Part 1 of the Pre-49ers Game Miami Dolphins On SI Mailbag:

From Dave Gober:

Hi Alain, during Mike McDaniel’s press conference after the Dolphins’ putrid performance against the Texans, he said: “It was a game that we thought we were ready to win, but we weren’t.” But let’s see the results of his previous work as a head coach against opposing teams over .500. So far this season he is 0-5, 1-6 in 2023 and 2-6 in 2022. That corresponds to a catastrophic record of 3:17 against good teams. His offensive plan allows him to put up decent numbers against inferior teams, but when it comes to playing against top teams, he consistently falls short. His game planning and in-game adjustments are atrocious, he can’t run the ball, has trouble scoring in the red zone and also the soft culture he has allowed. It’s obvious to everyone but him that his plan was hatched by the top teams in the league. Do we really need to rinse and repeat for a fourth year hoping for different results?

Hi Dave, I think you’re asking me if there could be a head coaching change after the 2024 season and I’m telling you I would be very surprised. All of the points you made are fair, but you also have to remember that McDaniel helped produce the best version of Tua, orchestrating one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL in 2022 and 2023, and the team to match led to getting back on my feet. back playoff appearances. On top of that, Stephen Ross gave him a contract extension this summer when McDaniel had two years left on his contract, and that won’t be done and there’s a quick catch-22 if things go wrong next season.

From Dave Iannuzzi:

Alain, we hear a lot about the Finns’ dismal record against teams with winning records. I’ve always wanted to ask you how this is determined. Is it the opponent’s W/L record when you play them (so a 1-0 win against a team in Week 2 means beating a team with a winning record?) or is it based on the W/L Opponent’s record from the previous season? Or is it based on the opponent’s W/L record at the end of the season you played against them? Or is it a little bit of all of that, depending on when the game is or when you’re discussing the stats?

Hey Dave, there’s no hard and fast rule to this, but the stats we typically hear associated with the Dolphins assume an opponent has a winning record at the end of the season in which the game was played. So the Dolphins are 1-6 this season against teams that currently have a winning record.

From Craig M:

Do you think McDaniel’s former coaches know how to defend his offense?

Hey Craig, because there’s so much tape available now and McDaniel did some other things in Miami with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and the speed he didn’t have in San Francisco, I think this idea is overkill. However, it may be that these McDaniel connections generally coach good teams (Matt LaFleur in Green Bay, Sean McVay with the Rams, Kyle Shanahan with the 49ers, DeMeco Ryans with the Texans).

From The Dolphins Dum Dum:

I’ve heard Armstead is a great leader and obviously executes with great technique and precision when he’s healthy. However, he plays more like a ballerina dancing her opponents out of position than like a grizzly forcing them into submission. I question his leadership abilities (at least since then in a positive way) because I really can’t imagine the people around him raising their level of play. Isn’t that what you mean when you talk about leadership? I remember a man whose name may be taboo, but who actually had a much greater positive impact on the field than Armstead. For me it’s not even a question, but I welcome those who might oppose this idea. This man’s name is Richie incognito. Although he lacked the technique and fundamentals that Armstead employs, he made up for it with physicality and aggression. His mentality was infectious. I have to tell you that his leadership was ten times more than anything Armstead could ever achieve. I say all this to ask: Can the Dolphins afford to bring Armstead back even if he wants to return? His lack of aggressiveness and physicality is obvious. Due to his fragile nature, he cannot be relied upon. His lack of practice sets a bad example for the entire team.

Hmm, being a physical, mean offensive lineman doesn’t make you a great leader. Incognito was a very good offensive player, but too emotional to serve as an example. Armstead may not be as physical as you’d like, but he’s also the team’s best offensive player, and he’s not particularly close. Whether the Dolphins should bring him back in 2025 is a fair question since he just can’t shake the injury bug and isn’t getting any younger, but it could be that Armstead himself decides to call it a day with the Dolphins at the end of the season. And I would be careful to be careful what you wish for, because if Patrick Paul isn’t the candidate we’re all hoping for, the Dolphins could see a massive drop-off at left tackle.

From Ed Helinski:

How do you think the Dolphins will play out the season?

