2022 Dolphins: Our coach is cooler than yours

[sodenj5]

I agree that this game was always in the nice-to-have category. I’m sure Mike McDaniel probably wanted it pretty bad, but when you’re down 3/5 of your starting offensive line, on the road, against a beast of a defense, it is what it is.

Just some sloppy execution by the offense kept them from taking this game. Drops from Ingold and Wilson on wide open wheel routes. Wilson falling at the top of his break when Tua chucks the ball up for him for the first INT. They had some odd choices in protection trying to cut Bosa with backs instead of having someone chip or double him with the tackle.

LA is a game they should win and need to win. Chargers are fading from the playoff picture, but every AFC game counts at this point.

Miami can still control their destiny if they win against the Chargers and Bills.

 

[Philip Jeff Frye]

That's all true but playing most of the game against a third string rookie QB should have made this a prime opportunity to pick up an unexpected win. Very disappointing they could not capitalize, unlike, say, the Jets back in October.

 

[DeadlySplitter]

View: https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/1599830987386413057?s=46&t=M8Pfs1Bgva61xSgvceY7Mw

 

[sodenj5]

That's all true but playing most of the game against a third string rookie QB should have made this a prime opportunity to pick up an unexpected win. Very disappointing they could not capitalize, unlike, say, the Jets back in October.

Credit to Purdy and Shanahan. Miami started bringing a ton of Cover Zero to try and confuse him and he was getting the ball out quick. That ball he got off to Kittle with Phillips on him in ½ a second was impressive.

Miami ran 3 plays in the third quarter. Wild how effective SF was at keeping the ball out of Miami’s hands.

 

[sodenj5]

View: https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/1599830987386413057?s=46&t=M8Pfs1Bgva61xSgvceY7Mw

Austin Jackson with a lost season and looking like a lost first rounder. Fisher has been average at best at times, but that’s probably an upgrade over Greg Little and probably Brandon Shell.

 

[sodenj5]

As a lifelong fan, I saw this game coming from a million miles away. All week everyone talking about how Miami should be able to do whatever they want on offense, every analyst picking Miami to win, Miami getting Armstead back in the lineup, and they predictably lay an absolute egg.

The last few games have been frustrating to watch because the 49ers and Chargers have both basically said “you aren’t beating us with intermediate throws in the middle.” And for two weeks now, Miami has not looked prepared to have a counterpunch.

They have lost any sort of semblance of balance or a run game. Teams are now handing them the underneath stuff and Tua and McDaniel continue to fire into the crowded intermediate level as they drop the LBs into the safeties.

Being aggressive is great and it’s awesome when you’re putting up 30 against bad teams. It isn’t going to fly against the better teams and Miami has to do something to start making teams pay for just ignoring the underneath stuff. Eventually, if you run it enough and hit them with enough slants and mesh concepts, they will come up and the intermediate stuff opens back up. They’ve also gotten too Tyreek focused. Waddle has been MIA. Gesicki might as well not be on the roster. Cedric Wilson is returning punts.

If Mike McDaniel is as good as a coach as I hope he is, he’s going to have something in his bag for Buffalo. If I see the same thing for a third straight week, this season will have looked like a lot of Fool’s Gold.

 

[rymflaherty]

My working theory is that Waddle and Hill are both more banged up than lead to believe…
We saw first hand with Hill what he was having to do to stay on the field…

I believe that’s why there was less pre-snap motion with Hill (which is basically the secret sauce to the offense, especially against man) and also why there was less variety in the routes he was running (if you recall, he looked really awkward coming out of breaks on shorter stuff the first couple drives). And Waddle has been virtually non-existent for two weeks.

Last night, to me, seemed like what this offense looks like without two all-pro receivers.

Or at least that’s my starting point, until someone else can help explain otherwise, because it was shockingly bad. Unfortunately, it’s not all that easy to find reasoned, informed, opinion/analysis when it comes to the Dolphins sites I know of, so maybe I’ll hear from a voice I respect later in the week that can provide more understanding.

