The football minds of the Miami Dolphins are now focused on the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft which begins April 25th. The financial wizards are hard at work trying to figure the best way to keep the roster stacked while at the same time digging themselves out of cap debt. There’s ways of paying down that cap debt by paying money up front, turning salary into bonuses that are payable immediately, and that’s where Stephen Ross’s indomitable desire to win comes in handy. He will cooperate fully and would be willing to buy a championship if that were possible. That’s the good part. The other half of the equation is whether we have the right guy(s) making the personnel choices. GM Chris Grier is 67-64 over his 8 year career as GM with the Dolphins. That’s not awful by any stretch, but it’s pretty close to average. Compare him to Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta who is 56-27 over his 5 year career and it pales significantly. Compare him to Pittsburgh Steelers former GM Kevin Colbert (226-124), or even GM John Lynch (64-51), who is more of a contemporary to Grier, and he’s got some catching up to do. One important thing to point out with the Ravens and Steelers in particular is that both of those teams have had the same Head Coach for long periods of time. HC John Harbaugh has been with the Ravens for 16 years since 2008, and Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin for 17 years since 2007. Stability, something we’ve been looking to have here for a long time. Since Mike Tomlin has been pacing the sidelines in Pittsburgh, the Miami Dolphins have had 7 different Head Coaches. We all hope that HC Mike McDaniel will be here, and be successful for quite a long time.
Some of you wonder why I’m so dark lately. I’m sure all of you watched the Super Bowl, and if somehow you were too distracted or maybe too inebriated or both, the Kansas City Chiefs were fielding one of the youngest teams in the NFL with a roster age of 25 or 26, this after allowing one of their best offensive weapons go to the Miami Dolphins, in exchange for a fair amount of valuable picks. 5 in total, 2022 1st, 2nd and 4th RD and picks, and then in 2023 our 4th and 6th RD picks. So you look at the KC offense and you see WR Rashee Rice (meh), WR Justin Watson (meh), WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (meh), WR Mecole Hardman (meh) and you think to yourself how did this offense win the Super Bowl? OK, RB Isiah Pacheco is solid, and of course the TE Travis Kelce is the best receiving TE in the sport. The most important thing is they have their QB. QB Patrick Mahomes is 74-22 (.770 winning %). He’s been winning since he started, winning since his best WR left, and hasn’t stopped. He doesn’t need people to make excuses for him, he just wins. Now some of you think our QB belongs in the conversation with Mahomes, that he’s on his way, and he “bites”. You talk about passing yards, breaking offensive records, but somehow are willing to look the other way when he disappears against better teams and cite a decimated defense as an excuse for the QB’s poor play against better teams. Patrick Mahomes doesn’t care who his receivers are, his defense, none of it. He just finds a way to win.
So now one of the biggest decisions both roster wise and monetarily come to a head. Do the Miami Dolphins buy into QB Tua Tagovailoa and pay him somewhere in the vicinity of $55M annually for 5-6 years? The Cincinnati Bengals gave QB Joe Burrow a 5 YR/$275M contract which is precisely $55M per. Well, some people compare Tua to Joe Burrow, but all I can do is laugh. Joe Burrow has been an All Pro QB, and is 5-2 in the playoffs, and took his team to the Super Bowl. On the other side of the ledger, The New York Giants gave QB Daniel Jones a 4 YR/$160M contract which is $40M annually. You know the Giants wish they hadn’t done that contract. Some say the Bengals wish the same with Burrow because he’s missed 12 games, 6 his rookie season in 2020, and then again 6 game this past season. He’s definitely an injury risk, but I’ll tell you one thing, that boy leaves it on the field every single game. There’s not one of you on this cherished blog that can say the same for QB Tua Tagovailoa. So we gleefully celebrate the fact that Tua played 17 regular season games and even 1 playoff game. I say, did he really? I know some of you think I hate Tua, but the truth is I don’t. I think Tua’s a great kid, I just don’t think in his current state, post concussion that he can lead us to a Super Bowl. I hate the situation we’re in, not the person himself. I do kind of hate the excuse makers, because I don’t really see what that accomplishes. I would like to be optimistic, but my perception of what happened this season was Mike McDaniel and Tua mutually agreed to be careful and keep him out of harms way. Some of us see passing records shattered, I see losses to every winning team with the exception of the Dallas Cowboys.
I’m not going to get deep into the draft yet, but it seems like everyone (and their mother) has us taking Oregon OC/OG Jackson Powers-Johnson at #21. I’d be quite happy with that, we could use an OC as a fixture for the next 5 years. LT?, LG?, C?, RG?, LT Austin Jackson. I’d love to be able to pencil in at least one more guy, so I’ll be giddy if we land JPJ. I also hope that somehow we manage to keep our own RG Robert Hunt, but it’s gonna take close to $12M per to keep our 27 YO powerhouse. I suppose if they do give Tua the big contract, then it’s much more likely we pay Hunt, and then we’ll have to see what they can do with DL Christian Wilkins. This is another thing that has me bitter. I know it hasn’t happened yet and we may still find a way to retain Wilkins, but I don’t like the body language so to speak. Wilkins leaves it all on the field every game, plays more snaps than most DL in the game. He’s EARNED A CONTRACT EXTENSION, not free agency! With our 2nd pick (#55), do we go with defense, either a pass rusher or CB? PFN’s (Pro Football Network) Tony Pauline was on the Joe Rose this morning and he reiterated some of the things that former DC Vic Fangio said about CB Cam Smith. Apparently, Smith has had, and continues to have attitude issues. Seems like drafting a CB isn’t a crazy idea. BTW, Tony Pauline really likes JPJ, he said he not only has an NFL body, he also has an NFL mind. I dig it!
