You can spin the Vic Fangio departure whichever way it suits you. It seems the defensive players are happy that Vic Fangio is gone, most notably Dolphins Safety Jevon Holland whose “Kick Rocks” YouTube video got a lot of clicks and attention. The problem is, why was Vic Fangio here in the first place? What was the plan, the vision? We all know he’s a great defensive coordinator with tons of experience, but was he right for this team? I can give Head Coach Mike McDaniel a pass due to the fact that this is his 2nd season as a Head Coach, but GM Chris Grier has to know how to vet coaches after being the GM for 8 seasons now. Continuity is a good thing in the NFL, especially when you’re successful. I feel that the defensive side of the ball was the better unit down the stretch, despite the myriad of injuries they were dealing with for that unit. In fact, considering how bare the shelves were, I think the defense was worthy of praise. Of course, part of this is this talent we had, DL Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler were so impressive, all the while playing more snaps than most of their NFL counterparts. CB Jalen Ramsey did his best playing with a lesser CB on the other side and way too many safety combinations due to injuries to Safeties Jevon Holland, DeShon Elliott and Brandon Jones. Not to mention the Linebackers in the last couple of games, especially the playoff game where we needed to sign 3 LB’s off the street, Justin Houston, Bruce Irvin and Malik Reed. As good as the unit performed, now we’re forced to go in another direction, which breaks the continuity. If Vic’s heart was in Philly all along, that’s a bad job by the Dolphins, period.
On January 15th both GM Chris Grier and HC Mike McDaniel had a press conference discussing the future of the team. Regarding DT Christian Wilkins, Grier praised Wilkins, stated that he was happy for him, that he bet on himself after the Dolphins offered him a fair market offer, but now he’s earned the right to be a Free Agent. Grier didn’t close the door, he said he would like to have Christian Wilkins and will keep his eye on the situation, but we’re in cap hell right now, and it truly seems as if there will be big changes here, not just player personnel, but obviously coordinators and assistant coaches too. DL Coach Kenny Baker is leaving the Dolphins to be the Defensive Line Coach for the University of Texas. Assistant Offensive Coaches Mike Judge, Ricardo Allen, Kolby Smith as well as Special Teams assistant coach Brendan Farrell are all leaving as well. If you think about our defense, it’s hard to argue against the statement that our best, most consistent unit was the defensive line, and out goes our DL Coach. Not trying to be negative, but that’s not good. Then again, after listening to Grier, and perusing our cap problems, we probably won’t have Christian Wilkins either.
Back to Christian Wilkins, and really one of the Dolphins shortcomings for quite some time. Drafting quality players and signing them to second contracts. We drafted Christian Wilkins in RD1 #13 in 2019. He had a fantastic season in 2022, played every game, nearly led the team in tackles with 98, but perhaps one shortcoming, only 3.5 sacks was what kept Grier from giving Wilkins more money. They couldn’t agree on a contract, and Wilkins balled out this season, and while he didn’t have as many tackles, he really showed an amazing improvement rushing the passer and creating havoc. Wilkins finished ’23 with 65 tackles, 9 sacks and 23 QB hits. If you watched Hard Knocks, you saw how close he is with his DL mate Zach Sieler. If there’s a contract that needs to get done, this is it right here folks. You can’t let your star walk on his 2nd contract, one you drafted, developed, and actually became a top player. If you’re going to overpay anyone, this is the one.
Back to Tua Tagovailoa. I listen to WQAM every morning, I don’t live in Miami, but I listen to Miami. Host Joe Rose is on the West Coast covering the game out there, so “Hollywood”, Omar Kelly and others have been filling in. This morning, they had CBS Sports NFL commentator Leger Douzable on, former NFL DL for the Rams, Jaguars, Jets, Bills and 49ers. Omar asked Leger point blank, do you give Tua a new contract or let him play on his 5th year option? Leger responded “No way, I let him play on his 5th year option”. In addition to this, there was discussion about Tua and whether he’s a top 5 QB, or even top 10 or worse, as someone else had Tua ranked #16. Douzable said for a good part of the year, Tua played like a top 5 QB, but the way he played in big spots, and down the stretch, he has Tua somewhere around 10-12. He said Tua’s biggest deficit is not being able to elevate the team in big spots. Of course the world is littered with opinions on both sides, but I feel that too many people are too easily willing to overlook how small his play is against better competition and especially big games. I can say if the Dolphins do give Tua a huge contract and can’t find the money to pay Christian Wilkins, I may lose my mind.
