As many of you here know, I deeply lament the loss of DT/DE Christian Wilkins. At least for this season, the Dolphins front office has found a suitable replacement for Wilkins. At 38 years old, Calais Campbell is not Christian Wilkins. On the other hand, the Dolphins defense as constructed by DC Anthony Weaver and Chris Grier is going to me much more of a rotational situation on the defensive line, which suits Calais Campbell perfectly. Don’t take me the wrong way, Calais Campbell played more defensive snaps last season than any other lineman not named Zach Sieler, and in some cases more than a few them combined. The rotation that we will be employing will allow us to get the best of Campbell though, especially at age 38. He will likely be asked to play not much more than half of the 712 snaps he played last season. We want him fresh, and everyone else really, down the stretch for the big push towards the playoffs. As any Dolphins fan knows, we limped, dragged and crawled into the playoffs with a M*A*S*H squad of injured and replacement players. We need to change that, and come in hot, and ready to do battle.
So after all the moves on defense, I have to say that we look good enough to be competitive. I don’t think we upgraded the entire defense, but I think the secondary, as long as everyone is healthy, will be much better than the start of last year, with a gimpy Xavien Howard, no Jalen Ramsey, and Eli Apple as the starter opposite Howard. Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller are a formidable CB tandem, and I expect them to play at a high level together. I think the trio of safeties, Jevon Holland, and newly acquired Jordan Poyer and Marcus Maye could be an upgrade over Holland and Jones, and DeShon Elliott. Training camp will be very important for these guys to get on the same page with each other and as we know, a few of these players will playing multiple positions and have a lot of different responsibilities. As they are all veterans, I don’t expect it to be an issue, and hopefully, Jordan Poyer has a lot left in the tank for us in ’24.
At linebacker, some think we’ve upgraded, but I’m cautious about that. Some people think Tua gets no respect, well I believe ILB Jerome Baker might be the most under appreciated and disrespected LB we’ve had here in MIA. As Randy correctly assessed, Baker is really a weakside LB, but we’ve been playing him inside for a few years. So now, Jordyn Brooks, who we picked up as a free agent from Seattle, will be Baker’s replacement. Some say his coverage skills are better than Baker’s, we’ll see. The stats, by the way don’t support this, Bakers comp % and yards per reception allowed are lower than Brooks. Baker, who has also played longer (2 more seasons), has 5 INT’s while Brooks has 1. Baker also has 22.5 sacks while Brooks has only 6.5. Baker showed a lot of heart coming back from injury and making that goal line stop, I’ll never forget that play. Like I said, unduly disrespected.
The defensive line no question got a huge boost with the addition of Calais Campbell. Zach Sieler is probably thrilled! The rotation of a bunch of part time players will be tested. Anthony Weaver will be tested. As much as Fangio was hated by our players, this team played strong defense until the injuries didn’t allow it to. We were a top 10 defense with Fangio. Weaver will have to be impressive early on to match that, and with 2 of our best pass rushers rehabbing from injutres, Phillips (achilles), and Chubb (ACL), we’ll have veteran Shaq Barrett and rookie 1st RD selection Chop Robinson. It could be a while before we see Phillips and/or Chubb on the field, and most likely a while longer before we see them getting a big workload. Add in Mo Kamara, it’s possible that Chubb and Phillips don’t play a huge role until the end of the season, and in a reverse from last season where the defense was decimated, this season we come in at full strength and rested and raring to go.
I don’t look at our roster, team, and say this team is good enough to win a Super Bowl. I think there are too many questions, is the O-line good enough, and are we done adding players? Recently, news from Connor Williams agent was out that he will be ready to start the season and play immediately, which conflicts with earlier reports. I’d sign Connor Williams in a second, even if he can’t play until mid season or later because if/when he’s ready to play, he’s likely our best interior O-lineman. We’ll find out soon enough whether C Aaron Brewer is good enough, but hopefully our fallback option is Connor Williams and not Liam Eichenberg, who is serviceable at best. I think Eichenberg could potentially be a plus starter at OG, I haven’t given up on him yet. I’m interested to see how the competition shakes out between Isaiah Wynn, Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg. I think the depth on the O-line is solid, but I’d love an upgrade, and I believe Connor Williams would be an upgrade when healthy at LG, C, or RG. You can’t forget just how excellent he was here, he’s so powerful and wins his matchups.
