Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua, Terron, Wake, and More

Third and final part of the All Dolphins bye weekend mailbag:

From Crash Jensen (@Sngly):

Miami should be favored in the next 5 games, vs LVR, NYJ x 2, WAS, and TEN. Which of those games poses the greatest challenge?

Hey Crash, I’d refer you to the story I published the other day ranking the remaining games on the schedule, but I’d answer by saying the Jets defense makes that matchup potentially problematic.

From Bryan Maxwell (@bryan_maxw46284):

I suspect the Dolphins' 1st window is this year only, and then the next year or two could be a partial rebuild, and then if drafting is good and Grier makes some smart key pickups, we could be seeing a more prolonged window start to open up thereafter. Do you guys agree?

Hey Bryan, that sounds about right because they should be able to hang on to enough key guys over the next few years, particularly if Tua takes that next step and closes out the season the way he started it.

From Nick (via email):

Hi Poups, so another good team played and another loss. National media saying we’re flat track bullies and when you look at the teams we’ve beaten vs. who we’ve lost to, you’d have to say the facts back that up. However, just wondering if that narrative is a little too simple? OK, we got smashed by the bills, but didn’t feel the eagles were wayyy better than us and we were pretty competitive against the Chiefs? Or am I just lying to myself and actually we’re just bang average. Thanks to you and Omar, though, loving the podcasts!!

Hey Nick, no, you’re not lying to yourself. The Dolphins were in it in the fourth quarter against both the Eagles and Chiefs and now it’s a matter of making the key plays down the stretch against good teams, and they’ll get more chances against DAL, BAL and BUF at the end of the year. Now, if they go 0-3 in those games, we’ve got a problem.

From Mighty Mike (@MightyM76308890):

ACHANE is Phins MVP... Discuss.

Hey Mike, I’ll make it quick and simple: No. I’ll accept Tua or Tyreek as the answer here. Nobody else.

From Darryl Carpenter (@dazspire):

Again, big thanks to you and Omar for the excellent pod and online articles. Do you think McDaniel is still giving up on the run too early when we fall behind?

Hey Darryl, no, I haven’t noticed that to the same degree I did last year. He may have done it against Buffalo, but not really against the Eagles or Chiefs, in my mind.

From Mark Schoninger (@SchoningerMark):

Will Coach McDaniel’s Ted Lasso-esque, everybody’s best friend persona translate to long-term success in the physical smash-mouth NFL?

Hey Mark, I don’t think one has anything to do with the other. I do think a speed-based, finesse offense has less margin for error and can go off the rails more easily than a physical attack, but I don’t think McDaniel being quirky precludes him from adding a toughness element to his offense at some point.

From shann (@shannon31513865):

Is Da’Shawn Hand still on the team?

He is. His playing time is spotty, but he’s still on the team.

From BQ (via email):

Hey Poup, it’s halftime, and I gave up on the game before Tyreek blew it. Once Mahomes/Reid worked the refs for the 10th time by mid 2nd quarter, it was over. For 25 years now, I’ve watched Brady/BB, Allen/McDermott and this KC combo whine like they own a vineyard. They could’ve called Sneed for hands to the face 5 diff times 1st half, but we don’t do theatrics. As a man, I love that Tua/MM act like adults and let refs do their job. As a fan, it’s the most depressing thing since choosing Culpepper over Brees. I don’t know if there’s a question in here beyond, is there a team out there that gets the shaft more than our Phins? I mean, Tyreek’s fumble should’ve been forward progress, the pitch backwards should’ve been blown for forward progress, Tua’s grounding was the exact same thing Mahomes did earlier. I’m just sick. Thanks for the free therapy,

Hey BQ, glad you got to unload. But, no, it’s not just the Dolphins who get the short end of bad officiating. And they’ve also gotten the good end at times too (see Patriots game, Week 8). But fans often don’t see that. They just see the bad calls against their team or the missed calls their team didn’t get.