Let’s get back to coaches and Defensive Coordinators. We know the players didn’t like Vic Fangio’s “Old School” attitude, “My way or the highway” type of relationship. This is going to be a very big hire. At the end of the season, despite the injuries, Fangio got this defense, or the defense got itself to top 10. We need to improve on this. Of course player personnel will be changing, and the issue of both/either of OLB’s Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips not being available at the start of the season and beyond is already troubling. Add in the likelihood that CB Xavien Howard won’t be back, along with LILB Jerome Baker, DE Emmanuel Ogbah, OLB Andrew Van Ginkel and every Safety not named Jevon Holland, which includes DeShon Elliott, Brandon Jones, and Elijah Campbell. Perchance, maybe we’ll finally see the ascension of CB Cam Smith, who we spent a 2nd RD pick on in ’23 (#51). It was well illustrated that Fangio didn’t trust the rookie, but we must get more out of him next season. With all the turnover on defense, including our Coordinator, GM Chris Grier has a load of work to do. One of his signature moments had better be re-signing DL Christian Wilkins to a contract. He’s the player worth investing in. Much like Wilkins proved his mettle, and worth by elevating his play on the last year of his contract, we have to hope that the same could happen for our QB, Tua Tagovailoa.
I’ve had some discourse with fans on “X”, AKA Twitter regarding our young QB. I love when fans say “you keep moving the bar with Tua”. My answer to that is you keep putting the blindfold on about other deficiencies that come up. Yes, Tua played 17 games, but does that prove he can really be relied on to finish a 17 game season on a regular basis? It might, if he plays in the bubble wrap he played in all season long. Could he ever be expected to dive over the center to get a first down like every single QB remaining in the playoffs, and even those that were already eliminated do on a regular basis? The answer is NO. If the game is on the line and a defender and he are converging short of the first down, can you expect Tua to engage the defender and attempt to get that first down or lose the game? The answer is NO. That’s how he played this season, there’s no denying this. 45 YO Tom Brady was diving over the center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Brady didn’t have concussion issues. I’m not blaming Tua for his concussions, but I think you have to be realistic about what you’re paying for. Now maybe McDaniel and Tua change things up and they allow Tua to play with abandon, and put his body on the line. Do you really think he will last? Some of you will point to Joe Burrow and say he didn’t last. Joe Burrow is a BIG GAME QB. Tua is the king of SMALL GAMES. I don’t say this with animosity towards Tua, just speaking true, and it’s all there for everyone to see, even those wearing blindfolds. I love the kid, he’s a nice, likable player, I just don’t think he’s a winner in his compromised form. I believe he has just as much heart as Joe Burrow, but his HC so desperately wanted to have Tua play the entire season, and with good reason. Tua did not extend plays, as evidenced by his fastest in the NFL release times. You don’t get hurt if you don’t have the football. I’m not saying your QB has to run like Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson, but if you can’t see Tua’s self preservation for what it is, I can’t help you see it. You just don’t want to.
As for Free Agents, our most notable one is the extremely aforementioned DL Christian Wilkins. OG Robert Hunt. NT Raekwon Davis. Safeties DeShon Elliott and Brandon Jones. OC Connor Williams, OLB Andrew Van Ginkel, NB Nik Needham. WR’s Braxton Berrios and Cedrick Wilson. OG’s Isaiah Wynn and Robert Jones and OT Kendall Lamm. CB Eli Apple. I feel like we can do better at NT than Raekwon Davis, especially considering how good both Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler were. I think #55 was never really appreciated here. Like Randy said, he’s a very good weakside LB, he’s out of place as an inside banger. I think we do need a new ILB though, which probably ends Jerome Baker’s tenure here. I’ll miss him. Safety DeShon Elliott was a good signing. I would like him back. Eli Apple was a necessity, and therefore he was exposed when relied upon. He’s a good coverage guy who never seemed to get his around to play the ball, despite being step for step with the receiver in coverage. He’s also a willing tackler, and a good one. Robert Hunt should be the 2nd priority. Once again, you want to get those 2nd contracts on your good players, the best NFL teams do this on a regular basis. It shows you’re drafting players. I think we’ll find a new OC, it probably won’t be Connor Williams, despite the fact that he played well. We probably won’t have the cap space available. There will be many difficult contract decisions, most all, I hope they get Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt and Tua Tagovailoa all correct. Fingers crossed!
GO DOLPHINS!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LAMAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
13-yard completion to HIMSELF!!!
Hamilton
Shades of Ed Reed playing Safety for the Ravens.
