Wednesday Dolphins Mailbag: Waddle, Phillips, Ramsey, and More
Part 2 of the post-Denver game Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:
From Tommy Sheffler (@TommySheffler7):
Do you view Waddle as a true #1 receiver or an elite #2?
Hey Tommy, excellent question. Am I allowed to say somewhere in between? At that, I think I’d lean toward true #1.
From Brian Z (via email):
What are your thoughts on the fans booing the Dolphins for not going from some meaningless record? For me, I feel that there is such a thing as karma. Miami will already have a target on their back after that win. Other teams would be not just trying to beat us, but maybe even injure our players if we purposely went out to embarrass other teams. The coach had the right idea. We won the game. Let's celebrate and move on to next week. On the flip side, what is we went for the record and a Dolphins player got injured? How would the fans and media look at the coaches decision then?
Hey Brian, yeah, that one is a tough one. On the one hand, you’re trying not to embarrass your opponent — though one could make the argument that the Broncos embarrassed themselves the way they played defense. But there’s also something to be said for setting a record that will remain with the players for the rest of their careers and beyond. I’m kind of torn between the two, to be honest, but I don’t like fans booing at the end of a 50-point win because they didn’t like their coach’s decision there.
DOLPHINS DEFENSE QUESTIONS
From Rick DiBubbio (via email):
Hi Alain, Dolphins fan living in Bills country. Not to complain about a 50-point win, but the defense did give up several big plays in that game. Yes, they got three turnovers, but one fumble came after a 30-yard reception. Even though the defense surrendered only 13 points, any reason to worry about all the big plays they gave up?
Hey Rick, yeah, that was not necessarily a great defensive performance, though the defense did come up with the three turnovers, a key stop after Alec Ingold was stuffed on fourth down, plus a goal-line stand at the end. That’s the epitome of bend but don’t break, except it puts pressure on the defenders to get those game-changing plays.
From Gary (via email):
Hi Alain, forget the injury to Jaelen Phillips. AVG is a better football player and should be starting. Agree or no? Loving the podcast; it gets better with each episode.
Hey Gary, thanks for the podcast compliment. Having said that, I think I’ll have to disagree because I think Phillips is a bit more consistent than AVG, even though I’ve always been an AVG fan.
From Brandon Quinn (via email):
Why does it seem like the Phins regularly have surprise inactives? The kids enjoying Miami a bit too much? EzE and Cam Smith inactive this week is mind-boggling. Is X getting by strictly on rep these days? How many steps has he lost? And no question here — Achane is the steal of the draft. That dude is gonna be special. That right-handed Tua pitch to him was incredible.
Hey Brandon, don’t know what went into the decision to make those two inactive against Denver, though I will say I was very surprised. What this might entail is perhaps a bad week of practice or somebody else earning playing time with good work during the week. I hope you’re not basing your Howard question on the touchdown he gave up when that was about Wilson moving in the pocket to buy time; you can’t ask a cornerback to cover a receiver going one way and then being able to break and cut the other way at the back of the end zone. As for Achane, it was a great performance, great shovel pass, and the future looks bright, but it was only one game against an overmatched opponent.
From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):
What’s your opinion on the QB push on very short-yardage situations? Do you think the league will ban it? It’s seems very OP?
Hey OGJ, from a viewing standpoint, I am so not a fan of the “tush push.” It’s not football to me, but rather rugby. I’m not sure the league will ever do anything about it, though it sure hope it does.
From Snow Pony (not a Mustang): (@SnowPony1985):
After the performance by Achane, do you expect the Dolphins to trade Wilson (RB)?
As brilliant as Achane was, I would caution against overreacting to that game given the circumstances. Having said that, if the Dolphins got a decent offer for him, I’m sure they’d entertain the idea, but maybe just as much because Chris Brooks can provide the kind of running that Wilson does.
From Miami mark (@MarkWardlaw97):
After episode 99, are you going to start back at 1 (or 0) and go back through the numbers again with new players? Or does that little segment come to an end?
Hey Mark, I think that based on the feedback we’ve gotten, we’ll be going back through the numbers when the All Dolphins Podcast episodes reach 100.
From Sammybaby (@sexantu1):
You think Miami should make a call to the Rams if they keep losing by trade deadline. Can Miami even afford his salary?
Hey Sammy, you didn’t mention a name, but I’m assuming you’re referring to Aaron Donald and the answer is that’s not happening.
