Dolphins Friday Mailbag: Ramsey, Reasons to Believe, and More

What could be one cool new play on offense? What's the logical Jalen Ramsey replacement if he doesn't play in Week 1? Tackling those and other Miami Dolphins issues

Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) celebrates after his interception against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium last season. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Part 1 of the pre-Jacksonville game Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):

What can we expect from this Dolphins defense? Are the going to be above average, average, or below average?

Hey Dana, that, my friend, is the $64,000 question, right? I dove into the topic extensively in a recent story, and I can encourage you to check it out, but the reader’s digest version is we should expect something similar to what Baltimore runs and we simply don’t know just how good it’s going to be.

THE RAMSEY RAMIFICATIONS

From Dave (@angryvet59):

This question is before Friday practice, so I'm going out on a limb & say Ramsey doesn’t play Sunday. Do they play Bonner/Duck or promote Needham have him work the boundary or a combination thereof ? You still have best Dolphins Podcast IMHO.

Hey Dave, first off, thanks on the podcast kudos (All Dolphins Podcast on YouTube). I do think Nik Needham will get elevated from the practice squad if Ramsey winds up not playing and I would suspect that Ethan Bonner would get the call as the starting outside cornerback spot opposite Kendall Fuller, though moving Kader Kohou outside and having Needham or Elijah Campbell in the slot is another possibility.

From It was a Wendies (@Owlizee):

Hi Alain. If Ramsey can’t go Sunday, do you expect Weaver to blitz more? Without our lockdown corner we look vulnerable in the secondary?

Yes on both counts. Ramsey clearly is the key guy in the secondary, with all due respect to Jevon Holland, Kendall Fuller and Jordan Poyer. And I would expect to see some blitzing, whether Ramsey plays or doesn’t play. But I’m not sure the volume increases without him because blitzing means fewer guys in coverage.

From Cliff Wagner (@HerePromotions):

Every year I think there's nobody they can afford to make inactive - they need this person for special teams, at least. Who do you see being inactive week 1? I wouldn't be surprised seeing Ramsey on the list.

Hey Cliff, I’m thinking of starting an inactive list projection as a new feature this year, so I can’t spoil it by revealing everything here (sorry), but Ramsey is a definite possibility and I also would expect rookies Andrew Meyer and Malik Washington (dealing with a quad injury) to be among the inactives.

From Charles Boyd (@Charlie00WB):

Alain, If the Dolphins had moved to the AFC South instead of the Colts, how much different would things be? I think they would have benefited from lesser competition as well as much fewer cold-weather games.

Hey Charles, you’re absolutely correct on both counts, though instead of having to deal with Tom Brady in the division, they would have had to deal with Peyton Manning. But playing late-season games in Jacksonville, Tennessee and Houston would have been much more preferable to Buffalo, Boston and New York. And for those not aware the question refers to a report that the NFL plan was to put the Dolphins in the AFC South when Houston joined the league in 2002 but the Dolphins nixed the idea because they wanted to maintain the rivalries with their AFC East opponents.

REASONS FOR OPTIMISM FOR DOLPHINS, REASONS FOR CONCERN

From Jeffrey (@LosReyes809):

Do you think this offense can carry the team to a Super Bowl?

Hey Jeffrey, yes, if it takes the next step that have been discussed ad nauseum, but even then the defense will have to chip in at some point. If you think back to the 1999 champion Rams, remember that they won the NFC Championship Game 11-6 and the Super Bowl 23-16, so it wasn’t the offense that carried the day in those games.

From James Vernon (@vernonmintern):

Is the obvious staring us all in the face? How can we expect any different results from the last two seasons when the personnel and coaching are largely the same and some of best players have left and are injured?

Hey James, I’m pretty sure the belief within the organization is that injuries were the biggest reason for the team falling short the past two seasons (and there’s certainly some validity to that) and the nucleus is good enough to win big if injury luck goes their way.

From Brian Z (via email):

If you were the Dolphins interim coach on Sunday, what would be a new play you would throw into the mix? Would there be a fringe player you would like to see play? Is there a player you would ask the GM to sign? Is there a player you would offer up to another team? What former Dolphins player would you like to give a motivational talk to the team before the game? What former Dolphins player would you like to see honored during the game?

Hey Brian, those are a lot of tough questions. For new play, I’ll go with a sweep to Achane with Mostert running behind to give the option to pitch it. Fringe player I want to see play was Chris Brooks, but now he’s gone. Player I would ask the Dolphins GM to sign is Xavien Howard (even though it’s not happening). Player I would offer up to another team would depend on what kind of return I can get. Former player to give a motivational speech would be Bryan Cox all day, every day. Former Dolphins player I’d like to see honored during the game is weird because if this is limited to those who haven’t been honored already, and if that’s the case my choice would be Cameron Wake.

From Jeff (via email):

Hello Alain, here is to hoping for a special, exciting, and well-played season! I found out something really special recently and wanted to share. One of the San Jose Sharks (my NHL team) media members released a behind the scenes talking with one the artists who developed the teams logo. They were having conversations of which color, specifically red or teal. It turns out, one of the higher ups in the building was a Dolphins fan! There's a ton of parallels between the two organizations, as I have been a fan of them my entire life. Heck, the GMs are literally family now. What a small world. A brief one, can you talk about the NHL vs NFL instant replay method and which you prefer the NFL use? I've never understood why the NFL hasn't copied over the command center system that the NHL has.

Hey Jeff, a question about my favorite topic, JK, I hate instant replay. My issue isn’t so much where the final decision is made, it’s the disruption to the flow of the game when very often the final determination isn’t clear cut at all and sometimes even looks like a bad final outcome. As I’ve said many times, I could live with instant replay much more if there was a strictly enforced 45-second limit. To me, if you haven’t seen enough to decide the call clearly was wrong within that time frame, then the call should stand.

From Alex D. (@fins23jets3):

Why should I believe this team is a contender?

Hey Alex, very simple: You should believe because the team started 8-3 and 9-3 the past two seasons and returns most of the key pieces of those teams, and maybe this is the year when injuries don’t hit down the stretch and the Dolphins come up with the answers to deliver where they fell short in 2022 and 2023.

From Bryan Thorn (@thornybr1968):

Season forecast in wins and losses, and why you think it?

Hey Bryan, my official prediction is 10-7 because the offense has too much talent not to produce but the defense does have its share of question marks.

From Justin (@justinc3502):

I took the Dolphins defense in fantasy football. Should I be worried?

Hey Justin, I think the Dolphins defense is a bit of an unknown at this time, but I don’t know that “worried” is the word I would use for how you should feel about it.

From Mike (@bestmodemike_):

Hey Poup, I hope all is well. In your honest opinion, do you think Jalen Ramsey is playing? I know Coach Weaver seems to be hopeful he will. But what do you think?

Hey Mike, this is purely a guess, but my hunch is that because a hamstring injury easily can get aggravated and because the Bills game is looming four days after the opener, I’d be leaning toward him not playing. Again, just a guess and don’t hold me to it.