Different styles of play, but equally dynamic.
Fuck Travis Kelce.
KVN never should have been flagged… it should have been Kelce.
Pretty sure that Taylor Swift has gotten more air time than Andy Reid.
WTF did they leave 8 seconds on the clock? Why force yourself to kick it off or give the Ravens a play from the 42 if you miss?
basic
Right now Lamar is the 2nd leading receiver for the Ravens 🤣
Zay Flowers, grow up, young buck.
wow! same shit happened to the chiefs last week
Ravens falling apart
that was dumb
Wow
Jackson fails again in the playoffs. Chiefs defense is really good. What they’ve done the last two weeks makes me feel a little better about our own performance against them.
I was thinking the same thing
This game is mentally exhausting for me. I’m against both teams. 🤣
lol
Ravens still have a chance.
I think Tucker could kick until he is past 40
It’s looking like we got ousted from the postseason by a juggernaut
Exactly and we were decimated by injuries
WTF was that?
PF called on an off sides
Game over
Ball game
I hate the Ravens. Not that I love the Chiefs but glad they are going to win
^
Welp, it looks as though the presumptive NFL MVP croaked against the NFL’s #2 Defense… just as Tua had done.
Lamar only put up 6 (SIX!!!) points on the board today. I bet the Ravens regret giving Lamar a new contract…
So much for the logo theory
Yeah, the A-Arod theory. lol
Well, at least it was fun seeing that DT knock the shit out of Mahomes.
Three US troops killed, dozens more injured in drone attack in Jordan.
Brother, don’t get me started. I’m with you 100%.
We might be fully entrenched in WW3 by the time the draft rolls around.
Notice I said “fully”.
We’ll be fully entrenched in WW3 before November. Either that, or ‘Virus X’ will be in full effect.
Alright TD Detroit
Lions came to play
Niners getting punched in the mouth
The Lions are having the season we were supposed to have.
Have to get our guys signed and healthy and give it another shot.
^
IMO, Ndamukong Suh is wise beyond his years. Love his opinions in this game.
He’s definitely lost his playing weight, which is why we never signed him. He’s transitioning to the booth.
It’s a ball game now
heck yeah, Lions
Alright Detroit
Well Holy Shit… Sam LaPorta finally made a block!
I don’t think ANYBODY saw that coming!!!
I saw that and thought the same thing
Lions shutting down Kittle so far.
Ain’t so purdy floaters
He’s shrinking against a winning team…
Yep
Kind of like presumptive NFL MVP Lamar Jackson shrunk against a winning team earlier…
Tua must really suck…
I don’t recall an O-Line being so porous in pass-pro (next to last in the league) while having a QB leading the NFL in passing yards and being top-5 in every single QB metric.
At that rate, I think Tua should be given a contract of 10 years, $250M.
Sorry… 5 years, $250M
Lions keep making plays
I am loving this game. I hope the Lions finish this off with a strong 2nd half.
Nice time consuming drive to end the half
I think the criticism of Tua is valid. I think the criticism of other QBs is valid too
Fair!
It’s so weird that LaPorta went to Iowa but he’s the opposite on what to expect an Iowa TE to be like
Huge drop. If the niners come back, that decision to not just kick the fg and go back up 3 scores will be the turning point
The play was there….make the play
Oh boy the Lions DB doing the worst thing you can do
At least 49er’s only had to pay Purdy $889,252 this season. In 2024, they only have to pay him $1,004,252 and in 2025 $1,119,252.
I guess the key is to draft a QB every year in the 7th round until you find one who can start.
What a turn around!
Should have taken the points
Yep
Should have made the 4th down play. Should have made the INT
Yep
It’s a ball game again.
Shoulda woulda coulda
And the wheels are officially off
Got to be kidding me
Lions always have a habit of letting teams come back
Campbell consistent all year long on 4th down but that was one they should have taken 3 on
🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
I feel like I am watching a Phins game
#8 really killing his team
Watch he will be a Phin next year
lol
Same! I was thinking, this feels familiar.
The lions are falling apart
Ruining an amazing punt
What an athletic QB Purdy is
Funny thing he really isn’t
GTFO Hulk, he moves so well to avoid the rush, and that run before, unbelievable.
He is doing well today but he really doesn’t do that so well. He is not the most athletic of QBs. It’s not his game at least normally it’s not
He doesn’t have to be the most athletic, but he looks athletic enough. He makes ’23 Tua look like a 3 toed sloth
Good grief these Lions receivers
I’m sorry, but these 4th down decisions killed the Lions. That was fucking stupid
Now a TD ends this game
6 points off the board
Agree
Stupid
Man
If this holds up, it’s gotta be painful for lions fans
Lions should be up 3 not down 3.
