Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Hill/Waddle, Howard, Brissett, and More

Part 2 of the pre-Browns game SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From Tim (via email):

Hey Alain, Boyer has said he thinks of the coverage first, and builds a rush off of that. Do you think paying Ogbah and trading for and paying Chubb is a change (from the front office) in philosophy on how the defense should be built? It's going to be difficult to pay 2-3 top pass rushers (Phillips will be up for an extension when we can get out of Ogbah's contract) AND pay 2 top CBs, which it seems like the current scheme needs. If that's the case, is Boyer going to be able to adapt his scheme to work with cheaper CBs (he has been good at finding UDFAs...) or will Miami be looking for someone else to bring in a scheme that better fits pass rushers like Chubb and Phillips in the offseason?

Hey Tim, no, I don’t sense that the philosophy has changed and the addition of Chubb was just about adding a good player. Ideally, every team would love to have both great corners and great pass rushers, but this defense always was built around having good corners first.

From Carlos Vazquez (via email):

Hi Alain, appreciate your writing and your patience with Big O. I love Coach Mike, but I am concerned by several of his in-game decisions, in particular not challenging calls like the T Sheffield touchdown, which was obvious, clock management near the end of halves, etc. Wondering what you think about that and whether you could ask him about who is manning that post for him during games (buzzing him to throw a red flag, etc).

Hey Carlos, sure, there have been a couple of instances where we can nitpick decisions McDaniel has made, but I think it has been way, way overshadowed by what he has brought in terms of dealing with his players and the offensive scheme that has helped produce great results.

From Nick (via email):

Hi Alain, given your reluctance to predict things, I’m sensing a possible traumatic prediction from your past that went terribly wrong? What was that? It’s therapy man! In fairness, I thought your estimates for Tua have been pretty close … so with that in mind, when were you right when everyone else was wrong? Thanks for all the great work - look forward to reading your replies every week!

Hey Nick, thanks for the quick laugh. No, there is no prediction that traumatized me and, yes, I’ve been wrong many times before. As for when I was right when everyone else was wrong, don’t know how I would know that because I’m not always on top of what “everybody” is predicting. I did say and write that the Jets were going to be no pushovers this season … don’t know if that counts, though.

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FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM.

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From Dean V. (via email):

Hey Alain, first time submission for me. I read your articles daily and really appreciate your unbiased view of things. My question is on Byron Jones, do you think that there‘s something going on that’s not being reported and do you think there’s a legitimate chance that he’ll actually be back this season? This whole situation is starting to feel far too much like the Will Fuller situation last year. I know Byron Jones won’t come in and magically fix all of the problems on defense, but it sure would be a great start.

Hey Dean, first, thanks for the kind words. Yeah, the whole Byron Jones thing is very mysterious, though it’s not like the Will Fuller situation because I do think Jones will come back, whereas it seemed obvious pretty early in the process last year that Fuller might not be back. As to why it’s taking so long, I’m not quite sure, though my best guess would be an extremely cautious approach to make sure he’s 100 percent when he does come back.

From Thomas Hudson (via email):

A couple questions based off things you said in the mailbag this week: I saw Tindall out of position and getting burnt to the outside as a spy. Did I just imagine it, or did Duke Riley make a couple plays in a similar role in the 4th quarter? I saw someone today suggest that Howard has some hidden injury. I thought a writer (maybe you?) reported a week or two ago that Howard had hurt his groin on both sides. How hurt is Howard? Is he mostly OK or should we be amazed that he can play each week? Is Ogbah hurt? His disappearance has got to be the biggest mystery on this team. I'd love to give you a knowledgeable prog rock question to answer, but I am a heavy metal guy. Was there a particular album that got you hooked, and if someone asked, "What is this prog rock thing all about?" What album would you suggest they try? (and I just might...)

Hey Thomas, no, you did not imagine Duke Riley making a couple of plays in the fourth quarter because I saw the same thing. In fact, Riley was credited with a sack when he forced Justin Fields out of bounds for a 2-yard loss on a scramble. Both Howard (groin) and Ogbah (back) dealt with physical issues a few weeks ago, but they’ve been fine the past couple of weeks and the Dolphins really need for both of them to raise their level of play. As for your prog rock question, the album that got me started on it — and I’m going to be dating myself here — was “Crime of the Century” by Supertramp, which came out in 1973.