GO DOLPHINS!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
First!
MikeE., I get exactly what you are saying. Though, I do think we could win it all with Tua. BUT everything will have to go perfect. We will need to field a top 5 defense and not have any major injuries to top players heading into the playoffs.
There lies the rub Mike. When in the world does everything go perfect? We’ll have one player out and that will be the reason we lost. We have to be better than that.
It never does go perfect. Especially for us.
Teams are starting to cut players as cap casualties this week. The Bears just cut 2 former pro bowlers to clear cap space. Ogbah seems such a clear choice to cut, why wait? I mean they have time. I believe about 25 days until the new league year starts and they have to pay players their guaranteed money.
Our team isn’t going to win anything until the league decides we can do so.
Fixed you say?
That is always in the back of my mind.
If it weren’t for the Taylor Swift/Kelce romance, the Chiefs wouldn’t have won another SB. Great marketing for the NFL. 😉
I just said this exact same thing to the waitress at the restaurant during lunch! She agreed and went farther to say she had bet her friend during the SB party that it didn’t matter that the 49rs were ahead and the Chiefs were playing like shit.
Ken says:
February 16, 2024 at 11:21 am
I am with Rock.
Reply
LOL thanks Hulk
😃
Going to the extreme to back your point is like taking a one off
The NFL being fixed is always in the back of my mind as well. I always hope that it isn’t, but some things make me wonder. I bet the UNDER (46.5) on the Super Bowl, felt very confident that was going to happen. It did happen through regulation, but of course, there was OT. OT pushed it to 47 total points total. I kinda felt that was bullshit to be honest.
Damn!
What do you all think about flame throwers being legalized?
I love it
About time some of you humans felt the unwelcoming warmth of the BBQ
On behalf of pigkind – you have it coming
🐖💨
LOL!
Looking at our cap and trying to figure how they could make it work, a couple good players will have to go. Per spotrac, we are -51.2 mil.
Pre June 6/1 release will clear:
Jerome Baker 9.9 mil
Keion Crossen 3.2 mil
Jeff Wilson 3.0 mil
Mike White 3.5 mil
Total cleared 19.6 mil
Cap now -31.6 mil
Designated post 6/1 release will clear:
Emmanuel Ogbah 15.7 mil
Xavien Howard 18.5 mil
Total cleared 34.2 mil
Cap now in the black at 2.6 mil
Two players whose contracts expire after 2024 and can be extended to reduce their 2024 cap hit:
Tua Tagovailoa 23.1 mil (current cap hit)
Jalen Waddle 8.6 mil (current cap hit)
David Long 6.7 mil (current cap hit)
If you were to clear another 22.4 mil on those 3:
Cap now at 25.0 mil
Restructures:
Zach Seiler 10.6 mil (current cap hit)
Jalen Ramsey 27.2 mil (current cap hit)
Can’t see reducing Ramsey’s hit much as 2025 is his last year under contract and his cap hit is already 21.2 mil in 2025.
Still could clear, at least, another 10 mil on those 2.
Cap now at 35 mil
Other big contracts who have already been restructured in Hill, Chubb and Armstead, I can’t see restructuring them anymore or we will really screw ourselves down the line.
We’ve already screwed ourselves down the line! We will definitely be restructuring Hill and probably Chubb too
MikeE,
I don’t think the NFL is fixed, but I definitely believe the NFL has revamped the game and how they call it to very significantly impact games. They hard baked the fix right into their system. The NFL knows exactly what they are doing.
Uhh, that sounds like fixed to me! 🙂
BBM, you CANNOT use post June money until AFTER June. So while it helps with the cap “in season” it does not help with Free agency typically.
Well, there is post draft free agency too, that’s when a lot of guys are cut after the draft, and you can pick up bargains.
Travis Kelce said these three words to Taylor Swift after winning the Super Bowl – CNN Headline”
Was it “GOING TO DISNEYLAND”?
“VOTE FOR BIDEN”. lol
The league’s been rigged since the Steelers in the 70’s. They just don’t try hiding it anymore.
Agree
BBM, you CANNOT use post June money until AFTER June. So while it helps with the cap “in season” it does not help with Free agency typically.
——————-
You can use it. The 2 post 6/1 designations are just for that. Their hit stays on the books until 6/1 but teams are allowed to sign players with that money at the start of FA because it is a done deal at the start of the new league year. That is why you still see teams with a negative cap all the way up to 6/1 even though you are supposed to be under by the start of the new league year.
Saints been doing it for years. They will have to designate some this year post 6/1 also. Probably the Bills and Chargers as well.
^^^
How the year started for Mike E
How it ended
It was a rough ending, not a happy ending, that’s for sure. 😛
Maybe not happy for you 👏
At least it looks like you still have a good booger finger. 🙂
What movie was that from?
Rock – I have to admit, the first hand strikes a remarkable resemblance to my actual hand. It’s uncanny!
OMG We’re fucking hand twins. I never noticed but we must be! I picked that hand because it looks like mine. Oh, wait, you mean the first one?
Thank you, Mike E. Both MM and Tua need to step up. Wilkins needs to be resigned, period..
I think Armour expresses my sentiment in a way I never could. And, it’s not histrionic…lol!
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/nancy-armour/2024/02/15/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-another-place-we-arent-free-from-gun-violence/72611538007/
Nice write, Mike!
I don’t think everything is just fine and we no cap or personnel issues. I’m just not that concerned about it at the moment. I believe Tua can still improve in some ways and do think we’ll be a good team in 2024. But we’re in the early stages of the offseason so I’m going to wait and see what happens in FA first.
It looks like two teenagers are facing weapons charges with more charges likely to come.