Purdy looked real athletic there
He certainly has today but normally he is not like that
I don’t think it’s his strength
But most young QBs who are successful make the best of their legs
Yeah, Purdy doesn’t look athletic at all, it’s the camera angles. lol
Purdy really trying to prove me wrong. LOL he really is not that athletic
How about we say he doesn’t usually play like this, but clearly he’s capable if doing it. He seems like a pretty good athlete, especially with the game on the line as it is
He is a professional athlete. He plays in the NFL. Compare to most QBs he is middle of the pack. That said he is having a great half and he is using his legs. That said most games he won’t have those kind of runs
Yeah, Purdy can’t run
That’s ball game
Oh well.
Gotta say, Coach Campbell fucked his team today
Yep
Just wow, I’d be so pissed as a fan about those decisions not to take the points. Actually, I am kind of pissed, lol
Now what I hate most about the NFL is how they nerfed the onside kick rules
Ken
On Purdy and his mobility, I also think this is one of those games, when the QB just throws eveything out there
He’s go 144 rushing yards on the year
He had 13 last year
Michael Vick ain’t salivating about his runs
Exactly
Idiotic 2nd half, Lions deserved to lose
Players don’t, Dan does. He gave them the motivation.
#8 with the drop on the biggest 4th down of the game. #8 with a drop on that next big 3rd down. #9 with a drop in the end zone before that 2nd missed 4th down (would have been a tough catch).
Campbell was a bonehead, but the players also didn’t make the plays that were there. The Lions deserved to lose.
or momentum
At work so I missed those drops. Thanks
this is one of those games, when the QB just throws eveything out there
—————–
That’s just it, we didn’t get that week 18 or 19.
Meh….
I don’t think Tuas 2023 mobility is what killed us
I think throwing 3 interceptions and not cracking 200 yards in either of those games is what really hurt us
I hope Tua works on becoming more mobile this off-season – he might have to lose some of that weight he put on
But I think it’s been talked about more than it deserves to be
Not necessarily his mobility killing us but just giving it your all. Didn’t seem like we got that.
The way Wilkins and Seiler played, that’s giving it your all.
I hope Dan Campbell does NOT say soemthing like the loss is “on me” or blames himself
He’s the type of guy who will do that for his team
Yes, a lot of bad decisions – but it’s never 1 person
If I was going to blame one person, it’d be #8. I said it up the board after he dropped that 4th down pass, that would be the turning point if the Lions lost, and it’s exactly what happened (the big non INT TD and fumble quick score happened right afterwards).
If he makes that catch, the Lions go back up 3 scores, maybe even 21 points and take the clock down to around 5 minutes in the 3rd. I’d bet they win the game by two scores if #8 made that catch.
Plenty of blame to go around, but I’m pretty furious at #8 right now, lol.
Guess I will be rooting for the 49ers
In both these games the 4 QBs wee very successful when they had time to throw and looked bad when they didn’t.
Purdy made some huge plays when the protection broke down, plays our QB wouldn’t, couldn’t make. I think it’s so ingrained in his thinking now to live another day, it may be hard for him to just let go
I think Isaiah Wynn was playing well for us until he got hurt.
I’m ok with him as our LG.
It’s exciting watching football when the team’s QB actually fights off sacks and makes plays off script.
Piggy – It’s not mobility for Tua, we saw him play like that last year, where he ran, even engaged defenders while running. Not that he’s fast or anything. There was a huge difference this season, if there was a chance to get a first down but a defender was close, he slid before getting the 1st down to stay alive. The 2 guys in this year’s SB don’t do that, and basically every QB that was in the playoffs don’t do that. It’s a non competitive/live another day attitude, and I understand it, it doesn’t mean I like it.
I don’t see it as noncompetitive, at all. Live another day, sure. I’ve stated from the day we picked him, I thought he was fragile.
Everything he did last year, bulking up, learning to fall, sliding before the sticks, etc. and everything our O did was strategically, teaching Tua to live another day, no QB draws or sneaks, no designed QB plays period, etc reflects the fragility of the position …lol
Hopefully, he can figure it and a decent OL makes a huge difference as evidenced by both these playoff games.
And, a top 5 D makes it hard for all QBs.
