It’s funny, just going through the formality of typing out the title of the 2024 Season, Game 5 etc. felt like an exercise in futility. I can’t believe we’re back here again, that sad, dark place when you know your team is doomed, not only for this season, but way beyond, especially if QB Tua Tagovailoa holds this team prisoner by not retiring. I desperately wanted them to protect themselves, but oh boy, the love affair with HC Mike McDaniel and QB Tua Tagovailoa was hot and heavy, and both Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier threw caution to the wind and gave him a massive contract. How many times did I stress that it was one season, and how he played that season so carefully as not to get injured. That extra careful play just doesn’t work in the NFL, not when you play the better teams. Tua will come back, that much is certain, but what version do we get of Tua, and for how long? Even worse, what will our record be when he comes back, and will it even be fair to expect the Dolphins to pull themselves out of a 1-5 start?
There are so many decisions Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel made, and it’s so unfortunate that it appears they made the wrong ones on most counts. Let’s start with one of my favorite ones. DT Christian Wilkins, drafted in RD 1, 13th overall, and all that guy did here was bust his ass for 5 seasons, playing tons of snaps and every single the last 3 years of that contract. What do we do? Let-him-go! “Ohhh, he wanted too much money, you can’t pay him that!!!” Well, we should have said that and more when it came to everyone’s favorite QB Tua Tagovailoa who is now one hit away from maybe not even being able to make the decision on whether or not he should play. Oh, he’s coming back, probably Week 8, which coincidentally is the Fest game against Arizona. The question on everyone’s mind though is how long will he last. It will be that way for as long as he plays in the NFL, that’s just the way it is. These are the tough decisions GM’s have to make, and I’ll tell you Chris Grier keeps making the wrong choices.
Besides Christian Wilkins, we had drafted OG Robert Hunt in the 2nd RD (pick #39) in the 2020 NFL Draft. All Robert Hunt did was bust his ass for 4 seasons playing in 50 of 51 games in his first 3 seasons before last season, where he played in 11 of 17 due to injury. No, he was never an all pro, or pro bowler, but you could easily make the argument that he was our best OL during his tenure here in Miami. So what we do, Chris Grier? Give him a contract? “Ohhh, he’s asking for too much money, we can’t pay him that!!!”. Say goodbye to our best OL, and one that we drafted. It’s not like don’t have one of the top 5 offensive lines in football, so why keep one of your own who was a solid, dependable, above average player? Our LT is in has last season, and he misses so much time. While that’s good for rookie Patrick Paul, maybe we could have saved the money on Terron Armstead, and just played Paul right out of the chute. Let’s face it, Chris Grier is playing the O-line by the seat of his pants. There’s clearly no plan, with the majority of the line departing next season in FA, or retirement. LT Terron Armstead is retiring, LG Robert Jones is a FA, C Aaron Brewer is under contract through 2026, RG Liam Eichenberg is a UFA next season, and RT Austin Jackson is also signed through 2026.
Think about it like this if you will. You’re in the medieval era, you build a magnificent castle while you’re surrounded by hostile armies. You decide, you know what, the castle is made of bricks, and it looks great, we don’t need to spend a lot on moats, or heavy iron gates. You can just imagine what would happen to that castle or your QB Tua Tagovailoa when you neglect to protect them. Tua’s injury history was well known here, and what’s worse, a concussion problem in a league where this has been a long battle between former players and the NFL, and the Miami Dolphins organization doesn’t want this type of thing ruining it’s product or image. In essence, this is precisely why we put Tua on IR, while other players who were concussed as recently as last week might even play this week. It was such a risky decision to think Tua wouldn’t get hurt again, yet we pushed all our chips into the pot anyway.
Then we can discuss the backup QB situation. We had Mike White, and 3rd year 7th RD pick (pick 247), picked 15 spots before Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy. I know some of y’all don’t think much of Brock Purdy, but compared to Skylar Thompson, who’s been here 2 seasons and by all rights should know Mike McDaniels offense backwards and forward, he looked lost out there. Yes, it was in Seattle, where the crowd is deafening, but they practice for that, don’t they? QB Tim Boyle looked far less bothered by the noise, or not really having time to learn the offense, or read a defense due to the leaky protection. So we pick up QB Tyler Huntley from the Baltimore Ravens practice squad. It’s an awful ot to ask a QB to digest such an overly complicated offense in just 2 weeks, and of course we would think that they would simplify things, maybe eliminate the complicated motions because timing is so important for that. This is where the HC Mike McDaniel has to take some heat. It seems as if he’s designed this offense specifically for QB Tua Tagovailoa, and that’s a real problem considering he’s only played one full season, and once again I stress, did it wearing bubble wrap and oh so cautiously and carefully. That’s unacceptable, it just is.