From Sandro Van Lizard (@sopadihongo):

J. Sanders has not been the Pro Bowl caliber kicker he was for a while now, we all know this. He also hasn’t been having FG opportunities lately due to the explosive nature of this offense. Will this be an issue if a game has to be decided by a FG in the postseason?

Hey Sandro, here’s the thing: Sanders didn’t have a particularly good 2022 season, but when the Dolphins needed a 50-yard field late in the Jets game in Week 18 to get into the playoffs, he nailed it. Bottom line: There’s just no way of predicting this, other than to say he delivered in the clutch last year.

From Respecttheburner (@Respecttheburn):

What does the team do during a bye week? Players get the whole week off? Do all teams do that? Seems like a good opportunity to focus on your next opponent for 2 weeks.

The CBA calls for teams to get a minimum of four consecutive days off, usually Thursday through Sunday, and Mike McDaniel added Wednesday off this year. Players are on their own and most just chill, while others will travel (often to go see their college team play).

From Kevin Higgins (@wiggy1313):

What’s with Tua spinning around in a circle after he gets the ball?

Hey Kevin, I think that’s about trying to do some misdirection and confuse the defense as to where he might be going with the ball.

From David Nastali (@DNastali):

What are your thoughts on the reverse effect MM jokes and lightheartedness have on getting team ready to play, especially in measuring stick games. MM a soundbite machine and fun for reporters, but not an approach many other coaches take. Can lead to lack of focus as seen.

Hey David, do you really think McDaniel is joking like that when it comes time to get his team ready and going for a game? I personally don’t. I think he gets down to business when he needs to.

From Michael Kelley (@Michaelshawn54):

Do you think with all the background noise “can’t beat a good team,” they play into that? They certainly look off on game day in those situations regarding the offense.

Hey Michael, I get where you’re coming from, but I’m not seeing that. And it certainly would be a major problem if that were the case.

From Antonio Salas (@Antonio76969327):

Should the Dolphins sign Cam Wake to a 1 day contract just so he can retire as a Dolphin?

Hey Antonio, absolutely. The Dolphins did it for Mike Pouncey in the offseason and l’d say that Wake pretty clearly was the team’s best player in the 2010s. But Wake has basically disappeared since he last played for Tennessee, while Pouncey still was around, including working with offensive linemen one year. So I absolutely think it should be done, but I’m not even sure this is something that Wake cares about.

From Mike Mangaras (@mangaras_mike):

Again, you guys are awesome for what you bring to this fan base, but can we stop on the Pouparting of our best players? (Pun intended) the disrespect and bashing of Holland is downright just dumb. I mean even the guru of all gurus of defensive minds says Holland is special.

Mike, your use of “dumb” is offensive. It’s dumb because you don’t agree with my position and that of Omar that Holland doesn't deserve “elite” recognition? I think your position is dumb. How’s that? And who’s the guru of all gurus of defensive minds? Vic Fangio? Is that who you’re referring to? The coach of said player? Who certainly would be completely objective, right? Look, champ, we’re allowed our take on Holland and if it bothers you that we haven’t seen “elite” or “special” play from him so far this season, that's on you. And there are certain metrics that would suggest we're right and you're right, starting with his 102.7 opponent passer rating when targeted (per PFR), to go along with no interceptions. Since Holland hasn't passed the eyeball test for us to use the word "special" for him, then by what metric have you decided the word needs to be used because his stats certainly don't stand out. Yes, he's among the league leaders in forced fumbles with three, but all of those came in the blowout against Denver, so zero in his other seven games. He's also got only three passes defensed, which would be way down the list of NFL safeties. So, again, what is it that suggests he's been "special," other than PFF telling you so, a Baldy's breakdown of one game (and I think Baldy is great) or his own coach singing his praises? Because you say so? Sorry, not good enough. From this vantage point, he's been solid, but "special" is overstating. Lastly, if Pouparting means refusing to anoint a player simply because others do, then I’ll take that. Or would you prefer I go "Lego Movie" on you and tell you everyone is awesome.

From Zac Morgan (@ZacMorg3):

Do Dolphins win if they had played Phi, KC at home?