From Nick Collison (via email):

Hi Alain, do you believe there is merit to Boyer going back to the cover zero blitz with Kader on the corner opposite of X? With future salary cap decisions upcoming, it seems like By Jones may be a casualty in the future anyway, so why not throw Kohou into the fire a bit and see how he handles the challenge? He has been an excellent addition, and in a worst-case scenario I’d rather get beat on a long play rather than a 12-play, 8-minute drive against our defense anyway. Thanks for your unbiased work!

Hey Nick, thanks. Yeah, Kader Kohou has been an amazing story, but I’m not sure about the idea of leaving him on an island like that on a Cover 0 blitz, though your idea does have some merit. And your point about Byron Jones being a potential cap casualty next offseason certainly has merit as well.

From Erik Viel (via email):

Alain, how is it that a defense with so much talent can underperform to this level? (The last 2 weeks have been particularly offensive). Do you think there needs to be a coaching change at defensive coordinator?

Hey Erik, no, I do not think there needs to be a change at DC, even if the last two games weren’t great. We can’t just simply forget about the good work from the defense in the games against NE, BUF and PIT. Also, I’m not sure I’m totally on board with this idea of “so much talent.” The Dolphins do have a lot of solid players on defense, but only two guys (not counting Byron Jones) who have made the Pro Bowl at least once (Howard and Chubb).

From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):

Hey my friend, who do thinks benefits most from familiarity? Brissett or the Dolphins D?

Hey Dana, because Brissett is playing in a brand-new offense and the Dolphins scheme pretty much is the same as what the team ran last year, the answer to your question here can only be Brissett. But I’m not exactly sure it’s going to make any kind of difference whatsoever in this game.

From PEElon Musk (@notaumsed0922):

Do you think at any point teams will limit Hill and Waddle’s effectiveness and any concerns that we aren’t featuring TE more in the passing game?

Howdy, one would think that defenses will learn from other teams’ failures and at some point come up with the right plan to stop Hill and Waddle, but it hasn’t happened yet and given their speed it’s certainly not going to be easy. As for the lack of usage of the tight end, it’s not a concern when the passing game is clicking. I do like the fact that Mike Gesicki has been targeted in the red zone more than he was last season.

From Eugenio Tallone (@Ertallone):

When will Tua become elite for you? What he must do? Thanks.

Hey Eugenio, here’s what I would tell you. Tua is playing very, very well so far this season and the test for me will come when he delivers in bad weather conditions (like at Tennessee last year) and in big-game situations (with major playoff implications).

From Rodney Keister (@LeftyRod):

Will Defensive Coach be fired for doing such a bad job managing defensive system?

Hey Rodney, I’ll keep his short. He won’t and he shouldn’t. And was he doing such a bad job when the Dolphins beat New England by holding them to seven points and scoring a defensive touchdown? Or when the defense bailed out the offense in the second half of the Pittsburgh game?

From Taylor Simpson (@TaylorS34728333):

Will Wilson be featured more this game with more time now?

Hey Taylor, I’m going to assume you mean Jeff Wilson Jr. and not Cedrick Wilson Jr. here, and my answer is that I’m not sure he’s going to get a bigger role than he did against Chicago last week. I think what we’ll see moving forward is a true 1A-1B rotation with him and Raheem Mostert, which is how things started with Mostert and Chase Edmonds until Edmonds’ play started slipping.

From Dave (@angryvet59):

I see some more efficiency in the run game. More familiar w/zone blocking? Terron Armstead (somewhat) healthy? Mostert getting in the groove or combination therefore? Hagar the Horrible or King of Id comic strip?

Hey Dave, first off, love the comic strip question. Based on memory, I seem to recall enjoying both of them very much, with maybe King of Id slightly ahead. As for the running game, I think we’ve seen spurts all season. I’m not sure I see a great difference of late, to be very honest with you. I do think Jeff Wilson Jr. is a clear upgrade over Chase Edmonds, though, and will help in the long run (pun intended).

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