 

[sodenj5]

My working theory is that Waddle and Hill are both more banged up than lead to believe…
We saw first hand with Hill what he was having to do to stay on the field…

I believe that’s why there was less pre-snap motion with Hill (which is basically the secret sauce to the offense, especially against man) and also why there was less variety in the routes he was running (if you recall, he looked really awkward coming out of breaks on shorter stuff the first couple drives). And Waddle has been virtually non-existent for two weeks.

Last night, to me, seemed like what this offense looks like without two all-pro receivers.

Or at least that’s my starting point, until someone else can help explain otherwise, because it was shockingly bad. Unfortunately, it’s not all that easy to find reasoned, informed, opinion/analysis when it comes to the Dolphins sites I know of, so maybe I’ll hear from a voice I respect later in the week that can provide more understanding.

Your observation is correct, but that would be all the more reason to lean into the running game, which they absolutely have not done. Which is why I think it’s more on McDaniel not having a solid alternative to what has been working when teams are actively trying to take that away.

If Miami doesn’t bother to even try and run the ball or throw it underneath, teams are going to continue to flood the middle of the field.

 

[BigSoxFan]

My working theory is that Waddle and Hill are both more banged up than lead to believe…
We saw first hand with Hill what he was having to do to stay on the field…

I believe that’s why there was less pre-snap motion with Hill (which is basically the secret sauce to the offense, especially against man) and also why there was less variety in the routes he was running (if you recall, he looked really awkward coming out of breaks on shorter stuff the first couple drives). And Waddle has been virtually non-existent for two weeks.

Last night, to me, seemed like what this offense looks like without two all-pro receivers.

Or at least that’s my starting point, until someone else can help explain otherwise, because it was shockingly bad. Unfortunately, it’s not all that easy to find reasoned, informed, opinion/analysis when it comes to the Dolphins sites I know of, so maybe I’ll hear from a voice I respect later in the week that can provide more understanding.

The Dolphins go long stretches of time forgetting that Jaylen Waddle is on the team. Tua is funneling everything to Tyreek and it has gotten very predictable. I think 7 of his first 8 pass attempts were to Tyreek. I said it in the game thread and will repeat that I think Waddle is criminally underutilized. He has 7 games of 5 or fewer targets. I don’t care how good Tyreek is, that is just bad usage for a really talented guy. I hate agreeing with CC but he is right that the Dolphins are “right” when they’re getting both guys involved. Hill was sitting out plays left and right and Waddle still couldn’t get the ball.

 

[johnmd20]

The Dolphins go long stretches of time forgetting that Jaylen Waddle is on the team. Tua is funneling everything to Tyreek and it has gotten very predictable. I think 7 of his first 8 pass attempts were to Tyreek. I said it in the game thread and will repeat that I think Waddle is criminally underutilized. He has 7 games of 5 or fewer targets. I don’t care how good Tyreek is, that is just bad usage for a really talented guy. I hate agreeing with CC but he is right that the Dolphins are “right” when they’re getting both guys involved. Hill was sitting out plays left and right and Waddle still couldn’t get the ball.

When things are going well, Miami is unstoppable. But the second they aren't, it truly falls apart. Tua has been absolutely atrocious the last 2 weeks. Getting killed by the Niners right now isn't a big deal. But getting pantsed by the Chargers without Derwin James is insane.

Tua, I think, is who we thought he was. Decent but cannot work outside of structure. Whereas compare that Herbert, who does miraculous things outside of structure. He extends plays, and throws some amazing balls while on the move. He's really the cream of the crop at the QB position. Herberts are hard to find. Tua's are more available.

If Herbert was on the Dolphins, they would be super bowl favorites. But with Tua it will fall apart in the playoffs, even if they get there. His ceiling is very low when the inside crossing routes aren't working perfectly.

 

[sodenj5]

I had expectations of them getting blown out after seeing the forecast. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bummed that they couldn’t hold on to an 8 point lead in the fourth quarter.