To many of you here, I apologize for not including QB Tua Tagovailoa in this article, I’m sure you’re all crushed!
GO DOLPHINS!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
Krishna – you know what’s funny? I hated Florio, thought he was a clown, Dolphin hater. He’s a guest on the Joe Rose Show on WQAM every Friday morning. Truth is, he’s a knowledgeable guy who knows the NFL pretty darn well and just says what he thinks like most other NFL related commentators. I don’t believe he hates Tua, or has an agenda against Tua or the Dolphins.
WOW! Bro, that’s just flat wrong. Florio and Sims are confirmed Phins haters.
Confirmed by whom exactly? Why does Joe Rose have him on his show every week? Am I a Dolphins hater? I rip this team a new asshole at least half the time? Maybe we’re just right? Maybe mot?
Mike E.
says:
June 25, 2024 at 9:09 pm
M – why should the Dolphins be immune to this?…
———–
Mike E, I’m going to be frank with ya. I’m so fucking tired of our Phins being in the media cycle for all the wrong reasons. I want our team to FLOURISH! But every fucking year, the media finds some reason to pour salt in our game. It’s very tiring.
Could we have at least ONE season without the media trying to over-scrutinize our favorite team? The media bias against us is SO clear to see (for years now!), and it makes me very sad, man. 😦
We need (and should!) feel good about where we’re headed, but every single fuckin’ year it’s something else that becomes a distraction for us fans, created by the media.
I want it to STOP, man!
We diehards (like YOU!) deserve better, Bro.
We deserve better from our team. From our organization. Until they deliver it, expect nothing to change. Win the division, win a playoff game or two. Do something to earn respect from the NFL talking heads
That’s fair from YOU, but still unfair how the media treats us… like bastard red-headed step-children, despite recent and relative success.
Many feel (the media scrutiny) is all about Steve Ross… many feel it’s about GM Grief… some feel it’s about a curse… some feel it’s about a curse of building on an Indian burial ground… others feel like the media just isn’t fair to us.
Mike E.
says:
June 25, 2024 at 9:37 pm
Confirmed by whom exactly?…
———-
LOL 😆
It’s just the way it is, until you’ve done something, you haven done anything
It’s not a bias against us, when we had Marino, we were over hyped, because of him
Tua is no Marino, he may be some day, but until that time comes, when he has the ball in his hand with 2 minutes left and you can count on him to score, we’ll get treated as we are now
Florio might be knowledgeable, I don’t listen or watch him much. However, what little I have seen is that he uses that platform of so-called “knowledge” to push a petty, demeaning agenda. That’s not journalism. It’s click-bait. I guess he’s like most, but I don’t see him in the same way as JD. Jmo.
And his side-kick Simms, is a side-kick….he’s worthless and still riding daddy’s coat tails, jmo.
M13,
like others have said, the only was to stop the negative narrative is to win. We are far from the only whipping boys over the last few decades : Chargers, Lions, Bengals, Jags, Browns, etc. The Dolphins don’t deserve that much respect u til they can win a playoff game and prove they can win when it counts. Think about this- REALLY think about this : The Miami Dolphins have not won a playoff game in over 24 YEARS. What other team has a longer drought right now? None. Earn some respect and a they will get it.
Respect is earned. I agree.
oh boy…I shouldn’t read the newspaper. Is this for real? Guess what the leading cause of death is for children? Let’s not be histrionic about this….lol.
Absence of parental guidance and modeling, glorification of criminal conduct, lack of respect for anyone or anything (self, women, law, etc), entitlement, public school indoctrination, lack of consequences, learned victim-hood?
What were the criteria for whatever stats to which you refer? What constituted a “child” – ,12, ,15, 18? What activity were they engaged in when they met their demise? Was it self-inflicted?
My guess is cannabis use…
Looks like that about covers it
Lol….good answer, but way off the mark. As in, not even close. A warning label is being recommended to be placed on guns…
What kind of idiot doesn’t know guns are dangerous and what child has ever read and heeded a warning label?
Let’s put warning labels on bridges, cars, cliffs, getting out of bed….
….and in the article about warning labels on guns from the Surgeon General in USA Today, it states that “guns” are the leading cause of death of children….