New York Jets voided the contracts of tackle Duane Brown, pass rusher Carl Lawson, defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson, and safety Jordan Whitehead.
Weaver prefers to coach from the sidelines not in the booth.
I never understand DCs who coach form the booth
For an OC is makes more sense to me bc there tends to be more scripting/planning of what you are going to do beforehand
But defense requires reacting to what the offense does
Seems harder to do from the booth
I guess it’s gives you a Birds Eye view
But I would rather see what the offense is doing from the ground
You also get to communicate with the players directly. You can always have an assistant coach in the booth to report Birds Eye view formations etc.
Tim Knight says:
February 15, 2024 at 10:58 pm
I know how they’ve been used over the years. Are you talking big synth keyboard or the classic mini moog monophonic model?
—————
I’m definitely going the classic mini Moog route, but PARAPHONIC, Bro.
Gotcha!
————
SMMFH
This is the laziest take I’ve heard yet. Yeah… sign the classic choker Kirk Cousins (who is used to playing in a home dome and playing in the north) to play in MIAMI? Tua is BUILT for Miami weather as a native Hawaiian, and it’s not his fault that global warming caused the KC game to reach -30 windchill conditions.
WEAK. Tua needs to play in a dome now??? 😡
😂
Ya can’t make this stuff up! 😆
What’s more, how much is Kirk Cousins going to get paid?!! Probably in the same echelon as Tua if we give Tua a new contract.
The way I look at stories like this is do they really think that’s what McDaniel wants to do?
Can’t stand ‘The Athletic’. They are one of the worst sports outlets in all of America. Coincidence that they are owned by the New York Times?
Tim Knight says:
February 16, 2024 at 8:57 pm
The way I look at stories like this is do they really think that’s what McDaniel wants to do?
———-
Agree, 100%.
These dopes are just trying to disrespect Tua at this point, and that’s been par for the course over the last several years. Coach McDaniel will not be deterred by this BS.
Tim,
Here’s one I’m looking at purchasing… the Moog Sub37
Another one… the Moog Sub25. Lovers of “Dune” will like this one…
Very cool! Lots of cool sounds come out of those.
The booth preference is only for OLD school dinosaurs. The only substantive benefit to being in the booth was the access to video, but with the advent of surfaces on the sideline and streaming video right in their hands there really isn’t any advantage anymore. Old school guys still feel better up there. Now a days the coaches and player have every angle of the last play in their hands in minutes. With their team mates and coaches all huddled around it and seeing the same thing.
Do you feel like I do
Bob Mayo on the keyboards Bob Mayo
The SB wasn’t fixed, Chiefs have just figured it out, like the cheats did (even though the cheats got some striped help)
Why didn’t KC move the ball much early in the game? The pressure (passrush) got to Mahomes and it slowed him down
Why didn’t the pressure get to him much in the last 25 minutes and OT? They’ve figured out the officiating crew doesn’t call much holding at that point in the SB, so they held and held
You could also say the same thing the other SB they beat SF
Cheats did a lot of holding, but let go at the right time, Chiefs hold and hold some more
The officiating crew doesn’t want to be obviously responsible for the outcome
Also Mahomes running plays a part too, but not as much as holding
I agree, but there’s a right way to hold.
Our guys should learn that.
No one expects OL to operate like soccer players.
Biggest thing for Tua to figure out is how to make plays, when things break down, it’s what makes all the great ones great
Brees figured it out, Tua is very similar to Brees athletically, and seems to be on the same path in his career
Exactly. There’s such a thing as scripted scrambling. The Wr Rb and especially TE or designated 3rd read WR who usually lined up in the slot have to execute the scramble drill so the QB knows where to expect them.
McDaniel and Tua and the OC need to install that and practice it.
There’s a misconception with what it means to be fixed in some circles
League isn’t going to fix it for bad teams, you first have to be on the cusp of a title, they can however screw some teams, like the Saints a few years back, Jags vs cheats
Tua isn’t close to a finished product, to dump him and sign Cousins would set us back tremendously
Why sign up an old guy? May as well go get the Comeback Player.
Some think we can just cut ties with Tua and the 2nd coming of Mahomes will fall in our lap on a rookie contract
^^^^
This SB had the most TV viewers since the Moon Landing.
I’m one who saw both live.
The moon landing was better
Haha
Good thing Apollo didn’t have as many mistakes.
9rs fired DC Wilks.
IG blowing up that it’s racist.
Looks bad to scape-goat the black guy,
but he did give up the lead in reg and OT.
Notice how a dynasty team almost always has a star TE.
We don’t.
His fault or not,
Berrios failed as the 3rd down guy and the slot possession guy and the scramble drill guy.
Shame too as I think he has the skill set and showed flashes,
but McDaniel just got outcoached in this phase.
Other thing winning teams over time have
is a perfect match between HC and QB.
We have that.
Mahomes played great of course,
but Andy Reid flat beat Shanahan.
That QB-HC match is one reason why Steelers won so much with Big Ben.
And it’s IMHO why Ravens and Bills have such poor playoff records versus expectations.
Both teams have great HCs and QBs, but on any given drive, they have too high of a potential fail rate.
Jimmy Garoppolo being suspended two games for violating NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances; Raiders expected to release QB
Sheesh getting suspended for performance enhancers when you performance wasn’t actually enhanced is the bottom of the barrel
Rumors out there that Pats are going to pursue QB Baker Mayfield if he makes it to FA so they could use the #3 pick on WR Marvin Harrison, Jr.
Hate to say it but that would be a solid move on their part. They also have plenty of cap space to do it.
I don’t know why the Bucs would let him walk. What’s their other option?
Draft, but yeah, it would not make sense. Mayfield is still young as well.