The Tyreek and Trent Sherfield drops in the first quarter in the end zone ended up costing them the game. Mike McDaniel got a little too cute on third and shorts. I understand he was trying to take advantage of the Bills dropping the safety down to try and stop the run, but sometimes you just need a few yards and have to run the ball even when you don’t have an advantage. Missing Jeff Wilson was probably a part of the problem.

Overall, they played much better than the last two weeks. They finally made someone pay for ignoring the running game. They had what could have been a massive win slip through their fingers.

They likely need to win 2 of the next 3 to make the playoffs. I would imagine they’re probably favorites in all three games.

 

[johnmd20]

Remember two weeks ago when the Dolphins lost to the Niners and people were like, "Eh, this game wasn't that important, sometimes it's a game you can lose." At the time I was thinking to myself, "Really, losses are sometimes good? That is nuts." I guess sometimes denial is required.

Because no games are games you can lose. Losses are not fine, every game is important, and losses can stack up. And now Miami is +1 point in total in point differential after 3 straight losses and the division is now gone. Alas.

 

[rymflaherty]

I haven’t been logged into this site much of late, but I still check quite a bit, unfortunately I’m realizing that means Johnmd’s posts aren’t ignored, so I have to read those too.
I’m not sure what a Dolphin did to them, or their family, but I hope they are someday finally able to let it go.

To speak of the game, being up and losing was an extreme disappointment, I’m also not sure you can have the deck stacked more against you (outside of injury situations) than two west Coast games followed by a third road game, on a short week, in the cold/snow, so…I think most would have assumed the most likely result being something like Buffalo 37-13. So, not happy, but I’m back to thinking they can win the last three.

 

[sodenj5]

Remember two weeks ago when the Dolphins lost to the Niners and people were like, "Eh, this game wasn't that important, sometimes it's a game you can lose." At the time I was thinking to myself, "Really, losses are sometimes good? That is nuts." I guess sometimes denial is required.

Because no games are games you can lose. Losses are not fine, every game is important, and losses can stack up. And now Miami is +1 point in total in point differential after 3 straight losses and the division is now gone. Alas.

Yes, we all understand that every game counts as a win or loss, but there’s absolute, undeniable truth that non-conference games matter far less than conference games, which matter less than divisional games when it comes to tiebreakers and playoff seedlings.

Also, those two losses did lead to corrections in the offense that were needed if they were going to continue to have success. While it isn’t “good,” the end result can wind up being a net-positive.

 

[johnmd20]

I haven’t been logged into this site much of late, but I still check quite a bit, unfortunately I’m realizing that means Johnmd’s posts aren’t ignored, so I have to read those too.
I’m not sure what a Dolphin did to them, or their family, but I hope they are someday finally able to let it go.

So you don't log in a lot but you still check quite a bit? Which is it?

I was talking about the Dolphins in the Dolphins thread and wondering why a loss a few weeks ago was viewed as a good thing. It's a fair take, considering what has happened these last 3 weeks. This team was a juggernaut and now they are on a really tough losing streak. It all started with the loss that didn't matter.

It matters. Losses matter, in conference or out of conference. In division or out of division. The NFL teams are very close in talent. Even the lousiest teams like Houston can put Dallas up against the wall. Ergo, every game matters, every win matters, every loss matters.

That is why the Pats loss to Minnesota was so brutal. They could have easily won that game and they didn't and now they have no room for error. It was an out of conference game. And it still really, really matters.

For a team with playoff and championship aspirations, it all matters.

 

[johnmd20]

Yes, we all understand that every game counts as a win or loss, but there’s absolute, undeniable truth that non-conference games matter far less than conference games, which matter less than divisional games when it comes to tiebreakers and playoff seedlings.

Also, those two losses did lead to corrections in the offense that were needed if they were going to continue to have success. While it isn’t “good,” the end result can wind up being a net-positive.

