First of all, let’s keep Tua in mind as he battles the latest concussion. I won’t speculate and I don’t expect the Dolphins to release any relevant news until next week. Guessing on medical conditions–and how a player reacts to that condition (i.e., will his take his 200 million guaranteed dollars and retire) requires too much speculation. If you need speculation and guessing, there are a thousand of them on YouTube spewing their rumors and guesses. Not here.

Even before Tua decided to lunge forward instead of simply sliding, the game was already lost. We were down 21 at the time, and even if we scored there, a 14-point deficit vs. Josh Allen wasn’t gonna be overcome.

I’m more concerned with HOW we got to that 21-point margin, and the same problems come up over and over again, My regular readers have heard me say this before, but until it gets corrected, we’re gonna stall.

FIRST: Our high-powered offense has been figured out. It’s official. I don’t care if it’s in Miami or Kansas City, hot weather or cold, or anywhere, in our last 5 games, our offense has scored 10, 20, 14, 19, and 22 points. Before that we put up 30 on the lowly Jets and only 27 against the dreadful Titans (and most of those points were thanks to D and special teams).

So it is truly official…defensive coordinators know how to stop Mike McDaniel now. And Mike McDaniel has zero adjustments/corrections/backup plans. Stephen Ross must have been looking elsewhere when he gave McD an extension.

SECOND: I hate to kick a man when he’s down, but this second problem is on Tua. That pick 6 he threw was among the worst passes in NFL history, but I don’t care about the physical aspects of that bad pass. It happens once in a while to them all.

Rather, I was furious that Tua lacked the basic awareness of that specific situation.

Let me explain: It was 3rd and 5 from our own 30 or so. If we get stopped, we punt on 4th and 5 from our 30. IF TUA TAKES A SACK, we punt on 4th and 10 from our 25.

There is virtually no difference between punting from our 30 or punting from our 25. In a case like this, it is totally acceptable to take that sack.

Tua has done this during his career, and I actually blame the coaches for not reminding him of the situation. Some of his more dreadful passes have come on third down when he was in hero mode. That’s fine for 4th and long with a minute left. But there is no need for heroics when you’re about to punt it anyway.

By trying to save our punter 10 yards, Tua gave them 7 points. That’s a gigantic lack of situational awareness.

The reason I blame the coaches (at least partially) is the same lack of awareness occurs all the time for the Dolphins. Hell, it even came up 5 minutes later on the very next drive! With Skylar Thompson in there facing 4th and goal, he took a sack. This wasn’t his fault, as Austin Jackson got smoked liked a cigarette, BUT…

In that specific situation, with the game on the line, that IS a situation where you heave it up. You’re about to get decked anyway, so just lob one into the end zone quickly and see what happens. The WORST that can happen is an interception and the Bills start at their 20 instead of their 5. No big deal.

But with the game and probably our season on the line, Skylar ducked and covered.

Tua should have ducked and covered. Skylar should have tried something desperate. Instead, they both did the opposite, and our season is more than likely over.

A QB simply must have the innate awareness to know when it’s okay to take a sack, and when you have to try anything and everything to avoid a sack. BOTH of our QBs have consistently lacked this awareness.

THIRD: And this one really rubs me because I’ve been harping on this flaw ever since McDaniel took over. We are not good on third-and-short, but that’s not my gripe. My gripe is WHY we are facing so so sooooooo many third-and-short situations. And the reason we face so many of them is that our guys are not trying hard enough on 2nd down.

2nd-and-five, and I can almost guarantee you that Achane or Mostert will rush for 4 and a half yards. Or Tua will throw a 4-yard slant to someone.

Our guys need a sense of urgency on 2nd down, in order to avoid the third downs in the first place! Lunge forward at the end of your run. Stick the ball forward. Anything. But we never do this. I think McDaniel is content with third-and-short because he feels we can easily pick them up, but we cannot. Not consistently anyway.

Next few games, pay attention to our second down plays. Watch how many times we end up just short of a first down. It happens constantly and will probably continue until McD notices this stuff and inspires his skill players to fight for an extra yard.

All of this will be for naught if we’re stuck with Skylar Thompson for an extended period (or forever?). But still, when the NFL has caught up to McDaniel’s offense, it’s time he goes back to basics.

