Wednesday Dolphins Mailbag: Pass Defense, Catching Passes, Chubb, and More

What have been the biggest disappointments this season? Why Hasn't Channing Tindall played more? Those and other questions from Miami Dolphins fans

Part 2 of the post-Bills game SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From Bellal73 (@bellal73):

For God’s sake, when is this team gonna use a TE for anything?

Hey there, well, they do use the tight ends to block quite frequently. As for the passing game, I think I’ve reached the point where I’ve given up on the idea of Gesicki, Smythe or Long becoming factors.

From TimboSlicer (@SlicerTimbo):

Not a question but a statement. This pass coverage defense has been very disappointing, but what do you expect when you depend on rookie Kohou and Iggy?

You make a valid point, but for the record Noah Igbinoghene has played very little on defense this season.

From Fernando (@Fins4Life73):

Do you anticipate the running game being featured more?

Hey Fernando, only Mike McDaniel knows that, though I would say probably given the success against the Bills. And let’s also not forget that what this offense does best is passing. What I do hope is we’ll see more running plays being called on third-and-1 or third-and-2.

From Nick Vipperman (@NickVipperman):

Any thoughts on Boyer and whether he will get a reprieve next year based on the number of injuries the defense has faced?

Hey Nick, the injuries in the secondary absolutely would be reason enough to give Boyer another shot, but I don’t really have a clue what Mike McDaniel thinks of him.

From Chris Roney (@ChrisRoney0):

Changing personnel this time of year seldom happens, so can Miami do anything different schematically to improve the pass defense? They seem to be getting pressure but those chunk plays keep happening and they still have Rodgers and a talented NYJ WR room to deal with. Thanks!

Hey Chris, one thing I would tell you is that the Dolphins are not getting pressure consistently enough, though Herbert and Allen both made a lot of plays after getting flushed out of the pocket and those two games were more about QBs shining than the Dolphins defense failing. I would think that’s not going to continue for very long.

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FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM

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From Tony (@Tony_Matoszka):

When did the NFL change the rules for what is considered a drop? Was surprised by your expert analysis explaining how a few of the passes on Saturday weren't actually drops.

Hey Tony, let’s start by saying that “drops” are not an official NFL stat. Where you’ll see drops are in advanced stats from various outlets and there is no clear definition for what constitutes a drop. It’s the same as what constitutes a pressure and those numbers were vastly different last year for the Dolphins from Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference because of different interpretations. So basically what might be a drop to me might not be a drop to you and others, and there’s no hard-set definition. My point on the two passes near the end zone that everybody is calling drops was that I felt both were very catchable, but neither was an easy catch that would qualify as a clear drop in my eyes. And this is the part where you can tell me I’m crazy for not considering either a clear drop.

From wayne_moore (@Wayne_Moore65):

Why is 41 not playing much?

Hey Wayne, this pretty much is the same thing as Erik Ezukanma on offense and it comes down to the coaches trusting those rookies. Plain and simple. The Dolphins absolutely could use an impact player at inside linebacker and the fact they’re not giving Channing Tindall a shot tells you all you need to know.

From Mike (@elons18thchild):

Should they have gone after Roquan Smith instead of Bradley Chubb?

Hey Mike, yeah, I think there’s something there, particularly since the Ravens got Smith without having to give up a first-round pick, and Smith has been tremendous for Baltimore so far whereas Chubb’s impact has been somewhat limited. It’s very early, though, and we should reserve final judgment for a while.

From Carlos Coopers (@CoopersCarlos7):

Where the hell is Bradley Chubb? Finding Waldo is easier. Someday I hope you will explain the Expos logo to the nation. It’s an M, but damn it always looks like elb.

Hey Carlos, I will gladly start with the logo of my beloved Expos (born and raised in Montreal). To get the “M” effect, visualize the whole logo as a fancy “M” in cursive. So the cap is EMB. OK, on to Chubb, he’s been OK so far since joining the Dolphins, though clearly not quite as impactful as hoped. But there’s still time for that to change.

From ChrisDavis (@KyLouFinFan):

Other than maybe the SF game it seems pretty fair to say in the other five losses either the O or D played up to standard. Is it coaching, matchups, effort, coincidence? Or is my premise wrong? If I’m right, can it be fixed within reason?

Hey Chris, in the first three losses there was an in-game QB change forced by injury, which doesn’t help, and there were no takeaways on defense, plus a game and three quarters without Terron Armstead, so I’m not sure I buy the premise of the O or D playing up to standard in all the non-SF losses. I’d say the Buffalo game was close to having both sides play up to standard and performances like that you should be good enough to beat Green Bay, New England and the Jets. The key now is duplicating that kind of performance.