I don't know man. A three game losing streak isn' a net positive. It might not be a catastrophic end to the season. The team is certainly still solidly in the playoff hunt with an awesome offense and coach. But it's not a positive. It's a problem right now.

 

[sodenj5]

I don't know man. A three game losing streak isn' a net positive. It might not be a catastrophic end to the season. The team is certainly still solidly in the playoff hunt with an awesome offense and coach. But it's not a positive. It's a problem right now.

No one wants a three game losing streak.

Yesterday’s loss was a tough one, however that was the best Miami has looked in an important December game, in the cold, in the snow, on the road, on a short week, probably in a decade, maybe longer. They went toe to toe with Buffalo in a game where they had every advantage they could have asked for.

There are no moral victories, but that game proved to me that this team can compete in a hostile, cold weather, playoff environment if they make it to the playoffs.

 

[luckiestman]

.

Yesterday’s loss was a tough one, however that was the best Miami has looked in an important December game, in the cold, in the snow, on the road, on a short week, probably in a decade, maybe longer. They went toe to toe with Buffalo in a game where they had every advantage they could have asked for.

They played better than I thought they would but the weather cooperated for most of the game. It was only cold (no wind no snow) for the first 51 minutes. When the wind and the snow came in it was a different team. The running game was good. The defense was good. They looked better than they did vs SF or LAC.

 

[sodenj5]

They played better than I thought they would but the weather cooperated for most of the game. It was only cold (no wind no snow) for the first 51 minutes. When the wind and the snow came in it was a different team. The running game was good. The defense was good. They looked better than they did vs SF or LAC.

I don’t remember the number of possessions they had once it finally started snowing, but it wasn’t many. I remember Tua hit a few big throws on their last drive in the snow, but they ultimately punted around midfield and never got the ball back.

Edit: they only had the one possession I was thinking of when it started snowing.

Not saying if it was a full on blizzard the whole game it wouldn’t have looked different, but it seemed like they were handling the elements pretty well for all of the hype surrounding the cold and snow.

 

[sodenj5]

The rate at which Tua spirals when things start to slip away is alarming.

First INT, looked like he tried to layer it into Tyreek, bad pass, overthrew Tyreek and right to the defender.

Second INT, looked like Mostert ran the wrong route to me against zone, Tua again threw it right to a defender.

Third INT, holy cow. At that point you can tell the wheels were coming off the bus. Looked like he wanted to go to the corner route to Gesicki, had zero confidence in what he was doing, barely stepped into the throw, and again threw it right to a defender.

Can’t believe this season has come full circle. It felt like Tua and Miami had outrun all the questions. Now they’re staring down having to win 2 in a row or risk squandering an 8-3 start to the season.

I’ve been let down by this franchise so many times, but if they manage to miss the playoffs by losing 5 or 6 in a row, that might top the list.

 

[Jinhocho]

It is an interesting thing to think about why the Fins end up in this situation of long losing streaks each year (and weirdly winning streaks a lot too).

 

[sodenj5]

It is an interesting thing to think about why the Fins end up in this situation of long losing streaks each year (and weirdly winning streaks a lot too).

I mean the special teams has been horrible all season between the kick coverage and Sanders missing kicks. The defense has been below average at best.

The team has mostly been propped up by the offense when they’ve been winning. Now that teams have come up with a few answers for the offense, the cracks start to show.

The struggles in this recent skid I was largely chalking up to McDaniel gaining some on the job experience while the league was catching up to him for the first time. This game was just an abject disaster of a second half, and Tua completely falling apart.

My expectation to start the season was playoffs. Then playoff win(s). I still think those are achievable goals, but it looked for a minute like they could go even beyond that.

 

[luckiestman]

It is an interesting thing to think about why the Fins end up in this situation of long losing streaks each year (and weirdly winning streaks a lot too).

The Jay Fiedler teams always started out hot too unless I am misremembering. Some of it is that summertime home field advantage and then road games in the winter but that can’t explain most of it

 

[Bowhemian]

Don’t worry, you can probably pencil in a win next Sunday.

