Finsmob Unleashed

This 2024 NFL Season was supposed to be a Super Bowl run for our Miami Dolphins, at least that was the hype. Here at FMU, we looked at weaknesses on this team, more specifically, the trenches. We were very skeptical of the offensive line, and why shouldn’t we have been? We didn’t upgrade, we lost 2 of our best linemen in OC Connor Williams and RG Robert Hunt. Our starting LG is last year’s backup who wasn’t even on the roster to start to the 2023 season. Our starting OC, Aaron Brewer was jettisoned by the Titans, and although our previous OC Connor Williams had some snapping issues, his pass and run blocking were both excellent. Our starting RG was last year’s backup OC, Liam Eichenberg. RT Austin Jackson is basically a constant. Our starting LT, now fighting off a shoulder injury has been playing for 13 years in the NFL and has never completed a full season. Don’t expect 2024 to be the first. He’s already come out of the game with injuries, and although he’s our best, he’s also fragile. While we’re speaking of fragile, did I mention our starting QB has another concussion?

If you hate to read it, scroll on by, because I’m going to remind all of you how very much I was against the Miami Dolphins handing our QB Tua Tagovailoa a huge contract. Mostly, the reason was his injury history, but a fair percentage of that was his inability to show up in big games. Well, both were on display last week in our first matchup with the Buffalo Bills. Tua did his best to prove me right on both counts, completing 25 passes for 239 yards, 1 TD and 3 INT’s. WR Grant Dubose should have got his head around, WR Robbie Chosen ran the wrong route. Please STOP! We have WR’s Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, TE Jonnu Smith, RB’s De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright, the ball didn’t have to go to either of those guys, #1 makes that decision, he throws the ball. I don’t need to tell you that relying on 2 guys who have been here no more than 2 weeks is absurd. So now we’re left with our backup QB Skylar Thompson for a minimum of 4 games as QB Tua Tagovailoa goes on IR.

There’s starting to be a little more scrutiny of Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel. Sure, he’s a likable guy, he’s funny, amusing, and supposedly an offensive genius. The problem is, when teams have figured out what type of defense to play against our offense to shut it down, Mike McDaniel has yet to find the solution to keep scoring like we scored on all the other teams. The tape is out there, teams know to have 2 safeties high and take away the long ball, keep everything in front of them, and as long as it’s executed well enough, they take both WR’s Tyreek Hll and Jaylen Waddle out of their game. I honestly have no idea if Skylar Thompson will be running the same offense Tua Tagovailoa was running, but I don’t think Skylar can have the same timing and anticipation that Tua had. We’ll see how much the offense is more tailored to Skylar, and I guess we’ll get somewhat of an idea if our season is lost or not.

I mentioned the trenches earlier, and now I’m going to touch on the defensive side. The defense was a strength for this team, at least until the injuries started coming and never stopped. The defensive line of Zach Sieler, Raekwon Davis and Christian Wilkins was a strength. Sieler is still there, but now he’s next to NT Benito Jones, and then next to him is DE Calais Campbell. Campbell is still a great player, but at 38, he can’t be expected to play high snap counts anymore, but the rotation was supposed to be the hallmark of the D-line. Tsunamis, waves of players, but that turned out to be false advertising, as we only have 6 DL, Sieler, Jones and Campbell, Emmanuel Ogbah, Brandon Pili and Da’Shawn Hand. That’s no tsunami. Now sometimes we’ll play a 4 man front, and we’ll employ speed packages with OLB’s Jaelan Phillips, Chop Robinson, Quinton Bell and probably Mo Kamara at some point, but in 2 games, I don’t think NFL teams are fearing our defensive line. Buffalo RB James Cook averaged 7 yards per carry (11-78) and managed 3 TD’s, 2 rushing, 1 receiving.

The Seattle Seahawks are 2-0, and they are always a tough get at home. We’ll be facing 2 former Dolphins players on Sunday, OC Connor Williams, and the always under appreciated ILB Jerome Baker (#55). There will be no hype from me about what I expect from this team right now. I have no idea and little expectation of what QB Skylar Thompson can do with this offense. We picked up QB Tyler Huntley from the Baltimore Ravens PS, and even though Sonny loves him, I’m not any more optimistic about Huntley leading us to victories in Tua’s absence. Our mighty WR corps is anything but, once you get past Hill and Waddle. Grant Dubose, Malik Washington (who is banged up) and Braxton Berrios, who has yet to record a reception. I hope our defense with all its tsunamis carries the day, because that offense could be downright ugly!

GO DOLPHINS!!!