Anyone notice what Stephen A. Smith just got paid? $18M per for 5 years from ESPN. Do any of you like him? I don’t. Mike Florio is similar in some ways to Smith. Does he sensationalize occasionally? Sure, but if you want to be seen, heard, and read, sometimes that doesn’t hurt. I listen to Florio every Friday, when he’s on the Joe Rose Show, and I honestly don’t hear any bias against our team. Ross has done some dumbass things over the years to deserve to be mocked. We had “Bullygate” here. We do it to ourselves, the media doesn’t do it, they just talk about it. Now we have Tua and his agent who wants to get paid top money, but hasn’t earned it. Yes, Herbert got paid before he did, Lawrence did too, but I doubt Tua will take the structure of Lawrence’s deal. If he would, the Dolphins should have already given it to him
I respect Stephen A, he’s self made, did things the right way to get to where he is, he earned it
His opinion is another story
I also have to add, Dolphins Twitter is littered with know-it-all fanboy assclowns that are fucking shills for this team, for Tua. Whateva . . . Blindly supporting this team is laughable. They’re ripping Jeff Darlington, a respected NFL journalist because they can’t wrap their wittle head awound the fact that Tua is a risky investment.
I also have to add, Dolphins Twitter is littered with know-it-all fanboy assclowns that are fucking shills for this team, for Tua. Whateva . . . Blindly supporting this team is laughable. They’re ripping Darlington for his opinion. I’m sure these same assclowns said Tua would have his contract already, so what’s the fucking holdup?Also, why do they want Tua to get paid a huge contract? Shouldn’t they want what’s best for the team, and not one player?
Common sense in America isn’t common any longer, we have too many stupid people, that take what they hear as word, too lazy to do any ground work
Former players and Omar of course are going to want the players to make as much as possible, as hypocritical as that is
Fins are going to spend as much as they’re allowed too, why would anyone including former players want 1 guy taking money from another?
You nailed it Mike we should want Tua to be paid as little as possible
So why is it, that when Calais signs a $2m contract everyone thinks it’s great, but with Tua they want the team to pay as much as possible?
This BS about the “MARKET” in the statement Fins aren’t offering Tua market value, is just a jumbled word salad
What is market value? It’s not what the previous guy got or a little more, that’s the trend. Market value is what the 2 sides agree upon
Tua’s leverage is to not show up or to not play hard, FA has no part in this
Team has the 5th year option, which was agreed upon by both sides, and 2 yrs of F tags, Tua has no real leverage for 3 years
Play hardball Grier, then kick him in the nuts just because
I don’t read or follow other social media to get my Dolphin news, except from here. I use phinwire to find articles on the team that don’t have paywalls and try to share what I can. I think this bunch/blog is pretty savvy when it comes to watching/assessing the Dolphins.
And, I’m certainly NOT a fanboy….lol. Perhaps, I’m a grumpy old man whose teenage years saw this team in its glory and expects/hopes to get back there some day…lol.
I’m not a big fan of the sort of QB Tua is. I prefer a Josh Allen-type. I think small, short, non-mobile QBs are just at a disadvantage physically. That’s just my personal preference and doesn’t mean I think those sorts of QBs can’t be successful. It’s very rare if you think about it….and any small QB who ever did much of anything usually had some other facet of their game that was amazing. It’s becoming more possible because you can’t touch a QB, but it’s still rare.
All that said, I am fine with giving Tua this year to improve on his big game performances and leadership. It’s not like we have a choice. I’m always leery of a leader who everybody seems to like. Being a leader means sometimes doing shit that pisses somebody off. Do we see that from Tua? Step up and be the reason we win half a dozen games this season then maybe the narrative changes. Oh, and you would actually deserve $50M/year.
I’m gonna root for the kid just as hard and as much as I root for every player, and I hope I’m eating crow in February! Wait, is the SB still in February? 🙂
And I still don’t understand why anybody gives two shits about what ANY reporter or media sort says….let alone argue about it for decades! It’s truly baffling to me. Is this senility? Just doing a reality check.
Omar has been reading Steve.
——–
@OmarKelly
Very few, if any QBs are REALLY making $50M a season. You folks are just caught up in the fake numbers.
Trevor Lawrence will make $39M this year.
