I REALLY like this team

Tua is making chicken salad out of chicken ****. We had no business making that a game after being down 30-10 against the best team in the NFL, plagued by injuries/COVID, and bereft of talent on offense--yet he drove us down the field with poise, accuracy, and leadership for 17 4th-quarter points to give our team a chance at the end. I feel bad that he didn't get the help he deserves, but the future is bright with him, Flo', and this defense.

Get him some weapons and watch the sparks fly.

I only have a couple of points:

1. Tua is the real deal and I couldn't be happier. The ball comes out quick and there were only a few bad passes today. Assuming the O-line gets better over the off-season, I think he's going to show out next year.

2. We lost because of injuries more than anything. I believe the loss of Van Noy was huge today. I'd submit that we would have won had we had Gaskin or Ahmed. Starting a fourth string RB against the best team in the league is tough. Forget the fact that Preston Williams would been greatly beneficial today. Losing players makes you lose dynamism and it's encouraging that we played as well as we did with the players who were available.

3. I think that with a year of development and a real training camp, our rookies are going to truly blow up next season. If we can add a true vertical threat on the edge, things will truly change. And watch out if we can get a running back capable of getting chunks on a consistent basis.

"thetylernator wrote:

Tua is making chicken salad out of chicken ****. We had no business making that a game after being down 30-10 against the best team in the NFL, plagued by injuries/COVID, and bereft of talent on offense--yet he drove us down the field with poise, accuracy, and leadership for 17 4th-quarter points to give our team a chance at the end. I feel bad that he didn't get the help he deserves, but the future is bright with him, Flo', and this defense.

Get him some weapons and watch the sparks fly.

Take that Gary Stevens! It can be done.

Going to need to improve the offense just a tremendous, tremendous amount to be competitive with the Chiefs for a Super Bowl during the Mahomes era.

Consider that the Chiefs won on the losing end of a 4-1 turnover margin. Dating back to 2018, there have been 81 regular season games with a turnover margin of 3. The team on the winning end of that +3 turnover margin has won 72 of them -- 89%.

The Chiefs had a mere 11% chance of winning that game today on the basis of turnover margin, and they did anyway.

How did they do that? Obviously with offense. They averaged 7.3 yards per play to the Dolphins' 4.8. They averaged 11.6 yards per pass (which is astronomical) to the Dolphins' 6.4 (which is below average).

So this team is going to need to amass a great deal more talent on offense -- as well as more on defense -- to be able to come out of the AFC and play in the Super Bowl. They're going to need to move the ball better and contain Mahomes and company better, because they won't enjoy a 4-1 turnover margin every time they play this team.

"mlb1399 wrote:

Tough loss but there were so many positives.

In FLO I trust. He'll run across the field if you mess with his players. He's got WR's and RB's that no one has heard of besides their moms playing solid football. This team fought until the bitter end. Previous teams would have packed it in when we were down big. That's a sign of good coaching.

The X Factor. Patrick Surtain might have something to say about best Dolphins CB ever but no one has been better at taking it away. Hated the facemask towards the end but man he's a baller.

This defense is legit. They only gave up 24 points against a team that scores 31 a game. All the while our offense couldnt doing anything. They forced 4 turn overs against a team that just doesnt do that.

Every week we see a new player step up. Last week it was Van Noy. This week it was Baker.

Give Tua some weapons. I've been hard on him this season but I really liked what i've seen the last couple of weeks. He still makes some mistakes but he is progressing.

I hope that Gesicki is ok because he has really turned a corner. He's a legitimate playmaker to build around.

This draft class might be the best one ever. It's still early but we have so many guys playing and contributing.

I really think this offseason will be about trying to get our offense to catch up to our defense or at least not be a liability. We need a dependable #1 WR. We need a starting RB. I think our OL will get better with experience.

Our fanbase has been through so much but that future is looking bright. It might even be bright this year. #finup

Another 3dwn LB would be nice and maybe a Safety + another pass rusher wouldn’t hurt. Can’t wait for next season.