23 Comments

  1. Excellent points, admin. I would add the early season Thursday night game did not help the Dolphins complex offense, who really only played one game together so far (none in pre season), so they are still not totally in sync

    depressing reality:
    -the complex offense was specifically designed for Tua’s only strength (quick pass, accurate anticipation throw)
    -MD never played college level or pro football, so he has very little, if any gut instincts for in game adjustments and tactical thinking
    -Defense lacks depth
    -it was a mistake to to sign Tua to a 212 million extension. he was always one concussion away from retiring and he never recovered his full original mobility after the hip injury, thus a risky investment (told ya). and to witness his performance last night, some basic fundamental mistakes makes me think he still has a lot to learn
    -i sincerely hope last night’s concussion was very minimal and that he is okay, but this situation is bigger than Tua, so I am going to comment. he has already had four concuss events, so for the sake of his health, his family, the team, the fans, and the NFL, he should take his money and retire (I think only ~90 million ish is guaranteed). He is the father of two young kids, that is far more important. The management should advise him to retire

    hence, It’s Skylar time. He will need to be mobile. Bring in Gavin H too. 🐬

  2. We are bad on short yardage because of O line specifically interior O line. That is why McD gets cute and throws screens in those situations the guys up front simply can’t win. Also its time to talk about Terron. Even Branden Albert played more

    1. Author

      Brandon would be a cheap replacement, and better than our whole line. Let’s call him !

  3. To me Skylar Thompson is not the answer. I don’t even think we can win a single game with him. I hate to admit it, but I’m all for getting Brady out of retirement for the remainder of this year. We have nothing to lose.

    1. Author

      I wouldn’t say no to Brady, but he’s got a cushy $35 million deal to sit in a booth and sip wine while discussing football

  4. Regarding our (n)O line : After the bills got eliminated by the chiefs last year (yet again) – I instantly wrote : Yep, there go the bills, doing what they always do in the playoffs, and (worse) – here go our fins : totally ignoring their OL – like they always do, and that was back in Jan.

    Since then ? – any decent NFL level OL’s taken in the draft ? Hell No ! Any OL FA’s acquired ?(there were many available that the fins desperately needed) – Hell No !

    In a way, I’m almost glad that all those responsible are leaning their lesson the very Hard way. Hope it costs them their jobs, they absolutely deserve it. Like I wrote last Jan, some things will never change, regarding the bills and fins ….

    1. Author

      Grier says the line is fine. Ross says Grier is fine. The cycle will not repeat until a true Dolphins fan with a passion for winning takes over.

  5. let’s give the reigns to Skylar for a few games. This is the moment that he has been training and waiting for. he already is familiar with the McD playbook. showtime Skylar! I expect he will improve. but he has small hands, so we probably will witness more QB fumbles.

    Also, there is a reason coach McDaniel chose him over White, but that might not be saying alot 😬

    Go Phins 🐬

    1. Author

      I’m one of the few people who points out that 2 years ago, we ALREADY handed the reins to Skylar. He played in several games jumping in for Teddy Bridgewater when he got hurt mid-game, plus he started several games on his own (with a full week of practice). He looked horrendous. I think we were 1-6 in Skylar’s games, and the one win was a 9-6 FG battle with the inept Jets. I’ll be an optimist, but Skylar is a third-year pro with a terrible proven record, not some brash new rookie I feel excited about.

  6. I believe most on here know where Finfanforever has stood re: Tua from the beginning. Firstly, I am not or have ever been a Tua hater. He is a good, devoted teammate. He is a great guy from all I have read. I hope he has a full recovery and his future is without incidence. He states he will play again. I hope his medical team will advise “with emphasis” on him playing again. That’s all I will say about that.

    This organization has to face the reality they have avoided to accept- the mistake they made. The big mistake was drafting Tua as the future QB of the Miami Dolphins. They were well aware of his physical weaknesses. We the fans could see it; I said it many times on here that he does not have “it”…the QB “it” becomes pretty obvious, even with a rookie QB working hard to be the player he has been billed & touted to be. The allure of Tua was all Ross’s fantasy come true, that he got the big fish! I felt the Dolphins should have moved on and traded him when they were able to… who is going to trade for a player having had four concussions?

    This organization doesn’t have the right GM & owner to make this team what it could be. Grier needed and needs to go. We are stuck with Ross unfortunately. I don’t put a lot of blame on Coach McD as he inherited Tua and has deliberately revamped the entire offensive playbook for Tua’s weaknesses to attempt to make those into strengths. So here we are once again wondering who will be the Dolphin’s QB. This organization owes it to the fans to put a winning product on the field. Fans pay for this entertainment and it’s gotten old. Not attending the games and buying season tix is the only way to send a message. Skylar Thompson is expected to be able to step up and make something happen and not lose the game. But we are no threat for the season Fin fans. It’s off to the West Coast for the Dolphins and they never play well out there.