Joe Burrow will make $22.7M this year.
Justin Herbert will make $16.1M this year.
Lamar Jackson will make $18.5M this year.
and Lawrence is only getting that 39M this year because you actually get paid all your signing bonus. His cap hit is only 15M this year.
Why is it that you have to be on a side about Tua’s contract negotiations? The only people involved in it are the team and Tua and his agent.
I asked if Jeff Darlington really knows what the numbers being discussed are and that erupted into a split on what media personalities we like and don’t like. That’s not what my question was about. None of the media mentions what the Dolphins are offering, just that it’s below market and they’re not optimistic that a deal will get done anytime soon. What are they going by?
My sense is that being nothing was formally reported, it’s all just speculation based off rumors. That’s my answer for ya, man.
Agreed.
People going crazy over what Lawrence got or what they think he got is ridiculous.
Lawrence got a Tyreek Hill deal where he will never see the money on the last 2 years of his contract.
His cap hits from 2024 to 2028 are 15M, 17M, 24M, 35M and 47M.
His cap hits in 2029 and 2030 are 78.5M and 74.8M.
All of his guaranteed money is paid out from 2024 to 2028. The Jags have a 2029 out clause. They can release him or give another extension voiding those last 2 years and have ZERO dead money. None of that remaining 153.3M is guaranteed. It is all fluff.
Average cash Lawrence will get from 2024 to 2028 is 40.4M.
Jags can actually release Lawrence after 2027 and only have a 7.5M dead cap and clear almost 40M if they figure he is not their guy.
It is a good deal for the Jags. Only thing negative for the team is there is a full no trade clause.
I say give Tua the “55M per” that Lawrence got or even “60M per” as long as it set up like Lawrence’s contract. Let the agent have his fluff that Tua will never see.
I really don’t care how much Tua gets paid. Like I’ve stated before, that’s between him, his agent, and the team. And I don’t care for how this is somehow becoming a ‘big story’ in the media.
All I do care about? That the deal gets done before TC arrives. I don’t want negative emotions carrying over into the season. To me, it’s just stricly business. Fan-boys are going to fan-boy, and they don’t realize that business comes first.
Tua never has an offseason without negativity. It never stops.
Hoping he is full go by mid season.
He was really taking off before he got hurt.
Tim Knight
says:
June 26, 2024 at 11:54 am (Edit)
Why is it that you have to be on a side about Tua’s contract negotiations? The only people involved in it are the team and Tua and his agent.
******************************************
Excellent question. Here’s my answer. I want him to get paid as little as possible and count as little against the cap. Why wouldn’t I?
On the other hand, there are people on twitter (X) that want him to be the highest paid QB so they can say they were right about Tua and he’s the greatest QB and they love him
But those fans on Twitter aren’t the same as us here. I haven’t seen anyone here say he should be the highest paid QB.
There are so many on twitter, that don’t necessarily want him to be the highest paid, but want him to get a huge contract. Why? Why would you root for a player to get a monster contract that could cripple your team? I don’t care what anyone gets paid, but if they’re going to get paid a shit ton, they better be worth it
The title of this article is unfair. It’s not ego it’s business. It’s also not about swallowing his pride.
https://phinphanatic.com/posts/tua-tagovailoa-may-need-put-his-ego-aside-get-dolphins-mega-deal-done-01j1a1hw283g
I agree. It’s not ego.
MikeE,
It’s the woke culture. The word “deserve” has become the most overused word in the English language….either that or “disrespected”! I’m not even sure most people under 50 know what those words mean. The victim role has become very lucrative for many groups. Lol
Tim – Do you think Tua is bothered by this stuff?
Probably not but I’m sure he finds it annoying like some of us do. Every year the media creates a negative narrative about him both locally and nationally.
Tua’s contract news is the same as news before the draft, smokescreen after smokescreen put out there by both sides
It’s starting to heat up with negativity. The titles of articles are beginning to make him the bad guy. There is no bad guy it’s negotiating which lot of players and teams in all sports go through.
Fins not offering market makes the team look bad not Tua
Mike E,
FWIW, I see just as many stupid fucks on Twitter (X) saying that Tua sucks… that why should we even pay him? Some are saying to just trade him outright while his stock is high and some are saying to outright cut him for even going to the negociation table. What???