Hey Zac, we’ll never know, will we? I don’t know how to answer that because they didn’t play at home.

From Fred Walton@Uncle FUBAFR (@FredWal07850576):

In your opinion, who are your candidates for Defensive and Offensive PotW in Frankfurt?

Those awards already have been handed, but if you’re asking the best players on offense and defense for the Dolphins against the Chiefs, I’d go with Raheem Mostert and Zach Sieler.

From Andy Lawson (@Sirandylawson):

Does the HC need to learn how to win in big games as much as the players?

Hey Andy, hmm, that’s an interesting question and maybe there’s something to it because the reality is that it just hasn’t happened yet.

From Joseph Sookchan (@JSookchan):

Dolphins appear to have an 'easy' home game against the Raiders, should they use this opportunity to rest banged up players, ie X, Terron, Hunt, Smythe. Do you think the outside zone scheme is contributing to the OL injuries.?

Hey Joseph, I never, ever, ever would advocate for resting players for any reason other than risk of aggravation. And, no, I don’t think the scheme leads to more O-line injuries because a lot of those injuries occur in traffic when somebody rolls over their leg.

From FinsUpMass (@paulbdotcom):

Do you think some of the offensive struggles away can be attributed to crowd noise? If so, how can they be corrected?

Hey Paul, what’s certain is the Dolphins don’t use their motion game as much on the road and the crowd noise clearly is a factor because it’s tougher for Tyreek to time it right if he can’t hear Tua barking out signals. I’m not sure there’s a clear way around it, though, because the crowd noise is not going away. It's also not the sole reason the offense doesn't look the same on the road, but it is a factor.

From Armando Acevedo (@Chincue):

Do you see Miami as contender? I guess they can win the division beating Jets and Bills, and reach conference title as much.

Hey Armando, the Dolphins absolutely are contenders, but how far they’ll go isn’t clear yet. They have to show they can beat a good team before we start thinking about a long playoff run.

From Basti (via email):

Hey Alain, hate to drop a Tua question again take but nevertheless: Although I'm a real believer in Tua and McDaniel who really seems to have tailored his system to the strengths of his QB1 - I just have to repeat my doubts regarding Tua playing "uncomfortable.” On so many plays he seems so scared. Take his scrambles: On every run I see him sliding 2 or 3 yards before contact. I totally understand that he needs to better care of his body after all the injuries (and the coaches probably even told him to go down earlier). But the last days I watched some highlights of '20 and '21 games. Sometimes Tua looked so good maneuvering in and out of the pocket - getting first downs scrambling and even running for some TDs. I can't get rid of the thought that all those injuries left him SO scared of being tackled too hard - thus ending in poor performances against good defenses who steal his first read and have a good pass rush. After that KC game, are you still not concerned about the way Tua looks this year against those "better teams"?

Hey Basti, I don’t think there’s any question that Tua is quicker to go down and give up on a play this season and I actually think that’s smart. As far as my concern, nothing has changed for me in that the next and final step for him as a quarterback is closing the season strong with big performances against good teams in the final month of the season.

From Orlando Alonso @OAlonso59):

Alain, thank you for taking my question. My question is do you think the Dolphins are better off with Connor Williams moving to LG and playing Liam at center?. Do you think a scenario where the Dolphins will make that switch?. My other question is the wide receivers. Dolphins are too dependent on Hill and Waddle. Why are they not incorporating Claypool, Berrios more in the offense?

Hey Orlando, no, I don’t think the Dolphins are better off with Eichenberg at center and Williams at guard, because I think center is the more important position (by far) and Williams is the better player. Your point about the WRs has merit, but it’s Hill and Waddle who make this offense special and the Dolphins need to feature them.

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Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Dolphins news and analysis year-round. Check out our daily podcast (All Dolphins Podcast) on YouTube and also available wherever you get your audio podcasts. Also, you can follow me on Twitter at @PoupartNFL, and that's where you can ask questions for the regular All Dolphins mailbags. You also can ask questions via email at fnalldolphins@yahoo.com.