Friday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua, Tindall, End of Steelers Game, and More

Part 1 of the pre-Lions game SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From Turtle 167 (via email):

Hi Alain, Tua’s game seemed to go south against the Steelers when the bad weather reared its head. His worst performance last year, at a critical moment, was in inclement weather in Tennessee. Is it possible he’s not built (too small, hand size, arm strength) for playing in bad weather, which obviously would be a problem come December/January?

Hey Turtle, I honestly didn’t detect any passes Sunday night that appeared to be affected by the on-and-off rain. Having said that, your point is completely valid and we saw a glaring (and alarming) example of it last January in Tennessee. Tua himself said after the game that the rain gave him problems that day. And his arm strength absolutely could affect what the Dolphins can do offensively if they’re playing a cold-weather game where the wind kicks up like, say, at Buffalo in mid-December. And then, of course, it could become an issue again in the playoffs if the Dolphins are on the road. Now, there’s ways around it to an extent, but those kind of conditions would shrink the Dolphins playbook more than they would for a big-armed quarterback.

From Chris Robinson (via email):

Hey Alain, I enjoy your Dolphins coverage. Sorry, I may have missed this but any insight on why MM called a pass play with approximately 2:30 left in the game and Pittsburgh having no timeouts left? A run play would have allowed the clock to run down to the 2-minute warning and then we would have punted to take even a few more seconds off the clock.

Hey Chris, I hear what you’re saying, and your point has merit, but the bottom line is the Steelers under your scenario — and based on how the plays unfolded in the game — would have had the ball at their 13 with, say, 1:54 left and no timeouts. The idea with throwing the ball was getting a first down, which literally would have clinched the victory because the Steelers were out of timeouts. I think the 31-second difference to try to win the game right then and there was a worthwhile sacrifice. Now, the execution of the pass play was completely off, but I didn’t mind throwing for the first down there one bit.

From Art Menichini (via email):

Hi Alain, I love reading your mailbag questions and answers, Great insight! I was at the game Sunday night. All the assessments I have read definitely have merit. The part that has me concerned and no one is talking about is the last minute of the game. The Phins were at about the Steelers 46, faced with a 3-and-3. The offense could not gain 3 yards to seal the game! Come on man, 3 yards!! To seal the game!! I think it leads to bigger issues to this offense than just Tua and the speed demons.

Hey Art, first off, thanks for the kind words. The problem with that situation is the Dolphins took over at the Pittsburgh 49 with the Steelers knowing full well Miami would run on first and second down to milk the clock and force them to use their second and third timeouts. The inability to convert the third-and-3 from the Pittsburgh 42 was disappointing no doubt, in part because the play seemingly never had a chance, but I’d caution against overreacting to it. It was a bad play and it happens. I’m not convinced it's symptomatic of a bigger issue. I’m more concerned right now with the overall inconsistency of the offense rather than that one specific play.

From John (via email):

Hello Alain, appreciate your great work - you're a wonderful gift to Fins Fans. The Fins are struggling to pressure QBs. Channing Tindall has priors for doing so successfully (albeit at the collegiate level). Would it make sense to carve out a limited role for him in obvious passing situations? Bonus Question: Alice in Chains or Nirvana?

Hey John, thanks much. I don’t have extensive knowledge of either AIC’s or Nirvana’s full catalogue, so it’s a tough one for me to answer. I’ll punt on that one. As for Tindall, he’s been a popular topic in the mailbag all season, and I’ve been pretty consistent in cautioning against expecting much of a contribution from him on defense during his rookie season. Nothing that has happened has changed my mind. The truth is there was nothing that happened during training camp that suggested this was a player for whom the Dolphins needed to find a role. Maybe that changes in the second half of the season, but I still somebody who needs some time to grow.

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From Thomas Hudson (via email):

Thanks for putting the email out there for those of us who don't tweet. You mentioned in a mailbag answer that the returners just haven't had much opportunity. Does that point to a problem with blocking on special teams?

Hey Thomas, first off, thanks. I’m glad using email as a method has opened up the mailbag to more fans. Here’s the thing with the returns, which have been really bad based on numbers. I just frankly don’t recall many opportunities where the Dolphins got, say, a long but low punt, the kind that lends itself to a long return. I think that’s been an underappreciated factor. I do recall one time where I thought Jevon Holland had some room but fair-caught the ball, but I wouldn’t put the low numbers on the returners themselves. Seems to me it’s just been a combination of factors that have conspired to hurt the Dolphins punt returns. As for kickoff returns, yeah, there hasn’t been one that’s been perfectly blocked yet to allow a long return — like Devin Duvernay got against the Dolphins.

From Dixon Tam (@DixonTam):

Is Michael Dieter so far down the depth chart that he can't beat out Liam Eichenberg to get a shot at LG? Or does Miami have the most patient OL coaches in the world?

Hey Dixon, I think the Dolphins view Liam Eichenberg in a much different light than Michael Deiter, who clearly has been relegated to a backup role. I’d also say that Eichenberg actually had a pretty good game against the Steelers overall (minus the two false starts, of course). The bottom line here is that I think the Dolphins will be going with Eichenberg for a bit.

From William Varner (@LilMan1017):

Do you think we make a trade and who do you think it will be? Thank you.

Hey William, that is THE question right now, isn’t it? As we’ve seen a lot of movement around the NFL already with trades, I’m going to go ahead and make it 50-50 that the Dolphins make a move. And I think it would be for a cornerback, maybe somebody like Greedy Williams from Cleveland or Sidney Jones from Seattle — both former second-round picks.

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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. 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.