The season is nearly over, this is the next to the last week of the NFL season, especially for us Miami Dolphins fans, because we won’t be participating in the playoffs this season. Yes, it was another disappointing season for us Dolphins fans. So any things remain up in the air for this franchise, but one decision was made, and whether it was permanent or temporary, I was thrilled that QB Tua Tagovailoa was benched last week. I had absolutely seen enough from Tua over his career to know with certainty that he’s not it. He can be a complementary player and if the team is built such that everything can function whether the QB plays at his best or not, and the offense doesn’t rely on the QB carrying the team, he can win in such a situation. It’s actually what I want to build here. I want a team that the roster is constructed properly and won’t rely too much on any one player. Every roster needs great players, but a great team needs a lot more solid players too, ones that can get the job done with or without a great player too.
This weekend’s game against the Bucs means nothing for us except if we win we draft a little further back and if we lose, we may move a spot or 2. I firmly believe that this team’s wins or losses should have zero effect as to whether HC Mike McDaniel stays or goes. I don’t see any reason to for him to return, and therefore interim GM Champ Kelly should also go. The plan should be to hire a GM and allow that GM to build his team as he pleases. The GM will hire a HC who will then fill out the staff of assistant coaches and then together, these 2 will talk and form a plan of how they want to build the roster, with the GM always having final say on those things. The HC will obviously have input, but in order for there to be proper accountability, you have to have one guy having final say.
Sunday will be Quinn Ewers second week of practices with the ones, and also his second start, but the visiting Buccaneers are still fighting for a playoff spot, so this won’t be an easy test for Quinn. While the Bucs defense has hardly been swashbuckling opponents, you can expect them to be a little more dialed in in their quest to remain in the NFC playoff race. 6 Playoff spots have been clinched, so 2 remain, and there are 4 teams fighting for those 2 spots, the Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs play us and the season finale is against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Florida. In order for that game to mean anything though, the Bucs must first beat our Miami Dolphins.
I have no idea what the plan is for our Dolphins, but honestly, how could having Quinn Ewers playing against a playoff contending team like the Bucs with QB Baker Mayfield at the helm have any effect on whether Head Coach mike Mike McDaniel returns next season? That decision has to have been made by now, am I wrong? You all know I wanted Quinn Ewers to get some starts and I’m thankful he is getting 3, but I would have liked to have seen him get more. It’s not that I believe he can be a franchise QB, he might, but you have to know at the very least if he’s a capable backup QB. I don’t know who was responsible for that oversight in 2024, but ultimately, the GM should be responsible, and he was the first to go. I think we should draft a QB in 2025, but I don’t believe we have to trade up to get the best QB at #1, Fernando Mendoza, but I do think he would be an absolute great fit for the city of Miami.
I hope that this week Mike McDaniel doesn’t lean too hard on #28 RB De’Von Achane, there’s no need to burn him out and get him injured. He will be a valuable asset to the team whether he’s playing for us, or if he’s traded to move up in the draft. Let Jaylen Wright get a bunch of carries and let Ollie Gordon get some too, the “W” isn’t as important as evaluating other players. If we do decide to trade Achane, it would be nice to know if Wright can be a #1 or at least #1A. Randy was talking about every player on the roster as an asset and I agree at this time. This team is going to get rebuilt (hopefully!), and I couldn’t agree more with Randy that you have to think of these players not only now, but 3 years down the line too. Jordyn Brooks’ value may never be higher, but he’s young enough at 28 to still be a valuable part of this defense for at least 3 years, so there’s no need to move on from him. If we do indeed hire a new GM (Hallelujah!), he will have to go over every player, every unit, and plan ahead for not only the 2026 season but years beyond. Obviously, 2026 will be a struggle with the cap, so free agency will have to be guys to fill out the roster and no large expenditures because the money simply won’t be available.
Has QB Tua Tagovailoa actually played his last game here? We’ve seen other organizations absorb the cap hit and then go on a season later and become contenders like the Denver Broncos. We’ve also seen teams do it like the LV Raiders and then wallow in misery. Let’s be honest, we need to not only find the right Executive to be our new GM but most importantly, that GM needs to identify a Head Coach who is capable of winning in the NFL, not with gimmicks, but being able to use his personnel in a fashion that is sustainable against any and every opponent, andy weather situation, and any big game, and also a Head Coach that is capable of making adjustments when the opponent takes away some of the things that gave you success. That’s how the Broncos turned it around so quickly. The GM drafted very well, and as even Stephen Ross understood, Sean Payton is a darn good Head Coach. I have these pipe dreams that we can do all of these things, but I also understand as a lifelong Miami Dolphins Fan that we might actually do none of these things, and we could very well have interim GM Champ Kelly do the drafting for Head Coach Mike McDaniel and Tua could be our starting QB next season. As I’ve pointed out before, that would just be the laziest, most inexcusable path to take and if you think the fanbase is angry now, go ahead and pull that shit and see a whole lot more opposing team’s jersey in the stands next season! Let’s hope we do it right . . .
