Another no-show by our defense was overcome by a good 3 quarters by our offense.
Tua looked so good on so many plays, but then he threw 3 bad balls on the 3 most important plays late. On the first 4th-down play, he missed Gesicki cutting left to right. On the second one, he missed a wide open Durham Smythe. Tua later said (as noted by announcer Trent Green) that Smythe looked away for a split second and that threw off the timing. But that just can’t happen. You can’t throw a grounder to a guy 4 yards away.
The 3rd bad throw was when we needed a 1st down to ice the game, and Tua severely underthrew Waddle running down the left sideline. This was in addition to underthrowing him earlier as well, when we got a questionable DPI in our favor. Combine that with a questionable NON-DPI call that went our way against Crossen, plus a drop of an easy catch by the Bears’ Equan St. Brown, and you see how close we were to losing this game.
There…the negatives are out of the way. Except for the defense, which is one big negative. I know the secondary is a bunch of nobodies, but that doesn’t excuse a QB who rushes for 170+ yards. Even when we had a spy on him. Inexcusable. And no turnovers yet again. Remember Lamar Jackson’s 80-yard TD rush against us? And Josh Allen is coming up in December. We have failed at stopping running QBs, and it’s only gonna get worse.
Luckily, we have lumbering slow-poke Jacoby Brisset coming up next, do we’ll get a breather.
As for the positives, aside from the 4th quarter, our offense seems unstoppable. Mike McDaniel is brilliantly sticking to what works. He’s not “keeping it honest” by wasting plays and “setting up the run” by passing it. No. When we pass it, it’s to move the ball or to score. Not to strategize like Gase and the others did. It’s been fun to watch and a nightmare for defenders. Tua found Sherfield and the RBs a little more yesterday, because the opposing the D is starting to take away both Waddle and Hill. That’s okay. If they want to devote 4 defenders to stopping those two guys, then someone else will surely be open, and Tua was finding them.
I absolutely love how we evolved into a quick-strike passing attack in only 8 games in this new system. Tua is not asked to take a 7-step drop and survey the field. (SACK!). He’s instead asked to take a few quick steps and fire the ball to an open man. These passes happen so quickly that even a makeshift offensive line like ours can hold up. It’s amazing to see this evolution. I did not think one coach or one offensive scheme could make such a difference, but it does. McDaniel is the real deal.
The Bears put up 32 on us and the Lions score on their first FIVE possessions? Recipes for disaster. But no. It’s like McDaniel doesn’t even care. As long as we keep scoring and match the opponent, it works. And that is something that hasn’t occurred here since the Marino days. Impressive.
Yes, defense is a problem! Tackling is a big issue. Lot’s of times we could have held on third down and couldn’t make the tackle. Offense is impressive! I think the decisiveness and quick release Tua has been showing since the injury is hands down the difference! If he keeps it up the offense is practically unstoppable! If our defense can get back to last year’s play, we could make a run!
As much as I always liked Tua and I saw the star potential, his value is highlighted even more when you look at the Phins’ record without him. 0-3 with the backups this year and 0-6 last year (maybe 1-6). He is so far superior to Bridgewater, Brisset and Skylar Thompson it makes my head spin. Remember those games when Fitzpatrick came in midway to relive an ineffective Tua? Now I realize that it wasn’t the QB, it was the offense. Change the offense and keep Tua, and you see the results this year!
Hate to say I told you all so! Put it this way every QB needs help from his team. See Rogers this year. Didn’t help that Flo virtually tried to sabotage him. ..
I was also one to say that WRs are a dime a dozen. The art of catching a pass is fairly simple, and we’ve all done it. I never wanted to spend draft capital on a WR, nor trade for one. Boy was I wrong. I have forever changed my mind after seeing what Hill and Waddle do routinely. Just imagine if we still had Isiah Ford and Preston Williams and Patrick Laird coming out of the backfield. No offense against those guys, but I now see the error in my ways. Hill is infinitely more dangerous than any Dolphin we’ve had since Ricky Williams. I just didn’t see it at first. I will devote a whole column to this soon. WRs DO INDEED make a huge difference.
Flo didn’t try to sabotage Tua, Tua was unsure of himself after he got injured on the football field when he played for Alabama. The Dolphins have a habit of making their first round pick on injured players… remember DeVante Parker? Flo was tasked with building a competing team out of a ragtag no-name bunch of players. After that deboggle with Ross’s throwing money at Jay Cutler and “it’s my way or the highway” Adam Gase (though he never played any kind of football in his life, not even peewee), the Dolphins have been fishing around for the right head couch and players that could get them over the hump. Now all the Dolphins have to do is get their defense straight and I think the team will be pretty good for at least a few years.
Oh, man. I had forgotten about that Cutler nightmare season!
That’s because the Cutler season was, well, forgettable. At the end of that season, he left the locker room without saying goodbye to anyone.