BOTH extreme sides are just ridiculous to me. That’s why I like to frequent this place… we have some pretty knowledgable, rational minds here at the FMU tempered by experience and wisdom.
My spelling is sucking today! LOL
Trade him while his stock is high? Why is it high? 😂
EXACTLY!!! LOL
THAT crowd wants to trade him before he gets hurt again.
THAT crowd refuses to acknowledge that Tua just went through an 18-game season without any problems whatsoever.
Playing all 17 games for the 1st time is now a great thing?
@NFL_DovKleiman
NFL 2024/25 – Regular Season – Most Wins Odds: #Chiefs +500 #Ravens +550 #49ers +550 #Lions +800 #Bengals +900 #Falcons +1,300 #Dolphins +1,400 #Eagles +1,400 #Jets +1,400 #Bills +1,400
– Odds via MonkeyTiltPlay
NFL 2024/25 – Regular Season – Most Wins Odds: #Chiefs +500 #Ravens +550 #49ers +550 #Lions +800 #Bengals +900 #Falcons +1,300 #Dolphins +1,400 #Eagles +1,400 #Jets +1,400 #Bills +1,400
– Odds via MonkeyTiltPlay
Okay, so now I see that the use of multiple hashtags doesn’t work on WordPress now either. Thought it was only about multiple @ addresses.
WOW we signed Calais, Poyer, Fuller, Barrett, Jonnu, frickin’ OBJ, and Marcus Maye.
What a great haul of talent!
plus 3 different guys generally regarded as “steals” in the draft.
not to mention adding speed and toughness in the middle
of both OL and Front 7 in Brewer and Brooks,
AND a new DC whose rep is having a high energy, tough-ass D!!
I’m stoked for this season.
The potential is there and not to be negative, but the odds that everything goes well are usually not great. But like you I prefer to be optimistic until it’s too difficult to do so.
yeah I just have so much fun all the time it just spills over into this blog sometimes.
for example tomorrow we’re flying up for our granddaughter Sadie’s First birthday party.
That’s a great FA period, biggest news of all is no one came close to breaking the bank, I’d bet if the real cap hits (real apy) were added up it would be less than the 30m Wilkins got
@AdamSchefter
·
NFL teams were informed today that there will be no supplemental draft this year.
it’s been a fruitless exercise for years.
For what it’s worth, Randy what say you
Krishna
says:
June 26, 2024 at 4:04 pm
….and in the article about warning labels on guns from the Surgeon General in USA Today, it states that “guns” are the leading cause of death of children….
====================================
I refer you back to my previous questions. And the “Surgeon General” is a dude who thinks he’s a woman, so his judgement is questionable…just sayin”…
^ I looked at CDC and for “children” they said the leading cause for 5-9 was accidents then cancer. For 10-14, accidents then suicide.
Shocking
I know right, shocking they lied to us
and yesterday we went to a fish house and had some luscious blackened yellowtail snapper, and I got a Woodford bourbon old fashion while she had a Cadillac margarita to celebrate our 47th wedding anniversary!!
47 fabulous years of parties and adventures.
it was great to look at pelicans and egrets fishing in the back bay of Ft. Myers Beach and listen to live guitarist.
Congrats!
Sounds like a life well done
thank you and welcome back to Florida
Thanks
Happy Anniversary Naples! ❤️
thank you sir
steve,
I think Jones was a solid backup, but I’d still go with Eich. I think Eich may have a higher ceiling…but that’s always conjecture. I think Jones showed last year that he can play. He is better in the run game. I don’t know if I agree he played as well as that dude thinks, but I thought he held his own most of the time. They’re both still young guys, so I hope they both continue to get better. We will probably see him playing one way or another as the season goes along. I can’t say I’d be surprised if he ends up starting but that has more to do with his competition than anything else.
Thanks, good analysis
When Eichenberg and Jones scored relatively close to Hunt the study has flaws
I have heard people say they believe Eichenberg will take a similar step like Jackson took last year
M – giving out participation trophies now? 🏆
I can’t believe every headline for every story about Darlington saying, Fins not offering market value to Tua, just regurgitates what Jeff said
Aren’t these guys supposed to be journalists?