From Matthew (@theMatthewPryor):
I'm thinking of flying over to the States for my first Dolphins game in 2024. Should I book flights for Vegas now or wait a little longer?
Hey Matthew, yeah, I think it might be a bit premature at this time, even though it does look better than it did three weeks ago.
From S M D (@asnf6193):
Is J Phillips injuries a concern? He was injury-prone in college.
Any injury is a concern, but this notion of Phillips being “injury-prone” in college was a bit misleading since his issue mostly stemmed from a freaky scooter accident.
From Carlos Moloti (@Elwatcher25):
I have painful recent memories about game 4 after greatest 3 and O (Tannehill beaten ugly by Pats in FOX, Bengals Thursday concussion night); do you feel different in this one?
Hey Carlos, yeah, it’s tough to envision bad situations like a 38-7 loss to New England in 2018, the Tua injury last year or even a 38-17 loss to New Orleans in 2013 after Miami started 3-0, but I have a hard time seeing anything like that happening Sunday. This looks like a different Miami team and I’d expect the result to be different — if not an outright win at Buffalo, then at least a competitive showing.
From Oscar Rodriguez (@oscar_rdz88):
All of us know Eichenberg is officially the center backup, but do you think that will remain if Connor is out this week? Or can we expect any other backup lineman stepping in for the role? It is very concerning his snapping/blocking performance when you go vs the Bills DLine…
Hey Oscar, I can’t see anybody but Eichenberg starting at center if Williams ends up not being able to play. I’ve been wrong before and could be wrong again, but that’s just how I see it.
From Lloyd Heilbrunn (@LloydHeilbrunn):
If wins are not a quarterback stat, why is Tom Brady considered the GOAT by many, based upon his Super Bowl wins?
Hey Lloyd, because winning the Super Bowl (let alone doing it seven times .. with two different teams) is a step above won-loss record is what I would tell you. I’ve never totally dismissed won-loss record as a gauge for a quarterback, but it can’t be the first argument because it’s a team game. As an example, in Tua’s first career win against New England, his passer rating was 73.4; in the loss at Buffalo last December, his passer rating was over 100. But in that New England game, the Dolphins rushed for 250 yards; in the loss against Buffalo, the defense gave up 446 yards. And there are countless examples like that. Head coach Mike McDaniel himself said last year a quarterback can't win a game by himself, but he can lose one.
WHO CAN STOP MIKE McDANIEL'S OFFENSE?
From mikethewreck (@mgcroteau):
How do you think the very good Bills defense will try and line up against the McDaniel offense?
Hey Mike, that’s a good question and I would expect the Bills to stick with their 4-3 look (counting Leonard Floyd as an edge defender and not a linebacker) with five DBs.
From Mark Schoninger (@SchoningerMark):
Will Coach McD and his smart schemes allow the Fins to plug and play a certain type of offensive player that may have previously been unheralded, and inexpensive — then save big money by sending out their high-dollar players and/or not needing to sign high-dollar free agents?
Hey Mark, sure, that works with certain players, but others have a skill set that can’t be duplicated even if he’s put in the same positions. There’s a reason, after all, that Tyreek Hill gets paid what he gets paid, same for Terron Armstead and maybe even Jaylen Waddle.
From Amer El Ghali (@Amer_Elghali):
We talked about Miami's commitment to the running game last year. Two-part question, 1) Why do you think we are seeing a bigger commitment so far this year? 2) How well do you think this offense will translate to December?
Hey Amer, we’re only three games in, but the Dolphins focused on the run against New England because Bill Belichick played loose defensively to take away the big play in the passing game and then against Denver, the Dolphins were gaining 7-8 yards a pop, so why not continue running? The offense will translate better to December the more efficient the running game can remain.
From FTL585 (@moorez985):
Any worry of complacency or over confidence after all the hype of scoring 70?
This is where Mike McDaniel will come in and remind his players that was one game and not to start expecting it. The fact that the opponent this week is Buffalo also will help everybody remain even-keeled.
From Riley Hudson (@rileyhud):
When Ramsey comes back, do you think Fangio blitzes more as he will have more trust in the secondary?
Hey Riley, Vic Fangio absolutely will have more trust in the secondary once Ramsey is back and that might lead to a tad more blitzing, but also understand that’s not his preferred tactic as a defensive coordinator. He blitzes occasionally to throw offenses off, but his basic principle is to keep everything in front of the defenders and eventually force mistakes.
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