Dolphins Mailbag: Talking Quarterbacks, Field Goals, and Other Issues

Part 2 of the post-Colts game edition of the SI Fan Nation All Dolphins and, not surprisingly, most of the questions continued to have a negative undertone.

Here were go:

From Adnas (@Anase815):

Is the pressure turned up to get Deshaun Watson?

Hi Adnas, I’m not sure the “pressure” is any different than it was months ago and the issues related to a potential trade there are still the same. I do think the “pressure” certainly would go up if Tua struggles after he returns to the lineup.

From Dan Giunta (@Dan_B_Phin_Phan):

What is your ideal offensive line for the Dolphins with whom they have at this point?

Hey Dan, interesting question and I’ll preface my answer by saying I generally give coaches the benefit of the doubt when it comes to those decisions because they see all the practices and I obviously don’t. That said, I’m thinking maybe Eichenberg at LT, Kindley at LG, Deiter at C (or Reiter if Deiter is going to be out a long time), Hunt at RG, and Davis at RT.

From E-Rod (@phinfan2003):

This was one of the most embarrassing losses in quite some time. Do you think the Front Office will be held accountable if things continue to look like this the rest of the year?

Hey E, there’s no question that EVERYBODY will be held accountable if there are many more games like the one we saw Sunday. That absolutely was unacceptable.

From Joe Lopez (@mountaindewed):

I think we forget how much of this game is psychological. Do you think the defensive struggles are somewhat attributable to the players on that side of the ball feeling that regardless of what they do, the offense is hopeless?

Hey Joe, good question and good point. Yes, there’s zero question in my mind that a defense that watches the offense struggle series after series, game after game eventually will feel the strain. I saw it first-hand in 2004 when the defense actually wasn’t bad at all at the start of the season, but then simply got worn out (in every way) by the offense being so bad.

From Noah Strackbein (@NoahStrack):

Is Myles Gaskin just gonna disappoint me all fantasy season?

Hi there my friend, if you were counting on Gaskin being a big point producer, I’m afraid the answer is yes. He’s not getting the snaps right now because his blitz pick-up is an issue, but I would have told you at the start of the season he was a risky pick because Malcolm Brown was always going to get the goal-line carries.

From Mark Schoninger (@SchoningerMark):

Who would win a game between the best former Dolphins players and coaches (currently in the NFL and former Dolphins who are active free agents) and the current team?

Hey Mark, that is a very interesting question. Some of the former players who definitely would be starters on the other team would include Ryan Tannehill, Jarvis Landry, Laremy Tunsil, Billy Turner, Ted Karras, Robert Quinn, Davon Godchaux, Bobby McCain and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The head coach maybe would be Dan Campbell, with Zac Taylor as OC and Lou Anarumo as DC. So I think we might have ourselves a pretty good game and at this very moment it would be hard to pick the current Dolphins against anybody.

From Mark Heads (@Markusredhead):

How much of the aggressive nature late in games from the offence do you put down to play calling and how much to Brissett? It seems like the main difference isn't sending deep routes but Brissett giving the receivers a chance rather than just dumping short.

Hey Mark, yeah, more of it has to do with Brissett deciding there’s no choice anymore. I don’t think there’s any question he needs to be more aggressive in the early stages of the game.

From Dean G (@DeanGrames):

Who (Ross, Grier, Flores, Marino) on Dolphins wanted Herbert?

Hey Dean, the Dolphins have been like a fortress when it comes to information since the new regime took over in 2019 and I don’t think anybody outside the inner circle would have any clue who wanted which quarterback. I can tell you it was reported that there was indeed some support for taking Herbert in the 2020 draft, though who was pushing for it is unknown.

From Alvaro Aleman (alvaroaleman24):

I feel Flores is the coach but someone needs to impose him a competent offensive coordinator. Guy keeps trying to experiment and it’s clearly not working out. So what’s the deal with that. I feel some of the defensive problems arise from the offense being so bad. What do you think about that. And finally, on to our savior Deshaun Watson. If you don’t have a QB, you don’t have anything. If Watson becomes available there is no reason to not give all what they ask and more. Why would they keep the picks to get more Igbinoghenes? Just get Watson whatever the cost.

Hi Alvaro, first off, there is zero chance that anybody is going to impose an offensive coordinator on Brian Flores. It flat-out doesn’t work like that. You get to that point, the head coach usually winds up resigning instead of losing the authority to hire his own staff. I do agree with you that some of the defensive problems are caused by the offense struggling so much. There’s no way around it. And finally, Watson IS available, it’s just a matter of the Dolphins being willing to give Houston the crazy price they’re asking for him, which so far they haven’t been able to do. And it’s tricky because of Watson’s legal troubles. If there were no such issues, I’d agree with you, give Houston whatever it wants, but it’s more complicated now.

From Justin Jaynes (@jaynesj13):

It seems as though Coach Flores is not allowing our dependable field goal kicker to attempt to kick long field goals anymore and instead choosing to punt. Why?

Hi Justin, as former Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron would say, that’s an excellent question and I’m glad you asked that question. Game situations dictate the decision to kick a field goal more so than confidence in Jason Sanders because the Dolphins absolutely do have confidence in him — as they should. For example, Flores would have gone for the first down on fourth-and-2 from the 32 in overtime at Las Vegas had he not been convinced that Sanders would make the kick. I disagreed with that decision at the time and still do. But then I agreed with the decision to not attempt a 55-yard field goal when they were up 3-0 against the Colts on Sunday because I didn’t feel the Colts were threatening them in any way, shape or form at the time with their offense. And as it turned out, the Dolphins pinned the Colts at the 1, got a stop and got the ball back around midfield. Had Sanders missed a 55-yard attempt, which is no gimme, the Colts would have had the ball at their 45 and it would have given them some life when they hadn’t shown much at the time. Instead, it was the bad offside penalty on Brennan Scarlett that jump-started the Colts later in the second quarter.

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