Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Left guard, Armstead, Fangio, and More

Part 2 of the pre-Patriots game All Dolphins mailbag:

From David Craig (@DavidCr78444219):

Due to the sieve on the left side of the line…Thoughts on Connor at LG, Liam at C until reinforcements arrive?

Hey David, I reject the “sieve” comment. And I’m not moving Williams to left guard when center is clearly a much more important position on the offensive line. Why don’t we wait and give Lester Cotton a couple of games because we indict him?

From Thomas Hudson (via email):

Thanks as always for doing these, even when people who can't see straight like me chime in. I have two questions after the last game. First, you stated pretty strongly that Mostert was not interfered with. I wonder if you could explain the rationale for that statement. I am looking at a still of the moment when Slay is catching the ball and Mostert has a hand in there. He does not have two hands in there because the other defender is pulling on his left arm. I don't see how you can argue that the defender who was actually defending Mostert did not interfere with his ability to make an attempt on the ball. Second, Is Miami's offense too complex? It does wonderful things when it is running well. But every time a lineman gets hurt in the middle of the game we are told afterwards that he struggled because he didn't get a full week of practice as the backup. And the Dolphins lose in loud environments because they can't communicate well enough to run the offense. I write software, and one of the things you always do is make sure it is robust enough to keep working when things go wrong. Is that the next step McDaniel needs to take as a coach, learning how to make his offense better able to stand up to less than ideal situations?

Hey Thomas, you ask excellent questions. First, there was some contact from linebacker Zach Cunningham with Mostert, but it didn’t come close in my eyes to rising to the level where DPI would be called. The still photos made that play look a lot worse than it actually was. And, as my test to Dolphins fans, just reverse the teams and tell me honestly what your reaction would have been had a flag been thrown. As for adjusting for road environments, there’s some merit to what you say, but it’s not like the Dolphins haven’t been able to move the ball — let’s not forget they scored a touchdown on their first two drives at Buffalo, so the hostile environment wasn’t too much to overcome there. Bottom line is it always comes down to execution.

From DolphFan (via email):

Is Terron Armstead the biggest waste of FINS money the past few decades? When is he going to play? We could have bought two Kendall Lamms!

Easy answer is no. I think you’ll see Armstead back in the lineup sooner than you think. He’s eligible to return to the lineup next week. And as well as Kendall Lamm has played in his absence, Armstead is a top 5 left tackle in the NFL.

DOLPHINS COACHING COMMENTS

From Justin Benrube (via email):

Big fan of yours as you stay unbiased. You have stated many times that the Dolphins are a finesse team. Is it their players, play calling, motions, gadget plays, system Tua has been put in?? What changes need to be made to the Dolphins this year in order to beat the more physical like teams of San Francisco, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Baltimore, Kansas City teams??

Hey Justin, thanks. The Dolphins offense has been built around speed, motion and Tua’s precision passing, all of which are about finesse more than power. The Dolphins won’t be able to snap their fingers and become a power team, but if they execute at a high level offensively, they can win that way. It does, however, reduce the margin for error IMO.

From Coach T (@TatoBIG305Sprts):

Will Fangio’s stubbornness or hesitance to adapt hurt the Dolphins in December and January?

Hey Coach, way too early to make this statement, particularly since Fangio already has shown some adjustments, such as more blitzing the last few weeks. Let’s also wait until they had Jalen Ramsey back in the lineup before we make a full assessment of what Fangio will do.

From Mike Marchese (@fin1fan):

Can we sign Suh?

Hey Mike, the bigger question is, why would the Dolphins want to do that? Suh is a very good player, but he’s not necessarily a great locker room guy and there’s a reason no team has signed him yet.

From Tommy in Hialeah (@Dolphinfan201):

Why, with the lack of effectiveness from TEs attempting to block, don’t they just put in another lineman to do that job? They probably have to report to the ref. But at least you have a big body!

Hey Tommy, the blocking from the tight ends actually has been very good for most of the season. If you want to isolate what happened against the Eagles last Sunday, sure, it wasn’t ideal. But, no, bringing an extra lineman doesn’t work because, for one thing, you’re kind of telegraphing the play (though it would make sense for a short-yardage play).

JEFF WILSON AND THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

From Dave (@angryvet59):

Do we see some Jeff Wilson runs this week on those short-yardage plays or more shotgun short passes ? Also, if Miami gets a comfortable lead, does McDaniel pull starters a little earlier in anticipation of K.C. game?

Hey Dave, yes, I think Wilson will get some touches on offense this week and McDaniel said as much Friday. As for the second part, McDaniel will not in any way, shape or form coach any differently because they face the Chiefs the following Sunday. If McDaniel pulls the starters against New England, it will be strictly because the game is completely in control and there’s no reason to expose key players to injuries.

From Darren Fullerton (@fullertondj):

Looking at the Dolphins’ opening seven games, has there been a surprise positive (individual or collective) from those performances that you didn’t foresee a couple of months back during camp?

Hey Darren, that’s an interesting question. I’d say I certainly didn’t see De’Von Achane being quite this ridiculous (partly because we couldn’t see that explosiveness under training camp circumstances). That’s the one thing that stands out.

From dolphins stan (@georgesburn3r):

If you were Mr. Kraft, how much longer would you think Belichick has?

Hey Stan, man, that’s outside my pay grade (as the saying goes). I think it depends on how the rest of the season plays out. But if the Patriots crash to something like 5-12 or 4-13, the end might come for Belichick in New England.

From Richard Radgoski (@rraadgoski):

How was Belichick able to stymie our pass offense last time and how do we respond this time?

Hey Richard, what the Patriots did in Week 2 was keep everything in front of them, use three safeties and make sure they tackled well to avoid yards after the catch. The way to beat that, if the Patriots are going to use the same approach, is to remain patient with the short passing game (including screens) and hopefully do more damage with the running game.

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