GO DOLPHINS!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
KURT WARNER reached out to Quinn Ewers this past week?!! NICE!!!
Nice run for the 1st down, Ewers!
PLEASE…no fucking passes!
Man, neither the Bucs or Panthers want to win the division
We’d have a chance at that division this year, lol.
I’m officially a Qunn Ewers fan!
“Quinn”
🙂
We beat the Bucs handily in all 3 phases. Even special teams got a blocked FG and a big kick return today.
lol, we can’t do anything easy
It’s so typical. 91 yards, 3 plays one minute. You know what has to be done and you make us depend on STs. SMH.
Pretty ridiculous
nfc south is pretty bad
Good win, Phins!
Now… it’s going to cost us MUCH, MUCH more to get into the top-10 of the ’26 Draft.
Translation: we’re still mired in mediocrity.
I like that the team is playing hard and hasn’t packed it in. It just comes down to hitting on the picks we have wherever they land.
Markey – this is why I wanted to see Ewers earlier. It’s not because I knew Ewers would be good, but you have to see. Now we’ve seen and it’s so obvious that it was Tua keeping this offense down. I’m not absolving Mike McDaniel at all, but Tua was clearly limited and therefore the offense was too.
Exactly
Ewers isn’t that bad though. This was game two and he did a solid job. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of him next year. Worst thing that could happen is a great pick in 2027? I’ll take that.
M13,
it doesn’t matter if we pick 10 or 15, we have to hit on the pick . I’m hoping Caleb Downs falls to us.
Owe you a beer!
New management has to pick the right players. Who gives a fuck if it’s 10 or 15 or 20. Hit on the pick…lol
Lol…mf13ss thinks it’s a difference maker
I’m not so worried about where our pick is next season, and I kinda think the moving up for Mendoza is unlikely. I don’t know if this win and the fact that Ewers is playing well gives Mike McDaniel a better chance to come back next season or if that decision has already made as I had intimated before. I don’t think he should be judged on what amount to meaningless wins, but the one thing that scares me is Ewers running this offense better than Tua does show you how limited the offense was with Tua. I guess the other aspect of it is Mike McDaniel is the Head Coach, and Grier wasn’t there anymore, so why couldn’t Mike have done this earlier? That has to fall on him as well, so who knows what’s going to happen?
Brian and Krishna,
Being we don’t even know who our GM is going to be in ’26, do y’all have faith we’re going to be able to knock the ’26 Draft out of the park?
Mathematically speaking, the earlier the draft pick, the better the chances (obviously). NO, that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to hit on ANYBODY.
I don’t care for winning NOW, after we should have been winning all year long.
Plus, today’s win gives Capri McD the high ground as it pertains to returning next season.
NO. It does not…lol
Mathematics has NOTHING to do with making the right pick…lol
So who is our new GM? I can’t call it either, Krishna. It would suck if our new GM sucked worse than both Grier, Tannenbaum, and Ireland.
It doesn’t matter…lol
What matters is starting over as football organization. That’s it.
As a HC, the only thing MM has done right is benching Tua. What was wrong, was not benching him sooner….he absolutely failed in not recognizing Tua’s limitations after the poor start and seeing how inept and ineffective he was
No, that isn’t it. Capri McD is NOT HC-ing material, period. He still lost in the ever important 3rd Quarter today (-3).
Our Defense saved the day (turnovers were the difference).
Hmmmm….ok, as usual and ANOTHER reason why MM should be fired….you’re talking out of both sides of your mouth…lol
Krishna
says:
December 28, 2025 at 4:25 pm
NO. It does not…lol
———
We shall see, Krishna… we shall see.
As long as we’re starting 2026 with a clean slate, new GM, new scouting department, new coach, new QB, none of your statement about draft position makes ANY sense…lmao
LOL! D’uhokay!
I think we’re agreeing more than disagreeing, to be honest, man! That is, unless you’re just trying to be contrarian for the sake of it! It’s all good, LOL.
On the serious tip, enjoy your time in Puerto Rico, sir! I’ve never been there and hope to visit there sometime soon!
I’m willing to throw 2026 W-L results out the window in order to build a NEW team from ground up…where have you been?
M13,
the first round, and the draft as a whole is kind of a crap shoot. Go back and look at first round picks – there is no rhyme or reason to who is a bust and who is a stud. Yes, you can pick out certain examples, but overall, take a look at a draft from a specific year, and you’ll see what I’m saying.
Exactly, from the 1st pick on…lol
Agreed, but if you have a GRAND GM, only THEN does it not matter where one picks in the Draft. We’re not there yet, Brother.
I mean, we don’t even know who our next GM will be.