Of all the moves Baker can make, staying with the Bucs seems like the smartest move for his career
If you have to restart somewhere else, it may set him back
He found new life in Tampa – he should ride it out if he can
I agree it would be a smart move for the patriots
Right now they have no offense and in one offseason they add a top WR and a QB who can get him the ball consistently
But on the other side of that, is at 3 they can take one of the top 3 QBs
And so essentially you are passing on a possible franchise QB for some one that once was that guy but is now a journeyman
steveccnv says:
February 17, 2024 at 8:59 am (Edit)
Some think we can just cut ties with Tua and the 2nd coming of Mahomes will fall in our lap on a rookie contract
*********
It won’t
I think the NFL has gone so QB centric, it’s either Mahomes or bust
So if you have a Tua or for that matter a Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen , Joe Burrow or a Justin Herbert – you still don’t have a Mahomes
What the point of being 2 on anyone’s QB rankings other than getting likes on social media
If Mahomes had the ball with a chance to win the game in the last few minutes, you are losing the game even if you have the 2nd best QB
There is no reasons to cut ties with Tua just bc he’s not Mahomes
You either draft the next Mahomes or you don’t win the games that matter
Tua didn’t win the big games
But really, who beats Mahomes in those games anyway?
It’s where we are in the NFL. The rules are off the rails in terms of being QB friendly
So you keep trying to find your Mahomes
But you don’t have to part ways with the guys who gotten
You to the postseason while you try to make that happen
I want to draft a QB
But I don’t see it happening this offseason
And I think you can sign Tua long term and within 2-3 years still draft a QB
Some people think Caleb Williams is the next Mahomes
I don’t know if that’s true
But that’s not an option for Miami anyway
The Bears in the other hand probably have to part with Justin Fields and take that chance IMO
I’ve seen a lot of reports where some don’t think Caleb Williams is all that.
^ and some feel Drake Maye is not ready yet. Many draft boards have Jayden Daniels as QB2 ahead of Maye and he could be the overall #1 depending on who the Bears like most.
There are quite a few QB needy teams. It will be interesting to see who signs a vet and who drafts one because there are about 5-6 first round worthy QB’s to draft. Still, there are free agent vets available like:
Kirk Cousins
Ryan Tannehill
Baker Mayfield
Gardner Minschew
Joe Flacco
It’s also rumored that Russell Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo are going to be released and the Bears are looking to trade disgruntled Justin Fields.
Someone will take Fields because he is on the last year of his contract and will come cheap at about 1.6 mil. Speculation is Steelers have an interest in trading for Fields.
QBs usually go early even if they’re not no brainers. It will be interesting to see how the FA QBs play out.
Garropolo is done. No one is banking on Russell Wilson. Baker Mayfield is serviceable but will never be mistaken for elite. Kirk Cousins is likely to in Minnesota. The rest of the list strictly backup material
No one thinks a Mahomes type player is going to fall in our lap. Whether or not we sign Tua to a big fat contract or not, we need to know whether he’s capable of beating good teams. He needs to be able to up his play to match what the opposition is bringing. If he can’t do it next year, there’s no reason to believe he can ever do it, so we best be looking for someone who can. If he’s not, we’re in cap hell with his contract but that doesn’t prevent us from finding his eventual replacement either
Another WR I like on day 3 is Luke McCaffrey, Christian McCaffrey’s brother. He was a backup QB at Nebraska and transferred to Rice and switched to WR. He may not last to day 3 due to his pedigree. I kind of see him as a little faster River Cracraft 2.0.
a little faster, not little and faster. He’s 6’2 195.
Tim, here you go:
I am that a lot of agents aren’t going to allow their draft clients to partake in cognitive or psychological testing. There will be various reasons but the main one is due to the info always getting leaked to the press and question whether there is a violation of HIPPA laws especially with psychological testing.
They call it the “Biden Rule”.
Seriously, it’s true. Except the last sentence. I made that up of course. But, why not. lol
It wouldn’t be a violation of HIPPA.
I didn’t think so. It is just a tool they are trying to use so teams will have a harder time seeing who may have a larger learning curve. My guess anyway.
Another SS I am interested in on day 3 is Mark Perry, TCU, 6’0 and 215 pounds. Some projections have him running low to mid 4.5’s but I think those projections are off as in 2021 before transferring to TCU he was a PAC-12 100m sprint champion at Colorado.
Will have to see what he does at his pro day since he was snubbed by the combine. Can’t find any tape on him right now.
All I could find from Shrine Bowl practice.
Mike
So far Tua is not capable of beating good teams
Particularly he’s been real bad against the Bills in very important games
Which kills me
But I will still take what he’s given us so far for 5 more years
Over going back into the QB carousel without a QB
And I hope he takes the next step
But at this point I say? He is who’s he shown himself to be already
Which is pretty damn good
Just not great
If we were to make a cap casualty out of Jeff Wilson, a RB I would take a chance on with our last pick is Carson Steele, UCLA/Ball State, 6’1 225.
Or as an UDFA.
Don’t believe a word you hear about any player in the draft right now….especially QBs.
Even the smoke screens have smoke screens the closer we get to April
That’s true
I guess I’m going to be nit picky and say it’s HIPAA.
(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
Oops, thank you and I used to be in the medical field. lol
Losing to good teams is not all on Tua. You can’t throw out all the other factors. It’s not realistic. As a team we’re in the playoff mix but not quite there yet.
I know a lot has to happen in the coming weeks but I think we have a winning core. We shall see.
I feel like I’m on a treadmill. I’ve pointed out out how poorly Tua played in these losses. It can’t ever all be on one guy, even the QB, but if your QB is going to play poorly against every good team, you don’t stand much of a chance of winning. Can you atnleast admit that much? If Tua was throwing for 300 yards and 3 TD’s when we play the good teams, even half of those games, we’re the #1 seed in the AFC
He beat Buffalo last year, I guess. I’m more team oriented.
