Friday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua Topics, Josh Boyer, Ezukanma Inaction, and More

From mikethewreck (@mgcroteau):

What is the reason for the first half suck/second half stifle defensive pattern we've seen lately from the Fins? Have the injuries inhibited starters from playing enough together and they take time to jell?

Hey Mike, if there’s anything that maybe I would point to — and I again point to game circumstances — is maybe they’ve adjusted coverages to a certain degree in the second half, guarded players differently. But there’s been nothing obvious that I’ve seen from my vantage point, as far as the Pittsburgh and Detroit games and the second half defensively. And Josh Boyer said this week that there were a lot more adjustments made at halftime against Detroit than against Pittsburgh.

From sweetpou812 (@pfs0u812):

Good morning Alain! I love what I’m seeing on offense, but I did notice Tua literally throwing with all his might while throwing deep and still coming up a bit short! Great catches by Tyreek. Any concern when the weather turns horrible and you must win in, say Buff and K.C., and it’s cold and/or windy.

Hey there, yes, that is a legitimate concern and one of the last questions that Tua’s play has to answer. On the other hand, Tua doesn’t necessarily have to throw deep for the offense to be successful as long as Hill and Waddle can get open in the short and intermediate range, which obviously would be more difficult if the field shrinks because of the inability to go deep.

From David Triana (@davidtriana):

The Dolphins defense has held their last two opponents scoreless in the second half. Do you think Josh Boyer is getting unfair treatment with a depleted secondary, or is the criticism warranted?

If we’re going to look at the Dolphins’ five wins and be honest about it, the defense deserves most of the credit for Week 1 (20-7 against New England), Week 3 (21-19 against Buffalo) and Week 7 (16-10 against Pittsburgh). So, yeah, I have a hard time being able to justify much criticism of Josh Boyer, especially when you consider he hasn’t had Byron Jones all season on top of all the CB injuries.

From Joh Flora (@Capt_Cavephin):

What does the D-line need to do to produce more sacks: stunts, delays?

Hey John, if you look at the design of the Dolphins defense, the sacks aren’t going to mostly come from the D-line outside of Ogbah. They’re going to come from your edge defenders, whether it be Jaelan Phillips, Melvin Ingram, Andrew Van Ginkel and now Bradley Chubb, and they’re going to come from your blitzers, though the Dolphins lost their best one there when Brandon Jones landed on IR. But when it comes to players like Wilkins, Davis or Sieler, sacks are a bonus; their main task is to stop the run.

From David Nastali (@DNastali):

Does anybody ask about EE? I’ve literally heard zip … just see him inactive every week, while we start Cracraft and Sanders……yes, hard to learn everything as a rookie, but come on, top rookies play through the learning.

Hey David, yeah, it is no doubt disappointing that Ezukanma can’t even get in a game. It also tells you that he’s on the 53-man roster because the Dolphins drafted him this year and don’t want to give up on him so quickly. We (the media) have asked WR coach Wes Welker twice about EE not playing and it basically boils down to lack of knowledge of the offense. This also reinforces the idea of taking preseason performances for what they’re worth.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Chris Roberts (@CRoberts 13):

Does Chicago in November count as a cold weather game? That seems to be the final hurdle for Tua haters to prove he’s the guy, before they make up a new one.

Hey Chris, why are you bitter? And please ask me how much I hate the term “Tua haters,” as used to describe anyone not yet ready or willing to declare Tua an elite quarterback. It reeks of insecurity, to be honest. If you’re convinced that Tua is IT, then why is it so important to you that everybody else publicly declare it? OK, now that my mini-rant is over, no, Chicago does not count as a cold-weather game when the temperature Sunday is expected to actually be in the low 60s. And, yes, that is a “hurdle” he needs to clear for the “haters” to fully get on board — but it doesn’t have to be for you; you can anoint him right now already if you’d like. For those of us who have advocated gathering all the facts before making any grand declarations, there are other “hurdles,” as well, such as the ability to stay healthy and the ability to come up big in a game with major playoff implications, such as Buffalo in the 2020 season and Tennessee last year when — and, no, it wasn’t all his fault — he didn’t perform like an elite quarterback. Hope that answers your question.

From Neco (@NecoOrtiz1):

Is Jaelan Phillips bringing pressure at a league-leading rate? It seems the Phins aren't getting any pressure on QBs.

Hey Neco, I’m honestly not quite sure what the analytics say about that, though I seem to recall reading somewhere that he’s right around the top in pass rush win rate.. And this is my problem with analytics because I don’t know what they consider a “pressure.” What I do know is my eyeballs telling me he’s doing a solid job this season, particularly in recent weeks, but he’s also not being a disruptive force as a pass rusher, so I’m going to be skeptical about the idea of him being among the top in the NFL at that.

From Shatner’s Bassoon (@bassoonshatner):

Would you say Zach Sieler is underrated? Never seems to get mentioned as much as other defensive linemen, but always impresses me when I watch him.

Hey there, yeah, there was a time when Sieler was underrated, but I think we’ve passed that stage already and most media folks understand he’s a very good player. But he doesn’t get a ton of snaps and he doesn’t play a position that lends itself to a lot of highlight plays, so maybe it’s easy for him to go under the radar. But, yeah, the dude can play.

From AB (@Brtlnx):

Hi Alain, is the lack of sacks due to talent/coaching or because our inexperienced secondary can’t hold their coverage for very long?

Hey AB, I think the lack of sacks is the result of a combination of factors and, yes, all the injuries at cornerback clearly have to be included. The Dolphins haven’t gone with the all-out blitz nearly as much in 2022 and they also haven’t been as effective with it. Beyond sacks, I haven’t seen nearly as many pass plays from opponents be disrupted by pressure as I saw the previous two seasons.

From David Baxley (@David_Baxley82):

Why is Braylon Sanders playing over Ezukanma?

Hey David, sadly it’s all about trust from the coaches. WR coach Wes Welker explained a couple of weeks ago that they could use EE in a game at one specific spot, but the fact they haven’t indicates that they don’t trust EE if an injury in a game would force him to line up at another spot, whereas that trust was there with River Cracraft and now with Braylon Sanders. It is disappointing, no doubt.

From Pat McCollum (@PatMcCollum):

Mouth guards help prevent concussions. They’re mandatory in college and high school. I’ve noticed that Tua doesn’t use one. With his concussion history, why wouldn’t the Dolphins compel him to use one? He wore one in Alabama and it didn’t seem to affect him. Thanks.

Hey Pat, I haven’t dived into this specific topic, but I would have to think the subject came up in the aftermath of his concussion. Ultimately, though, Tua is a grown man who’s going to make his own decisions and it's not something the Dolphins can force him to do.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Dolphins news and analysis year-round. 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.