has never been elected and now he’s been bypassed as one of the Seniors semifinalists for the Class of 2024. If you’re asking me for a reason, I guess he’s hurt by the fact he was an All-Pro only once and he also was overshadowed on those 1970s offensive lines by HOFers Larry Little and Jim Langer.

From Jim (via email):

Hi Alain, first off, your podcasts with Omar are the best!! I know this is likely to throw gas on a fire, but why doesn't the Dolphins bring in Colin Kaepernick to compete at quarterback? Frankly, unless your name is Mahomes, Allen or Burrow, you should be competing for your job. Colin would certainly be better than the backup duo we have now and he would also push Tua a little bit. Betting the farm on Tua's health is a gamble. The Dolphins haven't done enough to back up the QB position IMO.

Hey Jim, I’m going to be straight with you here and tell you I think that ship has sailed and I would be surprised — no, shocked — if any team ever signed Kaepernick. And that’s despite the fact that even seven years removed from his last NFL game he still might be better than a lot of backups around the league. As has been my take from the start, I don’t see any team willing to deal with the potential fan backlash of signing him.

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