Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua's "Swag Level," Igbinoghene's Progress, Marino, Ezukanma, and More

Tackling various issues on the minds of Miami Dolphins fans, from an ideal TD/INT ratio for Tua Tagovailoa, to Liam Eichenberg and Austin Jackson and the offensive line

Part 2 of this week's SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From Mcdrip’s twin (@TheGreatPhinsby):

Hi Alain. I know it's early but is there anyone who has surprised you yet? Iggy or a rookie, for example?

Hey twin, yes, it’s early. I absolutely would say that Noah Igbinoghene has looked to me a lot more decisive and aggressive than last offseason and him getting beat deep by Tyreek Hill on that long completion by Tua that the Dolphins social media team put out Thursday should not be overthought because there aren’t many DBs who can cover Hill down the field one-on-one. I’ll also point out to the two diving catches made by Lynn Bowden Jr. in practice Wednesday as something that really caught my eye.

From Pat Cerniglia (@pw_cerniglia):

Position battle you are most excited for when the pads come on?

Hey Pat, this looks like a roster that’s pretty set at most position, so I think I’d have to go back to the offensive line and seeing how things shake out over there.

From spaceship mirror (@spaceshipmirror):

Any chance Iggy takes Needham’s nickel position?

Hey there, I’d put the odds of that at 1.2 percent. Just don’t see it happening. Needham has become a very solid nickel corner, so I don’t see why the Dolphins would do this. On the flip side, I absolutely could see Iggy ending as the third outside cornerback behind X and Byron Jones, and that’s an important role as well.

From Bill Whitten (@BillWhitten13):

Head to head for RT, what are the pros & cons for Jackson vs Eichenberg?

From Dave (@angryvet59):

I know it's almost impossible before pads come on but athletically whose got a leg up in new scheme? Jackson or Eichenberg?

Hey Bill and Dave, since your questions are so similar, I decided to combine them. Bottom line here is that the big difference from where I sit is that Jackson moves better than Eichenberg and therefore looks like a better fit at right tackle. Now, this will bring up the question of why then did Eichenberg get moved to LT and Jackson to LG last season, and I’d reply by suggesting those were more technical issues and they exposed Jackson more if he played on an island at tackle instead of inside.

From Jake McVay (@JakeMc945):

Williams really playing center? Who is the LG in minicamp?

Hey Jake, I can tell you that Connor Williams is playing center because Mike McDaniel confirmed it in a press conference last week and Williams said it was his understanding that as of now he’s at center. I can’t, however, tell you who’s the left guard in minicamp based on media reporting rules which prevent us from revealing who’s playing where and with what unit.

From Lou (@87Luigino):

Your thoughts on Tua’s recent “swag level” increases? Are you buying into it yet?

Hey Lou, yeah, not sure I buy into “swag level” anything other than Tua’s remarks after practice Thursday. Those came out of left field because he has always been very guarded in his media remarks and maybe it was a release of pent-up frustration and aggravation over his critics, but outside of that I don’t see any real difference in his demeanor in practice.

From sweetpou812 (@pfsOu812):

Mike Westhoff, former special teams coach, said even at this early stage the practice he saw (Thursday) was the worst NFL practice he’s ever seen and he was shocked! O. Kelly also said practice was horrible but we only heard about 2 bombs thrown and one sucked Your take?

Yeah, it’s pretty interesting how the narrative following practice was all about the two long passes, which became even more the story because of Tua’s comments. I did hear Westhoff’s comments live when he made them and I frankly was shocked because he wasn’t having any of the Tua lovefest because of the two long completions. Now, I think there’s some exaggeration both ways here. First off, if anybody wants to believe what some have put out there about the two bombs being in stride, go for it, but that’s not accurate. Hill had to slow down a bit for the second one and the ball wasn’t thrown over his shoulder on the first. That said, they were two long completions, so points for that. The rest of practice was meh, but it certainly wasn’t the worst practice I’ve ever seen and I also wouldn’t use the word “horrible.”

From Alex Bacea (@itshotoutside2):

How has Ezukanma looked so far during the team activities?

Hey Alex, I’m going to have to be honest here and tell you that I have not noticed Ezukanma once in team drills, which I what I pay most attention to. He has been out there at practice, but just hasn’t done anything to distinguish himself. Whether that’s by coincidence, circumstance or an inability to get open, I don’t know, but I can’t even recall him being targeted once in 11-on-11s in the four practices we’ve watched.

From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):

We want the team to make the playoffs and in many respects that’s all that matters. But what for you Alain is a leap for Tua? 30 TD and 10 INT? Can you give us a ballpark figure?

Hey OGJ, Yes, 30/10 would be a nice leap, considering he was at 16/10 last season. I think a more realistic ratio, and maybe more effective, would be something like 23/7. More than anything, though, for me the big leap that’s needed has to come in the money games — like Buffalo in 2020 and Tennessee last year. Those are the games where he has to step up and deliver.

From Chris Davis (@KyLouFinFan):

100% agree can’t draw too many conclusions in June, but other than feeding the insatiable year-round beast of a lot of NFL fans. What can we learn/discern in June in general, and what have you learned so far about how the Fins are different? Thx as always.

Hey Chris, at this time of year, I personally look for how guys are moving, particularly guys coming off injuries, and newcomers or rookies I haven’t seen before. For example, this is my first exposure to Skylar Thompson, and I’d say that he looks like he belongs (no, he’s not competing for the starting job this summer). As for how the Fins are different, I’m not sure I could point to one thing if I didn’t know the coaching staff was different (the orange jersey aside obviously). We’ll discover a lot more in the summer. Sure, the players are all happy-go-lucky, but we can't forget that's usually the case in May and June.

From Hugo Castle (@CastleHugo):

Is Tua just a guy?! Hehe, just kidding...is Noah really improving?!

Hey Hugo, yeah, as I addressed earlier, he does look a bit different in his demeanor and moves around like he’s more sure of himself. I’d say from what I’ve seen there is reason for optimism heading into training camp. And Tua is not just a guy, he’s the starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins.

From Mark Schoninger (@SchoninerMark):

As always Alain, I really appreciate your work. Dan Marino was one of the most exciting players in NFL history, and his playoff record was disappointing. What are a couple things the Dolphins GMs and coaches of his era could have done that would have flipped that narrative?

Hey Mark, the popular notion is that the Dolphins never provided Marino with either a great defense or a great running game the way the Denver Broncos did with John Elway at the end of his career. But here’s the other side of it, a side that’s not going to play well with a lot of folks. Having a team so focused on the passing game wasn’t necessarily conducive to producing Super Bowls. As an example, Air Coryell put up big numbers for the Chargers in the late 1970s/early 1980s, but they never could reach the Super Bowl. After taking over as Dolphins head coach in 1996, Jimmy Johnson wanted to make the team less Marino-centric and the result was three playoff appearances in four seasons, though the Dolphins never could get past the divisional round. And Johnson, to this day, is resented by a lot of Dolphins fans for what they see as him muzzling Marino. But it also may be that the team was too Marino-reliant under Don Shula to win a Super Bowl. Food for thought.