Can the Dolphins actually win a playoff game?

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Time Stamps
0:00 It's Dolphins day!
6:44 Reflecting on 2023
11:10 Scheme Breakdown
23:21 Front Office and Staff Breakdown
30:35 Best Dolphins Fantasy Values
39:02 Free Agency Losses and Gains
50:55 The Dolphins Rookie Class
57:25 Summary and Season Predictions
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Twitter: @BrettKollmann and @FootballEJ
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[@BootlegFootball]

Here is a link to the QBS livestream that EJ and Arjun Menon did a while back to explain how the sausage is made! -- kzbin.info7-rMee02K7Q?si=qnTpuUwCmljh8fzX

[@jameslatour9524]

😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@jameslatour9524]

😊

[@hiphopotamus69]

Miami never winning a game in sub 45 degree weather is cosmic justice for them designing their stadium so the road team has their sideline on the surface of the sun

[@Rekcha]

I cannot believe the league is still allowing that

[@darthsadic]

@@Rekcha No teams are complaining about that, only the pssy fans like you.

[@MrPoopaloops]

What do you want them to do? Pick the stadium and turn it lol teams know what they're walking into early in the season in miami. They have plenty of money and time to plan for what they need to bring to keep their players cool.

[@Rekcha]

@@MrPoopaloopsHow about just putting in an awning or something for opposing sidelines

[@paul_bellini]

@@Rekchaindeed, only one fanbase complains about this

[@grantmcbride5398]

This series is so great, I'm a teacher and summer just started, knowing that I get several episodes a week to listen too this summer is so nice! Love you guys

[@BootlegFootball]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@mattsmall5038]

I feel you. Our trimester ends in 2 weeks.

[@King_Immanuel]

I'm convinced you guys moved inside away from the cold just for that intro

[@johncroncejr6156]

20 minutes in you referenced the EDGE injuries and said "I think they had 3 edge injuries" Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Andrew Van Ginkel, Cameron Goode. Emmanuel Ogbah was the only EDGE not injured in December/January. 35 year old Justin Houston and 36 year old Bruce Irvin were signed to play in the Wild Card game because they had nobody else.

[@BigPerky]

sure those players would contribute to scoring more than 7

[@nickkowal619]

That realization by Brett that the Dolphins are just the AFC Cowboys was objectively hilarious 😂

[@popcornblast5348]

Dolphins don’t crown themselves though

[@nickkowal619]

@popcornblast5348 I'm not saying it's true, because you're right, I just loved the disappointed brain blast moment that Brett had.

[@dplunk13]

Do people realize that for the playoff game last year the Dolphins had the following out due to injury: Jaelen Philips, Bradley Chubb, Andrew Van Ginkle, Jevon Holland, Xavien Howard, and Jerome Baker? Philips, Chubb, and Howard missed the game against Buffalo right before that, with Van Ginkle only playing 37% of snaps. Hey, still gotta play and win. But it was crazy how unlucky they were with injuries.

[@JJ-zr6fu]

Soft teams tend have players missing

[@rjharrold2907]

​@@JJ-zr6fubingo

[@stolve8847]

Also worth mention that in the two minute drive tie (or win) the Bufallo game (where Tua threw a pick) the following players were not on the field due to injury: Jalen Waddle, Tyreek Hill and Raheem Mostert in addition to like 60% of the starting Oline they started season with. Those skill players combined for 42 TDs in the season, like 70% percent of the Dolphins total TDs.

[@GleezyBaby43]

Similar song for Cleveland Browns. We were on QB #4 , running back 2-3, WR 3&4 amari got hurt 2nd possession of game. No Obo, no hurst, no a walk, Denzel hurt knee, no Delpit , injured thornhill And we were on our 4th and 5th tackles and a guard who should of never played (injury) let’s hope futures turn gold in 24’-25’

[@Kyle-bi7df]

What does that have to do with the offense putting up 7 points, they were going to lose that game no matter what with garbage offensive play

[@vidalrodriguez2001]

You would think the dolphins would have enough cold weather experience courtesy of their division, if those away games place in the right time of year. You're going to get an AFC north opponent near the end of the year to also get you used to those conditions, the team has to make the most of that opportunity to expose themselves to those conditions and see how effective they can be

[@brotherjongrey9375]

People don't underrate Tua. Tua is not a star, he is just good and NFL fans rate anything other than star as bad. Tua

[@staceylee7957]

Totally agree. And as a Bills fan I hope they pay him $50 mil.