I have no issue with Tua moving forward. 🙂
Again, if we were to release Jeff Wilson.
Herd, I really like your guy in the 6th round, Marshall RB Rasheen Ali, 6’0 205 and runs about a 4.4. He has nice acceleration. What I don’t like is he fumbled 4 times last year (2 lost) and 6 times (2 Lost) in 2021. That is why draft sites have him rated that low to a 6th early 7th round pick.
He did have 24 total TD’s in 2021 and 15 total in 2023. I like his skill set for our offense though, a lot!
He was a bright spot on an otherwise not great team. 💚
Along with Jeff Wilson, we should part ways with Mike White to clear more cap. He’s no better than Thompson, IMO. Maybe a stronger arm.
Looking for some QB’s who may be there day 3 or UDFA. One I like is South Alabama’s Carter Bradley 6’3 216.
Again I agree Mike E. It’s not the loses, it’s the performance in them. Simply just disappears They arent losing those games while scoring lots of TDs. Not even showing up is a HUGE concern.
I think what really eats at me the most is the ho hum attitude during and after losing over and over and over in big games.
Hill hampered and Waddle is maybe okay to play. No Mostert and Achane is always questionable. When these guys are all ready to go nobody can stop it. That’s not all on Tua. It’s the way the offense was constructed.
Mike, Tua played poorly against good teams this year, but as pointed out above he did beat Buffalo last year (and Baltimore), so to say he can’t beat good teams isn’t accurate, it’s just what happened this year
He said he was going to work on some things in the offseason, one of which I believe was street ball (making something out of nothing)
Brady thrived with Gronk, he was his go to when things broke down, not so much without him
Allen got his go to when Diggs came over, then took off
Tua has Hill, but that’s not enough help when things break down
We need an outlet type of box out TE, Gates or Witten type of player
Allen had that great rookie TE and his old reliable TE still there too. They have TWO #1 TEs and we have none.
I noticed that Andy Reid and his DC choked the Shanahan offense
the same way they did the McDaniel offense.
There is a best way to game plan every offense.
As the season goes on,
and teams learn what you like to do,
the good teams adjust to mute that.
McDaniel has to learn how to do that to them,
But it’s hard for an offense-minded coach.
He thought he had Fangio’s experience to help him, but his time is past.
McDaniel also needs a Plan B offense that’s very different
and yet still gets points.
In defense of McDaniel he couldn’t utilize his fine receiving RBs because they had to help block or Tua gets sacked every play behind that leaky OL.
Ditto Smythe.
At least some of those epic Mahomes runs were designed.
They were disguised as pass plays to get the DBs backs turned
and clear out space for Mahomes to sail into.
Kelce and the WRs knew they weren’t getting the ball,
so they could just haul ass and
then hinder the DBs from getting back to tackle Mahomes.
No worries about PI cause there was never going to be a pass.
We need to copy that for Tua.
The loss of Dre Greenlaw was critical in the comeback by the Chiefs.
When a team loses a star on defense,
It provides the opposing HC an automatic weak link to exploit.
We lost a lot of talent on defense as the year wore on.
steveccnv says:
February 18, 2024 at 7:57 am (Edit)
Mike, Tua played poorly against good teams this year, but as pointed out above he did beat Buffalo last year (and Baltimore), so to say he can’t beat good teams isn’t accurate, it’s just what happened this year
##################################
Tua’s record the last 2 years against winning teams is 3-12. I don’t care how optimistic you are, that’s just disgraceful. Once again, it’s not that he played well in any of those losses, no, to the contrary, he played poorly enough to guarantee that the team would lose. That’s a .200 winning percentage. Would you like to know Burrow’s winning percentage against winning teams the last 2 seasons?
Burrow was 9-7 against winning teams, including back to back wins over the Bills and beating the Ravens twice in ’22. His play when they lost is also considerably better than Tua’s. He’s probably the QB most comparable to Tua, as both have lengthy injury issues. So Burrow beats the good teams, competes against the good teams while Tua struggles, and can only manage a .200 winning % compared to Burrow’s .562, including of course 2 playoff wins and taking his team to the Super Bowl. Now you want to pay him the same as Joe Burrow? Why? Because you think Tua can be better or you hope Tua can be better?
I have to agree with MikeE. It’s hope. It’s also hope MM can do better. Like I said before, last couple games of the season and playoff game, it seemed like we only had 10 offensive plays in the playbook.
I know they run different plays out of the same formations but that was not it.
Another thing I noticed was Tua getting rid of it sometimes too quickly meaning he was not under pressure. He would try to squeeze it in triple coverage to his first read in Hill or Waddle when another option was wide open if he had just looked or waited another .04 second.
I don’t know how many times I saw him unload in under 2 seconds and it come up incomplete only to see WR #2 or #3 streaking wide open down the field. I think a lot of it is play design also. Not keeping a TE and/or RB to help block a blitzing DB.
Posting this again, to see an example. This might be a poor example as it could be a rookie mistake by Achane for not recognizing and picking up the DB. Achane runs right by the DB who was blitzing. Tua has to unload/throw it away toward his first read in Berrios. But there were many times I saw this when Tua wasn’t under pressure.
At the 4:51 mark, EZ breaks the DB’s ankles and is wide open for the TD. Even if Achane picked up the blitzing DB, I’m not confident Tua looks to the other side of the field. I saw it quite a bit last year. Like he was playing not to get hit.