 

[Ale Xander]

Don’t worry, you can probably pencil in a win next Sunday.

Especially lucky running into the weather, projected 59degrees and humid. Not normal Foxboro in January. Even warmer than Miami Gardens was today.

 

[soxhop411]

Tua in concussion protocol again
View: https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1607498083138420739

 

[luckiestman]

Great, just when I need the Dolphins to win a game.

This is a pretty sad story in reality. This is too many head injuries in 1 season. Don’t like this to happen.

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

Fan caught it yesterday. Independent neurologist and spotter must have been busy. Good on Tua, sounds like he self reported.

View: https://twitter.com/selfmade0602/status/1607133176723566595?s=46&t=DLlbOoC4d6p2ca0B3SHxBA

 

[sodenj5]

Fan caught it yesterday. Independent neurologist and spotter must have been busy. Good on Tua, sounds like he self reported.

View: https://twitter.com/selfmade0602/status/1607133176723566595?s=46&t=DLlbOoC4d6p2ca0B3SHxBA

There should be serious concern around Tua. Three in that short a timeframe is bad. That hit wasn’t even terribly violent, he just went down and doinked his head off the grass, which should suggest he has some problems.

Would also potentially explain some of the second half if he was playing concussed, although he finished the first Bills game with one as well.

I believe Teddy Bridgewater is still out with knee pain, which would mean it could be Skylar Thompson and an emergency body as QB2 this week.

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

I hate the Dolphins but really quite like Tua. He would be easy to root for for me if he weren’t on the Dolphins. In a season of low expectations for the Patriots, I was looking forward to seeing him play them next week. If he doesn’t play the Patriots get yet another game against someone who is not the opponent’s best QB.

This is a real bummer. I could see an argument for shutting him down for the year but for them being in contention.

Why do they even have the independent neurologist? Freaking malpractice. You wonder if it played a role in the interceptions.

 

[E5 Yaz]

I believe Teddy Bridgewater is still out with knee pain, which would mean it could be Skylar Thompson and an emergency body as QB2 this week.

Bridgewater taking first-team reps

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35324355/miami-dolphins-qb-tua-tagovailoa-concussion-protocol-again

 

[NortheasternPJ]

I hate the Dolphins but really quite like Tua. He would be easy to root for for me if he weren’t on the Dolphins. In a season of low expectations for the Patriots, I was looking forward to seeing him play them next week. If he doesn’t play the Patriots get yet another game against someone who is not the opponent’s best QB.

This is a real bummer. I could see an argument for shutting him down for the year but for them being in contention.

Why do they even have the independent neurologist? Freaking malpractice. You wonder if it played a role in the interceptions.

This is where I’m at. Tua seems like a really good guy, he’s a borderline NFL starter and I’m concerned for his long term health. I’d be surprised if he makes it another 3-4 years without head injuries that force him to retire. It’d never happen for a ton of reasons that are valid but he should have put IR for the year in a perfect world.

 

[54thMA]

I hate the Dolphins but really quite like Tua. He would be easy to root for for me if he weren’t on the Dolphins. In a season of low expectations for the Patriots, I was looking forward to seeing him play them next week. If he doesn’t play the Patriots get yet another game against someone who is not the opponent’s best QB.

This is a real bummer. I could see an argument for shutting him down for the year but for them being in contention.

Why do they even have the independent neurologist? Freaking malpractice. You wonder if it played a role in the interceptions.

I like him a lot as well, always have, that championship game when he went from almost throwing an INT to throwing a dime for the game winner vs Georgia was a thing of beauty.

I don't like to see this.

At all.

Forget about this year or the playoffs or anything else, the main thing is his future, I hope he is ok, my concern is this is going to be a continual issue for him going forward.

 

[Harry Hooper]

There should be serious concern around Tua. Three in that short a timeframe is bad. That hit wasn’t even terribly violent, he just went down and doinked his head off the grass, which should suggest he has some problems.