Love the defense. They did what they could but Mahomes is able to see even a slight mistake. 9 points wasn’t on them.

Tua under a lot of pressure all day. Had a decent game and the offense never gave it. Even though it felt like the game was out of reach they fought back with the ultimate next man up.

I didn’t think we were into our progression as a team to take down KC right now but you can see the team playing for Flores.

Moving on the the Patriots. Beat those F’ers next week please.

Football comes down to the smallest things. The missed field goal and the safety were the most significant plays in today's game. Those 5 points were huge. I knew they were going to cost us in the end.

"mlb1399 wrote:

Tough loss but there were so many positives.

In FLO I trust. He'll run across the field if you mess with his players. He's got WR's and RB's that no one has heard of besides their moms playing solid football. This team fought until the bitter end. Previous teams would have packed it in when we were down big. That's a sign of good coaching.

The X Factor. Patrick Surtain might have something to say about best Dolphins CB ever but no one has been better at taking it away. Hated the facemask towards the end but man he's a baller.

This defense is legit. They only gave up 24 points against a team that scores 31 a game. All the while our offense couldnt doing anything. They forced 4 turn overs against a team that just doesnt do that.

Every week we see a new player step up. Last week it was Van Noy. This week it was Baker.

Give Tua some weapons. I've been hard on him this season but I really liked what i've seen the last couple of weeks. He still makes some mistakes but he is progressing.

I hope that Gesicki is ok because he has really turned a corner. He's a legitimate playmaker to build around.

This draft class might be the best one ever. It's still early but we have so many guys playing and contributing.

I really think this offseason will be about trying to get our offense to catch up to our defense or at least not be a liability. We need a dependable #1 WR. We need a starting RB. I think our OL will get better with experience.

Our fanbase has been through so much but that future is looking bright. It might even be bright this year. #finup

An OLine that contains three rookies and can protect a rookie QB as well as it does is very impressive, especially as one of its starters, Ereck Flowers, was missing.

The contract we gave to Byron Jones looks like money well spent. He and the X-man have formed a brilliant CB tandem and with a supporting cast that includes Bobby McCain and Nik Needham, the secondary must be one of the best out there.

The linebackers, while not outstanding, are very solid and come up with big plays every week Kyle van Noy, Andrew van Ginkel and Jerome Baker have all been excellent.

I love the DLinen Christian Wilkins is possibly my favourite current Dolphin. He always seems like he’s having fun out on the field. Emmanuel Ogbah, Shaq Lawson and Zack Sieler have all made an impression on me. And many opponents too!

With so many receivers and RBS out, the TEs are taking on a heavy load at the moment. Mike Gesicki, Adam Shaheen and Durham Smythe are all coming up with big plays. Some of their catches have been phenomenal.

I’m really optimistic about the future of this franchise. Some had grave doubts about Brian Flores and Chris Grier, but they are proving the doubters wrong. This is still a very young football team, and it is clearly improving week by week.

I know we’re still a way off the standards set by Pittsburg and Kansas City, but if we can continue to improve like we have over the course of the season, we could soon be challenging them.

The defense has been the biggest surprised to me. First couple of games it looked like Boyer was in way over his head. Now though? My gosh this defense is special. The problem though is they put us in a position to dominate this game today and we didn't because our offense is so incompetent and inconsistent for long stretches. We just lack talent on that side of the ball.

This team though is going to be special I think once Flores and Greir take this offseason to build the offense around Tua like they built the defense last year along with the OL. Tua is starting to show flashes; he's still getting caught/confused quite a bit; but he's only played 6 games. Put some playmakers around him and look out. We're going to be making some real noise sooner rather than later.

The job that Flores and Greir have done so far though is nothing short of incredible. They tore this thing down to the ground, and have already built us to a playoff contender in the span of less than two seasons. That's impressive and encouraging.

"Phil Hutchings wrote:

An OLine that contains three rookies and can protect a rookie QB as well as it does is very impressive, especially as one of its starters, Ereck Flowers, was missing.

