2022 Dolphins: Our coach is cooler than yours

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
I think these Tua takes are pretty fair.

A question, maybe more for the draftniks on the board.

You say that Tua isn't physically elite. And yet, he was projected as the consensus (?) #1 pick prior to his injury. Obviously guys like Peyton Manning and Joe Burrow weren't exactly physically elite either and they both went #1 and become great. But was Tua more athletic prior to his injury?

This is all kind of a long way of me asking whether he should have ever been considered the #1 pick, and if he was likely overdrafted / overrated coming out. These characterizations seem pretty similar to Mac, to be honest, who probably went where he "should" have at 15. Obviously if Miami could have a do-over they'd take Herbert, but ignoring that, should Tua really have been a top 5 or even a top 10 pick?
I think that Tua was rated very highly due to production, efficiency, and winning. Here’s Lance Zerlien’s scouting report:

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/tua-tagovailoa/32005441-4762-0344-3a46-269f5e5e854e

I think seeing his game now, people probably overrated his ability to read defenses. I also don’t think that we’ve seen Tua in an offense (before this year) that really highlights what he can do well. Whether by design or by choice, I think Tua is more athletic and mobile than he’s displayed.

If he has time, Tua can carve defenses up if his guys are getting open and he’s on time. If he has to start going through multiple reads or he has to start going off platform, the holes in his game start to show.

I think this offense is his best chance to succeed as a pro and may highlight some of his athleticism getting him outside the pocket and on the move more frequently.
 

rymflaherty

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2010
3,424
Norfolk
I think these Tua takes are pretty fair.

A question, maybe more for the draftniks on the board.

You say that Tua isn't physically elite. And yet, he was projected as the consensus (?) #1 pick prior to his injury. Obviously guys like Peyton Manning and Joe Burrow weren't exactly physically elite either and they both went #1 and become great. But was Tua more athletic prior to his injury?

This is all kind of a long way of me asking whether he should have ever been considered the #1 pick, and if he was likely overdrafted / overrated coming out. These characterizations seem pretty similar to Mac, to be honest, who probably went where he "should" have at 15. Obviously if Miami could have a do-over they'd take Herbert, but ignoring that, should Tua really have been a top 5 or even a top 10 pick?
To me, I think we’re currently within a paradigm shift…Tua (from what we’ve seen) sort of encompasses the old guard, he was productive in college, accurate, had a high floor….but I’m of the belief that it’s never been easier to find competent QB play within the league. There was a time where you didn’t draft “projects” at the position high, but with the proliferation and specialization of the passing game across all levels, to me it makes sense to draft for elite physical tools, teach and build an offense around them.

I’m rooting for Tua and I haven’t given up on him, but if I’m drafting a QB in the 1st round, I certainly wouldn’t be drafting a guy at his height that lacks elite physical traits. If you have a good system; it’s not difficult to find competency, so if I’m making a significant investment, in looking for something more.
And having having said that, I had no problem with the team taking Tua, so for me, it really this is a belief that’s solidified itself in the last couple years. I do think Mac is similar, but the Patriots also lucked out a bit where it did make sense where he was taken.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
Hoooooooly hell what a swing in momentum. Miami gets the fourth and goal stop and absolutely marches down the field and ties the game up. This game was all Baltimore until that goal line stand.

Defense setting the tone and the offense suddenly roars to life.
 

nolasoxfan

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 11, 2004
7,366
Displaced
Hoooooooly hell what a swing in momentum. Miami gets the fourth and goal stop and absolutely marches down the field and ties the game up. This game was all Baltimore until that goal line stand.

Defense setting the tone and the offense suddenly roars to life.
I think I fell asleep during the part of the game you’re describing.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
I’m done with Tua.
I mean, Tua has not been great, but special teams and the defense have been worse.

Josh Boyer, the Ravens were embarrassed on a national stage by the cover zero and they spent the offseason making sure it wouldn’t happen again. Dial something else up.
 

rymflaherty

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2010
3,424
Norfolk
Did I say, done with Tua? I meant to say, Done with my tuna fish sandwhich.

Do I get credit for some sort of reverse jinx? Lol Seriously though, this game is insane. My frustration earlier were the plays that seemed to indicate a lack of awareness. Could have never fathomed things playing out like they have since then…
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
Tua went absolute beast mode in the second half.

Hit Tyreek on two long TDs and then marched the team down with two minutes and threw his 6th TD pass of the game to win it.

Mac Jones could never.

That was the Tua we’ve been waiting three years to see. Ice cold in the second half and absolutely dealing.

