Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: How Could the Offense Drop Off so Dramatically?

Tackling Miami Dolphins topics ranging from Tua Tagovailoa to GM Chris Grier to the idea of trading star players

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel calls a timeout during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Week 3. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

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

From David Gober (via email):

Hi Alain, thanks for being there for each and every day for the fanbase! I thought the loss to the Seahawks was the worst offensive performance during the McDaniel era…I was wrong, the Titans game was an offensive disaster! And of course it would take place on Monday Night Football for the world to witness!!! I appreciate that our offensive scheme is complicated, but if only one guy in the world can run it, and if it can’t be simplified for other QBs to execute, then what’s the use? We haven’t had one lead this entire season…not for one single second. Why can’t McDaniel make this work with all the talent on offense?

Hey David, you make an excellent point and bring up a good question. Unless and until things change offensively, this is a massive organizational failure in not bringing in a backup quarterback who could make the offense run if Tua ended up being sidelined, given that history suggested it was more likely than not to happen at some point in 2024. At this point, it just looks like the Dolphins didn’t have the right backups in place, particularly because they don’t possess anywhere near the same kind of skill set as Tua. I also think a factor is that the offense depends so much on quick passing and timing, that can only be mastered through a ton of repetition and backup quarterbacks simply just don’t get that by the time they’re called into action.

From Basti (via email):

Hey Alain, oh boy... that was a tough night. Since I can't watch those prime-time games (it's always after midnight at where I live) I always have to wait for the highlights the next morning. Funny thing is: EVERYTIME I watch those prime-time game highlights I get so f*ing disappointed... Anyway - the Dolphins are screwed, right? I would really like to know your opinion on why the Fins just can't compensate the lack of their starting QB. Everywhere around the league you see good coaches and good teams overcome those injuries to their starters. Heck, the Vikings last year brought Josh Dobbs in who needed his O-Line to explain the plays to him in the huddle because he didn't know the playbook. So... Is this just really bad coaching (though I love Mike McDaniel and would like to think of him as one of the better coaches in the league) or what? Looking forward to your opinion on that.  And by the way: Yes, you should definitely come to Germany at some point! I was born in Berlin and think of that city as one of the most exciting ones 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 like Hamburg, Cologne and Düsseldorf. And although I live in Dortmund (for professional reasons) I wouldn't recommend that city for traveling. People here only know their soccer club Borussia Dortmund and that's basically it... Thanks in advance and greetings from Germany!

Thanks as always Basti. Yeah, it’s not a good look for the Dolphins to crater offensively the way they have because they lost their starting quarterback as we look around the NFL as see the Packers winning with Malik Willis and the Vikings at 4-0 with Sam Darnold and the Colts beating the Steelers with Joe Flacco. As with everything, this is a combination of several factors, like poor roster management, lack of foresight as to what would happen without Tua for an offense that’s so geared toward his specific skill set, lack of adjustments to different quarterbacks and then just flat-out bad execution for the offensive players. When the failure is this dramatic, it can’t be pinned on just one area.

TAKING AIM AT MIKE McDANIEL, CHRIS GRIER

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 action. I know the general consensus is that Grier's job is safe, but wow, how can that notion not be contested at this point?

Hey Mike, Chris Grier has been around since 2000 and has built up a lot of equity with owner Stephen Ross, in part because he’s a good company guy who gets along well with his colleagues. That said, as much as I think he’s on solid ground, I’m not sure that still applies if the season completely goes off the rails.

From Eventually Bionic (@TiCyclist):

Why is our HC unable to adjust to any other QB? No game plan changes, nothing.

It’s a legitimate question based on what we’ve seen the past two games, and my best answer here is that smart people sometimes overestimate their ability to make their plan work because it’s a great plan even if the reality is that certain pieces are needed to execute that plan properly.

From Jorge Fernandez (@jfdad):

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

Hey Jorge, hope you’re enjoying your trip. The answer is yes across the board, with the only uncertainty as I type this late Saturday morning is Beckham, though I suspect he’ll be in uniform as well.

THE IDEA OF DOLPHINS TRADES AND OVERREACTION

From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):

Hey Alain. We hear all this talk about trades but most of our star players already signed big deals so from a cap perspective, how could this even work should we find ourselves 1-5 or worse?