From Walt Thiessen (via email):

Hi Alain, I'm a little concerned about the receiving corps. They're dropping a lot of passes this year. One or two more catches in the early part of the Bills game could have swung the final result the other way very easily. What are you thoughts about what it's going to take for the receivers to hang on to more of them?

Hey Walt, you’re not wrong about the receivers dropping too many passes or not coming up with catchable balls, but I might suggest that the Dolphins don’t necessarily have the most sure-handed WR corps in the NFL, though they probably do have the fastest. There’s not a lot that can be done about it, either, because you have to know the players already are spending a lot of time on the Jugs machine after practice.

From Simon (via email):

Salut Alain, thank you for the excellent, common sense coverage of the Dolphins, it is so refreshing to read balanced and nuanced reporting. As a UK fan who might not understand all of the subtleties of the game, I was wondering if there is some vital importance to winning the coin toss (or flip as I believe you call it)? I note that as of week 15, the Eagles, Bills and Chiefs, followed by the Vikings, lead the league, while Miami’s 8-6 perfectly matches their record? Joking – I’ve been following the Phins since 1983 (after being introduced to the game by US service personnel – Go De Novo Horn Heads!), and I know they don’t need to win or lose a coin toss to break our hearts. My actual question is regarding the “drops” in the Bills game. Some of them, especially in the 1st quarter, seemed to be the result of early contact by the Bills defense (particularly Wilson at 7:46, Hill 6:23) which I’ve seen given in other circumstances. The commentary team seemed to think tackling a receiver in the air is part of a “contested catch.” So, apologies for the long buildup, but do you think the Dolphins have been on the receiving end of some poor decisions (and I know officials are only human) or is their second-worst league record accurate and they really do need some work on contested catches? Bien à vous et bonnes fetes.

Hey Simon, happy holidays. Defensive pass interference and defensive holding are among the most difficult things to officiate because there is contact practically all the time and it becomes a question of what merits a flag and what doesn’t. The Chargers DBs and the Bills DBs both were very aggressive with the Dolphins receivers and easily could have been flagged on occasion for defensive holding. But the same holds true the other way. The best example of the fickle nature of DPIs is that what Kader Kohou did against Buffalo at the end of the game Saturday night wasn’t nearly as flag-worthy as what Keion Crossen did at the end of the Chicago game, and Crossen wasn’t flagged. Bottom line, every team can point to different plays throughout a game where calls should have been made or shouldn’t have been made and that certainly did apply to the Dolphins against Buffalo, where they easily could have gotten a couple of DPIs or defensive holding penalties in their favor.

From Jeff (via email):

Hello Alain. What a tough loss! Not because it's a division game, or because we had this one circled since preseason, but because emotionally you can feel how we were this close. I get the feeling if we had one or two more minor things, we would be there at the end of the game and the Dolphins would have been ahead on the scoreboard. I listen to the coach and I cannot help but feel like whatever words he expressed after the game had gravity. What can you say about Coach McDaniel and how much of a difference he has been this season compared to the last few decades? What has been your favorite coach in that time, and how does McDaniel's style compare? Thank you as always for your efforts and thoughts Merry Christmas Alain!

Hey Jeff, it’s a tough question to answer because McDaniel hasn’t even finished his first season and I have to define “last few decades.” I do like McDaniel as a head coach because he relates well to his players and he put together a great offensive scheme to take advantage of the speed he has at wide receiver. As for my favorite, post-Shula and Jimmy Johnson and excluding McDaniel because it’s too early, I think I’d go maybe with Dan Campbell on an interim basis because it was so insanely how much harder his players played for him after he took over. And even though he might have had his X’s and O’s shortcomings, you always knew the Dolphins would play hard.

From Earl (via email):

Hello Alain, your column has long been my "go to" for Dolphin insight, so here is something i wished happened for the defense instead of what did: trading for Roquan Smith instead of Bradley Chubb. Not only did the Ravens exchange a lesser draft value but i think got a much better, more consistent player. I always thought Chubb was overrated. What do you think, considering you mentioned the MLB need in a recent reply. along that line, what do you think the Dolphins will do with their second-round pick?

Hey Earl, yeah, I addressed the Chubb/Smith debate in an earlier question and I do think I personally would have preferred Smith, though I’ll say again it’s too early to make a final call on this. As for the 2023 draft, the Dolphins will have enough positions of need to take the best player, but as of right now, I’d say OL, TE, MLB or CB.

From NY – Fins Up (@azomback34):

It’s been one of the most fun years that I can recall for our Fins. I’ve tried to remain positive all year throughout the rough patches. So not to harp on the negative, but my 2 biggest disappointments are lack of pash rush/sacks and then INT. Wondering what yours are.

Hey there, does it have to be two? Yeah, it’s hard to argue with either of you too points. I’d also add the lack of any kind of long returns in the kicking game.

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