[@noahswartwout-jk8fy]

Putting Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff with Case fuckin Keenum is diabolically stupid considering how much money they've made

[@mroverdose14]

Burrow stepped up? Wasn't he hurt.... Tua has been "statistically" better than everybody on this list the last 2 years (per game avgs). I don't think he's a Star but nor do I place Lamar or even Allen as better QBs (better players but that style has never won in the playoffs) Burrow and Mahomes are the only QBs that rank in that star range for me and Burrow isn't in there like cement Keenum isn't remotely close. Tua is the only one that was in MVP talks in back to back years.

[@jimmybenjamin3628]

You guys are awesome

[@gelandres]

It may be the cold. Or it may be that they played the Chiefs with 2 backup OL, two 30+ DEs they got off the street to replace Chubb and Phillips; and Waddle was hurt and they had no #3 WR option. You can blame the cold for Tua not playing well and Hill dropping a TD pass. But I think health is a factor. And the other factor is that they got used to outscoring the other teams and McDaniel has to get better at calling close games.

[@user-dq9lo9uo5e]

Yah I knew the collapse was gonna happen the moment I saw Connor Williams got injured in the titans game. Our O-Line already had issues, but having to put Eichenberg at center legitimately killed our scheme. I even texted my friends the moment that happened and said that the drive was going to end with a botched snap because we know Eichenberg can’t snap. Guess how that drive ended? Botched snap that got recovered by the defense

[@zac2057]

We can blame the cold or see the truth that the dolphins coasted through an easy regular season schedule. They went 10-1 against losing teams, but 1-5 against winning teams. Maybe... they're just ok.

[@Rekcha]

The biggest factor is that Tua cannot elevate a team

[@user-dq9lo9uo5e]

@@Rekcha that’s a weak response from someone that obviously doesn’t watch dolphins games. Ever since joining the dolphins, Tyreek has put up the best numbers of his career and that’s while playing next to waddle. The dolphins O-Line is legitimately bottom five at best and tua is the main reason why their stats aren’t abysmal. “Elevating the team” is legitimately a nothing burger argument used by people that don’t understand football

[@hkybr6960]

@@zac2057or you may notice that our dc is gone after coaching a extremely middle of the pack defense. With majority of the games that brought the numbers down being vs winning teams. 56 allowed vs ravens, 31 vs eagles, 48 vs bills round 1, then add in the collapse vs the titans and you can see a defensive failure trend.

[@stolve8847]

I don't think the cold is so much their problem. They played 3 games in December/January in normal cold temperatures. The KC game was ridiculous, like yeah Tua can't throw in literal minus 30 degree weather. I don't care. But the other 3 were Washington (30 point win) The Jets (30 point win) and Baltimore (30 point loss). The temperature wasn't much different in any of those games, but the quality of linebackers and safeties to take away the middle of the field is was very different on one of those 3 teams. Two of their late season losses were in Miami (Titans and Bills), so bizarre to blame those on the cold. I live down here, it's 65 degrees on a chilly night. The Dolphins' problem is that if a team has corners who can play the run, and linebackers that can cover well, they're toast. Also injury, if we're making excuses. The offense is kind of a hack to NFL defenses, "Oh you're gonna invest a ton in Dline and cover corners. Guess where we're gonna attack, not where those guys are." They don't have the gear to run it up the middle. Which means they also don't have long developing play action gear. They lack the more traditional levers offenses can pull. And it makes them brittle. They don't even have to be great at those old things, just competent and be great at the stuff they are great at. They are designed to beat the mean NFL defenses, not the outliers. And they do what they are designed to do, they fucking crush against a mean NFL defense. The problem is the Oline, which they didn't do a ton to improve this offseason, it probably got worse. Their run game in short yardage was atrocious, and I don't need stats to tell me that. It jumped off the screen even to a relative layman. Dolphins fans were screaming to run the ball more in short yardage, I felt like I was living in different reality. Like have you actually watched whenever they tried to do that, they got the shit kicked out of them at the LOS basically any time they tried. No wonder McDaniel dialed up bombs or screens to Tyreek on 3rd and 1. Unlike running the ball in obvious running situations, those actually worked sometimes. The oline and the dline got worse and I don't think that's even debatable. So my hopes aren't high. I think if they make the playoffs they have pretty good shot at winning a playoff game, especially if they remain healthy. Because most teams defenses aren't as good as the Ravens or Chiefs were last year. Again, they crush against a mean NFL defense. Also, you know in theory if they are healthy the Dolphins will have actual pass rushers on the field this time. The problem is making the playoffs in the AFC is tall task and this roster as a whole (due to aforementioned oline and dline concerns) has gotten somewhat worse than last year's IMO. This isn't the NFC where 9 wins likely gets you in (and gets everyone talking about you all off season like you are super bowl favorite... looking at you Packers). You probably need 11, and generally play tougher teams to get those 11 wins. I'd love to see McDaniel take a page from McVay's book and start incorporating more gap scheme stuff and not lean so heavily into outside zone. Though I have little faith this will happen based on the personnel decisions they've made so far... however the one thing that gives me hope is that McDaniel is smarter than me in football, and just in general. And that he likes to surprise. So I guess that's 2 things. Also, no I don't have any idea what Chris Grier's voice sounds like. I'm sure I've heard like a sentence or two before but for the life of me can't remember it. BTW the best "value" in fantasy on Miami is probably Mostert. I put it at 50/50 Mostert out performs Achane this year and Mostert is going like 7 rounds late or something crazy. It's hard to argue that Achane's ceiling is higher as Mostert was the RB2 in Fantasy last year. So unless you are arguing Achane has a realistic shot to out perform what Christian McCaffrey did last year you can't say Achane has a higher ceiling than Mostert. We have actual data on Mostert's ceiling, not projection, and it's the RB2 behind CMC. Sure in the world where Mostert is spent Achane takes that role and has that ceiling. But it could just be Mostert doing it again. It's like the family guy boat meme. We don't what's in the mystery box, it could even be Raheem Mostert who's going 7 rounds later.

