Wednesday Dolphins Mailbag: Armstead, Cam Smith, Van Ginkel, and More

Part 2 of a massive post-Patriots game Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From mikethewreck (@mgcroteau):

How concerned should we be regarding Russell Wilson since mobile quarterbacks have given the Fins fits in the past? Who on the Broncos (Wilson? Surtain?) do we have to game-plan around? With a projected high around 87 degrees, how much does the heat weigh in to what happens then? Will other teams repeat the Patsies’ field goal stunts?

Hey Mike, Wilson is mobile but doesn’t really like to run. It’s a factor but not sure how much of a “concern.” Jerry Jeudy is a really talented wide receiver, but he’s been dealing with injuries and probably is not at 100 percent yet. Not sure anybody needs to be game-planned around, to be honest, though Surtain a really, really good. If the temperature indeed is “only” 87, that’s a win for Denver, even though it’s going to be a lot warmer on their sideline if the sun is out. And, yes, I can see other teams copying what the Pats did on the field goal block, though it’s not as simple as lining up a guy wide and telling him to get the block after motioning toward the ball at the snap.

From Condescending_Crepe (@Condesc_Crepe):

If we operate under the assumption that the Tua+McDaniel pairing continues to see success over the long term, which of the two pickups (hiring McDaniel vs drafting Tua) should be considered the more franchise-altering decision?

Man, that is one excellent question! On one hand, a franchise player always should come before a great coach, but McDaniel also deserves a lot of credit for unleashing Tua’s full potential. And then the question is whether McDaniel could do this with another quarterback because Tua obviously had the ability in the first place. Bottom line, I think it’s a close call and can I make it, say, 60-40 for Tua?

THE MISSED CALL

From DOLFANROCK76 (@dh0776):

How much do you think Bilicheat paid officials to ignore penalty plays like the one Collinsworth brought to the attention of the national audience last night where Hunter Henry engaged in an illegal block and then proceeded to catch a TD after said block? The TD should have been negated & 5 yds moved back.

Oh boy, it’s all about perspective, right? The folks in New England would tell you they got screwed by the review that overturned Cole Strange’s first down at the end of the game. And I also could mention Brandon Jones getting away with a block in the back on Braxton Berrios’ punt return right before the long Mostert touchdown (rewatch the play if you don’t believe me). My point the “Bilicheat” thing is tired, officials miss calls all the time, and there’s no conspiracy for any team/coach or against any team/coach.

From Jerry (@UFGatorJer):

How can the REFS missed that illegal formation call on the Patriots TD? (Collinsworth implied and diagrammed how obvious it was with the WR blocking more than 1 YD downfield).

Hey Jerry, it actually was tight end Hunter Henry who was blocking downfield before he turned around, moved to the end zone and caught a touchdown pass. But as to your point of the refs missing the call, there’s no great conspiracy against the Dolphins, refs unfortunately miss calls all the time and pretty much every team benefits or suffers from one of those missed calls every game or thereabouts.

From Chris Huber (@chrishuber14):

After the first 2 games it seems last year’s delay-of-game penalties issue has been fixed. What has helped this turnaround? Better understanding of offense by QB1, plays relayed faster… Thoughts?

Hey Chris, how about all of the above? The whole operation has been functioning very smoothly so far this season, starting with the play-calling coming in quicker, no issues with guys motioning when they shouldn’t be or vice versa, and even Tua seeing what the defense might be doing quicker. It’s kind of a natural progression after the issues of last season and, though it’s early, so far so good.

From Marco A. Briceño (@marco09190):

With the injury to Salvon Ahmed, does Myles Gaskin get a call?

Hey Marco, afraid not. Gaskin is on the Minnesota Vikings 53-man roster, so the only way to get him would be to trade for him and that’s not happening.

TERRON ARMSTEAD AND THE DOLPHINS OFENSIVE LINE

From S M D (@asnf6193):

Do they keep the OL the same even if Terron is healthy? Continuity should only help this line getting better.

All due respect to Kendall Lamm, who has played very well so far, Terron Armstead is a four-time Pro Bowl tackle who needs to be in the lineup the second he’s ready to go without risk of aggravating his injury (or injuries).

From Mikebest (@MBest17):

Would you trade Armstead? Lamm is playing great and it would save money on the cap and maybe give us another weapon like Jonathon Taylor? Armstead is always hurt most of the time.

Hey Mike, here’s the thing with your premise, if you want to trade Armstead because of his injury issues, why would another team give the Dolphins great compensation since those some injury issues aren’t going away with a move to another team? This is just not realistic.

From FZB (@fzb3346):

This year’s O-line play has been a pleasant surprise; what does your crystal ball tell you for next year, assuming they can’t keep everyone? Me, I think they should re-sign Hunt and Jackson. Would you try to keep C Williams too?

Hmm, interesting question and I can only address it under the assumption the rest of the season plays out as the first two games did. I have maintained all along that I personally would make sure to re-sign Hunt first, followed by Williams and then Jackson. I’m not sure how feasible it’s going to be to re-sign all three if they perform well throughout 2023.

From T.J. 2.0 (@T2theJ561):

Is this O-line without Armstead good? Or is it going to be figured out at some point?

The O-line absolutely has been good so far this season, with the understanding there are factors elsewhere on offense that help it tremendously, namely Tua’s ability to make quick decisions and get rid of the ball quickly and the Hill-Waddle speed factor that creates more space underneath than most offenses enjoy.

