A lot of you are wondering how a team can win a divisional game, then lose seven straight, only to win seven more. So here's my take on things with what went right and wrong with the 2021 Miami Dolphins.
We were in cap trouble this year and had to make some hard cuts- in my opinion we made the wrong ones. Fuller in particular was catastrophic- that could have been Van Noy and a veteran lineman or two. Grant was another head-scratcher...why trade an all-pro return man mid season? Either do that before the year or not at all.
We were better than our 1-7 start, but we simply didn't have the veteran leadership to close out games. The defense was pretty good at times but not consistent, and from what I hear it was Flores taking over the D that made the biggest changes. For that reason alone, you can't fire Flores. He is a keeper in my book.
However, we weren't as good as our 7-1 run either. The offensive line is still horribly flawed, we've had no run game and our receiving corp is a joke. We won seven games on the backs of this defense plus Tua and Waddle. People here have complained that Tua can only throw short...well duh...we have a historically poor offensive line and throwing short was all we could do. That streak never should have lasted because it was a lie- our offense should never have been that consistent with such an inconsistent roster around the QB.
The theme between those 16 games so far was pretty simple- we took the lead and dialed up pressure (which created turnovers), or we fell behind and struggled to stop the run (which eliminated the chance for turnovers). It happened over and over again...Miami simply can't play from behind with any sort of consistency and it all comes back to that offensive line. That first drive yesterday in Tennessee- if we would have scored 7 instead of driving half the field and punting, we would have seen a very different game. If you remember, Tennessee's first two drives netted zero yards. Zero. But they beat us in the punt game and eventually pinned us in our own end zone, where the options were minimal since we can't run consistently and we can't go deep. They just kept covering up Waddle and our one-dimensional offense collapsed.
But don't get this twisted- we saw the same team for 16 games. We take the early lead and dominate, or we fall behind and have no way to fight back into the game. That's 100% on Grier as well.
Going into next season, we HAVE TO fix the offensive line and find some balance for this offense. Tua & Waddle can't account for 90% of the production each week; that's too easy to shut down and it's not fair to Tua. Anyone that's ever coached or played football will tell you that the game is won and lost in the trenches 100% of the time, and a seven game win streak despite losing that battle is miraculous. It never, ever ever should have happened...yet it did. We probably would have been 1-15 with Brissett as the starter.
The good news is that our defense is very young and should continue playing at these levels for a number of years. We are truly elite in close games or playing with a lead because of the pressure/turnovers this D can generate, but we will have to fully rebuild this offense so we can play complimentary football. Tua to Waddle should always be a solid second or third option, but it can't be our entire offense because eight other players can't contribute. We have to fix this line, and we have to get some skill players that can create separation. We just can't continue throwing everything to Waddle and then throwing everything to Gisecki when that doesn't work. It's a fool's errand and a recipe for dysfunction.
And somehow we won seven straight anyway. That's truly a miracle folks and it's something to be proud of.
Looking to the offseason, the path is crystal-clear...rebuild the line, grab a stud RB, get some separation receivers. A great pass-rushing DE would be great as well but at this point, it's a luxury item that we could do without. The great news is that we'll have tons of cap space and should be able to buy everything on our wish list, but the bad news is that we need someone making the right decisions on offensive line talent and I don't think that person is Grier. It's inexcusable to get the line that wrong and I think he has to go.
I know some of you would also point to our co-offensive coordinators and other coaching positions, but you really have to understand the core principle of football...everything works through the trenches. OC is not the problem here; it may even be a strength once we have a line in place. I would definitely buy the best offensive line coach money can buy though, and potentially even double down with a 2nd world-class hire.
If we fix the line problems and bring in a few blue collar separation receivers, we'll be a playoff contender right out of the gate. But that's also a pretty big ask with our track record at drafting linemen and hanging on to veteran free agents. So we'll see what happens; the future is bright if we can find the right leadership to finish Grier's vision of the perennial playoff contender.
