Wednesday Dolphins Mailbag: Ramsey, Cam Smith, and More

Part 2 of the post-Eagles game All Dolphins mailbag:

From Coach Fuller (@CoachJimFuller):

Players that Miami should look at either in a trade or in free agency?

Hey Coach, in free agency we’ve often mentioned DT Akiem Hicks as a guy who stands out as a good scheme fit, plus he’s got history with Vic Fangio. As for trade, you gotta look at teams that are sellers, and right now that’s DEN, TEN, maybe CAR. And who on those teams would really help? Kevin Byard from the Titans would have been a nice pick-up, but he’s already been dealt to the Eagles. Dolphins don’t need any more WRs or OLBs, which is what DEN and CAR have to offer. So not sure where to go there.

From Earl (via email):

In the practices that you were/are allowed to view, going back to training camp and into the season, did you see Cam Smith exhibit traits that were cause for concern or reasons for him not to be playing? Wondering if it is a skills thing or possibly an attitude thing. Thanks!

Hey Earl, except for a couple of plays where he got beat deep, I liked everything I saw from Smith and thought he had the makings of a future star at cornerback. Now, whether he’s got any kind of attitude problem, I haven’t heard, but I’m not privy to his interactions with his coaches and it’s not something they would share with us. Sam Madison did mention paying attention to details, like showing up to the facility early and leaving late and being on time to meetings, so maybe that was a hint there.

From Jeff (via email):

Hey Alain, one of the more intriguing storylines going out of this week's game is the battle of AFC vs. NFC. Even in our division we see teams built a very specific way and they play a certain style of offense/defense. My analogy would be something like the movie "Miracle" and why Herb Brooks dramatically changed up strategy vs. the reigning Olympic champions. If we think of the Dolphins as that "all-star NHL team vs. the Soviets" then you get a feel for why certain types can be complementary and others won't. In all, I think they showed some good effort and the groundwork for winning tough games. They showed that they absolutely can. I would've loved to see a TD on one of those final drives, but the offense was out of focus and sync. How do you think physical football and size can be overcome? For me it's not finesse, but actual leverage and strategy? This week, regarding this topic, we saw the Lions lose, Dolphins lose, and a lot of games where different styles of footballs met the field. The results were pretty interesting. As always, thanks for everything you do for us fans.

Thanks Jeff, as always. It’s a good point you make and I’d say the Dolphins defense absolutely was able to hang with the Eagles offense from a physical standpoint, while it didn’t work out as well on the other line of scrimmage. But this is where maybe the absence of Armstead, Williams and Wynn after the first series have to be considered. At some point, the Dolphins will have to match the physicality of their opponent (or come close to it) to win those type of games.

From Bek (via email):

Hey Alain, I know this might be beating a dead horse now, but this team is not built for “backyard” football when things fall apart. When you look at the best teams (Eagles, KC, Bills, SF), they all seem to adapt on the fly. The question is, is this the product of scheme, coaching or players …. or, likely all of the above. It just seems that you could coach players to play off schedule if the need arises. How do the other teams do it?

I don’t disagree with anything you said, other than the 49ers, which is a team that totally plays “on schedule” as far as I’m concerned. If you look at the other three teams, what they have in common is a quarterback who probably plays better off broken plays. The Dolphins don’t need to do that when their offense is operating smoothly, which clearly wasn’t the case Sunday night. The key is keeping that operation clean as much as possible.

From Mike (via email):

Hi Alain, twice the Dolphins had a delay of game on the first play after a kickoff (well, actually a timeout was wasted to save the 2nd one). Isn't that the one time during a drive where there should never be a delay?

Hey Mike, you are correct. It’s very disappointing to waste a timeout on the first offensive snap, without question.

From Daniel Kucera (via email):

Is Noah Igbinoghene getting any snaps with the Cowboys? Any comments about his playing time?

Hey Daniel, Noah has played in four of Dallas’ six games and played a grand total of 88 snaps, 63 of which have come on special teams. In other words, he’s a bottom-of-the-depth-chart kind of player.

From Jimmy B (via email):

Hey Alain! I'm tired of teams "going for it" on 4th downs against us. It’s obvious teams aren’t afraid of our defense on short yardage. Agree?

Hey Jimmy, the Eagles aren’t afraid of going for it on fourth down against anybody, so that’s not a good gauge. I heard what you’re saying, but I’m seeing the Dolphins run defense starting to look a lot more like the 2022 brand that was so effective.

From Chris Bustin (@ChrisBustin13):

Hey, Alain. Given how poorly we play on the road against good teams, I’ve come to the following conclusion: Our only hope of winning a playoff game is to win the AFC East so that we can host at least one playoff game in Miami. What do you think? Thanks!

Hey Chris, the other factor is it’s always easier to win at home in the playoffs. The Dolphins haven’t won a road playoff game since 1999, Dan Marino’s last year when they won at Seattle. Your point is well taken, but I also would feel very optimistic about the Dolphins winning the AFC East given Buffalo’s current struggles and bad injury situation.

From Michael Florez (@SoCalDolfinfan):

Love the Podcast with you & O, I listen daily. Keep up the great work. Do you think the timing of Liam's snaps caused the offense to struggle? It seemed at times he wasn't hiking the ball when Tua wanted it snapped, therefore causing timing issues with the offense. #AllDolphins

Hey Michael, I certainly did notice on the drive that ended with the interception because the two plays before that featured a high snap that killed the timing of a handoff to Salvon Ahmed and Tua just going down for a sack and then a bouncer that Tua was able to pick up before he quickly threw to Waddle for a short gain on a slant. I don’t recall anything else bad during the game, but those two snaps didn’t help that drive.

From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):

Hey Alain, do you think the Fins will use the current narrative that they are frauds as motivation and if we are indeed in a Super Bowl season, can you envisage one more big-time trade by Chris Grier? Keep up the great work.

Hey OGJ, thanks. I’m not a believer in this notion of players using slights as extra motivation. Going to the Super Bowl is motivation enough for any NFL player. And, yes, I do think Grier will end up making a trade before the deadline next Tuesday.

From Rephorik (@Rephorik):

What will it take for the Miami Dolphins to become a NFL darling?

That’s the easiest question of the entire mailbag: Beat a good team. Trust me, the Dolphins will be big-time media darlings if they defeat the Chiefs in Germany on Nov. 5.

From Mark Lever (@MarkFinsfan):

How much do you think of a difference Ramsey coming back will make for our defense? Is he the missing piece?

Hey Mark, Jalen Ramsey should make a very big difference for the defense if he comes back as the old Jalen Ramsey. I’m not sure I’d go as far as to say he’s THE missing piece, but his return along with those of Terron Armstead and De’Von Achane should do wonders for the Dolphins.

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