From Brett Campbell (@newbreed_1990):

After 2 weeks, what’s one thing you are surprised about (good or bad) for the offense and defense? For myself OL development, & front 7 is average… IMO due to inconsistent LB play. Don’t feel Baker enough.

Hey Brett, it’s awfully early to make these kind of conclusions, but since you ask, but maybe the biggest surprise on offense is how much tight end Durham Smythe has been used and on defense it’s the impact Andrew Van Ginkel has made but more so the amount of playing time he’s gotten.

From Rob Rodriguez (@robrod07):

How concerned are you on a scale of 1 to 10 about Special Teams play?

Hey Rob, I don’t think the blocked field goal against the Patriots is cause for season-long concern, though I am bothered by Jason Sanders still struggling to recapture his 2020 form. I think the return game is in good hands with Braxton Berrios, Jake Bailey was very good against New England, and there haven’t been long returns given up. So overall, I’d say my level concern is pretty low.

From Prince-Bishop Militantly Aardvark #FPBE #Resist (@MilitantlyA):

What do you find most encouraging so far in Mike McDaniel’s play-calling?

Hey PBMA, the answer is yes. Everything about McDaniel’s play-calling is positive. He’s borderline brilliant at it. It’s not “encouraging,” it’s great.

From Buffalo Dolfan Drew (via email):

Different day, same concern. Connor Williams’ snap deficiencies almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory again. While Connor apologists might say the fumbled exchange between him & Tua wasn’t his fault (i disagree, but…), the shotgun snap he almost sailed over Tua’s head? Inexcusable. As Collinsworth said on the broadcast, if Tua & (mostly) Mostert hadn’t salvaged that play, it could have been a death blow…and the other one nearly was! This may sound like harping, but the margin of victory Sunday night was too small to let potential disasters like this go unaddressed. And now i yield the floor so you can disagree with me again.

Hey BDD, how about I partially agree with you? Yes, the exchanges are a problem, and the on on the late third-and-1 looked to me to be more on Williams than Tua (as opposed to the one at L.A., which looked to me to be more on Tua). The high shotgun snap could have been bad, but it wasn’t because Tua had a quick reaction and saved it. And that was in contrast to the Chargers game when I thought he could have handled the knee-high shotgun snap. All that said, what’s the solution here considering the Dolphins feel they have their five best linemen in the lineup (minus Armstead, of course). Would the Dolphins really be better with Williams at left guard and Liam Eichenberg at center … (and that’s assuming there wouldn’t be snap issues with Eichenberg)? I say it’s too early to do anything drastic there and, besides, the Dolphins are 2-0, not 0-2.

ADDRESSING TUA TAGOVAILOA'S CONTRACT

From Jason Carrier (@realJayCarrier):

How long before Miami has to get Tua his bag and sign him long term? I know we’re in season but this needs to be addressed ASAP, right???

Hey Jason, no, it does not need to be addressed ASAP, nor would I expect it to be. What’s the one lingering issue to be settled before the Dolphins give Tua a big-money extension? It’s finishing a season, both in terms of staying healthy and in terms of having December success (his Dec/Jan career passer rating is 81.4 compared to his overall rating of 95.5). GM Chris Grier indicated a couple of weeks back there would be no contract talks until after the season and it makes perfect sense.

From Brice (@BricefromLA):

Biggest surprise player or position group from what you saw in camp?

Biggest surprise player is Durham Smythe, who I knew would get a bigger role but nothing to this extent. For position group, I expect the defensive line to be more dominant than what we’ve seen so far.

From Angelo Ray (@angelogriego):

On the interception, do you think a bigger receiver like Chosen comes up with that jump ball? I saw so many “underthrows” by other QBs this weekend that went for completions because the bigger receiver won; do you think that’s one way this offense can evolve?

Hey Angelo, no, this was about taking a shot with a deep ball, but one that was severely underthrown and allowed the CB to come back and make the play. It’s a totally different concept to throw a jump ball down the field with a high-pointing wide receiver, the way the Dolphins used to do with Ryan Fitzpatrick and DeVante Parker/Mike Gesicki in 2019/2020. The Dolphins don’t really have a jump-ball receiver on the roster (maybe Ezukanma), but they don’t need one with all the speed they have. Had that pass to Hill been thrown earlier or farther, it would have been a long completion and maybe a touchdown.

From Geoffrey (@Geoffre1641181):

Hi Alain, thanks for your work! If Waddle can't go vs Denver, who steps in as WR2? Also after Eli Apple's poor tackling display, is it time to give Cam Smith more reps?

Hey Geoffrey, I think this could be a case where Robbie Chosen gets elevated from the practice squad to provide the outside speed threat and Berrios, Cracraft and Smythe remain in their specific roles. As for Smith, he’s not getting into the lineup until Fangio really trusts him and getting beat by the double move in the preseason finale against Jacksonville really didn’t help.

How do you see Fangio using Van Ginkel going forward once JP15 returns? More rotations? JP/Chubb sliding inside more often on passing downs?

From Hulafins83 (@JoeFins83):

How do you see Fangio using Van Ginkel going forward once JP15 returns? More rotations? JP/Chubb sliding inside more often on passing downs?

Hey Joe, I actually think Van Ginkel fills in here and there, whether it be on the edge or inside linebacker, but I don’t believe Chubb or Phillips move inside to accommodate him.

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