There are more poor choices both Grier and McDaniel made. We let OLB AndrewVan Ginkel go. Never really a full time starter, but always, and I mean always an impact player. When you contrast him with our first RD pick OLB Chop Robinson, Robinson is all speed, quick get off, and basically made it through college looking quick, but not making plays. All AVG did was make plays. Big plays! We can only hope that someday Chop Robinson does what AVG did here. I understand why AVG left, he went to a coach that believed in him. Much like McDaniel believes in Tua, Flores believed in AVG. Back to Mike McDaniel for a moment. “Offensive Genius”. Next fucking time we consider hiring one of those, GO THE OTHER WAY! If he’s truly an offensive genius, he’d realize that no QB on the roster or off it can run this offense as well as Tua Tagovailoa, who this system was tailored to by a fine Italian tailor. It fits perfectly, but if you need to bring in a different QB, it takes far too much time to get everyone in sync. How he hasn’t been able to make changes and eliminate the most complex things like 3 different players in motion and then getting set with a QB who just got here 2 weeks is beyond me.
Oh yeah, we play the Patriots this weekend, and our good friend Hulk got tickets from his brother and was willing to drive to the game from his house in CT. At this point, Piggy (Who could fly to the game) and myself both backed out because the effort necessary to get that done and the expense just isn’t worth it to see this product. I admit, I thought we could be a very competitive team, i thought Mike McDaniel would work out the kinks, and we’d use new weapons like TE Jonnu Smith, and rookie RB Jaylen Wright, along with our superstars WR Tyreek Hill, WR Jaylen Waddle, 3rd WR OBJ, and promising 2nd year RB De’Von Achane. Instead, Jonnu Smith is an afterthought, OBJ may play his first game this weekend, and somehow 5’9 180 lb De’Von Achane became a workhorse RB, as starter Raheem Mostert is OUT with a chest injury. I know you know, but this offense that scored 496 points last season HAS NEVER HAD A LEAD THIS SEASON, NEVER! That includes Game 1 against Jacksonville at home, and Game 2 against Buffalo, at home, with Tua. Incomprehensible. Has the NFL really just figured out our offense now to the point where it can never again be effective? Just play 2 deep safeties and cover those WR’s and keep everything in front of you and they’re stymied!
The last 4 games of 2023 we scored 15.5 PPG, 22 against Dallas, 19 against the Ravens, 14 against the Buffalo Bills, and 7 against the Chiefs in frozen Arrowhead. This year it’s 11.3 PPG, 20 against Jacksonville, 10 against the Bills, 3 against the Seahawks and then 12 against the Titans, on MNF no less. The question now looks like what does Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier have to do to keep their jobs at the end of the season? We gave extensions to WR Tyreek Hill, WR Jaylen Waddle, QB Tua Tagovailoa, CB Jalen Ramsey, RB Raheem Mostert, and yet the one guy who gave us the chance to win our only game this season, S Jevon Holland, is without a contract. Seems like one of the guys who makes big plays, and yet there he is, on the outside looking in. Next year we have 7 picks, RD1, RD 2, RD 4, RD 5, and 2 picks in RD7. We’re expected to potentially get 2 compensatory picks, one very likely a 3rd RD pick for Christian Wilkins, and either a 3rd or 4th for Robert Hunt. We may also get a 7th RD pick for DeSon Elliott, who is having a nice season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I DO NOT, want GM Chris Grier making these picks, and I’m somewhat convinced I don’t want MM involved either. We’re going to have to once again draft a starting QB, because Tua’s days are numbered here, his next concussion could be his last, much like I had warned about talented TE Jordan Cameron before we picked him up. Oh yeah, WTF happened with Jonnu Smith, that guy who was going to help this offense when teams took away Hill and Waddle? Well, if you haven’t noticed, they took away Hill and Waddle!!! Tyreek Hill through 4 games has 17 receptions for 217 yards, 1 TD. Jaylen Waddle has 17 receptions for 212 yards 0 TD’s, remarkably similar to Hill. That’s basically 4 catches a game for about 54 yards per game. Let’s throw more money at them!!!
