Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua, Grier, Sieler, and More

Will 27 points be enough against the Los Angeles Rams? How close is the offense from being at peak efficiency? Tackling those and other Miami Dolphins issues

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler (92) celebrates after a sack of New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) during the first half at Gillette Stadium. / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Part 1 of the pre-Rams game Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Roger Dodger (@RogerDolfan):

Tua, 1-3 win loss record and could have been 0-4 if Holland doesn't cause fumble to save Jags game this season. Plus all his injuries over his NFL career and his inability to win games against top-tier NFL teams. Is it time to call the time of death on this one and move on? McDaniel inability to hold a lead in second half or manufacture a win. Grier inability to develop a winning team (not relevant team) and Tua inability to beat any top-tier team. Where would axe fall first if Ross decided it was time to make a change?

Hey Roger, man, somebody forgot to take his happy pill this morning. If an axe were to fall, I think the logical choice would be Grier. Tua’s contract is such that, like it or not, he will be the Dolphins QB next season and the one after that if he stays healthy. And McDaniel being the one who got Tua to another level after arriving as head coach and continuing to make the most of his ability would make it unlikely the Dolphins would move on from him.

From Ed Helinski (@MrEd315):

In your opinion, who’s been Miami’s turkeys so far this season? Meaning, their play and decisions have been less than stellar. And my question applies to coaches and management too, not just players.

Hey Ed, well, what jumps out first and foremost was the failure to not be better prepared at the backup quarterback spot given Tua’s injury history. In terms of players, not necessarily a fan of pointing out underperforming players, but Jordan Poyer has to jump out here because of a couple of bad roughness penalties along with less-than-stellar player in the secondary. Offensively, it would be easy to point to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who haven’t produced as much as they should, but again the backup QB mess had to something to do with it.

From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):

Hey Alain. I’m not on a witch hunt for the GM but if the Dolphins finish with a losing record and miss the playoffs as expected, how can Grier keep his job? Surely this sends the wrong message to the fan base and shows an acceptance of failure and zero accountability?

Hey OGJ, I get the frustration and it’s hard to argue that folks need to be held accountable if the season ends up the way it started. And Grier having been GM since 2016 (or 2019 with personnel powers) with zero playoff victories to show for it despite a boat load of draft capital and the ability to spend would make him a logical target. But understand that Stephen Ross does value Grier very much, so it’s not like it’s a slam dunk that would happen.

From Mark Lever (@MarkFinsfan):

What do you think the reason is for Waddle’s decline? Even with Tua in the game, he doesn’t seem to be doing much. Do you see that turning around as the season goes on?

Hey Mark, a lot of that goes to the way defenses are attacking not only Waddle but Tyreek Hill. But this is where Mike McDaniel has to find ways to get the ball to those two regardless of what the defense is doing. It’s great to say we’re taking what the defense is giving us, but at some point you also can’t let opponents dictate who gets the ball. If it needs to be a heavy dose of end-arounds or wide receiver screens to get Waddle the ball, so be it.

From Jorge boyd (@raga1922):

How much better is the DL with Zach Sieler in it, and is he a diference maker on that defense?

Very and huge. How’s that for a quick answer. To expound, given his position, all that he does for the defense and the number of snaps he plays, I’d argue that Sieler is near the top of most important players on the Dolphins defense, if he’s not at the very top. Where he should make the biggest difference is for the pass rush because he can provide an inside push that’s missing when he’s not out there.

From Richard Prieto (@Rprieto1971):

Is the season going to start its turnaround on Monday night?

Hey Richard, that’s certainly the hope, right? I did predict a victory in my comprehensive game preview and explained the reasons.

From Ricardo Hernandez (@Ricardo96451182):

So…would 27 be enough against the Rams?

Hey Ricardo, maybe, but we don’t know for sure. But since when is it an issue to be looking for more? The Dolphins sank a lot of money into this offense in the offseason, and that means the offense should be expected to steal some games for the team. Scoring 27 against Arizona and Buffalo was good, but it wasn’t enough to steal either game. If the team needs more, it’s on the offense to provide it.

From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):

Despite leading the league in passing after week 1 you were very critical of the Dolphins all year. With or without Tua. Even as lately as last week you were questioning if this Dolphins offense with Tua was very good. The Dolphins have only punted 3 times in 2 weeks. Have they done enough to change your mind?

Hey Dana, I don’t recall saying the Dolphins offense wasn’t very good, but I do recall saying it hadn’t been good so far this season. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been misquoted, but I’m going to argue that point right now. As for the Jacksonville game, sure, the Dolphins led the NFL in passing yards after Week 1 but it still was an uneven performance by the offense that was saved by two long passes. And I think we’re massively overstating what the offense did in the past two games because the two games ended in losses and there were points left on the field and given away (the safety). What I did say was that the offense automatically would get better once Tua replaced Huntley at quarterback (no big prediction) and the question was whether he could get back to the peak level of 2023. We’re not there yet, but it appears the offense is on the way to potentially reaching that level.

From Leon Fresco (@FrescoLeon):

Why would Blake Ferguson possibly be someone anyone would use a critical IR spot for. Wouldn’t it make sense to leave him on there and sign someone else at this point? Now, what do you have to say about all of these phantom mid-week injuries I asked you about last week? Something stinks to high heaven here. I think it is a combination of business decisions from players and personal conduct issues causing injuries (that are being covered up).

Hey Leon, very interesting and legit question regarding Ferguson, considering it’s not like a snapper is required to do much more than being dependable with the snaps. But both Danny Crossman and Mike McDaniel spoke like bringing Ferguson back to the 53 is a foregone conclusion. As for injuries, not sure exactly what you mean by “personal conduct causing injuries.” Is it possible the Dolphins don’t reveal everything? Of course, but understand that injury reporting issues are not exactly new or isolated to the Dolphins — see Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles.