Let me say right off the bat that I’m a Tua supporter. I’m not questioning him as our leader whatsoever, and I’ve been with him since day 1.

That being said, I criticize when it’s due and when it’s fair. And December has been a disaster for #1. It’s fair to renew the debate again… unfortunate, but fair. Tua has cost us two games in a row.

Yes, I know Cris Collinsworth was continually amazed at how great the Chargers’ defense was, but was it that defense who was throwing the ball behind open guys all night long? Nope, that as QB1.

Remember the play when an open Gesicki was running left to right and Tua threw it two feet behind him? Was that an aggressive defense taking away his passing lane? Nope, that was a shitty pass. And Tua had plenty of those. Too many to name. Again.

On the very first play of the game, he had a guy down the left sideline wide open, and he underthrew the ball horribly. I figured that he had not shaken off his doldrums from last week, and he proved me right.

We essentially got shut out by a bunch of substitutes on the LAC defense. A lucky fumble recovery and a lucky TD pass when the DB fell down…those aren’t exactly dominant offensive drives.

Mike McD’s offense, which looked so innovative in September-November is now dead in the water. The NFL has figured him out. QB1 is at fault with his garbage passes. At one point he was 3 for 17! But McD isn’t showing the ability to adjust. The only he did show was that he likes to laugh and joke when we’re called for the worst roughing the passer call of all time. His smiling reaction didn’t suit well with me.

We are 8 and 5 now, probably on the way to a 9-8 season or maybe 10-7. That SHOULD be enough to make the playoffs, but because of Tua’s baffling regression, we have no chance to win the division or a better seed, etc.

24 Comments

  1. These last 2 games reminded me of when Tua used to get pulled for Fitzgerald. They could’ve used Fitzgerald the last 2 games.
    And again, someone needs to tell McDaniel to stop using timeouts to give the other team time to get a TD at the end of the half. He’s now done that boneheaded move more than Joe Philbin did.

    1. Author

      Yeah, there comes a point when you can’t rely on ineffective players and you need a spark. In this case, I don’t think bringing in Skylar Thompson would have solved anything. He’s no Fitzmagic. BUT that doesn’t mean you don’t try something new. Tua is playing like garbage? Ok, let’s run a few wildcat plays to get something going. Let’s try an end around with the 2 fastest WRs in the league. Even a friggin pitchout instead of running up the gut every single rush play. There are ways to get a QB going by letting someone else get him going. But instead, McD kept stubbornly going to the same old well without realizing the well was dry.

      1. Author

        And you’re right about the timeouts. McD was operating in this fantasy land that his defense will make a stop with 40 seconds left, and then our offense will then march down the field right before halftime. NO!! Just let the g.d. clock run out.

  2. Yes, strange Tua throwing funk.
    Three thoughts:
    1) this due to mid-term deleterious effects of the two concussions.

    2) Waddle contribution is way below his trend. Is he injured? One reception last week, two reception this week. Dolphin offense cannot get back to its early season form without Waddle.

    3) Defense have figured out Dolphin offense and exploiting Tua’s height. If he does not throw the ball in the first 3 seconds, the pocket collapses on him and his downfield vision is obscured by the height of the line men. So defenses are jamming up the the middle and short passing lanes forcing Tua to wait longer to find another option.

    1. Author

      I think, unfortunately, that a small part might be 4) Overconfidence. He started to hear the MVP talk. He started to hear the Pro Ball talk.
      And he’s not the only one, unfortunately. You mentioned Waddle, another one who disappeared.
      On defense, I keep pointing out Jevon Holland. When was the last time he made a play? October? Once he started to hear all the Pro Bowl hype, he’s been as effective as Byron Jones.

  3. While we’re talking about shitty players, wtf happened to Xman? He took the renegotiated contract and has regressed ever since.

    1. Author

      Another great example, yes. He got beat twice last night simply because he never turned his head around. Poor, lazy technique.

      1. That really pisses me off about Howard. Shows what kind of character he has. Now if he is hurt I stand corrected and maybe he is showing good character playing through pain. However, if he is playing like this because he could care less since he got paid than it really shows his character in a bad way. He demanded and cried for more money and the dolphins in good faith paid him what he wanted. So either he is playing through pain or could care less and is lazy now because he got paid because you see him getting beat and caught on this year more than any other year. Maybe that is why as much as I hate the patriots they dont give into whining players demands for long term contracts when there playing well because they know this will be the result.