Not sure draft position supports your position, i.e. 10 vs 15 vs 20 vs 5 vs 1…lol
….supports your point
I loved the first half. MM loses me after half though. He makes no adjustments.
yep
I’m not worried about out what # the pick is. If they get another win playing Ewers so be it. Only way that is happening is if the Cheats rest everyone next week though
yep
I think Ewers has a bit of “It” in him. As a 7th round pick, I would invest some time in him.
I agree. I feel like rather than finding a veteran QB to come in here and play like Malik Willis who seems to be a lot of Dolphins fans wet dream, just run with Ewers and a rookie you draft in ’26, not necessarily an early pick, but a QB who has talents but may be raw and whatever happens happens. Build the team right, no trade ups, no trades for unicorns, just a solid draft that gives us more of a foundation for ’27 when we can kiss Tua goodbye for good and then draft a QB to be our guy if Quinn Ewers doesn’t seem to be the guy
Agree 100%
yep, let’s see how he goes….not comparing him to Purdy, but give the kid a chance
I like the Purdy comparison.
Man, the Eagles are HITTING.
Phillips left game with leg injury.
Big time
BBM just woke up. We won, I’ll take it. Especially with Ewers having a good game.
Said it before, this draft is void of elite talent. Picking 9 or 10 vs 13-14 won’t make much a difference. It might make us miss on a S Caleb Downs or CB Mansoor Delane. I think Caleb Downs would be the only sure thing we would miss on.
Looks like Raiders are in the front running for Mendoza. Though, Raiders could win next week vs the Chiefs and have just a slightly higher SOS than the Jets.
If it ends up with Raiders getting the first pick, I hope Dante Moore doesn’t enter the draft. He will end up a Jet.
KURT WARNER reached out to Quinn Ewers this past week?!! NICE!!!
—————
Come on Kurt, you know you want to be the next Dolphins OC
Wow! Bills go for 2 when 1 would have tied the game
Pretty surprising considering they had completely shut down the Eagles offense the 2nd half.
That’s what I was thinking. They had a good chance of winning in OT. Maybe they thought they had the momentum.
The difference in the way the ball comes out with Ewers vs Tua is night and day, the effort in getting the ball there. Not saying Ewers has a gun, he doesn’t. The difference would be noticeable with many other QB’s.
With Ewers he has a strong arm, not elite like Allen, but I think what sets him apart is his quick release and that 3/4 release like Marino & Rivers had. So far this season, IMO, the most important thing that he has done is make the plays when they present themselves
also he’ll make the simple routine play that Tua refused to take.
With the Bills loss, Pats clinch the division. They won’t be sitting players against us though. They are competing with the Broncos to get the playoff bye week. Broncos are at home vs the Chargers. We will get their best in Foxborough where it is supposed to be around a high of 27 degrees.
it’s been brutally cold up here this December .
Dbolt sighting what’s up?
Bullshit call by the refs. Gardner-Johnson gets called for illegal use of hands when pressing the WR right at the LOS no farther than 1 yard past the LOS, ball not in the air. Seconds later Gardner-Johnson intercepts the ball in the end zone. Flag gets thrown. SF gets 1st and goal and scores a TD.
That was a fun game to watch!
Looks like the Dolphins game at the Pats got flexed to Sunday afternoon at 4:25pm ET so it is going to be even colder at kickoff.
Thank God Ewers Q&A was first. I stopped watching/listening 1 min into MM’s Q&A. OMG, I’d rather listen to a Mumbles Belichick Q&A.
LOL at you guys bitching about MM not making halftime adjustments in only 15 minutes
4 minutes to get in/out of locker room, that leaves only 11 minutes for him to talk to his players/coaches
SMH🤣 he gets to the locker room and starts talking to his coaches and says, (after a long pause) ah duh duh what I ah want to ah do in the 2nd half (long pause, while he looks at his notes) is run this ah cool play I’ve ah been working ah on
when done discussing his brilliant new play he turns to the team and says, ah I want to thank everyone for ah duh duh a great first ah half (guy in charge of getting team back out on field taps him on shoulder)
its not his fault, he doesn’t have enough time to make adjustments 😜
You guys all have probably seen the end of the Bills vs Eagles game. Completely understand the throw was a bad throw, but it’s the end of the game, how does Shakir not dive to try to make that catch? It wasn’t a bullet pass, it was just way too out in front. Shakir could have made a better attempt at it, especially with the season on the line. Unless it’s fixed?
https://x.com/CamJordan4Fins/status/2005456297551139114?s=20
I don’t think a dive would have made that catch. Bad throw. He was wide open
Agreed. He had no shot. Reminded me of the time we beat them 4-5 years ago when he short hopped a pass to the receiver near the goal line and we won.
The Dolphins are out of the playoff hunt, so it’s time for Bradley Chubb to shine. And shine he did vs. Tampa Bay with incentives on the line.
