Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Chubb, Gesicki, Tua, and More

Part 1 of a pre-Patriots game All Dolphins mailbag:

From 242 Phin Fan 772 (@knolidad):

What do you think BB will try to focus on and eliminate and in turn what do you expect MM to do to counter BB anticipated move? Anytime you play the Pats it’s a chess game, is there a “wildcat” scheme McDaniel can bring? If so, what?

Logic says that BB (Bill Belichick) will try to do everything he can to make sure that Tyreek Hill doesn’t go off the way he did against the Chargers, which is easier said than done. Certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Patriots bracket Hill with two defenders, in which case McDaniel might counter with deep shots to Jaylen Waddle or focusing on the middle of the field with Durham Smythe and/or Braxton Berrios. Or maybe the Dolphins give New England a heavy dose of running plays to force them to bring their safeties up.

From Chris Roney (@ChrisRoney0):

I can see Bill Belichick scheming to take away the big throws downfield and force Miami to be patient and dink and dunk. Will McDaniel be able to take what's given or will he press the issue?

Hey Chris, it’s not so much on McDaniel to not get greedy offensively as much as it is on Tua to settle for the shorter throw if a deep pass is called but well covered. And then it’s on McDaniel to keep reinforcing to Tua that it’s OK to move the ball down the field methodically.

From Rico’s RoughRiders (@TheFin22):

I foresee more loading the box against Mac Jones. Even though his stats looked good against the Eagles, Dolphins would be more comfortable containing the run and forcing Mac to beat them.

Not sure there’s a question in there, but I absolutely agree with the premise of making the Patriots beat them over the top despite not having burners in their receiving corps.

From Jabari Morris (@jabmorris):

Do you think Vic commits to a heavy box this game on D?

Hey Jabari, that would go against Vic Fangio's tendencies as a defensive coordinator based on his history, but if ever there was a time to do this, this might be that time.

From I’m New Here (@gabecruzado):

Will we see more of a commitment to the run game beyond the first quarter? I’m cool with Tua throw darts again, though.

Hey Gabe, it’s all about the bottom line, isn’t it? McDaniel isn’t going to run the ball for the sake of running the ball, especially if the passing game is working. All things being equal, sure, McDaniel would love running the ball, but it will always depend on the game circumstances.

From Ryan Bell (@RyanBellNavyVet):

Tua is 4-0 Vs BB and Pats, I believe. Any QB with more than 4 games have a better % against NE?

Hey Ryan, Tua indeed has a 4-0 record as a starting quarterback against the Patriots and that’s 100 percent, which means that nobody can have a higher winning percentage than that. But I’m guessing you knew that already. I don’t know if anybody else has more wins without a loss against Belichick. But I will point out, once again, that making too big a deal about this is silly because, last I checked, football was a team game and Tua wasn’t responsible for any of these four wins the way he was for, say, the win against the Chargers last week. If you looked at those four “Tua wins” against the Patriots, you’d realize or see that the Dolphins rushed for 250 yards in the first (22-12 in 2020), Xavien Howard saved the day with a late fumble recovery in the second (17-16 in 2021), the Dolphins rushed for 195 yards and got two defensive touchdowns in the third (33-24 in 2021) and the defense forced three turnovers and scored a defensive touchdowns in the fourth (20-7 in 2022). Again, because apparently it needs to be repeated, football is a team game and the Dolphins won those games — not just Tua. And by contrast, Jalen Hurts arguably was the best player in the last Super Bowl but he was 0-1 as QB in that game because the Eagles.

From Brian Dougherty (@BrianBoru619):

Is this the game where Chubb finally shows his ability to get sacks?

Hey Brian, it better be, right? Considering that Patriots left Trent Brown is a question mark for the game. Chubb pretty much was a non-factor against the Chargers, though he did go against one of the best left tackles in the NFL in Rashawn Slater. Even then, it was disappointing he couldn’t do anything against him. There will be no such excuses against Brown.

From Chris…Grier fan account (@cgc5783):

I get Gesicki telegraphing the O, but didn't BB game-plan against him more than anyone else...then signed him? What could Bill have up his sleeve there?

Maybe Belichick is fine with defenses knowing it’s probably a passing situation when Gesicki is in the game, which it probably is anyway if it’s second-and-long or third-and-long. I personally thought that angle of it was a tad overblown. If you’re comfortable with using Gesicki as an oversized slot receiver, then he can be productive for most offenses.

From Cappy the Penguin (@CappyPenguin):

How do we keep the Pats run game from putting up 250 yards?

There are several answers here, including getting an early lead that makes New England abandon the run game early, which is what happened to the Patriots in Week 1 against the Eagles. You also can bring safeties closer to the line of scrimmage and dare Mac Jones to beat you over the top with a group of slower-than-average wide receivers. And, finally, you can just have better performances from the big guys up front and the linebackers behind them.

From Jason Fisher (@ragas13):

Why aren't we bringing in Robbie Gould and kicking the tires? He made clutch kicks all the time. I have zero faith in Sanders.

Hey Jason, I get the frustration with Jason Sanders, but understand it would take a lot for the Dolphins to move on from him given he’s got $2.4 million in guaranteed salary in 2023. Also don’t forget he came through in the clutch last season with that 50-yard field goal against the Jets to put the Dolphins in the playoffs.

From Brock (@TheBigFella94):

Based off all the new motion the dolphins showed in game 1…how do you expect Bill to counter Miami’s pre-snap stuff?

Hey Brock, I don’t know exactly how you counter pre-snap motion because it’s not like you can reach across the line of scrimmage and stop the Dolphins from doing that and it’s not like you can hide the fact you’re playing man coverage if a defender follows the man in motion. So maybe you line up defenders close to the line and have somebody blitz through the area vacated by the man in motion. One thing for sure, Belichick probably has spent a lot of time on this subject.

From Roman Stadlbauer (@BSTKings):

Why is Tua throwing with his left, although he is doing all other things with his right hand?

Hey Roman, Tua was asked that very question at the 2020 combine and this was his answer: “My dad was the only lefty in our family and he wanted me to be a lefty as well so he switched the way I threw. I didn’t touch the ball with my right as far as throwing, just threw with my left. I don’t think I would be here if I was a righty.”

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