The contract we gave to Byron Jones looks like money well spent. He and the X-man have formed a brilliant CB tandem and with a supporting cast that includes Bobby McCain and Nik Needham, the secondary must be one of the best out there.

The linebackers, while not outstanding, are very solid and come up with big plays every week Kyle van Noy, Andrew van Ginkel and Jerome Baker have all been excellent.

I love the DLinen Christian Wilkins is possibly my favourite current Dolphin. He always seems like he’s having fun out on the field. Emmanuel Ogbah, Shaq Lawson and Zack Sieler have all made an impression on me. And many opponents too!

With so many receivers and RBS out, the TEs are taking on a heavy load at the moment. Mike Gesicki, Adam Shaheen and Durham Smythe are all coming up with big plays. Some of their catches have been phenomenal.

I’m really optimistic about the future of this franchise. Some had grave doubts about Brian Flores and Chris Grier, but they are proving the doubters wrong. This is still a very young football team, and it is clearly improving week by week.

I know we’re still a way off the standards set by Pittsburg and Kansas City, but if we can continue to improve like we have over the course of the season, we could soon be challenging them.

Crazy to think that this roster was gutted last season. In FLO I trust.

When’s the last time we had this much love for a coach???

"Phil Hutchings wrote:

An OLine that contains three rookies and can protect a rookie QB as well as it does is very impressive, especially as one of its starters, Ereck Flowers, was missing.

The contract we gave to Byron Jones looks like money well spent. He and the X-man have formed a brilliant CB tandem and with a supporting cast that includes Bobby McCain and Nik Needham, the secondary must be one of the best out there.

The linebackers, while not outstanding, are very solid and come up with big plays every week Kyle van Noy, Andrew van Ginkel and Jerome Baker have all been excellent.

I love the DLinen Christian Wilkins is possibly my favourite current Dolphin. He always seems like he’s having fun out on the field. Emmanuel Ogbah, Shaq Lawson and Zack Sieler have all made an impression on me. And many opponents too!

With so many receivers and RBS out, the TEs are taking on a heavy load at the moment. Mike Gesicki, Adam Shaheen and Durham Smythe are all coming up with big plays. Some of their catches have been phenomenal.

I’m really optimistic about the future of this franchise. Some had grave doubts about Brian Flores and Chris Grier, but they are proving the doubters wrong. This is still a very young football team, and it is clearly improving week by week.

I know we’re still a way off the standards set by Pittsburg and Kansas City, but if we can continue to improve like we have over the course of the season, we could soon be challenging them.

I'm pretty sure I was the biggest doubter here when it came to Flores/Grier (mainly Grier and his promise of "perennial playoff contender"), but so far Flores has 100% proven me wrong and Grier does have us on the right path. What Flores has done in two seasons, basically with two completely different rookie squads, is nothing short of a miracle and he absolutely deserves coach of the year.

I'm still reserving judgement on Grier but darn, it's hard to see next year's squad going south without really botching the draft. As long as we grab a couple stud WR's and a stud RB early on (Etienne is a MUST HAVE for me), this is going to be a powerhouse team.

"brandon27 wrote:

The defense has been the biggest surprised to me. First couple of games it looked like Boyer was in way over his head. Now though? My gosh this defense is special. The problem though is they put us in a position to dominate this game today and we didn't because our offense is so incompetent and inconsistent for long stretches. We just lack talent on that side of the ball.

This team though is going to be special I think once Flores and Greir take this offseason to build the offense around Tua like they built the defense last year along with the OL. Tua is starting to show flashes; he's still getting caught/confused quite a bit; but he's only played 6 games. Put some playmakers around him and look out. We're going to be making some real noise sooner rather than later.

The job that Flores and Greir have done so far though is nothing short of incredible. They tore this thing down to the ground, and have already built us to a playoff contender in the span of less than two seasons. That's impressive and encouraging.

As Jim Nantz pointed out in the commentary, tonight was like Tua's second game, considering he had no preseason.