Chubb’s two-sack performance against the Bucs — including his strip-sack on Baker Mayfield in the fourth quarter — put him in position to earn an additional $900,000 in incentives. Chubb needed to get to eight sacks on the year to potentially earn the added income. The strip-sack on Mayfield put Chubb at 8.5 for the season, and it was clear in the moment that he knew of the potential reward, opting to do a “money dance” immediately after the sack.
he did take a payout, so you can’t say its all about the money
no player can turn on a switch to get sacks, they come when they come
on this dysfunctional team I’m not blaming him, and like Seiler he didn’t get much help this year, when he had Phillips the pass D was so bad receivers were running free with little chance to get pressure, once Phillips was gone there was no one else to get pressure
His performance may also entice someone to trade for him. I think he would cost the other team 20m.
I tell you, Chop Robinson played about as well as I expected this year (a step down from last year) even after we moved Jaelan Phillips. Next season we need to see some REAL growth from him or he will go down as another BUST for Grier.
Yeah, it’s great that we won yesterday. YAY…
Now we have a lower draft pick and I lost $100.00 to an asshole. I bet that the Dolphins would not win more than 6 games this season. It was looking really good there for a while. Now I have to carry $100 with me everywhere until the next time I see him.
Rock,
Pay him in pennies, if you can find 10,000 of them. I had a buddy do that once…not $100 though. Lol
I lost a $100 bet to my boss 5-6 years ago and I paid him in lose change. LOL He was not happy about a 5lb bag of change.
I’m officially a Ewers fan. A “Tombstone” shirt and what looks like a Ducks Unlimited hat. Nice.
Ewers played as I expected yesterday about the same as the previous week, in terms of upside
his play against Pitt was unexpected, thought he’d struggle big time
mostly he’s played like I expected Wilson to play both sucked in Preseason
lmfao…played YOU expected vs my expectations…which was same…you are a dick!
To bad my my 2nd and 3rd baseman sidearm throw comment got deleted…another dick comment you made…lmao
Yeah, especially the Tombstone shirt.
Now we have a lower draft pick and I lost $100.00 to an asshole.
——
Not worried about dropping another pick. Most likely we gain that back and maybe 1-2 more. I don’t see us beating the Pats in 25 degree (or less) weather in Foxborough with them competing for the bye week.
Therefore, we lose, no one else will leapfrog us. Saints and Falcons play each other and we will leapfrog the winner of that game back to pick #11. Browns play at the Bengals. Bengals win, we leapfrog them and move up to #10. Lastly, if the Chiefs can beat the Raiders in LV, we would move up to #9.
So we will be picking as high as #9 but no lower than #14 if a miraculous win happens.
At this point, I am flip flopping back to wanting a win next week. We are going to be middle of the pack anyway. I would rather we ‘shock’ the patriots and make them have to travel for the playoffs. If we can’t be winners and we can’t be losers, then at least we might be spoilers.
I agree 100%. What? Ewers a subfreezing win. Let’s go kick their ass!
Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman announced he is returning to ND and won’t pursue NFL offers. ND restructured his contract giving him more money to stay. It was reported the NY Giants had high interest in hiring him. Other teams had interest as well.
I believe he is in his late 30’s so he has plenty of time to make that jump.
Really looking forward to watching Ewers against a SB caliber team on the road in the cold weather.
It will be a big test for sure.
QB Geno Smith(ankle) is going to have a hard time being able to play in Sunday’s season finale versus the Chiefs, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters.
———
True or tanking to keep that #1 pick?
they are tanking with a capital T
sitting Maxx Crosby kind of gives that away
Yep and now Geno.
I don’t think Ewers looks like a guy you build your franchise with
but it’s really impressive that he comes in and looks like a veteran
I really think the right move for us at QB this off-season might be to draft a QB with a later pick (between 2-5th rounds) and give Eeers a shot to compete for the job
There is more than enough reason not to have any faith in Tua – but given his cap situation, I keep him here in 26. He will probably be the highest paid clipboard holder on the nfl – but he should still get a shot to compete
he may even fall to 3rd on the depth chart
there are some projects at WB worth looking at this year
unless we had a shot and Mendoza or Moore, I’m leaning towards using our first round pick on a QB and we can spend it on a CB, OL or a TE or even a pass rusher or receiver (to replace Hill)
we don’t need a top 10 pick unless we are targeting a QB
Too early to tell on Ewers, IMO. Do we need another WR or do we need an OC with better route concepts? I say probably both
Pats lost WR Mack Hollins to IR. At least he won’t haunting us Sunday. Feel bad for him though.
if we lost next week, there’s still a possibility we have as high as the 8th pick
not sure what the latest pick we can have is but I would prefer we beat the patriots too
fuck those jerks!
Piggy, as I posted above, it looks like #14 would be the latest. If we win and all the 8-8 teams lose, we still have a worse SOS and will win the tiebreaker over them.