    1. Author

      Ross gets enamored after a tiny bit of success, rather than assessing the whole picture. Defenses have figured out how to stop “genius” McDaniel. It’s been about 10 games since we came near 30 points. We are very average. And yet Ross rewarded McDaniel and Tua both with zillionaire contract extensions. For being mediocre. Same with Chris Grier. Don’t forget, Ross also gave extensions to Gase and Philbin too, after each of them accomplished zero. Yes, he was smart enough to fire them eventually, but they never should have been extended in the first place. I think we are two years away from saying the same about McDaniel. His offense was fun when we were scoring 70 points, but now it’s so so easy to stop. The run is over.

  7. I suspect Tua will be back on three or four weeks. Our record will most likely be 1-4 or 1-5 and the season all but over for us. I like Tua but I’ve never thought he had the instinct of a top tier QB. The talent yes but the drive and instinct, nope. All the greats have an untamable desire to win! He always seemed to care less about a three and out! Always seemed happy to run over and congratulate his friends on opposing teams when they beat the Dolphins into the ground. I wouldn’t be unhappy if he retired and we tried again but there is zero chance of that. The kids arm could get us in the playoffs but not if he misses 3-5 games. We won’t catch the Bills!

    1. Author

      The instinct definitely isn’t there unfortunately. That’s why I went into detail on the post above, pointing out what a horrendous play it was on his pick 6. Not because of the toss itself, but because he didn’t grasp that taking the sack in that situation simply meant we would punt on 4th and 10 instead of 4th and 5. Zero advantage to throwing the ball away…assuming he knew how to throw a ball away correctly.

  8. Per Adam Beasley

    The Dolphins’ 14.3% success rate on fourth downs this season is the lowest in the league among teams with three or more attempts.

    For me, even if Tua didn’t get hurt, this was a game we had to win. The Bills stole from us winning the AFC East and home field advantage. We needed to make a statement to them. It was a disaster. We may win 5 more games this season but I think it’s another wasted season.

    1. Author

      Sadly, this is the weakest Bills’ team in decades. Yes, Josh Allen is still good. But as the announcers pointed out, only ONE of his WRs had ever played with him before. He had 4 brand new guys learning a brand new offense and zero rapport with Allen, and yet they outplayed our own zillion-dollar WRs. Same story on defense. Bills have 2 brand new safeties who are still learning their defense, and 2 substitute CBs, and 2 substitute LBs. That means only 5 of the 11 men on the field really had any true experience in that D, and yet they lit us up all night. Even if Tua stays healthy, we had no answers again.

  9. you are correct Admin, Skylar has been unimpressive mostly. but the Dolphins have invested and been patient with him the past 3 Years. The Dolphins McDaniel offense is also complex, which makes it difficult for a backup to jump into and out of games in an unplanned inconsistent manner.
    and remember….
    he did compete in that one playoff game and almost beat the Bills on the road. if he only he had noticed a wide open T Hill late in the 4th. so I hang my hope on that, and we all should rally around him. We have no other choice. This is Skylar’s last opportunity to prove himself. Defense also needs to help by playing a full game like they have played in the past two second halves. And of course, Tua should retire.
    Go Dolphins 🐬

  10. So now we know Tua is out till week 9 so the season is officially over. Even if they sign one of the out of work guys unless it’s Brady no one is coming in here to win five of the next six! This sucks……again!!! B

  11. We’re gunna need a bigger Hope!

    Stat of Day:
    After week 2, Miami Dolphins dropped 21 positions in the ESPN Football power index to position 30. Now at the bottom of the pile

    222Upload Attached

    1. Even if Tua survived the Bills game, we still woulda dropped 20 lower. The offense is shit even with superstars out there. Defenses figured McDaniel out, and his jet motion trickery has gone the way of the wildcat.

        1. Yep, the Dolphins had three years to figure out what to do with Tua and they failed. We fail on most of the big decisions! We have to be close to one of the worst franchises in the NFL at this point in history! I wish I could be more optimistic! Admin give us a sliver of hope with some nugget of insight!!

  12. All the blame for this teams failing fall on Grier. The oline has been atrocious since we drafted Tua and even after all these concussions it still hasn’t been fixed. Anybody else would’ve made that priority #1. Tua’s problem is his small size. He needs more time to see the open field.

  13. Totally agree Jimbo! I was screaming to my Dolphins friends when free agency opened why are the Dolphins NOT signing a quality backup QB for Tua bec. the day is coming! And Grier did nothing about it. And the day came! And here we are with this problem that has lingered for many years. Grier has to go after the season or now, I don’t care when. So we are the Jets of last season. I’m sorry to say but Tua coming back will make no difference. If he thinks he can salvage the season, he’s way too impressed with himself. Never should have signed him to that mega contract. Stupid move Grier.

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