As much as this pains me, I think the Dolphins should retain both Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and at least one of the two Offensive Coordinators.
As bad as these three jokers were at times this season (and they saved their worst for the last game at TENN), I think that continuity is vital this time around.
Before this year, we had Chad O’Shea for one year. Before that was Dowell Loggins for one year. That means every Dolphin offensive player who’s been on the team for 4 years has had to learn a new offense every single year. The entire summer is spent learning the playbook and learning the philosophies and idiosyncracies of the new man calling the shots.
For the past 4 years, no Miami Dolphin has reported to camp ready to start practicing. Instead, they first have to learn what they will be practicing.
It does not work. And it’s not the players’ fault. It’s Brian Flores’ fault.
Tua is in his second year, and he’s had 3 different coordinators. Is this an excuse for his sporadic play? Not entirely, but it certainly contributes to his growing pains.
Why are Mac Jones and Justin Herbert looking so much better than Tua most days? Because they play behind 10 other men who know the playbook inside and out. When 10 other teammates know the playbook, they offer incredible help and support to any rookie. But when ALL ELEVEN men are trying to process it together?
The experiment of having two different OCs was a disaster, but for once, we need to retain some consistency. Bring one of them back and hope a year of experience under his belt pays off. Hopefully we get some new linemen next year, and they will have to learn our plays. But the other Dolphins will not. They will already know the plays. I truly think that will go a long long way for once. Continuity for once. What an idea!
On defense, Josh Boyer’s system looked better this year than last. The influx of Phillips and Holland certainly helped, but I also think that the continuity helped. Before Boyer, we had Patrick Graham and Matt Burke for one year each. Again, like the offense, asking all 11 players to learn a new system just does not work. Let’s bring Boyer back and see how we fare. I did not like his 3-man rush approach vs. Tannehill, but for the most part, the defense is the reason we won all 8 of our games this year. (Don’t forget that the Pats were about to beat us in Week 1, but X Howard caused a fumble to ice the game).
Brian Flores: I have no problem continuing with Flores, but he honestly leaves a lot to be desired. It’s baffling how we note the same issues continually, and he doesn’t seem to improve. Making adjustments, for example, are non-existent. Knowing (and him constantly saying) “We need to score more points” and “I have to do a better job” has gotten really old. Sometimes, I miss know-it-all Gase spreading the blame around. You never heard Gase say, “I have to get better.”
It’s admirable for a rookie coach to admit some mistakes. But a third-year coach like Flores in a must-win game saying, “Maybe be should have used Duke Johnson more…” MAYBE?? In a windy, icy, rainy game, it took you until the day after to realize that Tua throwing the ball 40 times wasn’t the best idea?
I think he is a fine teacher, but I don’t know about his overall leadership. Still, for consistency, I’d keep him. I really wish I could advocate to keep him because of his leadership and his track record. But rather, I advocate to keep him simply because it’s the wrong time to ruin continuity. That’s the wrong reason to keep someone, but I think it’s better than the alternative and a brand new learning process.
Our 2021 record is worse than 2020. 10-6 last year, while this year we’ll be 8-9 or 9-8. Either of those records is something to build on, and I feel Flores has deserved some more time to move that needle ahead.
I agree with what you’re saying as far as continuity of the team. We can’t have this constant turnover of coaches and expect the players to conform to the new philosophy.
On WQAM it was said- and I cannot verify if this is true- but the Dolphins are one of 3 teams who have not won a playoff game in the last 20 years! The other 2 teams are the Bengals, who now have a chance to win, and the other – the Lions. So, for 2 decades we have been banished to football hell! They also believe that the team will seek upgrade opportunities at the quarterback position and once again trying to fix our dismal offensive line. Seems like every year we are “rebuilding.”
The QB question just never goes away, does it? I remain behind Tua. I remain committed to giving him some help. Imagine where we’d be if we didn’t get him some help in Jaylen Waddle? We’d have two wins without Waddle. Maybe 3 or 4 at the most? It took 8 games, but once Tua and Waddle found their rhythm, both excelled. Adding one dynamic player made a big difference. Perhaps adding one more (maybe we can be greedy and ask for two) outstanding players gets us to the next level in 2022. At this point, I don’t think another WR or even RB is needed. We have playmakers there already. I think the improvement has to come from the line. The line, the line, the line.
It’s always a gamble. We can buy high-priced free agents, only to have them blow out an ACL. But it’s something we must try.
I’m also not throwing in the towel on our current young linemen. No one is excelling, but they are all young kids with some potential. Except Jesse Davis. He’s been a loyal Dolphin for years, but it’s time to part ways. Perhaps is all these current linemen need. Or maybe it’s better coaching. Jimmy Johnson had All pro linemen in Dallas, many of whom were undrafted or castoffs from other teams. He had an eye for talent and the coaching staff to make it work. There is no magic wand when it comes to finding linemen, but the law of averages say you have to get lucky once in a while.