[@timwitt7356]

Talking about the deep dive, I knew Eric Studesville's dad in college. He helped me get my life on track and get my degree. So many years later, my step-son is really into Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins. I got him a Dolphins Offensive guide from 2022 after his first football season and this past week he has been asking me about the Dolphins running game... Mr. Studesville helped me make a life for my kids and now I get to teach them about Eric's work in Miami.

[@BootlegFootball]

I love this story so much!

[@mazzvidz]

Buffalo wrote the book on how to beat the Dolphins in week 4 off 2023, when they shut them out in the 2nd half and embarrassed them 48-20

[@DefenderOfVirginity]

miami finished with the most scrimmage yards in the league. i dont think a book has been written bud

[@yitwailu2]

Going to disagree that Robinson and Wright were luxury picks. At edge, they lost Van Ginkel, and Phillips and Chubb are coming off major injuries, so that was a position of need. And at RB, Achane missed a lot of games, and Mostert’s 32, so having a backup who’s equally explosive is a good insurance policy, plus Wright’s pass blocking adds value on 3rd downs. But I won’t deny that they could have drafted a guard or center with the 2nd pick to address the loss of Hunt and Williams. But I can still hope they sign a guard before training camp starts.

[@IslanderfromIcity]

I can definitely relate to the temperature dropping fast as a Korean living in Maine XD

[@jamesdaley2646]

It really has nothing to do with weather, remember the shootout in buffalo 2 years ago in the snow, Its really about the teams health come post season, they had like 11-12 starters out against the defending champs in -35. There's nothing you can really do about that, idk if its conditioning or just pure coincidence, but they always seem to get the injury bug around week 10.

[@ZiggyFB]

Nice

[@Kandidat1999]

All we want is a season not derailed by injuries, just let them be "normal" like for every other team that made the playoffs

[@TheyCallMeCado]

The best podcast in the world

[@maxgibson6567]

Brett’s revelation at the end was hilarious.

[@maskedman5657]

Man I was so confident that Miami was at least gonna make a divisional game but man they couldn't beat any winning teams. Except the Cowboys. Their offensive line fell apart, the receivers fell apart in big games, Tua fell apart, and Mike McDaniel crap the bed. I really don't know what to say to this offense other than just RUN THE DANG BALL.

[@stagger58]

I shared this in X THEN you make that Cowboys comment..... You used me Skinner!!!! Seriously though, we need to stay healthy especially with the long run after a week 6 bye. Good job

[@robrich7846]

When I grew up in the 90s, the Dolphins were still easily Buffalo's #1 rival. I get the sense that most Buffalonians probably still see it that way now, even though some of the of the wider attention that that rivalry used to get has sort of gotten siphoned away by the rise of New England after 2000 and the rivalry with them.

[@herblau1214]

I vaguely remember the Marks. Duper and Clayton

[@Eidenhoek]

"Rivalry" with the Patriots is...when you're getting curbstomped, it's not a rivalry. It's you getting curbstomped.

[@slemire]

If you are a football viewer who enjoys the pre-snap Miami motion, you should watch the arena football league!

[@dplunk13]

Unlike many Dolphins narratives the cold weather thing at least has merit. We did play Buffalo tight in the snow in Buffalo in 2022. But for the most part it's been tough for both sides of the ball. Can remedy this by just getting homefield in the playoffs like they should've done last season. But it is bullshit that after division realignment a while back they kept us in the AFC East when the other teams in the division get to play in the same geographic area.