Huge shoutout to the defense for stuffing the Ravens on fourth down several times. Harbaugh going for it on fourth and short up 14 was probably a dumb decision in retrospect.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

posts way less than 18% useful shit
SoSH Member
Nov 17, 2010
14,927
To be fair, at least one of those TDs a high school kid could have hit Tyreek. There wasn't anyone within 15 yards of him.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
To be fair, at least one of those TDs a high school kid could have hit Tyreek. There wasn't anyone within 15 yards of him.
The ball to Gesicki, the TD to Cracraft where he spun out of pressure, and the last TD to Waddle were all plus plays from Tua.

The Gesicki TD the Ravens dropped 9 into coverage and Tua still threw a strike to the back of the end zone. That’s insane.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
Biggest takeaway besides Tua, Tyreek, and Waddle are good should be Mike McDaniel is also good. He’s pulling all the right levers at the right time. The run from Chase Edmonds to set up the game winning TD is a perfect example.

We’ve seen frauds in Miami before. Guys that were near greatness at the right time and place. Cam Cameron, Joe Philbin, Adam Gase. Mike McDaniel is not those guys. That comeback is a game that would have ended up 56-14 most other years. They never gave up. They never quit. The Ravens were the ones that eventually broke.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

posts way less than 18% useful shit
SoSH Member
Nov 17, 2010
14,927
Biggest takeaway besides Tua, Tyreek, and Waddle are good should be Mike McDaniel is also good. He’s pulling all the right levers at the right time. The run from Chase Edmonds to set up the game winning TD is a perfect example.

We’ve seen frauds in Miami before. Guys that were near greatness at the right time and place. Cam Cameron, Joe Philbin, Adam Gase. Mike McDaniel is not those guys. That comeback is a game that would have ended up 56-14 most other years. They never gave up. They never quit. The Ravens were the ones that eventually broke.
These two pieces go hand in hand. And, I promise I'm not trying to be the turd in the punchbowl. But trying to take too much out of that game - like that McDaniels is good and, "pulling all the right levers at the right time" - feels really silly.

Literally 50% of their yards and four of their six TDS came with 12 minutes left in the 4th. I'm not sure repeated "50+ yard bomb for a TD down multiple scores!" is the place he'll want to hang his hat.

Having pass plays of 60, 48, 33, and 21 yards in the final 12 minutes is great. And it's good to know Tua has the arm to do it. But those are highly volatile plays (the first two, anyway), and ones that most non-Flacco teams don't try to build their offense around.

I'd be happy taking the win, the knowledge that Tua can hit the deep ball, and that the wide receivers are who we thought they were. But, I would personally be putting a little more weight into the 3+ quarters of play over what is clearly an anomaly in the history of football.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
These two pieces go hand in hand. And, I promise I'm not trying to be the turd in the punchbowl. But trying to take too much out of that game - like that McDaniels is good and, "pulling all the right levers at the right time" - feels really silly.

Literally 50% of their yards and four of their six TDS came with 12 minutes left in the 4th. I'm not sure repeated "50+ yard bomb for a TD down multiple scores!" is the place he'll want to hang his hat.

Having pass plays of 60, 48, 33, and 21 yards in the final 12 minutes is great. And it's good to know Tua has the arm to do it. But those are highly volatile plays (the first two, anyway), and ones that most non-Flacco teams don't try to build their offense around.

I'd be happy taking the win, the knowledge that Tua can hit the deep ball, and that the wide receivers are who we thought they were. But, I would personally be putting a little more weight into the 3+ quarters of play over what is clearly an anomaly in the history of football.
Yea I don’t think you can dial up the busted coverage play every game. Like I said, the run play within the two minute drill, using split zone to draw the LB to the opposite side of the formation is absolutely pulling the lever at the right time.

Also running the depleted Ravens secondary ragged until your superstar receivers are running wild through their gassed defense isn’t a coincidence. That’s a feature of the system, not a bug.

Funny because listening to some podcasts and coverage of the games, more people were willing to jump into the Mike McDaniel might be really good water and less were willing to jump into the Tua has Arrived waters.
 

pdaj

Fantasy Maven
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
3,413
From Springfield to Providence
How yesterday's events unfolded for me:

- Jackson runs in for the very long score; Ravens go up 35-14. The friend/classmate I'm watching the game with, who also happens to be a Ravens fan, twists her trash-talking knife.
- For the sake of our friendship and my dignity, I opt to walk away from the screen. We head to the vegan festival in Worcester earlier than planned.
- Driving/score watching: 35-21. "Well, okay. At least they're showing some fight/self-respect." 35-28. "Okay, even better. But likely too little, too late. Though, man, there's a lot of time left." 35-35. I spend the next 20 minutes standing in line for food while we both yell/scream at my phone. (FYI: I love NFL Sunday Ticket!)

What a game! And so, so needed for Tua moving forward. Am I ready to crown him the QB for the next decade? Not quite yet, but this is a giant step in that direction.