IDK, maybe someone did, I didn’t read many, just going by headlines mostly
Obviously Tua’s agent sent this message out, so consider the source and the objective
If Tua didn’t have the injury history he’d already be signed
That is on Tua, surely he doesn’t want to play on the 5th year option, because he’d risk career ending injuries like concussions, so I believe his side will cave first
Fins have 3 more years to fuck around, if he pouts about it and doesn’t play well, he’ll pay for it when he does actually sign his new contract
What I think happens is, before camp, his side says give us the apy of 55m with a somewhat low fully guaranteed money and yearly guarantees and we’ll sign
In other words Trevor’s contract
LFGM! Way to thump the Bronx Bombers and get back to .500
Now we need to keep playing well and get ahead in the WC race
All Darlington said was he doesn’t think the Dolphins are offering the same contract Goff and then Trevor Lawrence got and Dolphins fans are in a frenzy, and Darlington is an asshole.
I say to you, Dolphins fans, did Tua sign a contract yet? Ask yourself why that might be, and then think to yourself, is Jeff Darlington really an asshole, or maybe he’s right
He’s neither and he’s both
He’s an asshole in this situation for playing the agents game overall not, he’s right including the terms, he’s wrong in that the market is what the 2 sides agree it is
Make Tua sweat it out
Goff and Lawrence were both #1 picks, and won playoff games, Goff has been to an SB, Lawrence has a very cap friendly contract
Does not giving Tua 1st overall pick money mean his offer isn’t in the market? Who gets to decide what the market is for every starting QB?
Should every starting QB sign as the next top paid, if not does it mean it’s below market?
It’s just a negotiation. Last offseason Jackson went thru the same process
I don’t think it should mean that, but Herbert got paid before he did anything and so did Lawrence. Just like we paid 5 different DL $1-2M contracts while Wilkins got $27.5M per. QB is a little more muddled because they do pay for potential more than accomplishments. Tua played one full season in 5 years and and now all of a sudden he should be grandly rewarded? I think it’s crazy, but this is sports.
Yes Herbert got paid on potential, because he could go toe to toe with Mahomes
Tua is a finese, smokescreen kind of QB, from the wrong era (pocket QB era), that no one drew up on a computer while saying this is my prototyping QB
Every time he gets hit I wince
I love reading twitter and seeing Dolphins fans frothing about “Pay Tua what he’s earned”. Earned? Well, he finally finished a full season, with mixed results, led the league in passing yards and crumbled like a cookie in big games at the end of the season, including the finale at home at Hard Rock. Yeah, let’s back up the Brinks truck for that. Pfffffffffffft!
Sarcasm from Omar:
@OmarKelly
About 40 percent of the Dolphins roster was put together with players on 1-year deals for $2M or less and everyone who doesn’t comprehend the salary cap takes a victory lap because the CAPacalypse was survived.
————
That’s not how you build a winner, IMO.
Regarding Miami’s management of the cap:
@OmarKelly
You can keep transferring the credit card debt, which is what was done. At some point it’ll need to be paid
Agreed, been saying that here all offseason. It’s a constantly changing roster, and oh, just wait until Tua gets paid, IF he does. We’ll have about half the roster changing annually
Our draft picks need to exceed expectations.
It is how you build a winner, you need a top QB and some core players to go along with the 1 yr contracts and rookie contracts
I can see where this has affected the performance of some of the top 6 but Henry is a freak of nature and still has it. Ravens running game will be scary with Henry, speedster Keaton Mitchell and newly added rookie speedster Rasheen Ali who I wanted us to draft. I do like Wright better though.
@Ihartitz
Career regular season touches: Derrick Henry: 2,185 Joe Mixon: 1,854 Alvin Kamara: 1,820 Josh Jacobs: 1,502 Saquon Barkley: 1,489 Aaron Jones: 1,449 … Raheem Mostert: 766
Mike,
Really good article until I noticed you didn’t mention Tua until the last sentence. WTH man!!
LOL – Sorry pal!
You’re all very lucky. I just deleted a 30 line rant and decided to post something positive instead.
GO USA FUTBOL!!!
Ahhhh, let it rip Randy! I always enjoy it! 🙂
MikeE,
There’s enough bitching and moaning in the World. I even get tired of hearing my own! Lol
I’m also actually getting pumped for the soccer game tonight too!