        1. Author

          “if he is playing like this because he could care less since he got paid” I don’t think any pro athlete just calls it in like that. They have heart and pride (I think).
          I do believe the frustration sinks in after a while, and that affects your effort. He may be mad at Josh Boyer’s constant Zero blitzes, meaning that X has to play man coverage on the opponents’ best player, running around and constantly being exhausted. Those blitzes never work any more, so now you’re left exhausted and frustrated and then guess what? Boyer calls the same exact defense for the next play.
          X looks lazy at times and Holland looks invisible. We need someone to step up besides Wilkins, Seiler, and Phillips

          1. Great point as usual. I think Byron Jones has been a bigger lose on this defense than anyone realized as well.

            1. Author

              yes, Jones didn’t play brilliantly, but he is a good player with valuable experience. I’d welcome him back even at a high salary.

  4. Well a few things. I think his height and the fact that the defenses have taken away what he’s great at. He’s great 18 yards downfield! Defenses have moved the linebackers back 7 yards! What does this do? It takes away his ability to see the lanes when he’s used to seeing them flash. It’s not on Tua to adjust, he’ll he can’t see behind or over the DB so he has to throw it where he thinks it’s supposed to be.

    This is on McD! He needs to throw a bunch underneath and force the DB back to 5 yards deep but in two games we have seen McD call the same plays 15-20 yards deep which Tua can’t hit with the DB sitting back there.

    Bad calls usually = bad results and that’s the majority of what I think we are seeing.

    1. Brian, i agree. you articulated better, than I, how defenses have figured out how to take away Tua’s strength, and now we are reminded again that he is too short to see the field quickly and make a quick adjustment.

      If McDaniel does not adjust, we may be toast. Tua is too short.

  5. Additionally I am pissed that McD didn’t get thrown from the game after that roughing the passer call. For once I’d like to see any dolphin representative get in the officials face and ream the living hell out of them for about three plays. Even if you have to walk across the field and get ejected from the game. Hell if McD had been ejected at that point we might have had a better chance to win!

    1. Author

      I don’t disagree. Arguing and intimidation are not the Dolphin way. The ref will not pick up his flag and apologize and give us 15 yards back. BUT…the ref will also know that McD means business like Bellichick.
      But when your owner bends over backwards for the NFL (a 3-game road trip in December?), do you expect your coach to be any different?

  6. I agree with Brian McD needs to adjust his playcalling if the middle isn’t there go short or outside. They haven’t called a screen pass in a long time I’d give buf a constant dose of this.

    Also the prevent D Boyer called at the end of the first half gave them 4 extra points. It worked before but rarely again chargers simply called a short pass and were unlucky to get a TD on that play as the D was standing at the goal line. Should have been a 19-14 game with the Fins driving for the win at the end.

    Hopefully they bounce back but will be tough next week. If they do then we’ll be back in business.

  7. ADMIN.. read the article you wrote and posted on February 8, 2022 again titled – MIKE MCDANIEL…FURTHER THOUGHTS.

    1. Author

      I reread it. Stand by it. McD has some innovation witin him, and it has helped the team grow. That’s exactly what I was hoping for back when we hired him, as mentioned toward the end of my original article.
      At the beginning of the article, I questioned his experience. That is still a question. Joking around and smiling after Phillips’ ridiculous roughing call? Using defensive timeouts to help the LAC score a touchdown to close the first half? Refusing to make adjustments during games when Tua struggles. These are the type of mistakes that inexperienced coaches make. For all the good McD has done (and there’s a lot), he still has to grow into his role.
      http://dolphinstruth.com/mike-mcdaniel-further-thoughts/

      1. I knew you’d get a kick out of rereading it. It’s amazing what you said about McDaniel (with some help by the officials also) is unfolding before our eyes.

        1. Author

          I’m kind of 50-50 on this. The offense clearly has stalled this month, and McDaniel has made no adjustments. But is he not adjusting because of his inexperience, or because of his stubbornness?

          1. I think it’s a little bit of both if it’s working it’s hard to stop which is what we have criticized past coaches on and the fact is he is inexperienced. Still better than what we’ve had as everyone loves the guy in comparison to some coaches in the past. Also QBs do hit slumps. They all do. They will add a few dump off plays and hopefully screens to mix things up more but why show it to buffalo before you play them. Either way I’m assuming they figured they’d win one of the West Coast games without tipping their hand gamble failed plus some bad reffing breaks.

  8. Like a sports reporter said decades ago in regards to the new young, hot HC coming into the NFL – “ It’s time for the so-called Guru – to start Guru-ing “

    Now McD has seen the Good, Bad, and Ugly Tua – and needs to make ALL the adjustments, and make the right play calling (to Tua’s Strengths) – before they find themselves out of the playoffs, suddenly.

  9. Being on the West Coast, I was at the game and in my opinion, the game plan was as much to blame as Tua’s inaccuracy. The Charges dropped their linebackers back to close the gap between them and the safeties. They left the underneath routes wide open all night. Tua failed to hit those guys almost as if he is transfixed to throwing deep. This is also McDaniel’s fault for not instructing him to adjust.

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