14 is fine
honestly my favorite player is Kenyon Sadiq who isn’t expected to go that high anyway…lol
does anyone know if the Bills fans are taking about firing Payton after he went for 2 last night?
the bills pretty much gave away the chance to play the AFC north winner in the first round which, although more experienced teams, is probably a much easier matchup
traveling to Denver, Nee England or Jacksonville doesn’t seem unwinable but all 3 teams are playing much better than the Steelers or the Ravens
and I don’t recall the Bills winning a lot of postseason games on thw road the last few years
I’m assuming you mean McDermott. No shot he’s fired.
if Allen makes the throw, they win
yeah I just looked it up
the Bills haven’t won a road playoff win since 1992.
there are reports that the Browns are interested in Chris Grier
😂😂😂
Now THAT makes perfect sense . Maybe they trade for Tua too!
honestly my favorite player is Kenyon Sadiq who isn’t expected to go that high anyway…lol
———
Not my “fav” but like him a lot. If we don’t resign Dulcich, we probably should. Though I like Joe Royer later.
Sadiq and Dulcich would be a nice TE room.
Honestly, I’d re-sign Darren Waller at this point. That is, unless he’s asking for ridiculous $$$. Maybe a little over vet minimum.
And YES(!), as I stated yesterday, PLEASE re-sign Dulcich!
IMO, it’s still far too early to judge young Quinn Ewers. This Sunday against the Patsies* will be a very good test for him in order for our future GM to at least make a better assessment of his progress.
Can’t/won’t lie, I really LIKED(!) what I saw from Ewers yesterday!
Just a friendly reminder: some had already anointed Skyler Thompson as our next QB after Tua went down in late ’22.
At this point, I concur with BBM and the Pigster (and probably several others) that we should probably focus on drafting a QB either late day 2 if a stud falls (high on our draft board) or day 3 of the ’26 Draft.
IF we were to trade up for Mendoza and he fails, we’re setting ourselves up for failure like the stej. It’s more important to solidify the foundation of this team, rather than swinging for the fences on a single player. You don’t build in a flood zone, you don’t build in tornado alley, and you don’t build on a fault zone.
Time to build with BRICK and MORTAR for a solid foundation on a solid piece of land. And who knows… perhaps Quinn Ewers is the guy after all?!!
Competition is a key, health (no more injury-prone players!) is a key, and player-versatility (one who can thrive in ANY system) is a key.
bookman11
says:
December 29, 2025 at 2:12 pm (Edit)
Yeah, especially the Tombstone shirt.
Reply
Can we send MM and Tua to the train station?
M13
not sure how I feel about resigning Waller
He’s great when he plays but he missed a bunch of games
and he’s not a great blocker
Sadiq is a great blocker
if we are sticking with MM next year and our offenses revolves around Achane – a blocking TE and playing a lot of two TE sets makes sense
it is a small body of work, but Ewers looks competent. I didn’t see anything special yet though.
that’s probably the way I describe him as well
although the value of a rookie looking poised in his first two starts shouldn’t go undervalued
Did you see him run on 3rd down and get past the 1st down marker??? That’s fucking special around here! lol
Draft a QB later and roll with Ewers and Tua (unless some team is stupid enough to trade for him) Build the rest of the team in the draft. The only trades in the draft should be trade downs to collect more talent.
Oh, and hire BBM as a personnel consultant
lol
The Flying Pig
says:
December 29, 2025 at 4:25 pm
M13
not sure how I feel about resigning Waller
He’s great when he plays but he missed a bunch of games
and he’s not a great blocker
Sadiq is a great blocker
if we are sticking with MM next year and our offenses revolves around Achane – a blocking TE and playing a lot of two TE sets makes sense
———–
All very good points!
As far as if we stick with Capri McD next season? I’d be willing to bet we retain both Darren Waller and Julian Hill (two of his favorites). And don’t forget, my guy Jalin Conyers is the only TE signed to our roster for ’26. Conyers is an outright STUD… I’d call him ‘Tyler Warren-esque’.
I DO like Kenyon Sadiq, man! However, he’s slotted to go in the 1st round. I’m not sure we need to focus on the TE position in round 1. We’ve got way bigger fish to fry in order to secure an adequate foundation for our beloved team moving forward. JMO, as always.
Just to be certain, I’m 100% positive that drafting Tyler Warren in the 1st round this past Draft wouldn’t have made much of a difference for us this season.
Our warts are WAY bigger than the TE position.
And my bad… YES, we need to retain Dulcich!!!
We MUST revamp our pass-rush. Jaelan Phillips is gone (he sucked for us anyway), we cut the lousy Matthew Judon, we almost HAVE to cut Bradley Chubb to get under the cap in ’26, and Chop has regressed horrifically.
An elite pass-rusher/EDGE is certainly on our wish list for the ’26 Draft.
I don’t see an elite pass rusher in this draft.