I can’t think of a more important move or hire than to bring in the absolute best offensive line coach available. I don’t care what we have to do…pay him the most money, make his the top assistant coach on the staff, give him some input into the draft, etc…but make it happen! It all starts up front and we will quickly realize that 1) maybe our young guys were not that bad and 2) a good O-line coach doesn’t need 1st round talent to be successful. I agree with admin, keep everyone else the same for another year for continuity. The main focus of this entire offseason should be to get the best possible O-line coach out there, full stop. The goofy nimrod with the French name that we currently have in there is a complete freakin’ joke.
Moonbear is correct, but it’s easier said than done. Who decides who is the best? Do you trust Brian Flores to possess the knowledge of what makes an outstanding line coach? Stephen Ross? Chris Grier? They’re inexperienced when it comes to hiring coaches, and it really shows with Flores. His coordinators have been fired or quit after one year. That shows he picked the wrong guys. I’m not defending our line by any means, but coach Lem Jeanpierre is no slouch. He is a Super Bowl winning lineman, and he cut his teeth as a line coach after his playing days were over . Actually, he is among our more experienced coaches, and he has some pedigree. And–most important to me–he is not one of Flores’s old buddies from New England. I’m not saying he’s an outstanding coach, but it’s hard to evaluate position coaches because who knows if the OC is overruling them or if Flores is overruling them all.
In addition, I would not go all out and emphasize defense. We probably need some depth at LB, but I think our starting 3 of Van Ginkel, Roberts, and Baker played well. Our DBs are just fine. Wasting draft picks on DBs is not needed, unless they try to be cute and cut Jones or Needham, for example. Cutting Bobby McCain was not the end of the world, but it did take our defense 8 or 9 games to settle in and adjust. The new players were missing assignments left and right. If we keep the same DC and the same players, then that learning curve won’t be needed next year.
To add on the importance of continuity. Every year Flores has had the team look terrible through the first half of the season with them looking great by the end. Biggest improvement to see next year for Flores is if he can start and get wins early and have the team ready. We go into this offseason with the most cap space in the league. Obviously O line is the biggest need but I think RB and WR will need to be addressed too. Coming into this year it looked like WR was set but Fuller never played and Parker got hurt for a couple games. I like them but guys like Mack Hollins and Isiah Ford just aren’t good enough to take the offense to the playoff caliber. And I love Gaskin and sure he’s had the worst O line in football probably, but how good is he? Ideally I think we look for a starter and he can be a 3rd down guy or extra slot in some packages. Also wonder how much Gesicki will want and if we pay him understand we have a lot of TEs but none of them have his potential.
Lots of speculation out there about DeShaun Watson gobbling up 80% of our open cap money, not to mention the 4 or 5 first rounders we’d have to give away. It will be expense to acquire him and even more expensive to sign him.
And it will be painful to watch him get sacked behind our crappy line.
Instead, spend the money on linemen. Lure them here with money, South Beach hookers, the weather…whatever it takes.
Regarding Gesicki’s upcoming contract…Do you remember in the 2nd Bills game this year…He ran a play in motion, and the center snapped it right into Gesicki’s leg for a fumble. It was an awful, embarrassing play by the center. The thing that Io liked is the Gesicki was PISSED! I’ve said for year that we need some fire from our team leaders. Tannehill (and to some extent Tua) come off the field with a deer-in-headlights look too often. I want to see them furious at the linemen!
what you said was key: “… have the team ready.” Exactly, this team was not ready, had no identity, and played with no continuity until after 7 loses. This destroyed a season that should have been a playoff one. That loss to the Titans should not have mattered with respect to our playoff standing. I guess Flores deserves another year (as if my opinion matters) as he turned things around but if this same patterns occurs next year, he must go. It cant take 10-11 games to figure out what your identity is.
3 years running and we start off slow under Flores each time. Again, the main point is that lack of continuity. It can’t get any worse next year, right? (Well, technically we could begin 0-8 instead of 1-7).
I agree with everything said here first and foremost fix the oline. Watson or any high priced QB will set them back mark my words. They will simply become houston east….
Yes, and at this point, I feel that money is the only way to improve the line. 31 other teams want All Pro linemen too. They don’t grow on trees. Lately, the Dolphins have been planting seeds and hoping to grow a tree. Several young linemen taken the last few years, and hoping they blossom into studs. Meanwhile, we cut useful players like Ted Karras and Erick Flowers, among others, to save a few bucks. The “just wait till next year, and they will improve” philosophy MAY work, but we have not been lucky in that regard. 🙁
The Fins cut Flowers and he was ranked in the top 20 of all guards this year so they must have thought the young guys would be better than him which wasn’t the case. Also remember Billy Turner he wasn’t good enough but the Packers are still paying him and he was top 20 too. There is no way that they can draft this many players and they all suck except for Hunt. Didn’t one oline coach snort coke on the job? I’m guessing they all still do with the results we see.
They gave up on John Jerry way too soon also, and he went on to be a steady, reliable OL for the Giants. Not an All Pro, but he anchored the Giant’s line for 4 or 5 years and helped develop Saquan Barkley.