Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Wilkins Extension, Team MVP Pick, Schedule, and More

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

From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):

Wondering out loud, how much better can Fangio make this team? In covering this league, what DC has had the most positive impact on his new team in the first year?

Hey Dana, yeah, I do think Fangio will make a difference because that’s what his track record says he’s going to do. How much better will the Dolphins defense be? Well, Miami ranked 18th in total defense in 2022; I’d say it would be a disappointment if it’s not in the top 10. As for the D-coordinator who’s made the biggest first-year impact, somehow I keep thinking about Wade Phillips whenever he joins a new team.

From spaceship (@funtimehaver13):

Ezukanma…he making this team or what?

Hmm, good question and right to the point, and my inclination is to say I find it hard to believe the Dolphins would give up on him this quickly, though it was massively disappointing that he basically was a redshirt as a rookie.

From Goshma B. (@p_williams83):

Way too early prediction on the Chiefs vs Dolphins week 9 in Germany?

First off, cute name. Man, yes, it’s waaay too early for that prediction, but since you asked and I try to answer everything, here it is: Making the pick now without knowing the variables that will be at play, I don’t think you’d find many media members who wouldn’t pick the Chiefs here. I mean, they’re the defending champs for a reason and last I checked Patrick Mahomes still plays for them.

From SimptoAlpha (@SimptoAlpha):

Will the Dolphins finally win 12 games ???

Can I get back to you in January? Let me just say that if I could answer that with a great degree of confidence, I’d go place a bet on that right now. Since you ask, I’d be inclined to say that 12 games seems ambitious at this time because of the degree of difficulty of the Dolphins schedule combined with their mediocre against playoff teams last season. In other words, they still need to prove they belong among the elite teams before we start predicting a 12-win season.

From Richard Butler (@richiebutz14):

What’s going on with the Christian Wilkins extension?

Hey Richard, the Dolphins want Wilkins to stay around for a while and Wilkins wants to stick around, but it’s not as simple as that because money gets involved and it’s pretty safe to say that Wilkins wants more money right now than the Dolphins are comfortable giving him. The Dolphins also might want to see exactly how well Wilkins fits into the new defensive scheme before making a large financial commitment. Because Wilkins already is under contract for 2023 with the fifth-year option, there’s not a major urgency to get anything done at this time.

From Prince-Bishop Militantly Aardvark (@MilitantlyA):

Which of our injured players from last year are you most excited to see back? Would you be surprised to see the top 3 teams in the AFC East go 1-1 against each other while beating up on the Patriots who don't win any divisional games?

Hey Prince, I think Emmanuel Ogbah is the one injured player from 2022 that I’m curious to see, particularly with the new scheme and his fit in it. As for the other question, no, I don’t believe the Patriots are going to get swept in AFC East games. I don’t expect them to compete for the division title, but expecting them to be division doormats is a stretch for me.

From Crash Jensen (@Sngly):

Miami plays on the road 3 of their first 4 games when the South Florida heat could give them a huge advantage. But they play 4 of their last 5 at home, avoiding cold-weather games. Do you like this, or would you rather the opposite?

Hey Crash, I consider the Dolphins’ home-field advantage early in the season to be the biggest in the entire NFL at any point because of the configuration of the stadium, which creates like a 30-degree difference between sidelines. And those of us who live in South Florida understand just how much the September heat and humidity saps out of you. Playing in cold-weather games doesn’t create that kind of disparity. So, without question, the Dolphins are much better off having September home games and December road games in the cold than September road games and December home games. And it’s not even close.

From Hebert Gutierrez Morales (vai email):

I see Miami will visit Buffalo in October and the Bills will go to Hard Rock Stadium in January. Do you think this “win-win” situation was an agreement between the teams or it was just luck? The second question is, did you move to Miami because you were hired to cover the Dolphins or, because you’ve already lived in Miami then started to cover the Dolphins? And where did you live before Miami?

Hey Hebert, no, division teams don’t get to negotiate when/where their games will be played. It’s also important to note that before this year, the Bills played in Miami early in the season each of the past three seasons, so it was time for a change there. As for your other question, I did not move to Miami to cover the Dolphins. And I lived in Montreal, Canada, before moving there.

From Kapana (via email):

Which side of the line is the one where Tua needs the most protection?

This answer always should be the blind side because the quarterback is more susceptible to a hit he can’t see, so that means the right side of the line for the Dolphins.

From Rick Lupisella (via email):

Alain, Fins fan since the famous Christmas Day 1971 game. Two questions: 1) What is X doing to reduce nuisance injuries and be at the top of his game in 2023? 2) Of all the young players with upside (Channing Tindall, Erik Ezukanma, Trill Williams, and others), who has that crazy Zach Thomas/Jerry Rice/Walter Payton work ethic that will cause a surprise upside in 2023?

Hey Rick, that Xmas Day game in 1971 happened to be the first NFL game I ever saw. Anyway, I digress. I don’t think for a second that X’s “nuisance injuries” were the result of anything he didn’t do last offseason, but rather simply bad luck and there hasn’t been a history of those. We’ve seen videos of him working out this offseason, so I wouldn’t overly sweat a recurrence because of negligence. As for the young players with that Zach work ethic, it's a really interesting question, but nobody has stood out in that sense so far. But now that you’ve brought up the question, I’ll be on the lookout for it more.

From Michael McDonald (via email):

Hi Alain, I know you don't really like early predictions, but how would you answer if you had to finish the following sentence? The Miami Dolphins 2023 MVP will be _____.

Hey Michael, the easy answer is to go with the 2022 winner, Tyreek Hill, because it’s easy to see him again putting up huge numbers because, let’s face it, he’s not going to get any slower anytime soon. But instead I’ll go with Xavien Howard (who should have won the award in 2021) because I think he’ll be back to his old self with a healthy season and the new Vic Fangio scheme.

From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):

It could be said that every GM will live and die by his draft picks, but for now it seems Chris Grier is content to stick with Eichenberg at LG and AJ at RT. That’s playing with fire if you ask me. Agree?

Hey OGJ, it’s really hard to disagree with your premise, particularly if there’s no legitimate competition brought in for the right tackle spot. I have no issue with Eichenberg and Jackson getting the first shot at each position, but there’s got to be a backup plan in case either falters.

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