I noticed that he has already got a lot smarter when he has to throw the ball away; he didn’t make the same mistakes against the Chiefs that we saw him make in previous ones.

"KeyFin wrote:

I'm pretty sure I was the biggest doubter here when it came to Flores/Grier (mainly Grier and his promise of "perennial playoff contender"), but so far Flores has 100% proven me wrong and Grier does have us on the right path. What Flores has done in two seasons, basically with two completely different rookie squads, is nothing short of a miracle and he absolutely deserves coach of the year.

I'm still reserving judgement on Grier but darn, it's hard to see next year's squad going south without really botching the draft. As long as we grab a couple stud WR's and a stud RB early on (Etienne is a MUST HAVE for me), this is going to be a powerhouse team.

I think Greer is benefiting from Flores as a talent evaluator. Although he did pick Mika and Tunsil in the draft before. Those 2 were parlayed into this draft. And next one.

"KeyFin wrote:

As long as we grab a couple stud WR's and a stud RB early on (Etienne is a MUST HAVE for me), this is going to be a powerhouse team.

I don’t know if we even need studs, it would be nice and with our draft stock there’s no reason we shouldn’t meet a few of those needs, but if anything today showed us 1) Tua is the real deal, 2) we saw what this team can do with multiple TE sets and it was awesome even with the average joes we were rolling with 3) with this defense we will compete with anybody. 4) how did we lose to Denver!!!

"Phil Hutchings wrote:

As Jim Nantz pointed out in the commentary, tonight was like Tua's second game, considering he had no preseason.

I noticed that he has already got a lot smarter when he has to throw the ball away; he didn’t make the same mistakes against the Chiefs that we saw him make in previous ones.

Umm, like Mahommes and his 30 yard sack? The exact same situation unfolded on Tua late in the 3rd (or early 4th) and he was smart enough to release it quickly on a throw-away. There were a lot of small things today that really impressed me about Tua and changed my mind some on how "ready" he is today. He was tearing through those reads even early on when we weren't moving the ball much.

To have that kind of game with 2nd and 3rd string receivers, with Grant dropping two likely TD passes deep, I was very impressed overall.

"Phil Hutchings wrote:

As Jim Nantz pointed out in the commentary, tonight was like Tua's second game, considering he had no preseason.

I noticed that he has already got a lot smarter when he has to throw the ball away; he didn’t make the same mistakes against the Chiefs that we saw him make in previous ones.

I agree. That was an interesting point by Nantz too; one that probably gets over looked alot too by most of us.

I can't really fault any of Tua's decisions today. Some of the throws themselves maybe could have been a touch better, but he was under alot of pressure at times. I think todays game though really highlighted our need for a big time WR. Parker I like, but don't think he's a true #1. Outside of him and Gesicki though we have nobody who can help a QB out downfield. It's never on one player, especially the deeper downfield the throw is. All the QB can do is get it there, it's up to the WR to get it. We're severely lacking the guys who can separate from coverage, get up and get it, and make things happen after they have it.

I think Tua's biggest flaws today were the couple of brain farts he had when KC's DC tricked him presnap and his misread coverage. My biggest frustration with him is how he seemingly freezes up when that happens. The sack before halftime, the safety are two plays that come to mind. Had the look of a guy who just got lost, and froze up. I'm sure nobody was open downfield either given our WR's, but you just can't take sacks in those two spots and I felt both times he should have had the ability to move and/or throw it away.

I do agree though, those moments seem to be getting fewer and farther between which is an encouraging sign. Todays game from Tua felt alot like the Arizona game. Even better maybe though because he had far less to work with talent wise in this game, than he did in that one.

"plc001 wrote:

I don’t know if we even need studs, it would be nice and with our draft stock there’s no reason we shouldn’t meet a few of those needs, but if anything today showed us 1) Tua is the real deal, 2) we saw what this team can do with multiple TE sets and it was awesome even with the average joes we were rolling with 3) with this defense we will compete with anybody. 4) how did we lose to Denver!!!

