Tuesday Dolphins Mailbag: AVG, Waddle, Officiating, and More

Part 1 of the post-Eagles All Dolphins mailbag:

From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):

What is your overall opinion on the officiating in the Dolphins vs Eagles game?

Hey Dana, it was brutal. Plain and simple. There’s no other way around it. I despise using officiating as a crutch and I’m not going to go as far as the missed calls cost the Dolphins — and, no, there was no DPI on Mostert on the late pick — the game, but it certainly made their job tougher.

From Ricardo Hernandez (@Ricardo96451182):

Hello Alain, if the Dolphins aren’t “quite there yet,” is it a true narrative that this year is “their window” as salary cap issues and impending free agents is going to force a Rams-like talent purge for next season that won’t lead to them becoming any better?

Hey Ricardo, it’s a legitimate question, but I’m not ready to say that the Dolphins aren’t “quite there yet.” That narrative changes in a hurry if they defeat the Chiefs in Germany or handle the Cowboys on Christmas Eve or the Ravens in Baltimore on New Year’s Eve or even the Bills in Week 18. But, yes, there is some urgency for a Super Bowl push, though I think they can keep most of their key pieces for 2024 as well.

From Dave @angryvet59):

Did Cam Smith steal Vic Fangio's lunch from the refrigerator? I like Kohou, but he's a lot better slot than boundary corner. Also, why Ahmed instead of Wilson for those tough runs?

Hey Dave, thanks. I also like Kohou better in the slot than outside and I just think there’s a trust issue there with Smith and Vic Fangio. As for Ahmed vs. Wilson, maybe it was simply a case of Wilson being in his first game back. I would expect him to start getting more carries than Ahmed moving forward.

From RICHARD J. LEONARD (@SLICK6971):

Still loving Omar and Poupart. Great work. David Long Jr. had, what I considered, his best game as a Dolphin. Will his emergence and the fact that Jaelan Phillips is getting healthier, will this reduce AVG's snap count?

Hey Richard, I think you’re on the money there. In fact, AVG already was looking at a decrease against the Eagles until Long left the game after his collision with Holland and AVG got work at inside linebacker. I think AVG still will be part of the rotation but I do think his snap count will go down a bit.

From John Flora (@Capt_Cavephin):

Was the ILB play in Philly an outlier, or are they starting to catch up to the scheme?

Hey John, I think everybody on defense is starting to catch up to the scheme, but we do need to see this kind of play on a more regular basis before we can be totally satisfied with the work.

From Ed Helinski (@MrEd315):

Whether good or bad, what surprised you the most on how the Dolphins played against Philadelphia?

Hey Ed, that’s a very good question and I think maybe the thing that jumps out at me is Cedrick Wilson Jr. playing as a key a role as he did. He not only came up with that nice catch late in the first half, he also should have drawn a facemask or DPI penalty on the failed fourth down shortly before Jerome Baker’s pick-six.

From Doug Engell (@dmengell):

It seemed like the defense lost it steam when long and Holland knocked each other out.

Hey Doug, that play happened right after Baker’s pick-six and the Eagles had long touchdown drives both times they had the ball after that, so you’re statistically correct. The only question is whether it’s as simple as saying it was because of Long and Holland’s collision that things went south for the defense. Also remember that Holland missed only four plays before he was back in the game.

From Shaun Braley (@shaunbraley):

If Buffalo and Philly are the blueprint to beat Miami, how many teams really have the personnel to execute it?

Hey Shaun, Buffalo is the blueprint with its defensive line and Josh Allen, while the overall blueprint is to stout up front on both sides. Teams in that category would include the Chiefs, 49ers, Ravens and Cowboys (off the top of my head).

From André Kanayet (@andrekanayet):

Is Waddle now damaged goods and would it be a smart to move him when his price is still high?

Hey André, wow, that’s a pretty harsh conclusion right there because Waddle has battled some injuries since the summer. My reflex reaction is to ask why you would want to mess up something unique the Dolphins have going on offensively with the speed of Hill/Waddle while understanding your point about getting maximum value for a player who’s soon going to need a new and expensive contract for a team that’s going to have cap issues. But the overriding factor here is you have a team with Super Bowl potential now and the last thing you should do right now is trade away good players.

From MindTheGap (@MindTheGap575):

Hi Alain, really appreciate your work, the podcast in conjuction with Omar is fire! Question: How many iterations of the "tush-push" would we have had to suffer before the Fins stuffed it? Greetings from Germany

Hi and thanks, if I’m going to be honest with you, the Dolphins didn’t come remotely close to stopping it, so I think it would have taken quite a few tries or maybe the Eagles would have false-started or Hurts would have slipped.

From Prince-Bishop Militantly Aardvard (@MilitantlyA):

It seemed to me that the Dolphins weren't that far away against Philadelphia, closer than they were against the Bills. Your thoughts?

Hey PBMA, yeah, the Dolphins were closer in one sense in that they had a chance to tie the score in the fourth quarter, but let’s also understand they got a fluky touchdown on the pick-six while they didn’t create a turnover against Buffalo. But given the injuries they had on the O-line, all the bad officiating that went against them, this still could be viewed as a step up from the Buffalo game.

From SausageKing (@BetoMexpat):

How many more years of false hopes? Jets, NE & others have beat Buffalo this year. We lose 48-20. Jets also beat Philly last week. There's a reason Tua is only 2020 starter not wrapped up. Good reason. He’s a product of the system. He throws to the timing play even if covered.

Wow, lot to unwrap here. First, with Buffalo, the Bills played their best game of the season against the Dolphins and have been sloppy since (also in the opener) and now they’re dealing with a ridiculous number of significant injuries. Jets beat Philly strictly because of Hurts’ sloppiness. As for Tua, he likely would have gotten a contract extension himself this year if not for the durability concerns.

From Mike Mangaras (@mangaras_mike):

I am never 1 to complain about officiating, because USUALLY they even out, but that Eagles game was the worst I’ve ever seen in 50 years. Wondering, has there ever been a crew or official fired during a season? If not, these guys should be the first.

Hey Mike, you’re not wrong in your assessment. I don’t recall off the top of my head any official or crew fired during a season, to be honest with you.

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