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I've been piling on Tua for the last 14 hours. I've chilled a bit and I'm still mad at him. I've said all along that I will always support this team no matter what, no matter who they have playing for them. I've also said that we will never win anything until we have a franchise quarterback in place. I agree that the offensive line needs to yet again....be the priority this offseason. I think drafting a bell cow running back should be the other priority. If we can address those two issues, then I like our chances at improving. I love our defense, but an added run stopper wouldn't hurt either.
Above each and every thing that could be improved upon, it's Tua that has to take the next step. My gut tells me that we're going to give him one more year as our quarterback. I'm all for acquiring Deshaun Watson though. Watson is a franchise top tier quarterback and that's what we need. If he's not in the plans, then we have to insulate Tua as much as possible. Regardless of who the quarterback is, they do need time to throw and they need a clean pocket.
Looking back at this season, I think Key hit right on it. When we had leads, the games were very much in hand. Playing from behind was always a recipe for disaster. In my opinion, to be a good team, you have to win one coming from behind once in a while. That usually starts and is only done when a team has a franchise quarterback leading the way. My fear is that we can upgrade the roster around Tua all day long and yet still not be able to win a tight ball game or come back from a deficit of any kind. Great quarterbacks make things like that happen. A great quarterback or potentially great quarterback would not have played the way Tua did two years in a row in the most important game of the season. I have my doubts at this point. For me, it's not about taking a side, it's just what I'm seeing. Yesterday's game was all that mattered with what was at stake. This is two years in a row and it's becoming a trend. Even if we make the playoffs with him next year, what then? He pulls this in the wildcard game and we lose 31-3 again? Losing like this is the worst way to lose. True.. we never should have dug that 1-7 hole, but we did. We climbed out of it, beat a good Ravens team, but ALL that mattered was Yesterday's game. If this team wasn't going to be for real, then why tease like this? Go get the dog leash, ask your dog if he wants to take a walk....then hang the leash back up, and sit back down. That's torture, that's how I feel right now. Like the dog that thought he was gonna go for an awesome walk, maybe run a bit. Screw this. See you all next year.RGF likes this. -
Agree on a lot of these points but I have zero faith in them actually addressing the OL properly we been saying this for like 15 years!
we need to fix the line get a real stud running back and a true number one to compliment waddle.
we have to make some decisions on TE.
But we need to fix the coaching also we can’t have a committee OC -
However, what we're seeing today does not translate to whether or not we have a franchise quarterback. In all honesty, the evaluation process hasn't actually started yet because we have no idea what Tua can do in a balanced offense. For instance, the RPO...why even call it that? In reality, it's a short play-action pass with the line run blocking, even though we never actually run. That's not on Tua though, he's making the reads and throwing the football into tight windows with a fast release. That's all a quality QB can do with very little protection.
If we bring in Watson, the offense will do better to some extent, but the game-plan absolutely has to be the exact same- fix the line, get a stud RB, get some separation receivers. Watson helps because he's a genuine run threat without a stud RB, but we're seeing how far that gets Lamar Jackson and we've also seen the long-term durability of running QB's. That's not an option, in my opinion, to insert Watson and hope for the best. We have to do this the right way regardless if it's Tua, Watson or someone else entirely.
I will say this- Tua has done well with what he's had to work with. But that's not the goal folks, we're not trying to generate huge yards with a broken offense. It's not sustainable. That's the recipe for losing seven in a row and then winning seven in a row, but it's not the path of a true perennial playoff contender. If we want to be a Pitt or a Buffalo or a KC, we have to have a balanced attack to compliment our elite defense. It's the only way forward. -
Destroyer likes this.
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You make it sound like that's such an easy task- but in reality it's almost impossible.