[@vinsanity_52]

Only way dolphins get to the superbowl is for them to get first seed so the road goes through them. Also.... stay healthy of course

[@Rekcha]

And to not play a good defense or a team above 0.500

[@DozenDeuce]

Only way Dolphins get to the Super Bowl is if they buy tickets

[@maskedman5657]

And stop abandoning the run game

[@catfan5576]

​@@Rekcha That's irrelevant

[@Rateus_Johanson]

1:03:00 It feels somewhat inconsistent to be saying "prove it" to The Dolphins who showed such heights last season having given so much lee-way to The Pats and Jets who barely showed any heights last season. That said great, informative episode as always, not saying anything in here it unfair, it just felt like an interesting wrinkle.

[@DefenderOfVirginity]

division games are completely different. coaches/players know each other well, so both teams advantages are diminished. never go into a division game thinking its an easy win, especially in the afc east. its a real knife fight out there

[@josecortes4178]

One Florida team to do it was tb back when they beat gb

[@O12port799]

They can’t do it on a cold wet Wednesday night at Stoke City

[@andresfcb1899]

I'm gonna be honest here: I love your content, but I feel that comparison to the Cowboys is very, very unfair, in particular these last 2 seasons. MIA managed to make the playoffs and have competitive games DESPITE very significant injuries on both sides of the ball, and very glaring weaknesses at multiple spots they simply would usually have a workaround for. DAL, on the other hand, has somehow managed to perfect the art of the choke DESPITE having full, deep, healthy rosters, AND being heavily favored in multiple matchups over the years.

[@rice_frying_shrimp]

I can barely wait until the Bills episode tomorrow. great job as usual lads!

[@King_Immanuel]

There collapse at the end of the season last year really was unfortunate. It was weird seeing a team so good not win enough down the stretch to keep the Bills away from the division title, then losing to the Bills in Miami for the division in week 18, then having to go to KC to play a game no one thought they were gonna win. Kinda crazy to think about the fact that if that doesn't happen you wonder if KC wins another super bowl

[@CaptCKernel]

I think when you take the first half of the season and WHY the dolphins fell off, it's even more puzzling. They put up damn near 80 against the broncos running the ball. That should be a blueprint for winter football

[@Rekcha]

@@CaptCKernelThat was a fluke. They were gaining at least five yards every play. No other team is going to allow that

[@CaptCKernel]

@@Rekcha I don't think that game was a fluke more than it was a best case scenario for their offense but that's semantics really. Idk their ability to run the ball early told me to expect them to run the ball in December and it just didn't happen. Idk, I've never seen a team switch offensive identity like that so late in the season for apparently no reason

[@Rekcha]

@@CaptCKernelI don’t think that was their identity though. Their bread and butter was (illegally) scheming guys up to be running full speed at the snap and then hitting throws over the middle of the field for chunks

[@CaptCKernel]

@@Rekcha it's not illegal it's in the rules lol it's like the whole thing with tackles "leaving early" but what you described is 100% not their bread and butter. EJ went over their EPA and Power Score, their rushing offense was 5th and passing was 3rd and that does not suggest their passing attack was their focal point but instead that the run set up the pass. The routes you describe are routes that only open up off the play action and after the run has been established...

[@EagledoesMC]

it makes me so happy that you guys are tua believers

[@lydiavalentino]

Calais just came over!

[@dflash77yt]

So sounds like the Rams/Chargers breakdowns will be at the end of the summer?

[@charlieholdsworth6086]

Am i insane or is a record of 4-4 at home and 4-2 on the road not enough games played

[@CaptCKernel]

Didn't they play in Germany or something? That could be factored in

[@user-dq9lo9uo5e]

It didn’t include the last five games (counting our playoff game) which was also on the graph.

[@ChumblesMumbles]

Home record was actually 7-2 and away 4-4. Not sure what went wrong there.

[@mewr11]

Yeah, something is wrong there. They did play a neutral site game (KC), but there's still two games missing there.

[@jacobharris6746]

I thought I was crazy

[@user-kk7sj6zy4z]

Enjoyed this, but it was a negative episode. Range is 13-9. The team was absolutely wracked by injuries last year at the end. Brooks, Fuller, Smith, OBJ, Maye, and some of these DTs are nice additions. Hunt loss really hurts. Possible Achilles heal is OL. Roster is modestly better overall

[@rjharrold2907]

Bullshit

[@rjharrold2907]

Wilkins is a huge loss. They're a beat up on bad teams and lose to good teams style team. Absolutely have a floor of 7-9 wins area at full health. And there is no real post season ceiling

[@hkybr6960]

@@rjharrold2907if 11 nfl teams are all bad teams then why doesn’t everyone win 11 games? 4 losses coming from the Bills, ravens, and Chiefs is not the same as losing to the rams or someone who’s technically over 500 but the other 3 are Super Bowl contenders with mvp contending qbs. I expect every team to be evaluated on if they did enough to beat kc in the playoffs.

