There’s no good technique to salvage a season once you lose your beginning quarterback, not to mention a Professional Bowl participant like Tua Tagovailoa, completely suited to run the Mike McDaniel offense. Nonetheless, what’s uncommon is to see a group with the potential and targets of the Dolphins aimlessly limp alongside with out solutions. That’s simply what’s occurring in Miami proper now, and it’s unclear if anybody contained in the constructing has an answer to cease the free fall.
It’s been precisely three weeks since Tagovailoa suffered his fourth concussion on Thursday Night time Soccer towards the Payments. Since that time there’s a robust argument to be made that the Dolphins have turn out to be the worst group in soccer. They’ve misplaced their final two video games with a mixed rating of 55-to-15, together with a fully shameless 19 level loss to the hapless Tennessee Titans.
Inside this tumble two issues have turn out to be current: The Dolphins had no actual plan if Tagovailoa went down, and offensively they’re unable to scheme round his absence.
There have been extra quarterback accidents at this level of the season than common. The Steelers began with out Russell Westbrook, the Packers needed to adapt to the lack of Jordan Love for 2 video games, and the Colts needed to flip to Joe Flacco amid an damage to Anthony Richardson. What’s outstanding about these groups compared to the Dolphins is that they had been all in a position to adapt and overcome, win regardless of the damage — however in Miami the established order is constant to disastrous outcomes.
It was clear from the second Skylar Thompson took the sphere towards the Payments that it wasn’t going to work. McDaniel’s offense is based on correct passing. That’s all the secret sauce of what makes this tick. This accuracy isn’t simply within the type of full and incomplete passes, however all the way down to the micro stage of a passer with the ability to anticipate to hit a receiver in stride, ensuing within the yards after catch that are so crucial to make every thing work.
Thompson completed that Payments recreation 8-for-14 for 80 yards. This one way or the other bought even worse towards the Seahawks, when Thompson and Tim Boyle mixed for 186 yards passing on 32 makes an attempt — largely as a result of they couldn’t discover Tyreek Hill in area to permit him to choose up YAC.
It’s honest to attempt to run the identical offense no less than as soon as extra, particularly with a group like Seattle that you simply really feel such as you’re on expertise parity with. Nonetheless, the results of that recreation made it abundantly clear that one thing needed to change. The one choices for Miami had been to attempt to make a panic commerce for an interim QB, or modify their offense right into a run-focused assault that took strain off the below-average passers that they had entry to.
The Dolphins didn’t do both.
Towards the Titans it was extra of the identical. McDaniel referred to as 22 go performs and 22 runs, whereas solely dialing up 4 go performs to his working backs out of the backfield. As soon as once more this was the very same recreation plan the group had in place with Tua working the present, however with out his accuracy every thing fell aside.
Absolutely the Dolphins are altering issues for Week 5, proper? Nicely, no.
As a substitute of providing options and solutions for the free fall, McDaniel was as a substitute empathizing with booing followers, saying he doesn’t blame them for being upset.
“I do know sporting occasions the place I’m rooting for a group and I’m not teaching in it, I get rather more offended when there’s failure than once I’m teaching and I can really problem-solve one thing. It’s to be anticipated. That is the large leagues. To really feel entitled to blind assist, that’s not my cup of tea. I believe it’s a must to go to work, problem-solve and check out to sort things as finest you may, and I don’t assume we’re essentially owed something.”
As a lot as McDaniel’s new-school, laid again strategy to soccer is a breath of contemporary air, there are occasions a soccer coach must be mad. To say you’re not as offended because the followers are when it’s your group that’s underperforming is fairly wild. Is it good that he desires to concentrate on downside fixing? Completely. The problem is that there’s seemingly no work occurring to resolve the issues.
Line play on either side of the ball have been a nightmare for Miami this season, which matches far past the lack of Tagovailoa. Final season the Dolphins had been twenty second within the league in factors allowed, which was okay with a high-powered offense that ranked 2nd in factors scored. In 2024 the group is now twenty sixth in factors allowed, and lifeless final in offense.
THIS SHOULD MAKE HIM MAD! When a star participant goes down there must be an expectation that the group ought to rally. That everybody ought to step up and play their finest soccer to fill the void, to show some extent, to have some satisfaction after they step on the sphere. Proper now the Dolphins are taking part in like an unmotivated mess that’s missing effort, and that’s squarely on the shoulders of Mike McDaniel.
This week may be their final probability to show this round. The Patriots are a constructing group the Dolphins ought to be capable to beat, even with out Tua. In the event that they lose and fall to 1-4 the season is totally over. It’s simply that straightforward. There’s no good time for an damage to a beginning QB, however a 3 recreation stretch of Seattle, Tennessee, and New England was the most effective place for it to occur. After Week 5 the Dolphins face the Colts, Cardinals, Payments, and Rams. If Tagovailoa continues to be out for these video games they are going to be 4 losses for a group that may’t beat the likes of the Titans and Patriots.
There’s little doubt that the Dolphins bought dealt a foul hand in all this, however McDaniel is teaching like somebody who’s folding. That has to vary.