I do agree that if we had beaten Atlanta or Jax, this is a playoff team. And if we took the early lead in those playoff games, who knows how far we could have gone. But that doesn't change the fact that a quarterback needs pieces around him to be successful consistently. Every playoff team starts and ends with consistency. -
Now in regards to Tua, if we're going to keep rolling with him, then fine. I'll support it. I will be behind it 100%. We'll have to hope and pray for huge internal growth out of him, and a monumental Drew Brees like step forward in year three! Again, that is a lot to ask. I completely agree with you on every point you make. The offensive line (regardless of who's playing quarterback) has to be a mainstay. We have to be able to run the ball as well. The basic fundamentals of playing football have got to be solidified in order for whoever is playing quarterback to succeed. I understand that. I think that we should continue to upgrade the roster and focus on those main points (running back/O line). With that said, if the opportunity arises for us to really upgrade the quarterback position to the best of it's ability, then we should keep an open mind. I feel like great quarterbacks can overcome mishaps within the game like injuries to the teams best wide receiver, or an injury to a key offensive line player. The defense is having issues? Can't stop the run? A great quarterback doesn't play defense, but he can keep his offense on the field, sustain drives, and manipulate the game to where a struggling defense doesn't have to play as much. These are things that Tua isn't doing and that is where I have my doubts about him. It's not the arm strength or his size. You don't need to be 6'5 230 pounds with a rocket arm to succeed in the league. We've seen Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell fizzle right out in no time. Great quarterback play is by far the most important aspect to having a chance at winning a game on any day in my opinion. As long as Green Bay has Aaron Rodgers behind center, they have a shot at beating anyone on any day of the week in any atmosphere...Snow, hail, lightening, wind, sandstorm, doesn't matter. Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Watson, Mahomes, Herbert, Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson, Derek Carr, Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson all exude those qualities. Even Carson Wentz, Kirk Cousins and Matthew Stafford can be put in that category. I'm not saying these guys are all in the same tier skill wise, but each and every one of them has shown the ability to carry a team on their backs when it's been needed. Take a player like Lamar Jackson for example. There seems to be a 50/50 split on this guy as far as how good he actually is. Remember earlier in the season against the Colts? Indy had the Ravens on the ropes in that game! They were killing them, and Jackson brought them back to win in thrilling fashion. It was one of the best games I watched all year. The whole entire team elevated it's play because of Jackson and because of a few plays that were made on defense by Calais Campbell. I remember when we were leading Baltimore at the start of our win streak. I thought "Oh ****" Jackson is gonna dagger us, it's gonna happen, and it very well could have happened, but it didn't. Sill...The fear was there. With Jackson healthy and playing, that Baltimore team is never out of a game. Can the same be said about Tua? Down 17-3 yesterday to the Titans, not once did I think "we got Tua, we can come back." No...It was more "Oh Jesus, there's goes the game and our season." You don't say or think things like that when you have a big time quarterback playing on your team.
Let me conclude this by saying this about Tua...And John Madden once said the same thing about Drew Brees. "He's pretty damn good when he's not running for his life". I remember Brees having the same problem in San Diego his first couple of seasons as a starter there. Once the O Line was fixed, and Tomlimson started to do his thing, we saw a different Drew Brees. I hope the same can happen with Tua. -
Clark Kent and KeyFin like this.
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Because here's the thing- we did not lose yesterday because of Tua. He did what he could in a downpour, while the Titans ran the football and asked Tannehill to throw 18 total passes for 120 total yards. Tannehill didn't win the game yesterday and Tua didn't lose it. In those weather conditions, the game is solely about the trenches and the running game.
Could Lamar Jackson have run for 150 behind our offense line and made it much closer? Yeah, probably. He's the only one from your list above that could have given us a decent chance. But behind our offensive line, I have a feeling that he doesn't get anywhere near the yards needed to pull out a win.
Burrow, Allen, Mahommes, Herbert? They would have had a very bad day. If you look at the film, nobody was open the vast majority of the afternoon. Parker was absolutely blanketed and Waddle wasn't getting the ball within 5 yards of the LOS. Even Gisecki, who had some great catches in the 2nd half, was open by maybe a half step. These QB's wouldn't have won because it wasn't about the passing game; it was about being able to run the ball when the defense knows you're running the ball. And we had zero chance.