[@rjharrold2907]

@hkybr6960 The Rams most likely are SB contenders this year btw

[@hkybr6960]

@@rjharrold2907 they are long shots but sure, any team that made the playoffs reasonably can make a run at the chip. Especially a team with a proven winning coach and front office. But they also lost to the lions when it mattered most.

[@JoeyV1990]

Tua and Dak are equals. Both have had opportunities to have the strongest supporting cast, and struggle to win the important games. And the same token, you can’t just only have a strong supporting cast and not have a strong qb throwing them the ball. They deserve credit for being able to utilize their players around them

[@dplunk13]

Not sure McDaniel will make the same adjustment the Rams made getting bigger on the interior OL given that the Dolphins signed Aaron Brewer, who has to be one of the lighter linemen in the league, to take over at Center.

[@ZachC01]

Not dolphins slander but I wonder where their offense ranks if you ignore the Denver game

[@SlobberyPantsu]

Tua was great during the first half last year. After week 3 I traded away Josh Allen because I believed in Tua, but because of turnovers I ended up playing baker instead because Tua would end up with 10-12 points so often

[@kev792]

Does QBS score take into account team injuries?

[@tonys101]

He got a line up

[@leehurst172]

Would love to see some math nerd redo the power score section without the Denver game. 70 points is statistically significant enough to warrant a recount

[@TFFForecast]

Malik Washington should turn out to be a very solid #3

[@wardog211]

Hard for me to see the fins getting better. I think the roster got a bit worse and their schedule is tougher. And as long as the other AFC teams are healthy, it’ll be hard for the Dolphins to even make the playoffs let alone win a game. 10 of their 11 wins last year were against teams with a losing record.

[@Jhaquelle-O_neal]

Agree that the team has gotten worse and it's going to be a tough season. But last year, the dolphins had before the season one of the hardest schedules, and this year, it's one of the easiest. The difficulty of the schedule can easily change. I that maybe their best way into the playoffs will be to win the division but that's not going to be easy. Especially when we can't even beat Buffalo

[@GamingCloudpaw66]

The Dolphins are what I consider to be "regular season warriors". Meaning that they are great in the regular season, among the best, but disappear immediately in the playoffs. I'd love for them to prove me wrong.

[@felixlara2945]

Can we bet on the cricket worldcup on underdog 💀💀 (I've never willingly watched over 10 consecutive seconds of a cricket game)

[@patrickfintak2048]

😮😮Isn’t Patrick Paul like 7 feet tall?!?! How on earth is Tua going to see over that guy? Not smart in my opinion

[@chubawub79]

46:12 you what??

[@jamesknapp64]

7:39 wait 11-6 but home 4-4 and road 4-2 which is only 14 games? I know they lost to the Chiefs in Germany so its not nuetral sites. Where are the other 3 games?

[@CJKnowsBall]

As a Dolphins fan, I thought this was mostly fair.... main point I disagree with is the notion that Tua is getting ready to rake them over the coals in contract discussions because of how Brian Flores treated him? That makes no sense to me. I think he knows Miami and McDaniel is the best fit for him and he'll get a market level deal that pays him fairly but I don't get the sense he's trying to pinch them for every penny at the detriment of the team the way that Brett was suggesting. Only other note is that Isaiah Wynn has played guard for Miami and was actually really solid at LG last year, not RT. Durability remains a giant ? for him though.

[@fumihiro8564]

It's simply the nature of the QB market rn, Goff got an insane deal even with the knowledge of the Lions being the best spot for him

[@CJKnowsBall]

@@fumihiro8564 that's why I said he will get a market level deal that pays him fairly. No denying that. My issue was with the notion that he's raking the Dolphins over the coals for every cent because of how Flores treated him several years ago.

[@fumihiro8564]

@@CJKnowsBall I mean the org was pretty bad to him his first couple years lmao, wouldn't put it past anybody to hold a grudge in this all business type league

[@jakenewbury7528]

Achane will get hurt again. Dont know why teams keep drafting these small guys they cant stay healthy. Achane, keaton mitchell, tank dell, waddle

[@clownindan]

Only chance is on madden

[@thatdolphinsrealtor]

Adding a yac centric TE that sets up defenses: Jonnu Smith and Jody Fortson Adding wr3 to take advantage of the intermediate and under plus relief for Hill and Waddle: OBJ, Malik Washington, Tahj Washington Better inside run capability as all interior line are ranked very high in the run: Wynn, Brewer, Eichenburg at RG instead of Center is night and day So I believe the team will have wrinkles but the main addition is in personnel capabilities threatening every level of the defense plus establishing inside run leverage

[@kireclebnul]

no

[@JJ-zr6fu]

