Dolphins Truth

So much to write about, but yet I can’t add much more than what has already been covered. I heard Mike McDaniel’s explanation about why he took a knee instead of going for the NFL points record. He said he didn’t want to run up the score nor embarrass his opponent, etc. But…earlier when it was 56-13, McDaniel called for a long bomb, Mike White to Robbie Chosen.* That went for a TD and McDaniel certainly was running up the score by calling such a play. Miami led by 43 points with a few minutes left, and he ran up the score. I think thatRead More →

I was watching the Steelers/Browns game the other night (Thank God a million times over that Stephen Ross ended his infatuation with Deshaun Watson). On some plays, the Steelers used six offensive linemen, essentially having two left tackles. They ran sweeps that way, and had good gains every time. It got me thinking about if/when Terron Armstead is ready to come back. Kendall Lamm has played beautifully at left tackle for two games, and he deserves to keep playing. I don’t think we should immediately bench him when Armstead comes back. Instead, I hope McDaniel sees the value in both of these guys and comesRead More →

Mike Gesicki did everything he could to defeat his old team, and he came up inches short. Last week, I commented on how Justin Herbert allowed himself to be tackled on 4th down with the game on the line, when instead he should have just heaved the ball up and hope. Fumbled on purpose. Anything! You’re about to lose, so why not try something desperate? That’s exactly what Gesicki did. The game was over, and he knew it, so he had nothing to lose by lateraling the ball to a guard. Brilliant play. The stars were aligned for the Dolphins, however, as we barely tackledRead More →

My nightmare scenario is that Mac Jones feeds us a steady diet of crossing passes to Mike Gesicki, followed by occasional long balls to Devante Parker. Meanwhile, like last week, we can’t stop the run again, and Ezekiel Eliot eats us alive. I can see our defense having another bad game. The one good thing though is that Mac Jones isn’t 1/10th as good as Justin Herbert. It’s baffling to me why some media rate Jones so high. He’s a deer in headlights when you pressure him, and an interception machine like Josh Allen when you pressure him, It will be interesting to see whatRead More →

I like to freeze-frame certain plays that end up being important. Here are a few things you don’t notice at full speed…. This is the final drive. 2nd and 20 after the grounding flag. On this play, Zach Sieler got a huge sack to make it 3rd and 30. Look in the middle of the picture…#71 is holding Sieler by his pants and trying to drag him down. Refs missed that hold, but it didn’t matter because Sieler got the sack anyway! This is 4th down. Chargers have 3 WRs lined up on top. It appears Miami has 3 DBs to cover them. Chubb isRead More →

I’ll be the only honest pessimist out there today, while everyone else is all giddy. Outside of one series, our defense looked atrocious. Vic Fangio’s scheme gave up more points than we gave in any game last year. As a matter of fact, you have to go all the way back to Tom Brady to find the last time the Dolphins gave up more than 34. Xavien Howard looked tired and took lazy penalties. The defensive line took a water break during every single rushing play. It was truly as if the whole D line said, “Ahhh, I’ll just sit here and wait for theRead More →

With pre-season behind us, it’s time to get into Week One and our visit to Los Angeles. Last December, the Chargers beat us pretty badly. If not for Tyreek Hill picking up a loose fumble and sprinting into the endzone, the game was not as close as the final indicated. This game will come down to our running game. Khalil Mack and a dirty player like Joey Bosa will make life hell for Tua and our passing game. Is there anyone out there who thinks that Austin Jackson can keep Bosa away from Tua? I don’t. Our line was bad last year and didn’t getRead More →

To me, the 2023 preseason was dominated by injuries. Our first two draft choices, Achane and Cam Smith, missed significant practice and game time. Our first-class trade acquisition, Jalen Ramsey, is out for most of the season. Our investment in a backup QB, Mike White, will be iffy for Week One. This is precarious because Skylar Thompson clearly is not ready to be an NFL QB. All in all, I suppose, we escaped without any total injury disasters, although the Ramsey MCL hurts. Christian Wilkins ended his holdout and stated that he will play this year and honor his deal. Good man. This is theRead More →

