Coach McDaniel’s seat continues to grow hotter by the week. I have argued several times that he needs to hand play calling to his offensive coordinator. McDaniel has shown an inability to make in-game adjustments. Sunday the Colts took away Hill and Waddle. Which highlighted Coach’s inability to alter his play calling to get either of them adequate touches. Alec Ingold had as many receptions as Miami’s two biggest threats in the passing game. That is inexcusable. This was a “must-win” game and the Dolphins offense decided to stay on South Beach. Tua alone couldn’t fix this if he had Marino’s arm, Vick’s legs, Peyton’s brain, and Brady’s longevity. The Dolphins didn’t look good the first two games this season, and please don’t forget the 6 games last year.
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Coaching: (F-); I posted this on X. Grier and Ross need to talk to him and “strongly suggest” delegating authority to his OC. High coaching turnover is not a sign of a solid organization. Don Shula retired as the Dolphins’ head coach in 1995. In the succeeding 19 years Miami has had 11. That is a new head coach every 1.7 seasons. If you remove the “interim” head coaches, the turnover improves to every 2.3 seasons. Neither inspires confidence. I want McDaniel to have success, which is why I believe he should start by relinquishing more to his staff. Coach MnM has shown he lacks the ability to make quick in game adjustments with his play calling. He also needs to get more aggressive. The 3rd and 1 dive with Ingold would be easier to digest if followed with a quality fourth down play. If you were committed (wrongly) to attempting a FG on fourth down; that can’t be the 3rd down play. According to teamrankings.com Sanders is converting 60% of his FG’s beyond 50 yards. Miami for the game averaged 5 yards per play. The Dolphins were far more likely to gain one yard in two tries. Tua can’t be your excuse. You chose the backup QB, if he isn’t capable of performing the entire playbook, that is your fault.
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Running Backs: (F); Forty carries for one hundred and eighty eight yards, but they receive an “F?” Two lost fumbles in the second half. One by Ingold. He had two carries, -1 yards and a lost fumble. He is effective at his job, which is to block. Mostert losing a fumble hurts. He was having a quality game for the second week in a row since returning. In a tight game while the offense continues to sputter, you can’t lose a ball. Why isn’t Wright getting more touches? It’s crowded, I understand, but Ingold had two. Hill had one. Achane, Mostert, and Wright averaged 5.1, 4.5, and 6.6 yards a carry. That is potentially 20 yards left on the field. The game came down to a 3rd and 1.
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Receivers: (D); Jonnu Smith had a great game. His best yet as a Dolphin. This is two games in a row they’ve gotten the TE involved, which is a good thing. However, it should be to set up Hill and Waddle. Not eliminate them from the game plan. I have taken it easy on them with the play-calling and 3rd and 4th string QBs. At some point they need to make adjustments too. Sit down in the zone, break a route off early. Help your QB out a little. You both are All Pro level receivers.
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Defense: (C); On paper, it wasn’t a bad game. They held an opponent under 20 points and came up with a huge turnover in their on red zone. Sieler losing his helmet diving for that loose ball was iconic. They also had zero sacks. They gave up 155 yards on the ground. Yes, it should’ve been enough to win; but it hasn’t been all year. I can’t give them a failing grade, nor can I put them on the honor roll.
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Special Teams: (C); Sanders never should’ve had to attempt that 55 yard field goal. He did though and missed it off the goal post. Bailey had a strong game, but did shank one punt in a costly situation. When your offense is poor Special Teams means more. For Miami to win games this unit must be perfect every single time. It is too much to put on them; but that is on McDaniel’s offense. Berrios was also lost for the season.
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Quarterback(s): (F); They both stunk. Why is a team that is in “win now” mode relying on practice squad quarterbacks? Is this the best Grier can do? McDaniel can’t adjust his play book even slightly to give them a chance to succeed? None of it makes sense. And no reason is acceptable.
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Officials: (C); They didn’t affect this game, which is what you want from an officiating crew. Miami continues to struggle with pre-snap penalties. That is unacceptable.
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Overall: (F—); I have struggled to find a positive this week. The team and coach look lost. Will Tua right the ship? I don’t believe so. I think they are too off course for one player to salvage. The defense has had three separate coordinators, yet they are still playing well. They lost the most in the off-season, yet are still competing. 11 points a game won’t cut it, no matter how great your defense plays. The offense, the vaunted “Greatest Show on Surf” has wiped out. I said Miami needed to be .500 when they played Buffalo to have a real shot at the playoffs, they won’t get there. Can they turn this around? I don’t think so. They have seven games left against teams as bad as them. Even winning all seven only gets them to nine wins. Maybe they can steal a win from a struggling San Francisco team, but that leaves no margin for error. If this team has shown us anything, it’s that they are prone to problems.
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POLITASPORTS 