In retrospect it was worth a try. Tannehill was hurt and we needed someone. Better than conceding that entire season. But Jay was very under-whelming, wasn’t he?
Worth a try ADMIN?.. no team wanted Jay Cutler as a back up quarterback. Let me say that again… NO OTHER TEAM! Ross wasted ten million dollars on that washout! Ross would’ve came out better sticking with Matt Moore!
I blame Gase more than Ross. Gase could say that 1+1= 73, and Ross would agree. Cutler was Gase’s boy from their Denver days.
Agreed on the D Phil they’ve been hit with some massive injuries in the secondary but the running QB issue has been going on for years. They need to fix that before the next one comes along.
What I meant about Flo is that he focused on the D and let the O fend for themselves. The oline and supporting personnel was atrocious and with Tua coming off injury there was no reason to throw him to the wolves. Part could be Ross putting pressure on getting Tua in there but in the end its up the the HC. He also okay’d the ridiculous two OC thing sure didn’t help the QB’s. Anyway the O looks headed in the right direction hopefully the D can turn things around. Need CB Jones back.
Flores threw Tua to the wovles?
FLYERFINFAN, Tua couldn’t even beat out old ass Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2020. Tua got his chance that year when Fitzpatrick was fucking up in the game against the NY Jets. Fitzpatrick replaced Tua again when Tua played in only his third game. After jamming his thumb in practice, Tua was replaced again by Fitzpatrick. Tua again again took the helm at quarterback but were eliminated from playoff contention. True, Tua got hurt early in this 2021 season, but was he the only quarterback last season to get hurt? Look at this season, I don’t see you blaming McDaniel for Tua getting a concussion early this season.
Com’on man, think before you start pointing a finger.
We’ll have to disagree as Tua was damaged goods coming into his first season most people assumed he would be red shirted. To then put him in with a bad oline and subpar receivers was not in a developing QB’s best interests. Now that could have resulted from pressure from Ross although we hear otherwise that Flo simply didn’t like Tua so who knows but either way it was an organizational failure. Either way if you want to slam Tua go for it but the kids 19-9 so far. He’s 6-0 in games he’s finished this season. He is IMO not the problem in Miami. I also think Grier has been pretty good as no one hits on every player or draft pick but he showed well by getting off Edmonds after he didn’t jive this year.
FLYERFINFAN, Flo had to work with the team that he inherited. I see you conveniently dodged the statement that Tua received a concussion early with McDaniel as the head coach of the and from Sep 29 to Oct 6 the Dolphins lost three games!
“we hear otherwise that Flo simply didn’t like Tua”
Wtf?.. Son, stop making up shit. Flo was handed a cluster fuck. Jay Ajai was cut loose the next year after the year his running got the Dolphins and Gase (his first year as a head coach) to the playoffs. Flo made people proud again and want to come to Hard Rock stadium and cheer for the Dolphins. Now, tell me what I said is “slamming Tua?” I only pointed out facts… YOU do the slamming.
Phil you are misunderstanding me we all know injuries can happen at any time but Tua was coming off a catastrophic hip injury in his first season and didn’t even have all of his strength back. Not to mention lack of practice time due to covid. Flo still through him in there with a bad oline and bad group of WR’s. Fitz being a vet should have played the whole season. You don’t put your QB in a bad position and ruin him as a rookie. This is why half of the fans hate the kid when it’s not even fair to do so under the circumstances he had to start his career.
Now in MM’s case was Tua injured coming into the season? No. Did Tua have a full training camp? Yes. Did Tua have a better offensive personnel group? Yes. This is how you give your #5 draft pick QB a decent shot to succeed not what Flo gave him. As per the concussion we don’t fully know what happened and if the doctors told the team and HC that he was fine in the bills game then you play him.
The thing is, we never really know the full extent of what happens behind the scenes. When Flo took over, did he honestly think that Chan Gailey was the best offensive mind in the NFL and that’s why he hired him? Or did Grier want to hire someone cheap? Whose (bad) idea was it to have 2 separate offensive coordinators? We’ll probably never know. By all accounts, Flo was difficult to work with. but he was also a Super Bowl winning coordinator who knows his defensive craft. But offense is not his forte, in which case, you have to rely on creative offensive minds, which he did not.
So ADMIN, you’re saying before Brian Flores became the head coach of the Dolphins, Adam Gase, Joe Philbin,Tony Sparano, Cam Cameron, and Dave Wannstedt (to name just a few head coaches of the Dolphins) all had better offensive coaching minds?
Without a doubt, yes. They were ALL offensive coaches. Most of them won Super Bowls as an OC, just like Flores won a Super Bowl as a DC.
I don’t blame Cam Cameron one bit when the GM at the time gave him such luminaries as Cleo Lemon and Travis Minor to work with.
