Dolphins Game-Day Mailbag: Eichenberg, Achane, Berrios, and More

Could this be considered a "must-win" game? What will the running game plan look like? Tackling those and other Miami Dolphins issues ahead of their Week 2 matchup against the Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Part 2 of the pre-Bills Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Chris Roney (@ChrisRoney0):

Will Anthony Weaver scheme differently against Josh Allen to keep him in the pocket and force him to throw downfield? Seems like he does his worst damage when he runs outside and breaks contain.

Hey Chris, yeah, it’s all good to talk about keeping Allen in the pocket, but the problem is he’s going to hurt the Dolphins if they just sit back to make sure he doesn’t scramble. The key is to make him make quick decisions, and hopefully that leads to Allen making bad decisions, and that leads to turnovers.

From RW (@RickyLWatson):

What time are inactives posted prior to kickoff time?

Hey Ricky, the inactives always are posted 90 minutes before kickoff, which means they’ll be out Thursday at 6:45 p.m. ET.

THE DOLPHINS DEFENSE AGAINST JOSH ALLEN

From Jayco (@ljc7975):

Hello Alain. Josh Allen is 10-2 vs Miami and under Sean McDermott, Buffalo has beaten Miami 13 of the last 15 games. Give me hope why (tonight) will be different.

Hey Jayco, there’s plenty of reason to hope this game will be different, starting with the fact the Dolphins led the Bills heading into the fourth quarter last season, they’re in much better shape health-wise than they were for the last meeting, and Tua-Tyreek-Waddle connected on two huge plays in the opener and very well might do it again on this night with Buffalo missing its best defensive back, Taron Johnson.

From Luke Yanka (@lsyanka):

Poup, what changes has Weaver brought to the defense that may make them more or less effective against Josh Allen?

Hey Luke, I think we might get a better feel for that answer after this game, no? I don’t know that we saw things terribly different in the opener against Jacksonville, but I suspect we might see different blitz packages against Josh Allen.

From spaceship (@funtimehaver13):

Is Liam sticking at right guard the remedy for the offensive line to get some much-needed cohesion? What more can be done to have McDaniel feel more comfortable running the ball on third-and-short situations?

Well, going 3-for-3 in converting third-and-1 runs (two by Ingold, one by Achane) is exactly what will make McDaniel more confident in running the ball in those situations. As for Eichenberg, it’s not even about cohesion but more simply the fact he’s the best option at right guard at this point.

From James Vernon (@vernonmintern):

Does Achane get injured due to his size (I know the injury rate in the NFL is 100%) but is he suffering because of this? Also, did Tua turn a corner with his second-half performance? I felt this was a game historically he would have thrown a couple of picks in? And are the Dolphins being given a disservice with the analysis still of them not beating playoff teams? As most had Jacksonville as a playoff team before we beat them? Thanks as ever. Keep up the good work.

Hey James, rapid-fire answers for multiple questions. Yes, Achane’s lack of size won’t help him when it comes to durability. No, I don’t think Tua turned a corner just because of the big plays in the second half and the reason is that he’d done that before. And I’m not sure the Dolphins can get credit for beating a playoff team with the Jacksonville team because they didn’t make the playoffs last season and it certainly was not unanimous or even a consensus prediction they’ll make it this year.

From Miami Dolphins Flag Guy Clay (@Clay8269):

With Josh Allen's ability to run the ball, what do the Dolphins have to do to prevent him from killing us on the ground?

Hey Clay, the easiest to do that would be to put a spy on him, a linebacker whose responsibility is to just hang back and make sure Allen doesn’t have big running lanes, but that requires great discipline and open-field tackling ability, so it’s tall task. You also can just rush three, but then that would give Allen a ton of time to find an open receiver. Bottom line, there are no easy solutions, and that’s what makes Allen so difficult to defend.

From Pattio (@PHClapp):

Heading into week 1, Mike McDaniel was pretty open about using an RBBC approach. That’s exactly what ended up happening. With Achane and Mostert banged up already, what would the backfield split look like if they were to miss the game?

Hey Pattio, first off, I’m not sure I’d count out Achane just yet. But even if he plays, I’d look for a split between Achane and Jeff Wilson Jr., with Jaylen Wright also getting touches. I think Wilson will get the most carries in any scenario.

From alt world (@GatorGrad929):

I know it’s Week 2, but is this a must-win in the sense that winning this game will go a long way toward changing the narrative or perception of the team?

I’m not a believer in the idea of a “must-win” game unless a loss eliminates you. Having said that, I’ll add I’m not even sure a victory would change the narrative because it’s Week 2. What a win would do is give the Dolphins a leg up on the AFC East race and it certainly wouldn’t hurt in the confidence department. But those “statement” games are more for the media and fan base than the team itself.

ADDRESSING THE DOLPHINS OFFENSIVE LINE

From Alejandro Catineira (@ACshooter):

Are there legitimate concerns about the offensive line/running game or do you think it will get corrected?

Hey Alejandro, after one game? When the running game came to life in the fourth quarter? I’d say it’s way too soon to talk about concern, even though the numbers for Mostert and Achane were not good at all.

From Paddy O’Furniture (@ThePirateKing99):

Why is Berrios on the roster? He isn’t a spark as a returner. He drops passes.

Hmm, let me start by saying I reject your premise that “he drops passes.” He’s actually got very, very good hands. Second, he may not be a dynamic returner, but he’s very steady and very dependable and he actually had one of the better punt return averages last season. And, maybe most important of all, do you see the Dolphins right now with a surplus of wide receivers?

From Rensek (@Phudashit):

How bad is Liam's injury? He looked pretty good at RG.

The injury was minor enough that he didn’t even get a game status designation for the Buffalo matchup.

From FZB (@fzb3346):

Why do you think the Dolphins are struggling with establishing the run? Wrong personnel or it simply takes time for an O-line to develop and play as a unit ?... And would you try to upgrade the current guard position?..

Again, they’ve played one game. And they didn’t have the starting O-line working together one day in camp. Yes, give it a little bit of time. And at this point, the idea of upgrading the right guard position is a moot point because it’s not happening. It’s also not like there are Pro Bowl guards everywhere waiting to get a phone call.

From Craig M (@Dolfan2334):

How much impact do you think Wright can have tomorrow night, given that Mostert isn’t playing and there are questions about Achane. Is Wilson your first go-to, or do you see what you have in Wright? Does this change the game plan for tomorrow night & is that a problem?

Hey Craig, no, Mostert being out doesn’t change the game plan. I do think Wilson gets the first carries ahead of Wright, regardless of Achane’s availability and status. The Achane and Wright skill sets are pretty similar, so Wright’s playing time to me is tied to how many snaps Achane can go on offense.

From Jason Kirkland (@1bigdad424):

I saw a difference in 2 halves vs the Jags. The first half, their O-line seemed to keep Miami's pass rush at bay. The second half was different. In the first half, Miami's O-line seemed to have problems. In the second half I think they performed better. I think all of that is because the Jaguars wore down in the 2nd half. Your thoughts?

Hey Jason, that’s always a possibility, though there’s never any way to know for sure. It is a pretty good coincidence, though, that the Dolphins had their most success running the ball in the fourth quarter. And this is where the Dolphins’ massive home-field advantage at home early in the season shows up because Jacksonville might be used to this kind of heat, but the circumstances again are not the same for both teams at Hard Rock Stadium.