So Tua the qb you know needs a whole team around him and is a fragile qb will sign a contract that will destroy the team. Mark the dolphins down as a rebuild team

[@dougf.3916]

the dirty little sercet that noone wants to talk about, is Tua was up to 245 lbs at the end if the season, he came to camp last year at 227…Mcdaniel in his latest presser denies unequivically that the team told him to gain weight, so, noone no trainer no team would have a player gain almsot 20 lbs during a season..its no coincidence that tuas final quarter of the season weight gain coincided with the declining performnce, he literally couldnt move off his space or boot, or even run for a damn first down, it was downright embarrsing, he was being mocked on national tv at the pro bowl, and tyreek hill just called him out, saying “ Tua was fat as shit at the end”. he has not taken accountability for that unacceptable behavior.. now the narrtave is how hes lost so much weight this offseason, well duh, his ass better of lost weight..letting himself go and get to 245 was a crime to his team..

[@staceylee7957]

Losing that much weight so quickly means you are losing muscle as well. Tua looks so tiny now...hooks like a child. There is a reason they had him gain weight.

[@hkybr6960]

Y’all really fell flat on free agent additions, missing so many players and didn’t highlight any of them well. I usually love your content but this one felt rushed and less researched than usual.

[@staceylee7957]

Dolphins were exceptional until they played good teams...

[@staceylee7957]

Idk....I just don't see Tua as a $50 mil QB....all those stats are inflated with beating up on under 500 teams. The end of the last game against Buffalo was just pathetic....

[@teacherl8330]

You think that team is capable of losing 10 games?! (7 win floor)... 😮 i aint a Dolphins fan, and even i can see this as off as you guys' muspronouncing Achane.

[@LuckBuck5192]

Chris Grier is okay as a GM. He has wasted many picks and being on the job 20 years doesn’t make him good. Barely squeaked in the playoffs last couple of years. Jury still out on him. Longest jury deliberations ever.

[@Keeferz4Keeperz]

he's headed up as gm since 2018..

[@ThatFalloutGod]

It always drives me up a wall when people who aren't Miami fans talk about the team as if the issues that clearly exist, don't, but then cry about the issues that don't exist as if they do. >McDaniel's good, I like him. He's also Miami's biggest problem on offense. He refuses to run the ball in short-yardage, on 3rd down, or when it's annihilating the opposing defense. He relies far too much on Tyreek and Tua to bail-out everyone when shit hits the fan, he can't get play-calls in quickly enough, he gets way too cute at times, etc. And for some weird reason, his scheme during his tenure in Miami went out the window after September of '23. Watch Miami from '22 through September '23, then watch the rest of last season and it's a stark, jarring difference in the staples of the offense. There was no rhythm, no staple concepts of the previous year, etc. >Miami's supporting-cast around Tua isn't that fucking good, y'all are smoking crack. His OL has never been better than bottom five, his WR room has been, at best, fine and really top-heavy; he's never had a good defense, and his coaching has constantly gotten in the team's way. Is he in a bad situation? Christ no, but was it like top five last year? Fuck no. And the proof is in the pudding, Miami dropped at least four games last year (KC in Germany, second Bills game, Titans, and Eagles) due to factors outside of Tua. Injuries, defense collapsing, OL being abysmal, WRs running the wrong route, Tyreek choking, and McDaniel being a shitter. >Miami doesn't have a "CoLd WeAtHeR pRoBlEm," it's just one of the most mundane, low-resolution and IQ takes in sports. Of the five games they've lost with Tua and McDaniel: -Playoffs in Buffalo without Tua and numerous starters, starting a third string rookie QB, barely losing if you actually watched the game. -In San Francisco where it was a mixture of McDaniel and Tua being a bit off, and the defense folding. -Second Buffalo game in '22, where Miami would've won if the defense did literally anything and Tyreek and Waddle didn't drop passes. -Second Bills game in '23, just repeat the previous statement and factor-in a ludicrous number of injuries. -Playoffs in KC in '23, just repeat the previous statement. The point being, that context explains this shit. Miami, and more specifically Tua, aren't getting blown-out in fair fashions. They're losing close games where half their roster is in the hospital, with one that's just an off game with a first-time head coach in an away game against one of the top handful of teams in the league. It's just insanely low-resolution and IQ to say, "Miami has a cold weather problem," when that's just a bold-faced lie. >One critique that I think people are only slightly onto, that's correct, is that Miami isn't physical enough. But it's not an issue with the players, they're plenty physical (with some exceptions), rather it was McDaniel and Fangio in how they ran things. >Brett's wrong on the Tua deal. He'll get his money, but he's not going to fuck over Grier with the Cap. Brett, like so many, clearly doesn't know what he's talking about in reference to Miami and/or Tua. And I'm not hating on him for it, but, come on, can we put a bit more effort into researching situations instead of scraping the surface? Miami let those guys walk because, while good and they wanted them, the market-value for them compared to their production wasn't there. Hunt didn't meet the requirement to spend that type of money, Carolina did it because they had the money and are desperate. Wilkins isn't a pass-rusher, so Grier wasn't going to pay him what he wanted. X should've been traded last offseason, Connor Williams is still questionable with his injury, Brandon Jones was a project guy who could struggle in coverage, Baker wasn't good enough against the pass or run, and Elliott was a mercenary. The only guy I was pissed to see go was Ginkel, because he did way too much to not warrant that price-tag. Miami's offseason, roster-wise, has been pretty damn good all things considered. Overall, video was good, just the problem with all of these is that they're really just scraping the surface and making some bad statements because of that necessity. I think Miami's floor is about 8 wins, and the only way that happens is if Miami has a combination of injuries across the board for the third year in a row, mixed with McDaniel not making serious adjustments and growing as a coach, and Weaver shitting the bed. But their ceiling? There ain't a team they can't beat, I'll put it at 15.