What I’m saying is it’s non competitive compared to a QB who puts his body on the line. It’s impossible to say it’s not an advantage when your QB does those things.
When he put his body at risk, he was shredded. Do you want your #1 QB sitting due to injury, so he can be called competitive? I don’t really understand your use of the term here.
Mike – Who says Purdue isn’t THE star on the 9’ers?
Purdy
He played like a star yesterday, I’ll tell you that! I would say McCaffrey and Deebo are the 2 guys ahead of Purdy as far as star power is concerned, but he did a lot yesterday to close that gap!
If Tua and the team are going wrap him(self) in bubble wrap and not do things to make plays out of fear of Tua getting injured, then Tua is not the QB of the future. You can’t win playing scared.
Krishna – I’ll simplify it for you. The game is a competition, and every play in and of itself is a competition. You get 4 downs to get a first down. If it’s 3rd and 10 and your QB has to take off and run and a defender is in the vicinity and the QB slides 4 yards short of the 1st down, that’s not competitive. That’s losing the series, and every QB possibly with the exception of Goff that was in the playoffs would compete for that 1st down. Again, I know why Tua’s like this, because he’s had concussions and other injuries and his HC instilled in him to live another day. That’s great for him and the HC, but not great for our team in the short run. Yes, his longevity may be longer but we’re gonna lose some games as well because he won’t sacrifice his body to win a series, game, whatever.
That’s your opinion though, not a fact coming from the organization.
Never mind what the organization thinks. Do you see something different from what I see?
I’m just going to leave this hear for anyone who wants to have an enjoyable 17 minutes.
I see someone that won games that other QB’s would not have…
Happy “Take Our Border Back” Monday everyone!
ugh what a boring Superbowl. I hope they both lose. Is that possible?
I was just looking at day 3 RB’s in the draft yesterday and this small school dude caught my eye. Get up today and see Ryder has a new breakdown on him. He would be good in our offensive rotation with his receiving skills. He’s 5’10 and 210. Projected to run about a 4.46. One game last season he had 12 rec for 295 yards, 7 TD’s receiving on the year and 9 TD’s rushing with 715 yards rushing.
I think Tua played like 💩 in the last few games
But I don’t think it was lack of effort or desire to win
If he’s accountable for anything, it’s just not having the physical capability
Herd, it seems we were not the first to think this.
Boulder too
The Dolphins are expected to interview outside linebackers coach Ryan Slowik for their defensive coordinator position, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Slowik joined the Dolphins’ staff last offseason after a number of stops at the NFL level. He has been an NFL staffer dating back to 2005, with the exception of a stint in the college ranks in 2017 and ’18.
By Trevor Sikkema
Jan 26, 2024
His mock draft (first 2 rounds) for the Dolphins would be outstanding.
#21 OT JC Latham
#55 Center JPJ
If Latham makes it to #21, that would be GRAND!
Well at least the championship games were competitive, but both teams that lost made crucial mistakes.
The Flying Pig says:
January 29, 2024 at 3:28 pm
I think Tua played like 💩 in the last few games
But I don’t think it was lack of effort or desire to win…
———–
I agree with ya, Pigster. I think it’s the first time in a LONG TIME that Tua played 18 games in a single season. That, and the O-Line was banged up, our RBs were banged up, plus ‘Reek and Waddle were banged up.
I absolutely cannot put it all on Tua… and Coach McDaniel wasn’t changing/adapting to the challenges in real-time. And no, I absolutely cannot put it all on Coach McDaniel either.
Our collective injuries on both sides of the ball haunted our house and there was not much we could do about it, in terms of managing our way through as much.
I recall having stated — just before the regular season began — how much DEPTH this ’23 Phins roster contained… probably the most I’d ever seen in a Phins roster. Welp, even some of our vaunted backup players got hit with the injury bug… to the tune of having to sign FAs off the street late in the season.
I’m sorry, but NOBODY can tell me that our injuries aren’t an excuse.
It is for every other team just not us. 😂
EXACTLY! 😆
When our 2023 starting 5 O-Linemen were all healthy, we were able to impose our will through our running game… and ya have to have a running game to compete for a Super Bowl. We fell off as our O-Linemen went down, one by one, over the course of the season.
Same thing with our passing game, though not as badly as our running game. But by the end of the season, Tua was getting sacked by our makeshift O-Line.
‘Reek and Waddle weren’t healthy enough down the stretch to be reliable first-read options for Tua, slowed down by injury.
Didn’t the now Super Bowl-bound 49ers get blown out by the Ravens, just like us?