I'm not saying Tua is a great quarterback here and I'm not trying to defend him. But when you're playing in sleet with 20 MPH winds, you can't lean on any QB or the passing game to give you a chance. I don't need to tell you that though- everyone here knows that as a fact. In bad weather, you run the ball and control the tempo on the ground. That's just not something we can do with this offensive line. -
Tua was most responsible for this loss. After that, I'd say that non-DPI had a huge impact, and we also had some bad play calling.canesz06 likes this. -
Wether we keep tua or not i wont argue either way. I will say this though, if we move off tua why would we let flores and grier make the decision on the new qb to get. The high turnover on offense staff over these years and from a front office perspective a clear miss on tua over herbert. Why would you let these same people make a call on a new qb. If they want to keep all of them and go with tua again i doubt many want that but it makes more sense than sending tua away and allowing these same people to pick the next qb. The current talent on offense is atrocious. No one can say otherwise.
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I actually think the co-offensive coordinators + Charlie Frye should be commended. Our line was terrible. There are players on the line that are total busts. I blame the personnel department. The three amigos were essentially stuck with them.
Imagine being an offensive coordinator in a situation where you have terrible players on the line. It would be a nightmare trying to build an offense in spite of that. I think they were able to string a lot of positive yardage plays together. I expect significant changes on the line as well.KeyFin likes this. -
We are so close to being a legitimate contender...yet we're so far away at the same time. It's incredibly frustrating. -
tirty8 likes this.
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So I decided, against my better judgment, to re-watch the game.
Most notably the refs should be ashamed of themselves for being that partial in officiating an NFL game. Some of those calls were so one sided that it wasn't even close. The non DPI call was so embarrassingly bad and obvious that I had to rewind it multiple times to try and grasp just what the hell the refs were thinking. On the play there was illegal contact before the actual PI and neither was called. Ming boggling and pathetic.
Aside from the refs Tua was bad, real bad. I decided long ago to cut him some slack due to the inefficiencies around him and the whole severe Injury thing but he certainly put my support to the test big time. Yes, there were dropped passes but some of his throws were horrendous. He was missing open receivers by a large margin throwing the ball a few yards in front of or behind a receiver into the dirt. A lot of his throws were also high giving the receiver no chance to catch it. I'm disappointed in Tua because I put my trust in him to be a lot more competitive in a game of this magnitude. It was wet, I get it, but Tannehill made some damn good throws so I'm not going to use that as an excuse.
The D was very efficient until they realized it was a futile attempt to try and bail out the offense this time.
I have no clue where we go from here but I'm open to suggestions/changes and, sad to say, that includes the QB.Hooligan, Dolphin Dundee and KeyFin like this. -
Either way, it's not a total rebuild situation so we're definitely a lot closer than after Gase.RGF likes this. -
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In any case, that wasn't typical Tua accuracy and it's not the game to judge his season on. -
Look, I'm not saying he has to go but I expected better from him regardless of weather.KeyFin likes this. -
You make a great point though about this. Under rainy conditions, the ball game has to be won in the trenches, but on an 80 degree clear sky day in California trailing the Rams or 49ers 17-3 in the third quarter, the game is still going to be over because Tua simply can't lead a comeback, and because he can't keep the offense on the field, the opposing teams starts running it down our throats. I'm not giving up on the guy. This is just what I have seen so far. I still believe year three can be a monumental step for him. It's not like a quarterback is a peak player in his second season. Those that do generally fall off or regress. Quarterbacks have a long shelf life in the NFL because it's such a hard position to play and it takes years to learn how to play it. That's why guys like Andy Dalton and Nick Foles are still incredibly valuable players to have on a roster and that's why they still have jobs.
In short, you're right, I can't argue with you on this. I'm not going to question Tua's accuracy at the position or his toughness or his ability to lead or his confidence. What I do question is his ability to say "Ok, screw it, I'll do it myself." That is what makes a great quarterback great. Now Deshaun Watson had to do it all by himself every game last year and obviously that alone didn't get it done. Even Michael Jordan needed help. Speaking of basketball, it's great guards that can score in the halfcourt off the dribble that win you playoff games. Superstar quarterbacks do the same for the NFL. You obviously need a team built around them, but it's a hell of a luxury to have and a great starting point.