So we play the Patriots this weekend and I’m not sure how many minutes I’m willing to invest in watching this product we’ve putting out there. There will be no scouting report or predictions, I’m not putting any more effort into this than the team is right now, so we’ll just wait and see if we can improve from the garbage we’ve put forward through the last 4 games. I thought last week we were due for a better game but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Finsmob Unleashed 
He took a helmet to the side of the head then his head bounced off the ground.
Ken
says:
October 6, 2024 at 1:27 pm
How bad are when we are calling for Boyle
————–
right
Was Smythe even looking
LOL, it looked like Armstead tackled Mostert forward
We suck
Huntley pulling a Mike White trying to get Waddle killed
Still should have caught it
THIS TEAM SUCKS.
Huntley just needs to take off. He’s got space for days. Also, MM needs to keep him on the move. He’s not good when he has to stand there and make decisions. His release isn’t quick enough.
^
Saw the same thing
Wow, gonna have to start drafting a kicker in my mocks
I so wanted us to replace Sanders this past offseason
We could have had Bates or the other guy now with KC
Texans using really ugly helmets today
Chop has nothing to get to the QB
This Patriots team is really bad; they keep shooting themselves in the foot, and we might lose this game by two or three scores.
Refs making themselves noticed again.
I started watching when I managed to get game up and we were 3 to the good. Moved tvs and we were 7-3 down. Then our offence dinked and got a dunk. Can’t guarantee I’ll be sticking around. Have 0 confidence
Bills down 14-3 to Texans
who cares .they are winning the division again
It’s so frustrating because so much of this ineptitude has nothing to do with Tua being out.
We are failing in all 3 phases in every fucking game.
That’s coaching
Completely agree
Holding, then illegal shift, then a bad pass. 3rd and 16
In one year, this offense has gone from the most exciting in the league to unwatchable . Stunning .
Special teams is pretty unwatchable too. Crossman still being our coordinator is unfathomable.
yep
then a blindside block. then a blocked punt
it’s keystone cops time
Of course
WHY hasn’t Crossman been fired?!!!!!
🍻
They need to make Crossman HC
Why not
why don’t we extend Crossman and give him a massive raise . Seems to be our MO
What’s up with this Weaver defense?
Our D is so soft
The NFL presents the 2025 Shit Show Bowl
Ken – injury excuses don’t do it for me. Tua couldn’t do shit the last 4 games of the season, and then as soon as we played the Bills this season, he went right back to it. I’d love to know what you see in Tua that I don’t. If he needs to up his game against better teams, all he does is choke it off and play poorly, especially once the games become critical late in the season
It’s MM and his system
We were literally putting in guys in off the street. Injuries matter
On defense Ken, what about Tua and the offense? My God, we had plenty of weapons in the lineup, we just sucked, and that includes Tua
And our offensive line and our WRs
but we did t lose some of those games because of injuries, we lost them because of poor play. the NFL has figured MM out, and he can’t adjust
Not totally true Brian. We lost because we didn’t have the personnel to run the system
Penalty won’t matter
Well at least the Patriots suck too
Kicking game putting the special in it for both teams
People will look at this 1st half and say “How can you say the defense didn’t play well, the defense held them to 7 points”
Exactly
I’m wearing Dolphins socks, I’m going to have to take those fuckers off before the Mets game and shower the funk off. 😂
burn them
Over your eyes?
As inept as we’ve been, we have an opportunity to go into the half with the lead…I’ll take another fg though.
aaaaaaand just like that, we don’t
We are in FG range again, oh wait…
LMFAO!!!!!
what a joke
Mike McDaniel just watching this game as if this isn’t his responsibility, not a care in the world. He should be livid!!
So much for a good drive
I figured we’d try to get them to jump and let the clock run to the 2 minute warning. Instead we went with the ol’ snap before the QB is ready, way over his head and put yourself out of fg range play.
No way the Pets saw that one coming.
LOL. Deception is key
Embarrassing
I’m literally embarrassed that people I know are aware I’m a fan of this team.
I haven’t worn any of my Dolphins hats since the Bills game.
Mike,
Injuries do matter, but I blame that on Grier for investing in too many players with injury histories. Too much cap and draft picks wasted.
