How could the crime subside so dramatically?

Second and final part of the pre-New England game Miami Dolphins On SI-Mailbag:

From David Gober (via email):

Hello Alain, thank you very much for being there for the fan community every day! I thought the loss to the Seahawks was the worst offensive performance of the McDaniel era… I was wrong, the Titans game was an offensive disaster! And of course it would be on Monday Night Football for the world to see!!! I know our offensive plan is complicated, but if only one man in the world can execute it and execution can't be simplified for other QBs, then what's the point? We haven't had a single lead all season, not for a single second. Why can't McDaniel do this with all the talent on offense?

Hey David, you make an excellent point and raise a good question. Unless things change on offense, failing to bring in a backup quarterback who could get the offense going if Tua ends up sidelined is a massive organizational failure, considering history suggests that is highly likely will happen sometime in 2024 At this point, it looks like the Dolphins don't have the right backups, especially because they don't have nearly the same skill set as Tua. I also think a factor is that the offense relies so heavily on quick passes and timing that can only be mastered through a ton of reps, and backup quarterbacks simply can't do that when they're called into action.

From Basti (via email):

Hey Alain, oh man… that was a rough night. Since I can't watch these games during prime time (it's always after midnight where I live), I always have to wait for the highlights the next morning. The funny thing is, EVERY TIME I watch the highlights of a primetime game, I get so damn disappointed… Anyway – the Dolphins are screwed, right? I'd really like to get your thoughts on why the Finns just can't compensate for the absence of their starting QB. All around the league you see good coaches and good teams overcoming injuries to their core players. Heck, the Vikings brought in Josh Dobbs last year, who needed his O-line to explain plays to him in the huddle because he didn't know the playbook. So… Is this really bad coaching (although I love Mike McDaniel and would like to consider him one of the better coaches in the league) or what? I look forward to your opinion on this. And by the way: Yes, you should definitely come to Germany at some point! I was born in Berlin and consider this city to be one of the most exciting in the world. But of course there are also some beautiful cities in the east (Dresden) and the big ones in the north and west such as Hamburg, Cologne and Düsseldorf. And although I live in Dortmund (for professional reasons), I would not recommend this city for traveling. People here only know their football club Borussia Dortmund and that's basically it… Thanks in advance and greetings from Germany!

Thanks as always Basti. Yes, it doesn't look good if the Dolphins fall off offensively the way they did because they lost their starting quarterback. If we look around the NFL, we see the Packers with Malik Willis and the Vikings going 4-0 against Sam Darnold and the Colts winning over the Steelers with Joe Flacco. As with anything, this is a combination of several factors, such as poor squad management, a lack of foresight about what would happen without Tua, with an offense so focused on his specific skillset, lack of adjustments to different quarterbacks and then just completely poor execution from the offensive players. When the error is so dramatic, it cannot be attributed to just one area.

From Mike (via email):

Hello Alain. I think I'd rather have food poisoning than watch the Dolphins on offense. This is GM malpractice in practice. I know the general consensus is that Grier's job is safe, but wow, how can that notion not be disputed at this point?

Hello Mike, Chris Grier has been around since 2000 and has built up a lot of equity with owner Stephen Ross, also because he is a good company guy who gets along well with his colleagues. While I think he's on solid ground, I'm not sure that will still hold if the season goes completely off the rails.

From Eventually Bionic (@TiCyclist):

Why can't our HC adjust to other QBs? No schedule changes, nothing.

That's a fair question based on what we've seen in the last two games, and my best answer here is that smart people sometimes overestimate their ability to execute their plan because it's a great plan, even if the Reality is that certain parts are needed to execute this plan properly.

From Jorge Fernandez (@jfdad):

Question from Europe: Start O-line? Armstead, Raheem available? OBJ? Malik?

Hello Jorge, I hope you enjoy your trip. The answer is “yes” across the board. As I type this late Saturday morning, the only uncertainty is Beckham, although I suspect he will also be in uniform.

From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):

Hello Alain. We hear all this talk about trades, but most of our star players have already signed big deals. So how could this even work from a cap perspective if we're 1-5 or worse?

Hey OGJ, that didn't work. The Dolphins aren't taking massive cap hits or signing bonuses to get rid of good players just because the season isn't going the way it should, especially the players they're counting on next season and beyond . It makes no sense.

From BP (@bsp014):

After the offensive performance of the last few weeks, are there any positives that we as fans can hope for in this game? Because I don't think we can get more than 10 points.