[@BootlegFootball]

Yes we agree that they aren't physical enough, and that is precisely a cold weather problem imo. Physical teams win in cold weather. Space and speed doesn't matter as much in that time of year. The only time I've ever really seen them almost take over a cold weather game was Buffalo in '22 when they obliterated them on outside zone, but Buffalo was also soft as hell once Daquan Jones got hurt so they had an equally bad problem with physicality. This team desperately needs ass kickers. It's not about temperature, it's about their play style not meshing well with those temperatures.

[@ThatFalloutGod]

​@@BootlegFootball I don't disagree that there's a lack of physicality with Miami, but like I said, that's a McDaniel (and was a Fangio) problem. And even then, I don't think it'd be something anyone talks about if Miami wasn't devastated by injuries, Fangio's defense could do *literally anything*, or if Tyreek used his hands. >Their loss to San Francisco in '22 was all about a rookie HC trying to figure things out while his QB played a little out of character, and in an away game against an elite team on the other side of the country nonetheless. >Two losses to Buffalo by a total of 6 points, one of which was when they had a third-string rookie QB playing. >A loss to KC in the Playoffs when they had something like eight or nine starters out of the game, alongside plenty more not being anywhere near healthy. The "Miami struggles in the cold" shtick is an overplayed, low-resolution talking-point that doesn't stand-up to any scrutiny. Of those four games, you can't blame the weather hindering Miami on literally any of them.

[@BootlegFootball]

I think a lot of the people who go with the Miami cold weather narrative talk about Tua not being able to play in the cold, which I agree is dumb, and that's not what we were talking about really. What we are talking about is that regardless of Macdaniel being overwhelmed by SF, or Tua being hurt, or any other factor...this team has not been physical enough to take over a cold weather environment other than against Buffalo where their IDL was equally banged up to the Dolphins OL. In that type of weather, play counts and possessions go down and game time speeds up. You have to be able to out-muscle people, and whether they are healthy or not Miami is not a team that out-muscles people. It's not a criticism of Tua in bad conditions, it's a criticism of their lack of strength on the line of scrimmage.

[@user-dq9lo9uo5e]

@@BootlegFootball I’m not the guy you first replied to, but I completely agree with this. Something I think you guys should’ve brought up in the beginning was our O-Line and how beat up it was at the end of the year. The stats are a bit deceiving, but the O-Line looks a lot better on paper than it actually is because we’ve built our offense around speed and getting the ball out quick. Even when it was healthy it was still flawed in terms of pass protection. Then as the season went on and injuries piled up, those flaws became more apparent and harder to hide. When the weather got colder it got even worse because of those factors you mentioned. So we had an offensive scheme built around speed and masking the O-Line’s problems, but then we had to play in games where that speed was less reliable and even if the weather let us play our game, injuries made that much harder.

[@ThatFalloutGod]

@@BootlegFootball I know y'all aren't criticizing Tua, but the criticism of Miami still doesn't work. I agree wholeheartedly that they've had issues on the line of scrimmage, for both sides of the ball, but that's regardless of the temperature. And that's my point, that the weather never remotely matters for Miami, it's just an ignorant talking-point. We're talking about four games over two years here, where one, the SF game, wouldn't even be on anyone's radars if they weren't told the temperature at all. The Bills losses were a total of six points, one of which was with a third-string rookie QB. And the one against KC was when Miami was down almost a dozen starters against a dynasty in the making. If Miami was literally getting blown-out by 30 points while as healthy as you could expect a team, then that'd be one thing, and the talking-point would have merit. But when the entire narrative falls apart if Miami scores 8 points across two games and is able to field a roster in another, then I don't know what to tell ya other than the narrative needs to die. I've always hated these asinine narratives surrounded teams and players based on factoids that some random guy found, and the media then picked-up. Like Cousins "always choking in primetime games," or Shanahan not being able to win a Super Bowl, etc. It's just low-resolution garbage.

