Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua, Third Receiver, Armstead, and More

What can we expect from Vic Fangio's defense? Was the 2022 losing streak overblown? Those and other questions from Miami Dolphins fans

Part 3 of the SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag leading into the Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers:

From Hulafins83 (@JoeFins83):

On offense and defense, what are two areas the Fins need to be successful in for victory on Sunday?

This is a basic question that could apply to any week and the two points apply to offense and defense, and that’s third-down conversions and winning the turnover battle.

From Brice (@BricefromLA):

Is too much being made of the 5-game losing streak? Tua only played unconcussed in 3.5 of those games. The S.F. and L.A. losses were bad for the offense obviously, but the offense scored 29 against Buffalo and 20 in the first half against GB pre-concussion. Feels overblown a little.

Hey Brice, no, the five-game losing streak was not overblown. Part of the season is it happened at crunch time when the nature of the games changed, it happened because the Dolphins couldn’t step up once they got past a softer five-game stretch during their five-game winning streak, and understanding that concussion symptoms often manifest themselves hours after the fact, I think we automatically can show that Tua was non-concussed when he was putting up big numbers in the first half but then concussed when he threw the three picks, which didn’t look different than other throws in that game outside of the end result.

From Nicklaus (@Nicklauswow):

I got a ? Can you and Omar make take your daily segments from 38 min to at least an hour? I love listening to you two talk football.

Certainly appreciate the compliment, and Omar and I always are looking for suggestions for our All Dolphins Podcast (on YouTube or on the Fans First Sports Network for the audio version under Miami Dolphins Insider) and we have discussed the idea of making it a bit longer. Not sure if we’ll end up changing, but it has been discussed.

From Brett Campbell (@newbreed_1990):

My +/- games played for Tua is 14. If he continues to progress off last year (which I do expect), how many game does he need to play in your “GM eyes” to deserve a Hebert-type bag vs. making Tua play on 5th yr + franchise tag route?

Hey Brett, that’s a good question and I’m not sure it’s quite as simple as “number of games” because it might depend on circumstances. I certainly think everybody would agree that Tua would have to finish the season on the field and not on the inactive list or on IR. I also think that Tua needs some big-time December performances if he’s going to hope to get a “Herbert-type bag.”

From Ricardo Cardona 2 (@CardonaThe2nd):

Do you think Coach McDaniel has more layers to the offense that we didn’t already see in year 1? Do you think Vic Fangio’s “new” defense will really be something we haven’t seen before?

Hey Ricardo, McDaniel absolutely has more layers to his offense, particularly when you understand the fact his specialty always was said to be and thought to be the running game, which certainly wasn’t a focal point last year. As for Fangio, his defense certainly will be different from what we saw the last three years, but I’m not quite sure how far we go in saying it’s a “new” defense. It’s actually a defense that’s being used around the NFL, including with the Chargers under head coach Brandon Staley.

From NY – Fins Up (@azomback34):

Who in the Dolphins org decides what color combination they wear (tops/ bottoms) for home games & for away games - once they know if their jersey will be white or dark (based on opponent/home team’s choice)? Maybe I’m just a traditionalist, but my favs are simply white & white.

Howdy, beyond the home team having the choice of light or dark jerseys as you indicated, there’s also the issue of the limit on the use of throwback uniforms (twice a year). Then the decision as to what color combinations to use is a group effort among team officials.

From LilOrphanArnie (@TheGreatPhinsby):

Alain, what matchup are you excited to see? Which one scares you?

The matchup I’m excited to see is Austin Jackson going up against Khalil Mack because I want to see what kind of right tackle he can be after another full season of learning and working on his body. On the other end, I don’t know if there’s a matchup that “scares” me, but Kader Kohou in the slot against Keenan Allen is a tough task for the second-year cornerback.

From Dean G (@DeanGrames):

Who will have the most catches besides Hill or Waddle?

Hey Dean, I think I can confidently say that Braxton Berrios would be the logical choice for that distinction.

From Matthews 4 (@MMATTHEWS4):

Was Tua's successful season overrated somewhat by the level of competition? Lions, Bears, Texans and Ravens. He struggled at the end of the year and against better defenses like Pittsburgh. Thanks.

Howdy, there is some merit to what you’re saying, but you have to perform against the teams on your schedule and you don’t control that. The Pittsburgh game wasn’t the end of the season, it came in Week 7 when Tua returned from his first concussion. I don’t know if Tua’s season was overrated because he did play very well through the first 11 games, but it’s also not quite as simple as simply pointing out he led the NFL in passer rating and that says everything because there always are a lot of factors involved. We all can agree, though, that he had a very good season.

From Cliffy Mac (@mclifford36):

What is the game plan with Armstead out? How will they adjust?

Hey Cliffy, I don’t know that the game plan will change all that much because Kendall Lamm now will be starting at left tackle instead of Armstead, though maybe Mike McDaniel will be more conscious of getting the ball out early on pass plays. Let’s put it this way, though: If you have to scrap your playbook because of one offensive lineman, there are bigger issues at play. Besides, don’t think the Dolphins didn’t have an inkling that Armstead might miss the Chargers game.

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