Wednesday Dolphins Mailbag: Fangio, Claypool, Achane, and More?

Could Andrew Van Ginkel make as big an impact as inside linebacker as on the edge? Does the quick-strike offense put additional stress on the defense? Tackling those and other questions from Miami Dolphins fans

Part 2 of the post-Giants game All Dolphins mailbag:

From Crash Jensen (@Sngly):

The offense is currently ranked #1 in passing AND #1 in rushing. What are the chances the team finishes the year ranked #1 in BOTH categories? Could the addition of Claypool backfire and hurt the offense? Have you noticed any adaptations by Fangio’s defense over the first 5 weeks? Didn’t he say he came up with something new during his sabbatical? This bend-don’t-break strategy is Tom Olivadotti-esque, and that’s not a compliment.

Hey Crash, at this point it’s certainly fair to think the Dolphins could finish first in passing and rushing, but there are still 12 games left. The Dolphins will not let Claypool be a detriment. They’re on the hook for the prorated portion of his $3 million salary this year, but none of it is guaranteed, so they can move on if there’s an issue. I have not noticed major adaptations on defense, just subtle changes here and there.

From Mick (@Mrac317):

If you were the GM of the Dolphins, what player on another team would trade for that could help the Dolphins the most? Let's assume we are trading our 1st Rd pick.

Hey Mick, the starting point is teams that could be sellers at the deadline, and that obviously would include Carolina and Denver, but I don’t see anybody on either team for whom to make a move. Let’s see what other team might get into seller mode before the Nov. 2 deadline.

From dragonstonefirechief):

Gink should start the rest of year. What say, Poup?

Should he? His play absolutely suggests he should, and that’s either at outside linebacker or inside. Will it happen? I’d doubt it. But I could see a pretty straight-up three-way rotation with AVG, Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb.

From Dave (@angryvet59):

If Achane misses time, do we see Brooks some? He crushed on his blocking & could definitely help on 3rd & short.

One would think that Brooks earned himself more snaps with his blocking against the Giants and I’ve thought all along he should get carries on third-and-short. They haven’t asked me for my input yet, though.

From Creep (@radiohead68):

Who was the President last time Fins won a SUPERBOWL?

If I haven’t mentioned it before, love Radiohead (though not as much as my wife). And the answer is Richard Nixon (in case that was a legitimate question).

From Pat McCollum (@PatMcCollum):

2 Q’s. 1) Tua’s 1st pick was a bad decision. Do you think the O is pressing in the red zone because the D hasn’t been all that great and they feel they have to get TDs to account for it? 2) The NFL preaches “integrity of the game.” The “tush push” is exactly opposite of that. It’s not even a football play. What’s it going to take for the league to get rid of it? A major QB injury?

Hey Pat, no pressing. The Dolphins actually led the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage. I hate the “tush push” as much as you do, but I don’t think it’s going anywhere until something major (yes, injury would be something) happens.

From Daniel gainey (@danielgainey110:

It seems like a waste to sit AVG when Phillips returns. Could he be just as valuable blitzing and from the IL spot?

Hey Daniel, no, I don’t think AVG is going to be sitting a whole time as long as he keeps playing the way he’s been. And he might be used in different spots too.

From Daniel Kucera (via email):

It's amazing that a 3rd round, relatively unheralded pick can become the center point of the Dolphins offense despite Tyreek, Waddle and Mostert. I thought he was going to be a gadget-back/return guy and now we are all crying because he is out for a few weeks.

Hey Daniel, I’m not so sure he’s the “center point” of the offense because push comes to shove, that’s still Tyreek to me and it's also a fact that everything runs through Tua.

From Basti (via email):

Hey Alain, I know there shouldn't be many worries about the Dolphins' offense after shredding several records and posting yet another +500 yards game. Nevertheless, the QB play vs. the Giants left me worried. I always found Tua's decision-making and his pocket movement quite admirably — obviously, that was not the case on Sunday. It seemed like he confirmed the narrative about him (as he did vs. the Bills) - Take away Tua's first read and he gets lost in the pocket making some bad decisions. I was shocked by the picks he threw on Sunday because in my eyes, they were so unusual for Tua. Also: His stats, of course, get a bit bloated by all those toss-end arounds and the screens. All of this leading to my question: Should there be some concerns about Tua's play after the games vs. the Bills and the Giants — or is that complete nonsense because we're still talking about the "greatest show on surf" as I read on Insta?

Hey Basti, there is no concern at this time with Tua other than his ability to finish a season and finish it strongly. I thought he actually played a solid game against Buffalo and while the pick-six against the Giants was bad, the second pick came because his hand hit Connor Williams’ helmet as he was throwing the ball to Jaylen Waddle. I’m not concerned in a team picture about how he gets his stats; the bottom line is he does an excellent job running the offense.

From Dave I (via email):

Alain, do you feel that having such a prolific offense as we do who has ability to score so quick inevitably results in a defense that can't match up since they are always back on field? Even though it is possible as ’72 Fins were #1 on offense and defense!

The Dolphins aren’t going to score in two plays or three plays or five plays, so if they’re scoring, it’s not going to damage the defense. What hurts are quick three-and-outs, and the Dolphins don’t have a lot of those.

From Jeff (via email):

Hello Alain, what's the difference between LeBeau's defense and Fangio's scheme? Are they from the same tree? Side note, I was trying to find the origin of "bend don't break" term and the best I could find was that it seems to originate from college football with a partial type of zone/cover/shell scheme.

Hey Jeff, one big difference is that LeBeau is famous for his zone blitz while Fangio tends to prefer rushing with four.

From Reza Hariri (@Therealrezpect1):

I feel like the D will come together but I feel like the rotation is light between players who play significant snaps on DL & edge. Claypool is nice addition but Gregory or a Frank Clark could pay more dividends.

Hey Reza, the Dolphins have three solid edge rushers with Phillips, Chubb and Van Ginkel, so I don’t see the sense in getting either Clark or Gregory, who have done nothing this season. The Claypool deal wasn’t so much about need than opportunity.

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