With that said, it's hard to be great when you have no time to throw the ball. It's hard carry a team when you have zero run game. I mean Marino did it for years without a run game, but there's only one Dan Marino. I am not expecting Tua to be him, but at some point this franchise needs to find it's "Neo". It's not fair that we're seemingly the only team in the league outside of the Chicago Bears and the NY Jets that have really yet to have a great quarterback in the last 20+ years. Literally every other team in the league has had good to great players come through for them since 1999. It's just getting old at this point. I desperately want us to have some stability at the position. I went back and forth on Tannehill for seven years and now it's Tua. At some point we gotta get our guy.KeyFin likes this. -
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With the way things have played out, I don't see Ross changing his mind about wanting Watson. It's the quick fix mentality of a guy who is getting way up there in age. If Tua and this team had won a playoff game, I think Ross might have let Grier and Flores focus on fixing a couple things to try and win a Super Bowl in 2022.
Ross probably told Grier to get on the phone to the Texans this past Sunday afternoon and get the details hammered out. No matter the cost. Which is one of the REALLY scary parts about how things may unfold in the next 4-5 months. -
I haven't seen much from Ross to see that he has a quick fix mentality. He seems to be way more slow and steady.texanphinatic likes this. -
Is it really Ross driving the Watson thing though? By most accounts it seemed to be Grier (and maybe Flores) - Ross wasn't saying yay or nay on it. Ultimately, he insisted the legal stuff be taken care of before we made a move, and it still has not.
There is also one game still to go, and while we are eliminated, it's not insignificant. If Tua has another total dud, that brings into sharper focus the need to make a potential move. If he has a solid game, then it makes us consider if we are giving up on a guy who has very little help and trash coaching in favor of a band-aid who will also have no help because we spent all our resources acquiring him.
This offseason has the potential to be the most absurd we have seen in a long team. Watson, Russ and Rogers are elite talents who could all be moved for massive deals. We could see the likes of David Carr or Baker Mayfield shake loose.
My biggest concern at this point is ... if we trade upwards of 6 high round picks and have to pay a record or near-record deal for a QB ... where are we getting help from? Because I don't think we have the offense to compete at a high level in the manner needed to challenge for a super bowl. -
If you watch the routes we ran yesterday though and the actual protections, it was all gimmick to "outsmart" the Titans. And hey, that type of stuff has worked for the past two months, but eventually you have to be able to get down and dirty with a tough team and punch them in the mouth. That's exactly what the Titans did yesterday as they showed that they were a legit contender- they ran right over us.
More than anything, I want that tough, gritty offense that doesn't ask a QB to throw 45 times a game just to keep up. If that's what we build in the trenches, then we don't need that ultra-elite QB that has to win the game on his own. And if you look around the league at the top contenders for the past 5-10 years, you see teams like KC, Tenn, Pitt, Baltimore, etc. doing exactly that. A guy like Rodgers only comes around once in a blue moon, but you can build a physical, intimidating offensive line with a gritty running back that can make up for a whole heck of a lot.
That's why I'm more focused on the line than the QB- it's so much more important with a defense of this caliber.Fishhead likes this. -
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I know this isn't a draft thread, but if all we do is improve the offensive line and draft Kenneth Walker from Michigan State I will be a very happy fan of this team.
mlb1399 likes this. -
I have some thoughts, and when I have time I’ll express them fully.
However, the basic problem I see with the team is that it isn’t built to overcome adversity. Need a key block for a 3rd down conversion, there isn’t anyone on the OL I’d trust to do that. The only skill player I trust in the same situation is Waddle. Tua nay be a guy who can do it, but the coaching staff take the ball out of his hands in key situations. The D is great at protecting a lead, but stopping the opponent from running out the clock to give the O one last chance to come back isn’t something I have any confidence they can do.Fishhead likes this.