Hey OGJ, it couldn’t. The Dolphins aren’t taking on massive cap hits and absorb signing bonuses to get rid of good players just because the season isn’t going the way it was supposed to go, particularly players who they’re counting on next season and beyond. It makes zero sense.

From B.P. (@bsp014):

After the offensive showing over the last few weeks, are there any potential positives that we as fans can look toward in this game? Because I have no faith that we are capable of scoring more than 10 points.

Hey B.P., the most obvious answer here is that Tyler “Snoop” Huntley should get better the longer he’s practicing in this offense. He had been with the team barely a week when he was asked to start against Tennessee and that really was a tough spot, so improvement from him would be the one reason for optimism here.

From Hubris (@hubris_online):

Does this current Dolphins roster still feel like this is a rivalry game or do they look at the Pats as just another team that happens to be a division game? Is this the 1-7 Dolphins all over again & do you think that this team can make a second half run like they did in 2021?

Rivalry games come with 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 no rivalry there at the moment. Yes, there are similarities to 2021 (starting with Tua getting injured against Buffalo in Week 2), but that 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 it fall all the way to 1-7. Lastly, yes, I do believe this team can rebound from this bad start.

From Rico’s RoughNecks (@TheFin22):

For the 1H of 2024, I explained in this mailbag my reasons to grab Kirk & trade Tua. Reflecting on it: - Either guy receives ~170 mil grntd - We have a healthy top 10 QB with Kirk - ‘24, ‘25 and/or ‘26 drafts could have focused on QB for the future. - Draft picks from Tua

Hey Rico, not sure there’s a question in there, but I will point out that Kirk Cousins was coming off an Achilles tear, 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 considering any team trading 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 that.

From Panthera (@17_Panthera_10):

We are still numb about how the Dolphins are a huge disappointment this year.

We’re four games in. Can we let the season play out a little bit longer?

From Dolphinslifer13 (@Tony34413966):

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

We can consider that McDaniel has lost the locker room when we can clearly see players quitting on the team and players lashing out at teammates and/or coaches publicly. Neither has happened yet and I don’t anticipate that happening even if the Dolphins lose at New England.

From Mason (@Orli88704562):

Alain, how much of the slow start and sloppy play by the Dolphins this season do you attribute to the way the Dolphins approach practice and specifically the 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 was a question that McDaniel was asked this week (props to Adam Beasley of Pro Football Network). While McDaniel’s answer centered around doing what’s needed to deal with injuries, I do think it’s fair to question whether the Dolphins need to go harder in camp in the future.

DISCUSSING SOME OFFENSIVE ISSUES

From Total Perspective Vortex Inv (@perspectvortex):

What’s with all the screens? Seems like that was supposed to be McDaniel's new wrinkle and it’s not working? Maybe because no deep threat w/o Tua?

Hey TPV, the Dolphins had a shot at a deep ball with Tyler Huntley against Tennessee but he couldn’t connect with Tyreek Hill. I’d suspect there’ll be more shots down the field coming up. But let me correct one thing you said about “without Tua.” Through the first four weeks of the regular season, Tua is dead last in the NFL in completed air yards per attempt and completed air yards per completion, so let’s not pretend he was chucking it down the field. He was throwing screens all over the place, just like the QBs after him. Why is this happening? Trying to minimize mediocre pass protection is one part. Putting the ball into the hands of Tyreek, Waddle and Achane right away is another. Whatever the reason, you’re right, it hasn’t worked very well.

From Terry Nielsen (@TKN_OHIO):

Paul to guard? Then move outside next year?

Hey Terry, I get the idea, which would replicate what the Dolphins did with Laremy Tunsil in 2016, but there are two slight issues with this. First, I think a lot of fans are overestimating what Paul can do as a rookie. He’s a good prospect who could become very good in time, but I’d be careful about expecting too much from him as a rookie. Second, when you’re dealing with a guy that tall (6-8), there’s an issue of leverage involved going up against interior defensive linemen, who will be much more difficult to push around in the run game than a 250-pound edge defender.

From Tim Ski (@TimSkii22):

What’s in the water near Hard Rock that makes any GM inept?

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