BBM,
It’s not the way to build a TEAM. Unfortunately, because of how the NFL has unfairly changed the rules to favor offense and QBs specifically, it is becoming how you win now. It’s ruining the game, but it’s making lots of people rich so nobody cares.
I agree
All of the major 4 sports are doing their best to ruin their game.
https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-2024-nfl-running-back-unit-rankings-49ers-dolphins
This is what I said yesterday. Omar still reads us. lol
@OmarKelly
I see that people are changing the language of how they describe Trevor Lawrence’s deal to “$200 million of his contract is PRACTICALLY guaranteed.”
Final two years of his deal are fake. He won’t see them unless the deal gets redone.
He followed with:
@OmarKelly
My point, I’d gladly sign Tua to Trevor Lawrence deal if he wants it.
Me too!
Uh huh
The money doesn’t ruin the game for me. It’s the losing 😀
Mike, how about those Mets. Are they setting us up for a major disappointment? 🤔
Possibly, it’s going to be hard to keep up the pace they’re playing at, but sometimes teams just find their groove
Didn’t the Rangers and Diamondbacks do that last year?
BigO says Tua has no leverage, I’ve heard that somewhere😜
Only holding out which isn’t good for him or the team.
Actually it is the team that has little to no leverage. Don’t sign Tua and risk a hold out. Don’t sign Tua and risk he walks next year like Wilkins and Hunt. The team really has very little leverage
Mike E.
says:
June 26, 2024 at 6:54 pm
M – giving out participation trophies now?
—————-
LOL, you know me better than that, Bro! 😆
I’m just sayin’ that Tua has elevated his game every single year there’s a gripe against him. First it was he can’t throw a deep ball (LMAO!!!). Then it was X, then it was Y, then it was Z… Z being that he’ll never be healthy enough to play a complete season.
That cat just keeps checking all the boxes, you’ve got to admit it. Thus, I suspect he’s going to win some big games for us this season, being that’s the latest gripe… along with his contract situation (nobody’s biz except for him, his agent, and the team).
That’s where I’m at.
YUP! And thank you.
The contract is our business, because there’s a salary cap, otherwise I could care less
If the players don’t like how some fans react to contracts, well FA and salary caps are on them
Nothing we can do about it though. Whatever we think plays no role in what happens.
A lot of you guys are really into the cap moving forward while some of us are all in while you have a good team.
We haven’t won a playoff game in 24 years and only just made the playoffs twice in a row for the first time in over 20 years. Strike while it’s hot!
I do understand where you’re coming from, yes. We can hope for a reasonable contract, not something that resets the QB market and financially hamstrings us for years down the road in the event of say… more concussions.
Aside from that, I’m just hoping both sides can iron things out. On a personal level, I really don’t care how much a player gets paid… or doesn’t get paid.
Tim, nothing we can do about the games either, but we still cheer and hope
Roster and contracts matter
Lawrence’s deal, which doesn’t kick in until 2026, pushed the equation further in Tagovailoa’s favor.
Um no it didn’t, another reason is it doesn’t kick in until 2026
Mike E and I spoke of the extremes on Dolphins Twitter (X) yesterday. I swear our fandom is the worst in all of sports.
Some want to see Tua paid better than Deshaun Watson… WHY??? That would destroy our salary cap!!!
Some want us to trade Tua while he’s killing it right now… WHY??? We could be waiting another 20-some odd years for another legit QB since Marino!!!
The HOPE is that the team and Tua (and his agent) can score a new contract in the middle of these two extremes… fair to both sides with John Hancocks signed in ink at the bottom of the contract.
The playoff loss to the Bills with Skylar at QB was against a shitty team, that got crushed the next week against Bengals
Diggs and Allen played, but there were issues
Point is just because Allen is still there now doesn’t mean they’ll still be dangerous, I’m not discounting them, we don’t know what they’ll be
For me I think this team has a chance to compete for a championship. Sure there are some questions but we have a lot of talented players.
Only if we stay healthy, and Tua raises his level of play in those big games. If not, we’ll never compete with the big boys
There are definitely ifs.
Agreed with both of you.