Hey Ed, I don’t even know what to think of this team anymore. Since the Dolphins usually face inferior opponents, I think they can handle the final two games of the regular season, and I would call the San Francisco game a 50-50 situation.

From James Vernon:

Is there a quarterback we can consider as a free agent or draft-eligible who is better than Tua? I know certain members of the fan base want a chance at a higher ceiling, but is it better to have a good to very good QB?

Hey James, there is only one pending free agent QB that stands out and that is Sam Darnold because of the season he is having with the Vikings. But I don’t think he’s an improvement over Tua, and the Dolphins are already committed to Tua for at least the next two years. What needs to happen, however, is for the Dolphins to get a proven backup QB in case they have to play some games without Tua next season.

From Colin Crabb:

Hi Alain, do you think selecting Chop and Paul combined with Smith and Brewer should be enough for Ross to keep Grier? Thanks in advance.

Hey Colin, if Stephen Ross ends up keeping Chris Grier as GM, it won’t be because of these four additions, especially since we still don’t know if Chop and Paul end up being rated as good picks. It would be more about loyalty and wanting to see through the commitment to his core (McDaniel, Tua, Tyreek, Waddle) what Grier would hold because we could point out some bad mistakes to counteract the Smith and Brewer signings (although you could). have added Calais Campbell).

From Olive Grove Jon:

Hello Alain, Stephen Ross is traditionally a patient man, but it looks like another failed season with most likely no playoff participation. It would certainly be an insult to the fans and ambition not to make any changes to the FO at all. Gut feeling: Will someone be fired?

Hi OGJ, my gut feeling is that there won’t be any significant changes unless the Dolphins finish 6-11.

From Jeff:

Hi Alain, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a team collapse in my life like we saw with the Dolphins this year. I definitely argue that there is some subtlety as to why this happened, but even in the first week and into the end of 2023, the offense didn’t perform that well. Coaches have often talked about this happening after two to three years and that they need to adjust their strategy. I think I remember Mike Holmgren and/or Andy Reid talking about this in Philly in the past. We’ve had Dan Marino in the building for a long time. We have talent and we have the resources. Is this a “you need heart” situation like in the movie “The Replacements”? Does this team need to have a fear meeting? If I were a coach, I would look up Herb Brooks for a book he wrote or something. I would send every single person in the building home to watch Miracle and just listen to his sayings. I don’t really know where else to go. Seems to be an emotional or mental problem. I need to go to the gym and just find different equipment. This group can do much better, especially on offense. Thank you as always for everything.

Hey Jeff, I don’t know that it’s as simple as motivational speeches or instilling fear in players, but there’s something about the defense being able to keep up with the offense after a while, and I think so Dolphins need to become more physical on offense because the… The ability to overwhelm teams increases the margin for error in execution.

From J Reynolds:

Good morning and Merry Christmas. Among some of the obvious shortcomings, how big is the inability to creatively deal with situations involving short distances? Maybe Snoop or Jonu? Seems so rigid in the scheme.

Bingo! Can only agree with you. I found it very disturbing when we asked OC Frank Smith about the idea of ​​using a sixth offensive lineman in short yardage situations and he basically rejected the idea because the Dolphins “don’t do that.” Well, maybe it should be like that, right?

From nolefan954:

As season ticket holders, can we file a class action fraud lawsuit? …Can we give up? … How many years in a row can this team delight fans?

Man, someone forgot to take their happy pill! No, no, and they don’t fail to annoy the fans. But I understand your frustration.

From Mason:

Alain, it’s nice to have you back in business. Now that we know that the Dolphins’ likelihood of making the playoffs depends on life support, what changes would you make in Steve Ross’ place? As we all know, reconstruction was a failure.

Hey Mason, if I made the moves I’ve made so far, I would stay the course with Grier and McDaniel because the commitment has been fulfilled to the core in all of the extensions signed this summer. Whether I would have made all of these commitments is a different story.

From Jorge Fernandez:

Wynn left or right guard left right? Jones to right guard?

Hey Jorge, that’s a very good question. If I remember correctly, I remember Jones was on the right side and Wynn started the first seven games at left back last year, so I think Wynn was at LG and Jones was at RG.