BBM’s Post Week 17 Last Mock Draft Of The Year
26. Colton Hood CB Tennessee
45. A’Mauri Washington DT Oregon
58. Chris Brazzell II WR Tennessee
76. Caleb Tiernan OT Northwestern
78. Gennings Dunker OT Iowa
84. Zion Young. EDGE Missouri
91. Dani Dennis-Sutton EDGE Penn State
113. Joe Royer TE Cincinnati
126. Sawyer Robertson QB Baylor
152. Trey Zuhn OG Texas A&M
226. Wydett Williams Jr. S Ole Miss
If Wydett Williams lasts to the 7th, he will be a steal.
Is it just me, or have there been rookies been playing and contributing more, especially the last 6 weeks?
“the rookies”
bailbondmike
says:
December 29, 2025 at 5:09 pm
I don’t see an elite pass rusher in this draft.
———–
I give you one David Bailey, who graduated from Harvard in under 4 years, transferred to Texas Tech, and has had a very productive season there.
Shows explosion on the tape I’ve seen, shows SPEED, and he’s got one helluva spin move!
He’s also got a ‘quick twitch’… I need to see much more of Bailey, but he certainly looks the part of an elite pass-rusher. JMO, at first glance.
tape I’ve seen = his highlights
I need to see his game tape from play-to-play.
I was on the David Bailey train most of the season, he was almost always my 1st round pick. I like him. I think he was at Stanford though, then transferred to TT.
Lately, I have been leaning CB in the 1st.
Until I know who our ’26 DC will be, I have no idea if we’re going to be running primarily zone or man-to-man regarding our DBs. As such, I cannot and will not project any DB in the ’26 Draft to us.
This is what sucks when there is a new GM and/or potential coaching change looming.
bailbondmike
says:
December 29, 2025 at 5:57 pm
…I think he was at Stanford though…
———-
Agh!!! My bad! I don’t know why I confuse Stanford and Harvard all the time.
Yessir, you are correct!
I HATE it when I do that! Thank you for the correction!
Quinn Ewers definitely has upside. Poise in the pocket, shows good instincts and has a unique quick release.
I think he has an “ it”‘quality to him.
I have no opinion of how Ewers plays. I’ve never watched. I just feel comfortable with a guy wearing a tombstone shirt and a duck hat and digging a dip out of his lip at the podium. That’s my kinda QB.
Agree 100 %
😂 solid analysis Randy!
M13, you still around?
I know it’s kind of a pointless discussion because you pick where you pick, but I think folks are underestimating how big of a difference a spot or two can make with a draft pick. I’m a greedy SOB. I want the highest possible pick I can get.
I’ve pointed this out before, but 2 picks was the difference between us getting Verse or Chop. 2 picks. I get that you still need to be able to identify talent and make the “right” pick, but this idea that spots don’t matter is kinda strange to me.
from experience, I know I will be miserable when the guy I want is picked right before we pick
Or we pass on the guy I want for some one else
or we trade down or
or we trade up
I’m happy that it appears I wont be lamenting over Tua being the QB next year all off season.
piggy,
Ain’t that the truth! I think I’d be happy with just about anything but giving up multiple picks for anybody. Accruing picks for a much better QB class in 2027 isn’t the worst idea I’ve ever heard.
I don’t know if I didn’t notice it before but is espn experimenting with a bunch of new graphics on MNF.
are you guys watching this?
the defenses being played are flashing in the screen. The players names and % are on the screen. The probability of them running or passing too
Randy,
it’s also the pick that matters: in 2017 we picked Charles Harris. The Steelers picked TJ Watt at 30.
to illustrate Randy’s point about a couple of picks being a difference
I just saw Jared Verse block a kick and run the return back for a TD
right now it looks like verse was a much better pick
yes. But I gave an example in the other direction. The pick matters more than the position IMO. How many times have we chosen a player, only for better players to be chosen afterwards?
we had the pick before the chargers in 2020- that’s not looking so good now.
would I rather have an earlier pick? Of course. But my point is that doesn’t necessarily mean we will make the right pick.
It’s very hard to get a real gauge on Ewers after 2 games, but there are definitely things to like. I think one of the most difficult aspect of the comparison is we’re comparing him to the ’26 version of Tua which is a husk of what he used to be. It’s also one of the things that just absolutely drove me crazy about Tua fans is that they just couldn’t/wouldn’t see the decline of the player. I knew he didn’t have “it” in ’23, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have skills. Those skills have eroded such to the point where he’s not even close to the player he was in ’22 and ’23.
An interesting thing to me is looking at our roster right now and who Quinn Ewers is playing with right now is closer to what Tua played with in ’21. No real big threat WR, DeVante Parker was pretty much toast in ’21, Waddle wasn’t yet the big play WR he became when Hill arrived. Ewers was playing with an injured Waddle, Cedrick Wilson Jr, Malik Washington, Theo Wease and then a smattering of Darren Waller who is in and out, Julian Hill and Greg Dulcich. He also didn’t overuse Rb De’Von Achane. It wasn’t one of those De’Von Achane on almost every play games. It never looked like too much for him to handle, and if you compare it to the QB’s that failed miserably here like Tim Boyle, Tyler Huntley and Skylar Thompson, you have to give Ewers some serious props.