It's not the force of the hit so much but the geometry. His upper body swings in a large arc before the back of his head impacts the turf = significant force of the brain into the abruptly decelerated skull.

I missed the first half of the game, so I was totally unaware of this play until this thread.

 

[sodenj5]

It's not the force of the hit so much but the geometry. His upper body swings in a large arc before the back of his head impacts the turf = significant force of the brain into the abruptly decelerated skull.

I missed the first half of the game, so I was totally unaware of this play until this thread.

I didn’t watch most of the second half due to Christmas stuff, but I saw most of the first half and this play in particular. Looked fairly innocuous. Tua got right up afterwards and finished off the half. Tua has a strange habit of falling in weird positions.

The question becomes, did Tua realize that he was having concussion-like symptoms during the game, or did he not really feel anything until after the game when the adrenaline wore off?

If it was the former, that’s at least the second time Tua himself has tried to play through a concussion. The latter would mean that everyone, the coaches, the spotters, the trainers, everyone besides one guy on Twitter missed another concussion for Tua.

I don’t have the answer and you have to feel bad for Tua. Recurring concussions are far more worrisome than a broken bone. There were stories circulating after his concussion against the Bengals that his parents were telling him to walk away from football. I hope he makes whatever decision he feels is best for him.

 

[mauf]

Fan caught it yesterday. Independent neurologist and spotter must have been busy. Good on Tua, sounds like he self reported.

View: https://twitter.com/selfmade0602/status/1607133176723566595?s=46&t=DLlbOoC4d6p2ca0B3SHxBA

Something about Tua’s instincts … he doesn’t protect himself the way other players do. Does anyone else hit the ground face-first on that hit? Have you seen another QB get rag-dolled like Tua did in that Thursday game earlier this season? The hit where he broke his hip at Bama was similar — two guys absolutely crushed him on a play where most QBs would’ve unloaded half a second earlier and not taken a big hit at all. I admire his toughness, but that attitude is a recipe for a short career, especially for a man Tua’s size.

I have no idea if that’s fixable.

 

[sodenj5]

Something about Tua’s instincts … he doesn’t protect himself the way other players do. Does anyone else hit the ground face-first on that hit? Have you seen another QB get rag-dolled like Tua did in that Thursday game earlier this season? The hit where he broke his hip at Bama was similar — two guys absolutely crushed him on a play where most QBs would’ve unloaded half a second earlier and not taken a big hit at all. I admire his toughness, but that attitude is a recipe for a short career, especially for a man Tua’s size.

I have no idea if that’s fixable.

He does and I was going to include that in my previous comment but it was getting lengthy.

On that hit, it seemed like a pretty routine wrap up from behind, but he still spins around 180 and ends up hitting his head. Both the Alabama hip breaker and the Cincy concussion hit were preventable. Tua plays like he’s 6’3” 220, but he just isn’t. Like you said, you admire his toughness and bravery especially as a smaller guy, but self preservation has to come in to play at some point.

Tom Brady has extended his career by keeping himself in great shape, but he’s also shamelessly turtled himself out of many big hits. I think Tua has been better since he came back avoiding hits and protecting himself, which again is worrying, because that looked like a fairly routine hit 9/10 QBs survive without incident. But Tua’s existing concussion history and general inability to protect himself leads to him being back in the protocol.

 

[BigJimEd]

If it was the former, that’s at least the second time Tua himself has tried to play through a concussion. The latter would mean that everyone, the coaches, the spotters, the trainers, everyone besides one guy on Twitter missed another concussion for Tua.

I don’t have the answer and you have to feel bad for Tua. Recurring concussions are far more worrisome than a broken bone. There were stories circulating after his concussion against the Bengals that his parents were telling him to walk away from football. I hope he makes whatever decision he feels is best for him.

To be fair to the trainers, Tua and everyone involved, symptoms don't always show up right away. He might have felt and acted fine during the game. Still as you said it is worrisome.