I mean, Parker, Williams and Gisecki are al "good enough" to be #1 guys in certain situations. But how often do we have all three of them on the field healthy? I just think we need "that guy", that Jarvis Landry type of receiver who seems to stay healthy and fights like a honey badger on every single play. If Parker and Williams are your #2/3 guys with Gisecki at TE, then holy heck this offense is stacked! Luckily there are several elite WR's in this draft and one of them may fall to us with our 2nd pick.

For RB, I've watched Etienne his entire college career since Clemson is my local team and that kid is just sensational- elite blocker, elite catcher, elite running with the football, elite breaking tackles and making people miss. He literally does it all on levels you don't see in modern RB's and I have a feeling he could go in the 1st half of the 1st round.

I don't know if I ever wanted a player that badly in the draft and I've been saying it here for two years now. Etienne gives me that Bo Jackson vibe with his running style and I'll seriously pout if we don't draft him.

"brandon27 wrote:

I agree. That was an interesting point by Nantz too; one that probably gets over looked alot too by most of us.

I can't really fault any of Tua's decisions today. Some of the throws themselves maybe could have been a touch better, but he was under alot of pressure at times. I think todays game though really highlighted our need for a big time WR. Parker I like, but don't think he's a true #1. Outside of him and Gesicki though we have nobody who can help a QB out downfield. It's never on one player, especially the deeper downfield the throw is. All the QB can do is get it there, it's up to the WR to get it. We're severely lacking the guys who can separate from coverage, get up and get it, and make things happen after they have it.

I think Tua's biggest flaws today were the couple of brain farts he had when KC's DC tricked him presnap and his misread coverage. My biggest frustration with him is how he seemingly freezes up when that happens. The sack before halftime, the safety are two plays that come to mind. Had the look of a guy who just got lost, and froze up. I'm sure nobody was open downfield either given our WR's, but you just can't take sacks in those two spots and I felt both times he should have had the ability to move and/or throw it away.

I do agree though, those moments seem to be getting fewer and farther between which is an encouraging sign. Todays game from Tua felt alot like the Arizona game. Even better maybe though because he had far less to work with talent wise in this game, than he did in that one.

Some of Tua's throws were unbelievable and incredibly accurate tonight.

As I’ve already said, it’s encouraging that this very young and very inexperienced OLine is able to give Tua so much protection. These guys are only going to improve and hopefully, will be comparable to the Dwight Stephenson-led line that only gave up 14 sacks one season.

30 unanswered points is the biggest stat in today's game. Getting some of it back when the KC defense was playing soft looks good on the stat sheet but hides just how lopsided this game really was.

"brandon27 wrote:

I agree. That was an interesting point by Nantz too; one that probably gets over looked alot too by most of us.

I can't really fault any of Tua's decisions today. Some of the throws themselves maybe could have been a touch better, but he was under alot of pressure at times. I think todays game though really highlighted our need for a big time WR. Parker I like, but don't think he's a true #1. Outside of him and Gesicki though we have nobody who can help a QB out downfield. It's never on one player, especially the deeper downfield the throw is. All the QB can do is get it there, it's up to the WR to get it. We're severely lacking the guys who can separate from coverage, get up and get it, and make things happen after they have it.

I think Tua's biggest flaws today were the couple of brain farts he had when KC's DC tricked him presnap and his misread coverage. My biggest frustration with him is how he seemingly freezes up when that happens. The sack before halftime, the safety are two plays that come to mind. Had the look of a guy who just got lost, and froze up. I'm sure nobody was open downfield either given our WR's, but you just can't take sacks in those two spots and I felt both times he should have had the ability to move and/or throw it away.

I do agree though, those moments seem to be getting fewer and farther between which is an encouraging sign. Todays game from Tua felt alot like the Arizona game. Even better maybe though because he had far less to work with talent wise in this game, than he did in that one.