From the reports I read Gailey was brought in and only came because Fitz was supposed to be the starting QB. The whole offence was geared to Fitz not Tua. So why play Tua under those circumstances as well as him not being 100% and a rookie? Flo did Tua no favors.
As a DC no doubt Flo knows his craft but as a HC he was in over his head IMO. Look at MM now he’s young a nerd but gets along with both sides of the ball. He was pumped about the trade for Chubb even though it was on the other side of the ball from his specialty. Who the heck on offence did Flo bring in? Exactly no one most of his big FA’s were all on D. Either way overall he wasn’t horrible better than some before but he still didn’t make the playoffs.
It was super fun being at the game. Every Bears fan I know expected them to be blown out by our fins. Instead we got a high scoring affair. The one thing McDaniel needs to improve on is his clock management. There’s no way we should’ve been running with the ball over and over again with 3 minutes left on the clock. All we needed was two first downs to seal the victory. That whole drive only took like 9 seconds off the clock which is totally unacceptable.
True. There are some safe pass plays we can run when we need to put the game away. McD is a bit too predictable when we just try to rush the ball. And it didn’t work in many games this year. Pitt had the ball last. Bears too. Bills game as well. When we need ONE first down to win, 3 rushes in a row is a bit too safe.
Hey, This is FlyerPhin. The comments section has NOT been working for me the past month or so in the US.
BUT now I am in England this week (work) and comments are working, I arrived in Manchester on Sunday morning and I was lucky because the Sky Sports game of the week (they can only show one game per time slot) was Phins/Bears so I caught the game at a local sports bar.
I feel that we were lucky to win that game. That non PI call was huge.
I was also wondering if the addition of Chubb changes how the defense executes (new starting player). Our Defense and Sanders need to adjust and step up in the second half.
Flyerphin- I’m with ya. Sanders has been awful this year. I can’t remember a Dolphins kicker having a worse year.
Glad you made it in. Not sure at all why you haven’t been able to comment, sorry !
They definitely got away with PI at the end but that call on X was equally as brutal and may have sealed the game earlier as he picked it off. Either way the D was dreadful this has to get fixed or fire Boyer. Can’t actually get worse!
The D will slowly improve…for no other reason than we have some srcub QBs coming up. I know we cannot take the Browns or Texans lightly, but there aren’t too many offensive weapons on those teams.
True and I guess Boyer can’t go out on the field and tackle for them. The D has to just wrap people up instead of big hit and they’ll improve. Byron Jones hello where are you? ??
I don’t think we can blame Jones. That injury must be worse than anyone thought.
I was looking forward to seeing Jakeem Grant as a Brown this weekend, but he is on IR. So we don’t have to worry about him!
The D still has a long way to go, before playoffs can even be mentioned about this team. And how bout the next time you designate an LB to be the spy on their QB (his only job on that play) – maybe NOT rely on Tindall (the rookie) to try that – HE CANT DO IT !
That’s why you study the GAME film, it doesn’t matter how good they look in practice. Boyer (DC) should know better. And going by what we see in the game, I’d say the new RB looks like the better acquisition than the new edge rusher (Chubb) – so far. And why are they paying Byron (pup list) Jones such a huge amount – totally wrecking our salary cap – if he can’t even get on the field to even practice yet this season ? (Now half over with) ????
I’m guessing that they are waiting till after the bye to re-assess Jones. Just a guess. Big game coming up. Would love to go into the bye with momentum and a nice feeling. Browns aren’t really a scary team, but they do play inspired at times. Being back home in Miami will help.
Yep Tindall 41 was running the wrong way on one big play. Hopefully it’s just a rookie thing otherwise he’s one guy who should keep up with Fields. He did have one hell of a game and beat the patsies last week so maybe he’s just turning the corner to being very good.
Chubb actually had a top 3 pressure rate last week according to PFF. He just couldn’t tackle Fields. Apparently Phillips was good too. I think they get to briskett next week.. .
Rushing the passer (and kicking) are the two skills were you really don’t need to “learn the scheme.” I don’t buy that Chubb’s ineffective game was because he didn’t know the defense. “Line up on the left and rush the QB” is all he needs to know. That being said, I don’t think he was THAT ineffective. The Bears had to worry about him. He was also in on the punt block, which may have altered how the Bears blocked that particular play. I don’t think Chubb had a GREAT game, but he made no mistakes either. Lets see what he can do with a full week of practice under his belt…
He actually did pretty good if anything Phillips was up field too much and was burned.
https://twitter.com/houtz/status/1590312999377510403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1590312999377510403%7Ctwgr%5E77e883f2718a4f1190ce08a5222c86c0150a940e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thephinsider.com%2F2022%2F11%2F9%2F23448918%2Ffilm-a-closer-look-at-bradley-chubb-and-jeff-wilson-jr-miami-dolphins-debut-week-9-chicago-bears
The Bills are being very coy about how severe Josh Allen’s injury is. This is wise. The Vikes don’t know which QB to prepare for.