 

[Toe Nash]

If that kind of hit is going to give him a concussion he's not going to last very much longer. But, there is still a lot we don't know about how this stuff works. There was a time when it seemed like Patrice Bergeron wouldn't have a long career.

 

[sodenj5]

To be fair to the trainers, Tua and everyone involved, symptoms don't always show up right away. He might have felt and acted fine during the game. Still as you said it is worrisome.

I was sort of asking the question, as I don’t know how common or uncommon that may be. Tua did speak after the game and Monday as well, so hopefully he’s experiencing minor symptoms and was correctly being cautious.

 

[BigJimEd]

I was sort of asking the question, as I don’t know how common or uncommon that may be. Tua did speak after the game and Monday as well, so hopefully he’s experiencing minor symptoms and was correctly being cautious.

Yes, hopefully it is minor.

 

[Marciano490]

If that kind of hit is going to give him a concussion he's not going to last very much longer. But, there is still a lot we don't know about how this stuff works. There was a time when it seemed like Patrice Bergeron wouldn't have a long career.

To me, that play looked a lot like the one where Parker was concussed the week before. There’s not a ton of rhyme or reasons to concussions sometimes. I’ve seen/experienced big hits do nada (in the moment) but seemingly innocuous ones cause concussions.

 

[luckiestman]

It seems like NFL guys should work on learning how to fall. These whiplash style falls are devastating. A lot of NBA guys seem to avoid head slams way more than you would think, if you watch them they try to tuck their chins and tuck up(huge incentives: no helmet and hardwood floors). It looks brutal when they fall and you see their head slam the hardwood.

 

[djbayko]

It seems like NFL guys should work on learning how to fall. These whiplash style falls are devastating. A lot of NBA guys seem to avoid head slams way more than you would think, if you watch them they try to tuck their chins and tuck up(huge incentives: no helmet and hardwood floors). It looks brutal when they fall and you see their head slam the hardwood.

To be fair to NFL players, NBA players don’t have opponents actively trying to throw them to the ground. They generally have a lot earlier knowledge of how and where they are going to fall and no external force trying to accelerate its happening.

 

[luckiestman]

To be fair to NFL players, NBA players don’t have opponents actively trying to throw them to the ground. They generally have a lot earlier knowledge of how and where they are going to fall and no external force trying to accelerate its happening.

True, I'm referring to the ones where the tackler has the player around the waist and is going to toss them down.

 

[Marciano490]

True, I'm referring to the ones where the tackler has the player around the waist and is going to toss them down.

Is this an mma skillset? How does one practice?

 

[cshea]

True, I'm referring to the ones where the tackler has the player around the waist and is going to toss them down.

My guess is ball security. Ball carriers are drilled over and over from the first day they stepped on a field to protect the football. So much so that they instinctivey protect the ball over their own safety. They don't stick their hands out to brace for impact because it risks a fumble.

 

[luckiestman]

Is this an mma skillset? How does one practice?

More Judo than MMA. Try to make it instinctual that when you are falling you tuck chin and try to breakfall with an arm. Now, holding the ball won’t allow you do necessarily use your arm. But helmet and awareness should help. Nothing is 100%, Judo bros still get KOd from time to time on mats but some of the falls I see it looks like the player has no idea. NBA is different, true they are not getting tackled but they do moves to protect themselves in a way that makes me think they practice it.

 

[djbayko]

True, I'm referring to the ones where the tackler has the player around the waist and is going to toss them down.

Even then they’re being accelerated into the ground by an NFL body. Even if they know how they’re supposed to fall defensively, it’s not always going to be possible because of the forces involved.

 

[luckiestman]

Even then they’re being accelerated into the ground by an external force. Even if they know how they’re supposed to fall defensively, it’s not always going to be possible.

Sure, but the Tua play against Cincinatti was brutal and looked like a guy who didn’t try to protect himself at all. The physics of it are probably weird, the helmet makes it harder to protect yourself but should cushion some of the blow. I really think most of them aren’t thinking about it at all. It looks like something that doesn’t even cross the player’s mind.