I look forward to his next start and hope New England doesn’t rest their starters and guns for a victory. That will tell us a lot about what type of player he is. I hope Waddle is healthy and contribute a little more and Waller too. Play Waller until he can’t play. He’s not on the roster and besides a game or two where he really contributed, he’s been OUT more than IN. Use him until you can’t. Keep using Wright and of course Achane, but don’t overuse Achane. He’s either going to help Ewers next season, or potentially be part of a trade. No one is untouchable!
Chris Grier is meeting with the Cleveland Browns for a role in their organization. Can the Browns get any worse?
I am happy for him that is the perfect place for him to be if it happens.
The ironoc thing about losing Grier is that this last draft was a good draft and we have some young talent to build from including our young QB that some of you seem to like.
I didn’t watch the game but Safety Xavier Watts, who M13 really wanted along with some of us others had a huge game last night. Picked off Stafford 2 times giving him 5 INT’s on the season.
To think we could have done a different trade up this past draft makes me sick.
We could have stayed put in the 2nd round and still got Jonah. Better yet, we could have taken Tate Ratledge instead. Then we could have traded up just a little from #98 and got Xavier Watts.
I was not counting on the Falcons beating the Rams last night. We have the lower SOS so we are back up to picking #11. That sets things up perfectly for this weekend.
We just need the Saints to beat the Falcons in Atlanta, Bengals to beat the Browns in Cincinnati and Chiefs to beat the Raiders in LV. This would put us picking #8, if the Pats beat the Dolphins.
I can see us picking higher than #11.
8 would be an ideal spot for Caleb Downs
Of course, if we pull off the W, we need the Falcons, Bucs and Cowboys to win in order to stay at #11.
As Rock said yesterday and I agree, I wouldn’t mind this scenario where Ewers pulls off the upset in Foxborough. Then the Falcons, Bucs and Cowboys win leaving us at pick #11.
It would leave a good feeling going into 2026.
Falcons home vs Saints, Bucs home vs Panthers for their division championship and Cowboys are at the Giants.
It could happen.
even if we don’t win, I want to see us play a good game, and Ewers continue to ascend. As long as we don’t get throttled, I’m okay with it. A hard fought loss would still have the team feeling good going into the offseason.
Yes sir
8 would be an ideal spot for Caleb Downs
———–
Safety Caleb Downs and CB Mansoor Delane are my top 2 picks in that #8 to #14 range where we will possibly pick. Maybe David Bailey at #14, any higher is reaching for him, IMO.
If Mendoza, Dante Moore, Reese, Downs or Delane aren’t there and we are picking top 10, then I am going to try and trade down.
Whether we win or lose doesn’t really matter to me anymore. I want a better draft pick. Of course, I always root for a win and assume the players will play like they care.
M13, I watched David Bailey some this morning. He does have a good spin move and can also bull rush. He put up some big #’s. I watched him vs some of the RT’s I like in this draft.
The first one, ASU RT Max Iheanachor, 6’6 330. I like Iheanachor as a 2nd round pick. He also grades well in a ZBS. Bailey, IMO, only got 1 win vs him. Bailey did get 2 sacks that game though both from the left side. Bailey was getting chipped a lot this game also.
Utah RT Spencer Fano, 6’6 305. Fano might be worth our 1st pick if picking later than #10. Fano is the best run block OT in this draft. Bailey did get 1 cleanup sack this game. For the most part he got washed out by both Utah OT’s who are also both graded as 1st round picks. He did get a nice spin move on, I think it was Fano, causing 1 pressure.
That said, he looks like possibly the best Edge in this draft class. I just don’t see Elite game changer in him.
If we are picking #11 to #14, I would take him or RT Spencer Fano. Maybe CB Jermod McCoy if he checks out and does well at the combine.
Best scenario: play a great game, lose a nail biter where an opponent makes a phenomenal play to win. Loss helps the team long term and losing a well played game helps in the short term…if that matters. I personally don’t believe that one year translates to the next. The point of a new year is the fact that you get a brand new chance! Isn’t that what the NFL hypes for every team EVERY year! You got a chance! Anybody can win! It doesn’t matter what happened last year! Lol
Losing a nail biter where Ewers has another good game will work for me.
I was glad to see Meyer hold up well. Especially going against a DT like Vita Vea who has 50 pounds on him. Meyer is the same size as Brewer though. Not sure how he would hold up in a different system which is the same question we have about Brewer.