That’s one of my biggest fears Mike, is that I know Tua played that way because he was instructed to, and obviously he was successful in staying healthy, but in many cases it was to the detriment of the game itself. If you play “not to get hurt”, you’re not playing to win, you’re eliminating potential big plays or possible first downs by getting rid of the ball too quick to avoid getting hit. So once again, I say if he goes the other direction and goes all out, and starts using his legs to get first downs, or hold on to the ball a second longer and complete a pass while taking a hit, is he on IR for half the season or more. People think I say this out of hate for Tua, it’s not, it’s for love of our team. I want our team to be successful, Tua’s success is not my concern, unless it affects the Dolphins success.
DCS
Who says white men can’t jump? LOL
That is fucking AWESOME!!!!
Wow
ER – You think he has David Carr Syndrome? I think his HC imbedded in Tua’s brain “Live another day”. He probably told him we need him (which is true) if we want to make it to the playoffs. This resulted in a lopsided success against the lesser teams, and utter failure against the better teams. So with this being the case this season, does MM give Tua the green light to let it fly, both with his arm and his legs and go for it? To me, that’s the #1 question. The #2 question is if that happens, can Tua actually last the whole season playing like Joe Burrow, Brock Purdy, and to a lesser extent Josh Allen? Unfortunately, as BBMike has pointed out, if Tua plays with that same “Live another day” mentality next season, almost everything has to be perfect to win like that. Question #3 is then can anything EVER go perfectly for our team?
MikeE., I kind of posted something like this before. I don’t mind if they give Tua like a 5 year deal for 250 mil or even 275 mil (55mil per) if they structure it almost exactly how the Bills structured Josh Allens contract. They put 96 mil of his 258 mil contract in the form of 6 mil, 25 mil, 15 mil, 25 mil and 25 mil roster bonuses. They put another 4 mil in the form of workout bonuses. He’s not on the roster they don’t have to pay a penny of either of those bonuses totaling 100 mil. Zero signing bonuses also after 2025. They even put in a 2026 out clause where they can cut him PRE 6/1 with 3 years and 136 mil still left on his contract but only have a 19 mil dead cap hit in 2026 with a 33 mill cap savings and no dead cap after.
I am far, far, far away from any kind of expert on contracts but this has to be one of the smartest contracts I have ever seen a team do. Probably the smartest big contract I have ever seen.
If they do this with Tua, I am 100% all in. If he keeps improving and starts LEADING the team to big wins, pay the man! If not, after 2 years and he has reached his ceiling, cut ties and move on with minimal impact to our cap.
Fans everywhere need to start tweeting Grier, “See Josh Allen contract!”. lol
I can run with that Mike, I definitely could. Not sure if Tua and his representation will, but I could live with that, and maybe while doing this, we free up $$$ to pay Wilkins and Hunt and maybe more.
bailbondmike says:
February 18, 2024 at 12:03 pm
Who says white men can’t jump? LOL
—————
That dunk was pretty awesome over Shaq!!!
Speaking of “White Men Can’t Jump”, man… that’s one of my favorite movies of all time and the soundtrack is equally impressive to me.
LOVE this song!!!
^
I miss the Wesley and Woody movies (great tandem!) just as I miss the Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor movies.
I think(?) I have every Wilder/Pryor movie ever made.
When I say “miss”, I mean I wish there were so many more made.
Rockphins’ Rocking Skillet Chili
4 lb chuck roast (cubed into 3/4″ chunks)
1 green pepper (quartered, seeds removed)
2 sweet red peppers (quartered, seeds removed)
3 large chili peppers (halved, seeds removed)
2 med to large Jalapeno (halved, seeds removed)
2 large sweet onions (diced)
2 28 oz cans of roasted diced tomatoes
1 32 oz container of Beef Broth
15 oz can of spicy chili beans (DO NOT TURN YOUR NOSE UP YOU PURISTS!, THIS IS IMPORTANT )
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 7 oz can of chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
Seasoning mix
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons Chili powder
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon Cumin
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
I use a large cast iron skillet in the preparation of each ingredient before putting each into the large stew pot / sauce pot. Heat the skillet over medium high and add some oil to the pan sear the beef cubes on each side, waiting until they stick, but loosening them with a little bit of water to flip each side.
DONT over crowd the pan. It takes about 4 pans to cook all the meat.
You really want the sear liquid so before you empty each pan of meat into the pot, add a little broth and scrape it around to get all the good bits. Then pour it in the pot
While I am doing the meat, I have heated the over to 450 degrees and put all the pepper halves on a cookie sheet covered in foil and sprayed with cooking spay
Roast the peppers at 450 for 35 mins, they should be starting to blacken /caramelize a little
I drain the tomatoes into the pot and put them in the skillet to “burn” a little, then I throw in the diced onion let everything”stick” a little and then loosen it all up with broth and put it in the pot.
Then I take the beans, roasted peppers and tomato paste into the blender until they are smooth.
Everything in pot and bring to a boil and then turn down to low and cover, cooking for an hour, stirring occasionally making sure to scrape the bottom and mix it back in.
Sounds amazing!
Just reading through the ingredients I was like, “Damn, this is going to be good!”
I’m suddenly feeling quite hungry! Sounds delicious, Rockphin!
Just copied and saved your recipe, Bro!
How long did it take? That’s a lot of prep.
That’s exactly what I thought. Then I was thinking of the clean up afterward. 😂
Mike E
I do. IMO it is not just coaching but family heavily influenced him not getting hit. If he would have gotten another concussion I think he would have quit. I think he plays not to get injured and that is going to limit everything you do. Works great when your first option is there and no pass rush. We saw what happens when the better teams take that away.
Maybe a year removed from concussions with the jujitsu and not thinking about it as much will bring the ultimate competitor out of him again. He always played like a lion. He never played cautious growing up in football. He was never a check down QB either. He’s always been a gunslinger.
