Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: All-Time Favorites, Ingold Status, Speed on Offense, and More

Tackling various issues on the minds of Miami Dolphins fans, including what the defense could look like in 2022, potential fullback fall-back options and the running back room

Second and final part of the new SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From John Fiorino (@jtwin17):

Change of pace with these next questions. Who was your favorite Dolphins player you have covered since being in So Fla? Also, can you name a player you saw who you thought was not going to be good but turned out to be much better? Also a guy you thought was going to be good but wasn’t?

Hey John, I do like those kinds of questions, though they force me to go through my mental library considering I’ve been covering the Dolphins full time since 1989. OK, favorite player: To watch, I’d probably go with Ricky Williams because he was such a gifted running back with absolutely magnificent vision. To “cover” and interview, my knee-jerk reaction is to go with Mark Dixon, an offensive lineman from the late 1990s and early 2000s, who was a really sharp guy who just gave fascinating answers to just about any question and practically never resorted to football clichés. The player who I didn’t think would amount to much and surprised me would be Bryan Cox after he arrived as a fifth-round pick out of Western Illinois in 1991. There was nothing that really stood out about him early, but it wasn’t long before everybody could see just how intense and tough he was. By the time he left Miami, he had become one of my favorite Dolphins players of all time. As for the opposite, I have to go back to running back Cecil Collins. While his problems at LSU were well documented (and the reason no team drafted him until the fifth round in 1999), I was amazed by how smooth he was during his first training camp and to this day I’ll say he’s the second-most-gifted Dolphins running back I’ve seen behind only Ricky Williams. But, of course, his career was sidetracked by off-the-field issues and he never panned out.

From Dion Gardiner (@dantegardiniore):

How do you see the offense looking next season? I know they want to have electric plays and utilize the speed but also run-heavy. In practice what is that going to look like?

Hey Dion, by in practice I’m going to assume the opposite of “in theory” and not literally “in practice.” LOL. I think this idea of the Dolphins having explosive plays all over the place is a little bit overblown. Having all that speed with Hill and Waddle and Mostert isn’t necessarily going to produce a 50-yard play every week, but what it will do (or should do) is create more space because defenses are going to be cautious about those big plays. My expectation is it’s going to be an offense that relies fairly heavily on the running game with an awful lot of short passes to let the speedy receivers create after the catch. The last thing I expect, to be honest, is a bombs-away passing game.

From Jayco (@ljc7975):

How does the strength of the offense (WR group) mesh with a run-first head coach?

Hey Jayco, see the previous answer. I’d also add that, as was the case last year, short throws also almost double as running plays, which obviously would satisfy the run-oriented approach with which Mike McDaniel is so familiar. The focus of the offense will be to move the chains and possess the ball a lot more than chucking it downfield regardless of who’s at wide receiver. All that speed will just make it potentially more dynamic because of the after-the-catch possibilities.

From Wade Tripp (@WadeTripp1):

What is your best guess on how the defense will be different with Boyer fully running it without Flores's input?

Hey Wade, that’s a great question and one I’m very curious to find out about. But I would think that Boyer is smart enough to not change too much what was so successful for the Dolphins the past two seasons but rather just tweak some things here and there (timing of the blitzes, for example, maybe more zone, etc.). What’s the old saying? Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke? Well, I’d make the argument that the Dolphins got about as much out of their defensive talent the past two years as they could, so changing things for the sake of Boyer putting his imprint on the defense would be foolish.

From Dave (@angryvet59):

If Ingold starts season on PUP, who's his replacement?

Hey Dave, well, the only other fullback on the roster is John Lovett, whose NFL career consists of eight games with the Packers in 2020. But then there are other options for an H-back type of role, starting with Durham Smythe and Cethan Carter. So that could be where the Dolphins go. One thing for sure, Mike McDaniel likes his fullbacks and the Dolphins also knew when they signed Alec Ingold as a free agent that his availability early on could be an issue because he was coming off a torn ACL. So I would think they’ve had a plan in mind to address your hypothetical scenario.

From MHM (@Pitt123412Macey):

How so you see RB situation play out? Who starts? 3rb….?

Hey M (or is it MH, or HM or just MHM?), the only way that question can be answered with any degree of confidence is to know whether Raheem Mostert will be ready for Week 1, as is the hope. If he is and he’s the old Mostert, he’ll make the team along with Chase Edmonds and Sony Michel and possibly Myles Gaskin — there's a section of fans who seem to think UDFA Za'Quandre White will prove a steal, but I'd caution against expecting too much with him. If Mostert is right, I’d have to imagine he’d be the starter but the carries figure to be split pretty evenly regardless of how that plays out. I also would imagine Edmonds would be the third-down back given his superior receiving skills out of the backfield and Michel would be the short-yardage back.

From Rich (@mouldymuffin99):

Everyone talks about Tua's “prove-it year,” but is this actually Grier's prove-it year? Simple question, only a yes or no answer allowed; if the Phins don't make the playoffs this season, is Grier gone?

Hey Rich, man, only yes or no? That’s harsh because it’s really not that simple. But, for the sake of playing along, I’ll give you an answer and say no, Grier is not automatically gone if the Dolphins don’t make the playoffs.