We punted without a block. Small victories
Embarrassing is the word du jour
If the cap (helmet) fits wear it
Ken, SB – look at the game details for the last 4 games. 95% of the offense was there. Please stop the nonsense. The Tua that rocked the NFL was nowhere to be found, he crawled into the fetal position
Can’t win with guys starting off the street
Who’s talking about winning? Who on rhe offense was off the street? Name names please. We were awful on offense, we had our guys, they just sucked!
So how do we fuck this opportunity up?
They will find a way.
Now we know
I wonder if the Bills will win the East …….. again?
Sigh, would have been a first without the slip
Such a dumb throw. Lucky it wasn’t an int
Special teams with yet another mistake
Stupid throw, lucky
I really don’t understand why hill is out of the game, even for a play or two, at these crucial moments
He seems to be turning into a pouty ass malcontent as well
Mike,
I’m on your side of this, just think your anger is directed at the wrong guy.
Wow. Just wow
Crossman for president
Danny Crissman has to be fired!!!
Why?
You mean I can’t just pick on him? MM should go with him
😂
such an undisciplined team
I’d say unbelievable but it’s not.
Unfortunately true
OMFG!
MM is not the guy. We will be replacing him at some point. The question is when .
Well, the good news is our defense held the Patriots to 7 points in the 1st half.
MM doesn’t even understand this needed to be a kneel down play. wtf?
Can we just start over please? fire everyone…except Crossman.
I was trying to type go to the locker room but couldn’t get it typed fast enough. 😂
I’d be willing to bet every single Dolphins fan watching this game was yelling ‘kneel!’
MM says ‘nope, I’m calling a sweep, then a run up the middle’…with a RB that just came off an injury and is injury prone.
After we’ve already lost one RB today.
Someone tell me again how smart this guy is?
If we keep this up, we’ll be the first team in NFL history to average 29 points one season, and 9 the next
Part of being a leader, a good coach means you hold people accountable for their actions….NOT coddling them and being chummy chummy…imo…lol
Lol…but first you have to hold YOURSELF accountable…
I’ve been saying this for awhile.
Maybe he’s going to kiss them all on the forehead at halftime and give them all a game ball when this 💩 show is over.
lol….
Crossman better not come out of the locker room for the 2nd half….I’m fucking serious…lol
😂
not every coordinator is cut out to be a HC
Correct…
I have a bad attitude…lol
28 points in the last 14 quarters. Let that sink in for a moment .
Stupid
That is a play the ref should show some common sense
Hand to the helmet it’s the right call
It’s technically a foul, like I said, common sense. He clearly was just throwing a shove at the shoulder and it slipped up and slapped his facemask. I guarantee a number of refs don’t throw that flag.
Another TD and we’re toast. D needs to hold here.
We are the worst 3rd down defense
and offense
And special teams
Went to get dinner just before HT knowing we’d only be a point down after kicking a 41yder.
Honestly if this game were an animal it would have been put out of it’s misery and the teams wouldn’t come out for H2.
Debacle doesn’t do it justice. In fact I don’t know of a word which does. It’s utterly pitiful
Refs didn’t call the false start, nor the hold on that play, lol.
So we’re in fg range on the strength of two personal fouls, lol
Crowd can’t be booing that. It’s the same type of thing they called on us, except it was a little worse than Ramsey’s
White is our best player
Huntley doing his best to throw INTs in the endzone. That is two he got away with.
Another FG attempt coming up. Fingers crossed we can execute the snap.
Domination!
👊 💪
Nice stop D. Come on offense. Let’s draw some more personal fouls!!!!
Fair catch
Somewhere, Rock is having a good time 🤣
Someone said it above; that is what Huntley needs to be doing more of.
Wright just continues to look good running the ball.
Bills coming back against Houston
Fucking Huntley
He had so much room up the middle
He holds the ball so long
This is the right call
completely – these announcers are idiots
we are trying to get an ugly win
Exactly. low scoring game, you take the points that are there
Fist pump. Fuck me
🍺
I do love English beers
🤣 🍻
👊 💪
3rd down defense again
I think that was a read option?! sort of
Or a blown play
We are getting extra yards on nearly every run.
Some of these holds are just fucking bad technique calls. I’m so over it
I’m loving Wright
Running it down their throats!! Need to finish this drive!!
Wooohooo!!! Wright!!
WOoohooo!!!
Just need the defense to finish this game off. No TD and it’s ours!!
hate this game
but I love that they gave it to ingold