I don’t know what it is exactly but I do think he’s going to hold up the Lombardi Trophy one day.
I hope so!
Funny
M13, you seen this yet?
Shaq is a good dude. He doesn’t rap for the money but for the love of it. He was so appreciative to be on this collaboration that he gifted the young rapper a 1 million dollar Rolls Royce.
The original video and drop of this song came out a couple months ago. Some say Shaq bank rolled this animated version for the kid. Not sure if that is true but would not surprise me.
I really enjoy the prep part of the cooking so I don’t mind. But it took about an hour and a half of prep. And a cutting board, a couple of bowls to hold the ingredients and a skillet is all the cleanup required beside the stew pot.
Yeah, I don’t mind the cleanup when it comes to creating something delicious but that didn’t sound too troublesome anyway.
Wait what, Tua get rid of the ball too quickly at tines to his #1 receiver and if he had hung onto it a tad longer he would’ve had open #2 or 3 receivers
Looks like an easy area for improvement next year
Is Danny Crossman still the STC for Miami? How is this possible?
I though they cut ties like a week ago. Now you got me second guessing.
me too! But then I read articles this morning that he was still with the team. I could have sworn I read a tweet that he was fired. Wiki still says he is part of the team and they are incredibly quick sometimes to update status.
Been hearing more rumors about this and would hate for it to happen.
“While Tampa is the clear-cut favorite to re-sign Mayfield, now a coveted free agent after a banner year with the Bucs, anything can happen in free agency,” Fowler noted. “And the Patriots’ new brain trust — including lead personnel man Eliot Wolf and personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith — were part of the (Cleveland Browns) regime that took Mayfield No. 1 in the 2018 draft. They believed in him.”
Again, Pats want a vet QB so they can draft Marvin Harrison, Jr. at #3 and OL or Edge at #34.
Rock, Did you write this article for the author??? It sounds like you. LOL
https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/how_is_danny_crossman_still_employed_by_the_dolphins/s1_17098_39983995
You could have made a case to move on from Crossman after any of the seasons he has been with the Dolphins, but Danny has clearly gone to the Chris Grier School of self-preservation, where results never matter, and you keep your job no matter what.
YUP I could have written this. You are right. LOL
AHMEN!
The Dolphins have a new assistant special teams coach Ronnie Bradford
Yeah, because it was the assistant, and not the coordinator that needed to be replaced! SMH WTF!? Grief needs to go!
Colson is one of the ILB like in the 2nd round.
https://phinphanatic.com/posts/what-chris-grier-should-have-done-in-the-miami-dolphins-2021-nfl-draft-01hpym2kmamx
I agree with this article. Fucking Grief wasted a pick and I was screaming it at the time!
bailbondmike says:
February 18, 2024 at 10:52 pm
M13, you seen this yet?
Shaq is a good dude. He doesn’t rap for the money but for the love of it. He was so appreciative to be on this collaboration that he gifted the young rapper a 1 million dollar Rolls Royce.
The original video and drop of this song came out a couple months ago. Some say Shaq bank rolled this animated version for the kid. Not sure if that is true but would not surprise me.
—————-
That was NICETY… ALL OF IT!!!
The beat was hot, the rhymes were tight, the animation was intriguing, and the feel was just incredible.
Yes indeed… Shaq really is a good dude and ya love to see him giving back to up-and-comers.
By the way, thanks for sharing, BB Mike!
Does anybody want to laugh today?!! Watch these two clips of Mike Tannenbaum…
😆
Dudes got a screw loose. He thinks he is some kind of football genius. lol
Resurrect his career at 36 by sitting behind Rodgers? 🤪
M13, This was the original.
That video is good, but I like the animated version better. To me, the animated version brought forth more imagination and coupled better with the music (especially with the ‘gothic’ going on).
I like the Gorillaz and think their animation makes for a splendid video, for example. Like this…
Yes, it does
Obviously, the higher, the BETTER for our Phins!
Ravens 12-4
Dolphins 11-5
Those were their records without the game between them.
One game difference.
If that game goes the other way …
Ravens 12-5
Dolphins 12-5
And the Ravens had the best record in the whole league.
We had a very good year … one game away from great.
Oh, but it didn’t go that way, not even close. We didn’t belong on the field with the Ravens or the Chiefs, and the Bills defense continues to have our number.
We lost to the Chiefs.
So did the Bills.
So did the Ravens.
So did the 49ers.
Those are the best teams in the NFL.
And their QBs don’t suck.
All I can say Naples, is look how our QB played against these 3 teams, and then look at how the Bills QB played against the Chiefs, Ravens and Niners, look at how the Ravens QB played against those teams, and how the Niners QB played against these teams. We didn’t compete against these teams, and our QB struggled more than the rest of the team.
When asked who the most overrated Fins player was, X got nailed
One of the comments made a suggestion of moving him to safety
Wonder how that would work out salary cap wise?
Would he accept a payout and move to safety?
Do you think X is going to tackle? I don’t
X already said he would not take a pay cut and he has already been restructured once.
As soon as they announce the cap, we will start seeing the cuts.
Teams can use the franchise tag starting today. Don’t think we will see much, again, until they announce the cap.
https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-franchise-tag-window-opens-today-wr-tee-higgins-lb-josh-allen-among-candidates
NFL combine starts a week from today.
https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx8avtIM-UCYBeQSJnvg1GnIDFgbOb-gpl
Dov Kleiman
@NFL_DovKleiman
·
Follow
#Bills Gabe Davis posted what looks like an 8-minute goodbye video to #BillsMafia on Instagram that ended with this 👀
Where will Davis end up in free agency?
Dov Kleiman
@NFL_DovKleiman
The #Packers were the only team this season to score more than 24 points vs the #Chiefs.
