The hits simply carry on coming for the Miami Dolphins. With their newest loss to the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night time Soccer, it’s the third straight week the Dolphins look fully depending on beginning quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Whereas a lot of the different good-to-great groups appear to have the ability to win video games and put factors on the board with a backup quarterback, the Dolphins can’t even fathom that at this level.
The Dolphins had a golden alternative to get again on monitor in opposition to one of many worst groups within the league, who additionally misplaced their quarterback throughout the sport and nonetheless seemed outmatched. Not on either side, only one. Sufficient in order that the opposite facet ultimately received worn out and seemed unhealthy in a cascading impact.
I normally embrace the “workforce loss” philosophy as a result of soccer is a workforce sport and nobody play can lose you the sport, however when the offense can’t get it going till proper earlier than time expires, the protection has no likelihood.
The Dolphins went 2-for-12 on third down (16.7%) and 1-for-3 on fourth down (33.3%). That’s all you’ll want to learn about this sport. The offense couldn’t convert, and the protection lastly gave out.
In complete, the Dolphins generated 13 first downs, 184 yards of complete offense, and managed to attain a landing with 3:36 left within the sport. At that time, the Titans protection was letting them burn the clock out and saved the whole lot in entrance of them. The offense was the identical sinking ship it was below Skylar Thompson the week earlier than.
The query now’s, who’s accountable?
From the High Down
If we have a look at the sport at a micro stage, I’m certain we might level out everybody’s errors on either side of the ball, extra so on offense. Is that truthful? Have been they arrange for achievement via gameplan or roster construct? My reply to each isn’t any.
Trying on the Dolphins gameplan, and roster from a macro stage, I can’t discover anybody who deserves extra blame for this loss than the blokes on the prime, that means basic supervisor Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel.
Talking towards the roster construct, there have been obtrusive holes on account of gamers exported via free company. The primary was the entire inside of the offensive line. Grier, to his credit score stuffed a type of spots with Aaron Brewer, who’s been strong however did nothing for both guard place.
The Dolphins might’ve addressed this subject with one or two of their first two picks, however they as an alternative went with a “future” franchise left sort out, and a cross rusher, fourth on the depth chart with everybody wholesome who has but to make an affect.
The Dolphins at the moment are twenty fourth (97.8) in speeding yards per sport, price falling from sixth (135.8) in 2023. They’re a worse pass-blocking unit so the bottom sport isn’t one thing the offense can lean on after they go to a backup quarterback. 3.7 yards per carry won’t get it executed nor hold opposing defenses from pinning their ears again. No risk equals a one-dimensional offense, and so they don’t put up factors or win video games, as we now have seen.
The final egregious determination each Grier and McDaniel are tied collectively to is just not upgrading their backup quarterback. Throughout the league, backups have been capable of are available in and hold the engine operating and churn out wins. Not the Dolphins. Their backups give the offense zero juice and may’t run the offense. At this level, operating a wild cat offense could also be simply as efficient, or much more so.
I do wish to level on the drops from Jaylen Waddle late and Tyreek Hill early, however man, they have been let down by Tyler Huntley. Hill had three or 4 occasions the place he was open deep, and wasn’t seen or was below/overthrown. He was fuming on the sideline, and I can’t blame him although the gameplan is extra of the wrongdoer than the roster in its entirety is, so come on down, Mike McDaniel.
McDaniel created a phenomenal, progressive system that took the league by storm during the last two years and it’s been an absolute present for Dolphins followers. The error he made is the system is about up for one individual, Tua Tagovailoa.
Not that it’s a particular system primarily based on bodily attributes, it’s a system the place you’ve gotten to have the ability to know the place everyone seems to be, management all of the pre-snap motions, learn the protection pre and post-snap, after which make the proper learn and throw. It’s a ton to recollect and course of at NFL pace. In my eyes, solely a handful of quarterbacks within the league can run it, and just one is on the Dolphins roster.
The Dolphins have a second quarterback who’s been within the system so long as Tagovailoa has in Skylar Thompson, however it proved to be too difficult of a system for him to run. Grier and McDaniel went all in on Thompson because the backup realizing Tagovailoa’s harm historical past and that gamble failed miserably.
After they introduced in Tyler Huntley, that they had him run virtually the identical offense regardless of him being in Miami for lower than a month which resulted in a bunch of penalties and little to no offense. Sq. peg, meet spherical gap.
Who’s to Blame?
I mentioned it firstly, and I’ll say it right here in the long run. This loss isn’t on the gamers. This loss is wholly on the top coach, Mike McDaniel, who set the offense up for failure, and basic supervisor Chris Grier, who constructed an injury-plagued roster with an absolute whiff on the backup quarterback place enjoying behind an injury-prone quarterback.
I discovered two issues on Monday evening. Chris Grier’s roster could by no means see a completely wholesome run of video games, and Tua Tagovailoa is the system. Both method, the Dolphins are destined for failure with only one harm, and that can not be forgiven.
Tell us within the feedback who ought to shoulder the blame for the loss to the Tennessee Titans.