I think we are good enough to win it all
some big factors are:
but wr have the roster on paper IMO
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/agents-take-how-dolphins-can-effectively-compensate-tyreek-hill-with-a-market-value-contract/
Isn’t it funny, if you think about it, they’re doing everything they can to minimize contact and make the game safer, and yet I feel like players are getting injured more now than they used to when the game was much more dangerous. Isn’t it strange?
The hits you used to see, receivers getting creamed over the middle, defensive players rag dolling QB’s and throwing them to the ground.
Yes, over training and less football fundamentals. The same in most sports.
Absolutely… it IS strange and I couldn’t agree more.
A bit off topic, but it reminds me of this: he who would exchange freedom for safety deserves neither.
I think some of the stuff is counter-productive
less practice means less emphasis on technique
and it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s makes some parts of the body more prone to injury
the season is also longer so that doesn’t help
and the short weeks for Thursday night games might also not help
M13,
I think people legitimately questioned how strong Tua’s arm was coming out. I don’t recall people just focusing on the deep ball, so I guess you saying he improved on a criticism is a bit confusing. He doesn’t have a monster arm. He’s got a good arm. That’s ok.
Staying healthy is ALL on the player. You don’t get a pat on the back for being healthy and playing. That’s expected. Also, when you eat pizza daily or juice up to put on weight so you are slow…you definitely don’t get a thumbs up. I don’t give a guy any credit just for playing.
So, what is all this stuff he’s “improved” on every year? His arm is still the same. Ok. He played. Ok. I really don’t see it.
These 2 knuckleheads are just embarrassing. Not answering questions, just name calling back and forth like two 3 year olds “You’re the worst President!” “No, you’re the worst President!”
what happens when every response is a lie or not understandable
They’ve both said some whoppers, but Biden can’t make 1 response without bumbling his words
It’s the children’s sandbox. It’s sad and humorous listening to people trying to portray Biden as having a cold. He’s gone. Trump isn’t gone but he’s still an asshole. That’s your choice.
What’s yall’s handicap? Now, don’t lie.
Have to say CNN did well with the questions. Covered the important issues.
TBH, I don’t think they want Biden as their nominee. I think they wanted to see him bomb so they can convince him to drop out and nominate someone else in August.
Que Gavin Newsome.
Lastly, this is what we get after more than a week of preparation at Camp David?
Ok, back to the “is Tua worth it” debate in the morning. lol
Depends on what “it” is.
😂
Woohoo! Would you rather drown a puppy or club a baby seal?
lol…both?
Can I club puppies and drown baby seals?
I doubt Tua holds out…he’s been injured 3 of 4 years and hasn’t stepped up when in the critical games….who is going to swoop in and grab him?
He has to know he’s in the best place (Dolphins with McDaniel) in the NFL to achieve success, imo.
I agree. Like Steve has mentioned before, I think it is a matter of working out the guarantees. It’s not about the APY.
For those who subscribed:
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10126376-nfl-ordered-to-pay-47b-in-damages-in-sunday-ticket-antitrust-trial
The class-action lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses who purchased the package from the NFL and DirecTV between 2011 and 2023, per Joe Reedy of the Associated Press.
It would be nice to resign him but they have to get Tua done first.
Here’s why David Long is No. 12 on our Dolphins’ Top 20 players countdown:
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/nfl/2024/06/28/miami-dolphins-2024-our-top-20-player-countdown-rolls-on-with-david-long/73951250007/
Hmmm?
————————–
@NagleNFL
Most TD against Top-10 defenses, in 2023:
#Bills Josh Allen (20)
#Eagles Jalen Hurts (18)
#Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa (15)
#Broncos Russell Wilson (13)
#Ravens Lamar Jackson (12)
#Dolphins Raheem Mostert (12)
No surprise to see the NFL’s 2 best dual threats at the top of the list.
but…but…but I thought Tua doesn’t do well against good defenses?
No he doesn’t play well against good “Teams” I.e. OFFENSES which he doesn’t play against. I posted a ton of supporting evidence that was scrolled past because it didn’t support the narrative certain people of desperate to hold on to.
Oh, and look there! The COACH chose to RUN THE BALL in scoring situations and put the ONLY running back in the top 10, in the top 10.
Halle-Fucking-Lujah! Got locked out for weeks and just got my credentials back!
NEW BLOG UP!!!
Welcome back Rock! Thought you got tired of my negativity. Read the new article. LOL