[@theopearson1850]

Go bills, squish the fish

[@michaellopez5263]

Idk but their fanbase definitely doesn’t deserve it

[@roadtogreatness5347]

Injures

[@adambarran]

Im a Jets fan but he NFL is really trying to protect teams from playing in Miami in September. The first 5 games of the season theres only 1 home day game buts its against a Florida team that's already used to the heat. The other games are 2 away games and 2 home games at night. NFL protects the Bills against the heat by giving them a night game early in the season in Miami but the Dolphins have to play a cold game in Buffalo in November? Ridiculous.

[@user-ci7xi5kv8p]

BS comment about protecting the Bills, as you 1st said, protecting everyone. Jets haven't been forced to wear their dark green Jerseys in Miami in September for years. The stadium since the semi roof was built was designed to physically hurt the opposing team. Also, Miami plays in Buffalo in November, 40 or 50s not cold. Also. Buffalo and NE are the same and unlike Miami in September both teams are in the same elements. Put the Dolphins on the sun side of the field they wilt too.

[@Jay15523]

They're not beating the Ravens or Chiefs. They may not even beat the Bills. So my answer is no.

[@TimFrith24]

On August 22, the Dolphins will acquire Kyler Murray, 2025 3rd- and 5th-rounders, and 2026 3rd-, 5th-, and 7th-rounders from the Cardinals for 2025 1st- and 7th-rounders and 2026 1st- and 6th-rounders and trade Tua Tagovailoa, 2025 2nd- and 4th-rounders and 2026 2nd- and 3rd-rounders to the Raiders for 2025 and 2026 1st-rounders, so this coming season, the Dolphins will contend against the Bills for the AFC East title.

[@danielacker2351]

fair title 😭😭 but i think as long as it’s tua it’s just no.

[@crazywhofan6676]

No I think they're just built for the summer, if they can get the first seed, and stay healthy they absolutely can, because there's a difference between playing in Miami and playing in the blistering cold.

[@jonahmuchnick4056]

@@crazywhofan6676 to win one playoff game, they dont need the first seed. Just win the division for ONE home game, or win the draw and play in a dome, @Jax or @Hou lol

[@maskedman5657]

Here comes the Tua haters

[@danielacker2351]

@@jonahmuchnick4056 that sounds like way too many hypotheticals lol, they should just try and be a physical team that can maybe beat the Bills one day

[@jonahmuchnick4056]

@@danielacker2351 yeah but they wont

[@JJ-zr6fu]

Dolphins are a soft team.

[@Darsilian]

Tua sucks

[@Rekcha]

To answer the title: If Tua is their QB, it’s unlikely. He cannot save plays if they break down and is too reliant on the system, and there are stats to support that. So, if their system is disrupted by good defenses or cold weather, both of which you find in the playoffs, he can’t bail them out and you need your QB to be able to do that these days. Also, their defense has underperformed for a while now regardless of the talent they have, which they need to fix

[@maskedman5657]

Tua has his problems but it's not on him. And their defense was playing well on the back half. But their offense couldn't get anything going

[@user-dq9lo9uo5e]

The issue isn’t with Tua, it’s the O-Line. I know I’m a dolphins fan, but the QBS stat to me gives an incomplete picture of our roster. Right now our O-Line is one of the worst in the league and it’s been a massive issue for a while. Even if QB’s can scramble and extend plays well, the O-Line is still a massive detriment because you can’t rely on the QB scrambling every play. At the end of the year, our O-Line was beat up and had no business competing against NFL defenses

[@Rekcha]

@@maskedman5657He is supposed to be the most important part of the offense. If it isn’t working, it is largely on him. Unless you’re trying to say that he is not an important part of their offense, in which case, yeah, it wouldn’t be on him when things go poorly

[@Rekcha]

@@user-dq9lo9uo5eThe issue is also with Tua. There can be more than one problem on an offense

[@user-dq9lo9uo5e]

@@Rekcha the issue was the interior o line. We literally had the worst center in the league and he could barely snap the ball. That by itself completely limited the offense and what it could do. Tua isn’t the issue when the o line as a whole could barely function

[@matthewmatt5285]

Dolphins lose to the SuperBowl champs and the Bills in their last 2 playoff games and they Can't win a Playoff game?,.lol Any CLOWN who doesn't think the Dolphins would have beaten the Browns iN a Playoff game last yr is just THAT~