Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Achane, Ahmed, Achilles, and More

Part 3 of the pre-Carolina game All Dolphins mailbag:

From Me (@3KidsareaBlessi):

Why were they using Devon to run out the clock when they were up by 15 in the fourth quarter. Wouldn’t a better coach decision made that injury avoidable. (And yes. Injuries are unavoidable but at Devon’s size it made no sense). Thanks for the podcast. Love it!

Hey Me, the play where it absolutely looks like Achane was injured started with 13:28 left in the fourth quarter. Even though the Dolphins were up by 18 at that point, that’s nowhere near garbage time. So, no, Achane did not get injured because of a dubious coaching decision.

From Common Reader (@SnacksService1):

When are we going to see the "heavy" backfield with Brooks and Ingold in short-yardage situations? Or are the Dolphins convinced that shotgun will eventually work?

I mean, they can go super heavy with Brooks, Ingold, Smythe and maybe even Julian Hill if they wanted, and I do expect that formation to be used at some point. But Mike McDaniel does love having Tua in the shotgun on third-and-short, that’s a fact.

From ScD (@dmoney29):

How do we expect the linebacker rotation to look Sunday? Any changes?

Any player usage ends up being a surprise because it’s not like Frank Smith or Vic Fangio ever share their plans. Based on the play last week, the only change I’d expect at linebacker is if Jaelan Phillips is back in the lineup because that would mean more snaps inside for Andrew Van Ginkel, who simply has played too well not to make full use of.

From Miami mark (@MarkWrdlaw97):

Loving the great and free content! Do you think Chris Brooks and Ahmed will get pretty good workloads on Sunday? Could be a good game to get them some touches. Also got a nickname for you to pitch for this high-octane offense if you like it- Hydro Thunder!

Hey Mark, your nickname submission has been entered into the discussion. Yeah, I would expect a decent amount of snaps for Salvon Ahmed because Jeff Wilson Jr. wasn't activated off IR on Saturday, though Raheem Mostert still should get the majority of those.

From Cliffy Mac (@mclifford36):

Referring to the bottom-tier teams who may be sellers at the deadline, are there any specific players you would be interested in trading for?

Hey Cliffy, we have to start here by understanding the Dolphins have very little cap space with which to operate, so I’d caution everybody against expected a significant trade. Among the bottom-tier teams that could be sellers obviously is Denver, but they’ll be looking to dump older, high-salaried players. Maybe Carolina wants to dump OLB Brian Burns, but he’s very pricey and the Dolphins acquired a big-money OLB last year with Bradley Chubb. So, nothing at the moment jumps out.

From Mike Mangaras (@mangaras_mike):

Hey Alain, how’s my pessimistic buddy doing my questions ,in all my years of watching football (at least 50),I’ve never seen so many Achilles injuries, why you think these are happening? And do you think McDaniel is resting players for Dec-Jan; basketball does it?

Hey Mike, my annoying buddy with the snarky remarks every time you reach out, I’m not a doctor, so I really couldn’t tell you why Achilles injuries seem to be happening more frequently. Maybe players are bigger and stronger, and that puts more stress on the tendon? Not sure. As for McDaniel and resting players, no, this is not an NBA-style “load management” situation. But McDaniel knows he’s got a contender on his hands, so he’ll be very careful not to bring anybody back too soon and then wind up losing them for the long term.

From Jeff (via email):

Hey Alain, I heard it from another media outlet a year or so ago talking about fan bases and allegedly the Dolphins have a "bit of a reputation" for certain behaviors and being very negative on a whim. That being said, we all had concerns about OL because of.... LT, LG, and RT going into the offseason. We all are pretty fine with just letting Austin Jackson go about his day and there's generally support around him. I think we're also pretty excited how well the LT position has been so far. I think we all (and he) would say there's room for improvement with Liam. McDaniel himself, as a coach, always tries to improve every single day. That is the heart and soul of his coaching style from his perspective, mentioned in a recent sitdown interview. Connor has some responsibility in the pick last week for getting pushed back in the same way that Liam was the week prior. Can we all just take a break from the hateful comments, have a respectful discussion, and support the guy playing on the field?

Jeff, here’s the way I look at it, had I told any Dolphins fan before the season started that the biggest issue with the line through five games would be that maybe Liam Eichenberg isn’t great as a backup center, pretty sure everybody would have signed for that — and gladly.

From Jose Jarero (@jjarero):

Hi Alain. Is Chase Claypool our Debo Samuel? I haven't heard any comparison but it's scheme fit IMO

From Brandon Quinn (via email):
Do you think Claypool was brought in to fill EzE’s Deebo role? Can’t have a guy with neck issues running into D-linemen regularly.

Hey Jose, hmm, it's an interesting thought. While I'm not sure Claypool was brought in specifically for that purpose because this was just an opportunity to add a talented player at a very cheap price, there could be merit to what you guys are saying with Claypool potentially getting that Deebo-like role. But also understand there's only one Deebo.

From Brent (via email):

Hey Alain, thanks for all the great work. I love reading your stuff. I know you've said that the Dolphins didn't have an inordinate amount of injuries (compared to the rest of the league) last year, but it sure seems like a lot of players have gone down over the last couple of seasons. Could a shake-up in the training staff help this?

Hey Brent, I'm going to give you the same line I gave you last year, that the Dolphins haven't had an inordinate amount of injuries relative to other teams. And the Dolphins are devoted to sports science as much as any other organization, so I don't think there's an issue there, to be quite honest.

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