————————
Yeah, it’s not all Mahomes.
Dov Kleiman
@NFL_DovKleiman
#Chiefs Patrick Mahomes average length of TD passes:
2019: 17.3
2020: 13.0
2021: 8.5
2022: 4.5
2023: 3.9
🤯
(in avg air yards/TD)
In the last two years, Mahomes has thrown a total of two TDs which traveled 20+ yards in the air.
Though it pays for your QB to have the “IT” factor.
In the last 23 years there were 125 post season drives for the win. Only 40% of those teams were successful. Only 3 QB’s were above that 40%.
Tom Brady 5 for 11, 46 %
Drew Brees 3 for 6, 50 %
Patrick Mahomes 7 for 7, 100% Wow!
Does Tua have that “IT” factor?
Only 3 QB’s with 5 or more post season game winning drive attempts. I believe Joe Burrow is 2 for 4, 50% right now.
Former star defensive end J.J. Watt is interested in reducing the penalty yardage for offensive holding calls starting in the 2024 season.
The three-time Defensive Player of the Year suggested on Wednesday that an offense should get backed up by five yards when the penalty is enforced instead of the current mark of 10 yards.
“I think the refs understand that a 10-yard penalty is a massive penalty in the NFL,” Watt said in an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “So I think if you made [it] a 5-yard penalty, I think it’s going to be called much more fairly and much more realistically. Because it’s not as crippling to the offense.”
Huh!?!
Average length of TD passes (air yards):
23.6 – Tyrod Taylor
21.9 – Will Levis
17.2 – Kenny Pickett
16.7 – Nick Mullens
15.5 – Trevor Lawrence
15.3 – Jalen Hurts
15.1 – Derek Carr
14.4 – Justin Fields
13.8 – C.J. Stroud
13.5 – Joe Flacco
13.5 – Aidan O’Connell
13.2 – Tua Tagovailoa
13.1 – Kirk Cousins
12.9 – Deshaun Watson
12.1 – Jared Goff
12.1 – Brock Purdy
11.9 – Lamar Jackson
11.8 – Josh Allen
11.8 – Russell Wilson
11.7 – Baker Mayfield
11.7 – Dak Prescott
11.7 – Joe Burrow
11.6 – Sam Howell
11.5 – Gardner Minshew
9.6 – Jordan Love
9.4 – Mac Jones
9.3 – Bailey Zappe
9.3 – Geno Smith
9.3 – Tommy DeVito
9.2 – Joshua Dobbs
8.9 – Desmond Ridder
8.8 – Matthew Stafford
8.7 – Kyler Murray
8.3 – Jimmy Garoppolo
7.9 – Justin Herbert
6.8 – Jake Browning
5.2 – Taylor Heinicke
5.0 – Bryce Young
4.0 – Zach Wilson
3.9 – Patrick Mahomes
(2023 reg season, min 5 TD passes)
Just posting shit I am reading online. Going fishing next 2 days. Got everything ready and just bored now. lol
I should go play 9 holes and see how my shoulder holds up.
Caught my first Pompano on Saturday, next week going to Sebastian Inlet
Gave it away, but word is they’re great to eat, will keep the rest
Yeah, Pompano are some of my favorite to eat! They are around but few until the water warms up a little. Come end of March they will be thick here on the panhandle.
Mainly going out for Sheepshead this week. Have a rod set up with a jerk bait and another with soft plastics for trout and reds. We can’t keep Speckled Trout here on the panhandle during the month of Feb.
The first day I bought my brand new pneumatic speargun I was free diving after 2 scuba dives a 60 footer, and a 30 footer. and I dropped down to about 30 feet of water holding my breath I was about to come back up to the surface when I saw a huge ass pompano. I got so excited, without thinking I shot the bastard. Then I swam towards the surface with my lungs aching, already making squeaking noises because I was holding my breath too long. I got about a foot from the surface, and that fucking Pompano turned sideways and swam towards the bottom, dragging me with it like an anchor At that point I was fighting for my life. I grabbed the spear at the base and the front and used it like a lever beat the shit out of that fish by jerking on the line. I just barely made it back to the service and was seeing spots by the time I was able to take a breath. My buddies who were on the surface with their snorkels watching the whole time were joking back-and-forth that I was about to lose my brand new $400 pneumatic speargun. And then they got concerned. Let the speargun go asshole. Hey, let go of the gun. That stupid fucker is going to drown because he doesn’t want to lose that spear gun. 😅😂 it was close.
Which one of you violated a hippo?
that would be the one that is dead and gone never to be heard from again. They are the most brutal killers in the wild. Even 1000 lb Nile Crocs don’t mess with hippos.
100% Rock – Hippos are violent mofo’s
And you won’t be able to outrun one if you decided to try and escape, and they swim much faster than we can. i think they run about 30-35 mph
I have no idea about these players, but I agree that we need an upgrade (perhaps major) at TE.
Oops….
https://www.thephinsider.com/2024/2/20/24078144/nfl-football-where-should-the-miami-dolphins-improve-part-one-tight-end-smythe-mcdaniel-bowers
It should be a weapon in any in any offensive scheme, imo…
I said this before, Jullian Hill played 360 snaps as a rookie UDFA out of little Campbell University playing in an offense with a lot of moving parts.
I think we see a big jump in his play this year to include receiving.
I hope so…from memory…lol…he showed promise
Rock, that must have been a big African Pompano. The ones I catch in the gulf surf are regular Florida Pompano. I usually catch them from 11″ to 15″ regularly. Usually get one nice tank with some shoulders on him out of a bag limit. Them African Pompano get big. I believe the minimum size limit on those is usually twice the minimum size limit for the FL Pomps.