A few weeks ago, I was upset that Mike McDaniel told the Vikings that Skylar Thompson would be starting. The Vikes knew who to prepare for and how to prepare. Sure enough, not even halfway into the game, they had Thompson’s number and he was injured and had to leave the game.
There is absolutely ZERO reason to ever tell the opponent who is starting. Might as well tell them your game plan too. The Bills are handling this correctly, as Belichick always does as well.
It’s something McDaniel needs to learn.
LOL! At least Cuter and the Dolphins destroyed the Broncos when we went to the game and when we actually met!!!
(I’m going to write this down here because squeezing in a response and trying to read it in such a tiny space is ridiculous).
FLYFINFAN… Tua was damaged goods at the end of his last season with Alabama. Some people in south Florida were incensed when the Dolphins were still talking about making Tua their first pick in the 2020 NFL draft because they viewed him as damaged goods. Flores became the head coach of the Dolphins beginning the 2019 season so I don’t understand your statement that Flores was trying to “sabotabe tua.” Again, Tua wasn’t the starting quarterback for the Dolphins after passing his physical that year, Ryan Fitzpatrick beat him out. Regardless, DOLFANS were still eager to see what Tua could do on the football field and he got his chance when Fitzpatrick was stinking up the game against the Jets. Remember, Fitzpatrick was already 37 going on 38 years old. Most NFL quarterbacks were long retired before that age. Tua signed a “4 year, $30,275,438 contract with the Miami Dolphins, including a $19,578,500 signing bonus, $30,275,438 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $7,568,860.” So yes, Ross was eager to see what he had paid for. Why you have still have this attitude that Flores “tried to sabotage Tua” is beyond logic to me.
Phil, one correction as to how you’re remembering Tua’s debut. Yes, he came into relieve Fitzpatrick, but we were ahead 24-0!
Fitz was not stinking. It was just Flo giving the kid a nice debut at a point when the game was already decided. Against Adam Gase to add icing on the cake!
You’re right ADMIN. I got it kinda mixed up with the relieving of Fitzpatrick with Tua in that game against the Jets.
I remember we were pinned deep in our own territory, but the game was already decided so they put Tua in. He ran a bootleg and completed a short pass. Everyone was all smiles at his debut!
Hey Phil two things Flo was a defensive HC first and spent a majority of his resources on the D which didn’t help his young QB. Look at the difference between him and MM who went out of his way to help Tua succeed. You can see the difference clearly with the results. Secondly there has been various reports that Flo didn’t want Tua to begin with and had no motivation to support him. He was also hard to get along with especially if you weren’t on his good side hence all the changes in his coaches over the years. None of this helps any young QB if you think so I can’t help you… I’m just happy that Tua has a fair shot now and is proving it on the field.
I love what Tua is doing this year, and I wonder how much is because of Coach McD. I think we would have beat the Jets easily, even with Teddy B, because Teddy B had 10 days to prep for that game…only to be told by the NFL that he had to leave after ONE PLAY. I think the McD offense is tailored to the specific QB who is playing, but you still need time to practice. When Tua has time and practices, he’s been great
I love your site and analysis but I think you our wrong about that. Still would have lost to the jets with Bridgewater. He stinks this year. As people pointed out he has somewhat of a Jay Cutler feeling. The vikings game proved that when the defense played lights out and he couldn’t do anything. He has a very lethargic uncaring energy. If anything the vikings game showed were better off with Thompson as a backup than him.
Perhaps. But my point is that Teddy had 10 full days of practice, and McD had designed a game plan specifically for Teddy. Yes, maybe we lose. But I would be very curious to see how it would have played out with him. We all like Skylar, but he was unprepared to step in on the second play of the game. Too much to ask of a rookie,
Well, he had a plan for him during the vikings game and we saw how that went. That game pissed me off because the defense played great with a lot of heart. Any decent quarterback with our weapons would have won that day with how great our defense was. The old Bridgewater would have won that for sure.
You know what I totally apologize. The plan was for Thompson during the vikings. My mistake. Doesn’t change the fact that Bridgewater sucks this year and is playing like Jay Cutler. Miss having a backup quarterback like Moore who could come off bench and play and not miss a beat. That is what you pay a backup like Bridgewater for. All the experience he has had in the league he should be just like Moore. Instead I feel like we just wasted our money every cent on him.
Yes, A Thompson lasted until mid-second-quarter, before we had to have Teddy come in. I agree he is ineffective when coming into the game cold. We did have a chance to win the Bengals game late, but TB threw a bad pick on our final drive to seal it.
FYI, these Coffee talks are awesome: https://www.youtube.com/c/MiamiDolphins/search?query=coffee%20talks