Just my 2 cents on the safety, he probably took the lesser of the worse case scenario, as he didn't seem to have anything open. As a rookie, he could have forced it, which potentially opens up a pick 6 considering where we were starting that drive (not helped by the terrible jet sweep call on 1st down, which lost us 2 yards that we didn't really have).
Also, if he had thrown it away, doesn't that lead to an intentional grounding call in the end zone, so still a safety? It is possible he could have slid and escaped but again, space is limited in the end zone and likely steps on the backline.

We've seen more experienced QB's freeze when presented with something different - we've only got to look at the game against the Rams earlier this season to see what happens to QB's when the defense messes with their mind. Tua had maybe one moment - how many did Goff have against us, how many did the already media appointed rookie of the year (Herbert) have against us? Again, it's Tua's 6th start. Mahomes looked confused once or twice, it happens when the D shows something different. Yep, there were a couple of floated long balls but with free rushers in his face on a few of these and a couple of pathetic efforts from the receivers, it looks worse. We've seen these many times from other QB's (I can remember one from Wilson in particular from last year) where they have been rescued by the receiver and the commentators almost self-combust with their praise of the QB, when it was really a dangerous heave and should have been broken up/intercepted.

Not gipping you btw Brandon

"KeyFin wrote:

I mean, Parker, Williams and Gisecki are al "good enough" to be #1 guys in certain situations. But how often do we have all three of them on the field healthy? I just think we need "that guy", that Jarvis Landry type of receiver who seems to stay healthy and fights like a honey badger on every single play. If Parker and Williams are your #2/3 guys with Gisecki at TE, then holy heck this offense is stacked! Luckily there are several elite WR's in this draft and one of them may fall to us with our 2nd pick.

For RB, I've watched Etienne his entire college career since Clemson is my local team and that kid is just sensational- elite blocker, elite catcher, elite running with the football, elite breaking tackles and making people miss. He literally does it all on levels you don't see in modern RB's and I have a feeling he could go in the 1st half of the 1st round.

I don't know if I ever wanted a player that badly in the draft and I've been saying it here for two years now. Etienne gives me that Bo Jackson vibe with his running style and I'll seriously pout if we don't draft him.

I’m with you Key. I just don’t think folks get how incredibly vital an explosive running back is to a quarterback. Even dumb dumb Tony Romo said it yesterday that a great running back is a quarterback’s best friend. Having that genuine running threat opens up the playbook and makes play action pass that much more of a genuine threat. If you can’t run the ball; if you’re not running the ball the play action pass doesn’t fool anyone. Hell, look at Tannehill, he’s so dangerous because the Titans have that running game. Hell, even look at Brees with Alvin Kamara!

Etienne would not only give us that effective running game, let that kid catch a short pass out in that flat and he’s going to make defenders look stupid trying to stop him. That will really help our receivers get open.

Like I said previously, I’m not opposed to an upgrade at WR but I know that if we don’t work on our ground game, we’re going to have the same issue in the passing game as we’ve had.

I’m just not a fan of spending 1st round picks on RB’s when you can find so many good ones in the 2nd and 3rd round.

"The_Dark_Knight wrote:

I’m with you Key. I just don’t think folks get how incredibly vital an explosive running back is to a quarterback. Even dumb dumb Tony Romo said it yesterday that a great running back is a quarterback’s best friend. Having that genuine running threat opens up the playbook and makes play action pass that much more of a genuine threat. If you can’t run the ball; if you’re not running the ball the play action pass doesn’t fool anyone. Hell, look at Tannehill, he’s so dangerous because the Titans have that running game. Hell, even look at Brees with Alvin Kamara!

Etienne would not only give us that effective running game, let that kid catch a short pass out in that flat and he’s going to make defenders look stupid trying to stop him. That will really help our receivers get open.

Like I said previously, I’m not opposed to an upgrade at WR but I know that if we don’t work on our ground game, we’re going to have the same issue in the passing game as we’ve had.

You use Kamara as an example, he was a 3rd round pick.

That's a great round to take a running back. No need to take a running back in the first round. It should be last of their priorities on offense.