BBM,
If you wanna predominantly run an outside zone scheme, having a center who can get to second level blocks is very valuable. But, it’s also why we don’t line up and try to get a yard or two on dives
yeah, in order to do a tush push Miami would have to line up Biggers as a FB to push both Tua AND Brewer. LOL
Better yet, have both DT’s Kenneth Grant and Phillips in the backfield and they can just pick up Tua and throw him over the LOS. lol
Thanks Randy, maybe we keep the same run scheme after MM.
Our centers look like tight ends
I think on the Marshall INT, if the ball had been thrown sooner he would have been toast.
Here is my first mock for next draft. I said no to every trade down scenario.
11. Jordyn Tyson WR Arizona State
45. Cashius Howell EDGE Texas A&M
76. Caleb Tiernan OT Northwestern
89. Garrett Nussmeier QB LSU
90. Oscar Delp TE Georgia
111. Keylan Rutledge OG Georgia Tech
153. Amare Ferrell S Indiana
225. Dominic Zvada K Michigan
I don’t think Delp will last until the 4th round. He is a monster blocking, both in-line and down field plus has shown some ability to get RAC in the passing game. At 6’5″ / 245lbs he runs a 4.5 – 40 which is pretty good for his size.
I roll with Ewers, Nussmeier and Tua in a “true competition” while waiting until the 27 draft to go for the “Franchise” QB if one of the young guys doesn’t show promise.
that’s what I think we should do at QB next year
not sure about Nussmeir but he is one of many QB who started off on top of draft boards and had a down year so he has dropped
should be able to find value with guys like that
I am kind of intrigued with Taylen Green from AK
I would not be mad at that draft. Do you think Nussmeier can be fixed? I think his coach ruined him. No CB? We do have Marshall, Brents and maybe resign Jones.
I have not mocked WR Tyson to us but that would be an interesting pick. He’s not a speed guy but man the dude can really get off the LOS and get separation. Probably the best at it in the draft. Was that a BPA pick for you?
I like the OL picks and Delp.
Howell at #45 is nice. Him or R Mason Thomas there.
Brian in NY
says:
December 29, 2025 at 7:47 pm
M13, you still around?
———-
I am now!
bailbondmike
says:
December 30, 2025 at 12:14 pm
M13, I watched David Bailey some this morning. He does have a good spin move and can also bull rush. He put up some big #’s. I watched him vs some of the RT’s I like in this draft.
The first one, ASU RT Max Iheanachor, 6’6 330. I like Iheanachor as a 2nd round pick. He also grades well in a ZBS. Bailey, IMO, only got 1 win vs him. Bailey did get 2 sacks that game though both from the left side. Bailey was getting chipped a lot this game also.
Utah RT Spencer Fano, 6’6 305. Fano might be worth our 1st pick if picking later than #10. Fano is the best run block OT in this draft. Bailey did get 1 cleanup sack this game. For the most part he got washed out by both Utah OT’s who are also both graded as 1st round picks. He did get a nice spin move on, I think it was Fano, causing 1 pressure.
That said, he looks like possibly the best Edge in this draft class. I just don’t see Elite game changer in him.
If we are picking #11 to #14, I would take him or RT Spencer Fano. Maybe CB Jermod McCoy if he checks out and does well at the combine.
————-
I like your train of thought here. And thanks for your take on David Bailey vs ASU and Utah.
I seriously don’t mind if we go CB in round 1, so long as he fits the scheme of our DC. I hope we can keep Anthony Weaver… whether it be as our DC or HC.
Yes… I’m high on the Utah Tackles, especially Fano.
I have been choosing the CB’s who grade well in both zone and man.
if Caleb Downs is on the board when we pick, I might fly to the draft and shout the pick myself…
markeyh
says:
December 30, 2025 at 9:23 am (Edit)
The ironoc thing about losing Grier is that this last draft was a good draft and we have some young talent to build from including our young QB that some of you seem to like.
it’s actually a pretty good draft
albeit I think given Jonah’s season right now he looks like a big miss
I’m VERY disappointed in Big Jonah this season, too! And yes, he looks like a big miss at the moment. He still has time to get his career on track, but he’d better put in the work this offseason to accomplish just that.
The exact same applies to Kenneth Grant.
some players take just a little longer to develop than others
let’s see how they developed during the off-season and in season two
Totally agreed! There’s still plenty of time for these current rooks to cook in season 2.
Kenneth Grant vs Walter Nolen
Reminder: Grant has played in 10 more games than Nolen, who began the season on IR…
https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/football/versus-finder.cgi?player_id2=NoleWa00&player_id1=GranKe01&request=1&utm_medium=sr_xsite&utm_source=pfr&utm_campaign=2023_01_wdgt_player_comparison&utm_id=GranKe01
It’s probably just me, but I still can’t believe we took Grant over Nolen.
Grant (R1P13) ate off of R1P5 Mason Graham at Michigan, IMO.
Nolen was the nation’s #1 run-stopper in ’24, without playing next to a future top-5 NFL pick. THAT, and Nolen has unlimited potential as a pass-rusher.