Well, we survived without any major injuries. Cam Smith had a slight shoulder pull, but he’ll be fine. Barrios had a cut that needed stitches, so he’ll be back once healed. Skylar Thompson continues to prove that he is not an NFL quarterback. Apologies to his backers and to so many people out there who wanted him on the team last year, but he’s just not at the NFL level. That being said, Thompson didn’t look much worse than Mike White, who could not put up a single point against the 6th and 7th-string Falcon defenders. Matt Ryan is available, cheap, in case Mike McDanielRead More →

Forgive me for being a little late in welcoming in the 2023 Training Camp. I had my post all set up and ready to dive into 2023, but then the Jalen Ramsey injury happened, and it threw me off course. While I’m glad it’s not an ACL, still the news was not good. A repaired MCL has Ramsey out until December, they say. So he will more than likely miss 15 of our 17 regular-season games. Might as well say “out for the year.” He seems determined to beat the timeline, and I hope for that. Perhaps he’s good to go in late November, soRead More →

As my long-time readers know, I am not a fan of Stephen Ross. I feel his meddling hurts the Dolphins far more than any positives he has brought to the team. For years, I’ve pointed out Ross mistakes like REMOVING +/- 17,000 seats from Hard Rock Stadium and offering the Dolphins on a silver platter to play “home” games in Europe. I understand if folks disagree on those points. You might think of those as subjective. But when Ross costs us a FIRST-ROUND draft choice because of his meddling, it’s no longer opinion. It becomes fact. Ross hurts the Miami Dolphins with his actions. Period.Read More →

Except for a ridiculous game in Germany (which actually helps the dolphins a little because it takes away home field advantage from the Chiefs), I was pleasantly surprised by the schedule. We begin with two winnable road games at the Chargers and then the Pats. We lost at the Chargers last December, but that was a game where Tua looked awful. I honestly don’t mind having TWO road games to start the season, because it gives us 2 more home games later in the year when it matters more. Our away game at Buffalo and Boston are in September, and @ the Jets is theRead More →

The league announced a matchup between the Jets and the Miami Dolphins at New Jersey at 3:00 Eastern on November 24. The game will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video. ( I wonder if this Friday game counts as our mandated Thursday game. Or, perhaps, we still have to play a Thursday night game in addition to this special Friday game. That would be bad, giving us TWO separate games with little prep time). Also, the Dolphins “at” the Chiefs game will be in Germany, as Roger Goodell continues to screw over American football fans and forces teams to fly over the Atlantic to play games inRead More →

In case you missed it, Stephen Ross’s illegal tampering cost the Dolphins a FIRST-round draft pick. That’s first, in case Mr. Ross reads this and needs a reminder as to the extreme severity of what he cost us. So we picked in Rounds two and three and six instead, where the Dolphins promptly went out and drafted a shortstop, a goalie, and a shooting forward. Oh, I mean, a DB, a RB, and a WR. Either way, those are 3 positions where we did NOT NOT NOT need help. The WR played mostly WR in college, although the consensus is that he can be usedRead More →

Brady Quinn wasn’t a Dolphin for very long (2 or 3 weeks during the 2014 pre-season), and he wasn’t that great at any of the teams he played for. But Jalen Ramsey just called him a BUST ! https://www.yahoo.com/sports/jalen-ramsey-roasts-former-browns-142233445.htmlRead More →

Jalen Ramsey was a big piece of the puzzle. Mike Gesicki should have been a key piece. David Long missed so much time due to “soft” injuries, that even his own coach called him out! Trent Sherfield had one memorable catch all year. He won’t be missed. Our 4 running backs will all return. Elandon Roberts is gone, but Van Ginkel and Baker are likely back. We have our 75th new punter in the last 3 years. Lots of other under-the-radar developments, but I want to ask you guys your opinions on hos the 2023 Dolphins are shaping up…Read More →

Is it “news” to say that 1+1=2? Do you bother to write an article to inform people that the sky is blue? There is never a need to state the obvious, but here I am to report that the Dolphins will be cutting Byron Jones. Big surprise, right? I was one of Jones’s defenders. All through 2022, I said that he is still a terrific player whose injury lasted longer than usual. It happens. I looked forward to his coming back and playing the corner opposite Xavien Howard, with two strong safeties backing them up and some decent DBs helping out in the dime packageRead More →