Hi BP, The most obvious answer here is that the longer Tyler “Snoop” Huntley practices in this offense, the better he should get. He had barely been with the team a week when he was asked to start against Tennessee and that was really a tough situation, so his improvement would be the only reason for optimism here.

From Hubris (@hubris_online):

Does the Dolphins' current roster still feel like it's a rivalry game, or do they view the Pats as just another team that happens to be a division game? Is it another 1-7 for the Dolphins and do you think this team can perform as well in the second half as they did in 2021?

Rivalry games are about two competitive teams with a lot at stake. That was Buffalo in Week 2 or Week 18 last year. The Patriots are in rebuilding mode, so there is currently no rivalry there. Yes, there are similarities to 2021 (starting with Tua getting injured in Week 2 against Buffalo), but the 2021 team didn't have Tyreek Hill, Terron Armstead and Jalen Ramsey. This is a much better team and I have a hard time seeing them fall to 1-7. Finally, I believe this team can recover from this poor start.

From Rico's RoughNecks (@TheFin22):

For the first half of 2024, I explained my reasons for grabbing Kirk and trading Tua in this mailbag. When I think about it: – Each player receives around 170 million in bonus funds. – We have a healthy top 10 QB in Kirk. -The '24, '25 and/or '26 drafts could have focused on the QB in the future. – Draft picks from Tua

Hi Rico, I'm not sure if this is a question, but I would like to point out that Kirk Cousins ​​was coming off a torn Achilles tendon, so there was some uncertainty regarding his status heading into 2024. I also wouldn't overstate what the Dolphins could have gotten In a trade for Tua, any team that traded for him would have inherited a QB looking for a lucrative new contract, and I'm not sure how many teams would have been willing to give him this.

From Panthera (@17_Panthera_10):

We're still reeling from the Dolphins being a major disappointment this year.

We played four games. Can we let the season run a little longer?

From Dolphinslifer13 (@Tony34413966):

If Miami loses this Sunday, can you assume McDaniel has lost the locker room? Thanks

We can assume that McDaniel has lost the locker room when we can clearly see players leaving the team and players publicly lashing out at teammates and/or coaches. Neither has happened yet, and I don't expect it to happen even if the Dolphins lose in New England.

From Mason (@Orli88704562):

Alain, how much of the Dolphins' slow start and sloppy play this season do you attribute to the way the Dolphins approach training and, in particular, their approach to training camp? The few times I attended camp this year, it was like a country club.

Hey Mason, it's hard not to think about that possibility, right? And that's the question McDaniel was asked this week (thanks to Adam Beasley of the Pro Football Network). While McDaniel's answer focused on doing whatever it takes to deal with injuries, I still think it's fair to question whether the Dolphins need to work harder in camp going forward.

From Total Perspective Vortex Inv (@perspectvortex):

What's with all the screens? Seems like this was supposed to be McDaniel's new wrinkle and it's not working? Maybe because without Tua there is no serious threat?

Hello TPV, the Dolphins had a chance for a deep ball with Tyler Huntley against Tennessee, but he couldn't hit Tyreek Hill. I expect there will be more shots on the field. But let me correct one thing you said about “without Tua.” Through the first four weeks of the regular season, Tua ranks last in the NFL in air yards completed per attempt and air yards completed per completion. So we shouldn't act like he threw it on the field. He was throwing screens everywhere, just like the QBs behind him. Why is this happening? Trying to minimize mediocre pass protection is part of it. Another thing is to immediately put the ball in the hands of Tyreek, Waddle and Achane. Whatever the reason, you're right, it didn't work very well.

From Terry Nielsen (@TKN_OHIO):

Paul should guard? Then move outside next year?

Hi Terry, I understand the idea of ​​repeating what the Dolphins did with Laremy Tunsil in 2016, but there are two small problems with it. Firstly, I think Many fans overestimate what Paul can do as a rookie. He's a good candidate who could become very good over time, but I would be careful not to expect too much from him as a rookie. Second, when dealing with a guy that big (6-8), there's the issue of leverage against interior defenders, who are much harder to push in the run game than a 250-pound hulking defender.

From Tim Ski (@TimSkii22):

What is in the water near Hard Rock that makes any GM incompetent?

Hey Tim, if you believe in the curse of the Indian burial ground beneath Hard Rock Stadium, you have your answer.