A few additional thoughts on that:

- I've always been enamored with Tua's quick decision-making and short-to-mid-game accuracy. I think he can be elite here. He's already really good. Waddle's dynamite game is recognized, but he still dropped at least 2 well-placed throws that were quite big at the time.
- The deep ball? This was never an issue for me. I always knew he'd be good enough here. Media/fans overrate the significance of that aspect of QB play.
- Out of everything I saw and reviewed today, I am most excited/encouraged about how Tua demonstrated the ability to PLAY-MAKE, via extending the play, navigating the pocket, and making an accurate throw on the run. WE WERE TOLD THAT HE COULD NOT DO THIS! Well, that's not true. Yesterday was our first true glimpse of "Alabama Tua," which coincidentally has coincided with more time removed from his significant injury and improved surroundings (weapons/coaching).

Next week's game will tell us quite a bit, won't it? After all, it's in Miami.

Edit:

This is a short watch and quite hilarious:

 
Last edited:

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
Bills week. I would be pleasantly shocked if Miami pulls out a win versus Buffalo. The Bills look like they’re on the express train to the Super Bowl right now and the offense does not appear to be missing Brian Daboll.

That being said, I would hope it’s a competitive game at home. Seeing Miami lay an egg again versus Buffalo would be pretty disheartening after what we’ve seen the first two weeks.

I would hope we see the offense continue to play efficiently. The defense remains the concern as Josh Allen and Diggs have been the boogeymen for Josh Boyer and Brian Flores the last few years. Missing Byron Jones doesn’t help, but maybe this is the second chapter in Kader Kohou’s origin story.

The win versus Baltimore ensures that Miami emerges from their four game gauntlet to start the year at no worse than 2-2. The Bengals look to be reeling, but we play them on a short week on the road, so I would absolutely not discount that being a tough game as well.
 

rymflaherty

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2010
3,424
Norfolk
I’ll be extremely interested to see what McDaniel has planned against an opponent that primarily runs a base defense. I think the world of him, and if there’s ever a chance for genius to shine, it’s when you know exactly what your opponent is going to do, and what they do is meant to contain your strengths.
If McDaniel can devise a way to get this Bills defense scrambling, I’ll be downright giddy for what the future holds, regardless of what the final score winds up on Sunday.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
I’ll be extremely interested to see what McDaniel has planned against an opponent that primarily runs a base defense. I think the world of him, and if there’s ever a chance for genius to shine, it’s when you know exactly what your opponent is going to do, and what they do is meant to contain your strengths.
If McDaniel can devise a way to get this Bills defense scrambling, I’ll be downright giddy for what the future holds, regardless of what the final score winds up on Sunday.
I think it’s pretty straightforward. Miami’s offense has been extremely effective in 11 personnel. If Micah Hyde is going to be out, which I believe he is, and two rookies are going to start at corner, that’s your answer. After last week, I don’t think the Bills will be brave enough to dare Tua to beat them deep with Tyreek and squat on everything short.

They’re going to hope to drop 7 and rush 4 and hope that Von and the D Line can get to Tua before Tyreek and Waddle get to their secondary.

That, in turn, should open up the running game like we saw on the final drive.

This is the evolution of the offense we’re going to see. Teams do not have the horses to run with Miami. As long as Tua continues to push the ball downfield, defensive coordinators are going to be in a real bind figuring out how to slow this offense down.

Edit:Micah Hyde, Ed Oliver, Jordan Phillips, and Dane Jackson all out for Buffalo’s defense. It might be an 80+ point game. Hammer the over.
 
Last edited:

rymflaherty

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2010
3,424
Norfolk
Yes, I’ve been kind of thinking we’ll see more running than we have thus far…whether it will be successful or not, I don’t know, but I think it will at least be a focus coming in.

I’d expect lots of flood concepts, putting pressure on the zones, especially the guys with less experience. I think we also see traditional route concepts, but guys running from spots you wouldn’t usually see - like Hill in the backfield, or in right at the line and running the TE route etc. Then, if the line is somehow holding up, I think you can see some big plays running digs off that, or other concepts stretching the field horizontally this week. Or at least, that’s what makes sense to me off the top of the head…
The exciting part is knowing you do have a guy that isn’t likely to come in each week with a mostly static gameplan regardless of opponent.
 
Apr 24, 2019
1,278
Given the performances I’ve watched from both of these teams the first two weeks, I think the Bills will win by at least two touchdowns. The phins looked ok beating the Patriots and had a spectacular 4th quarter vs the Ravens, but the Bills look DOMINANT. 38-24.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
This might be Miami’s week. Both Poyer and Hyde will be out, along with two rookie CBs and Phillips and Oliver.

Though the final score usually doesn’t reflect it, Miami’s defense has managed to hold the Bills offense in check for a half at a time in the past. It’s just usually the dam breaks because the offense does nothing against the Bill’s defense and eventually Josh Allen and Diggs find a way.

I think today, if the defense can get a few stops out of the Bills, which they have done, the offense is good enough to capitalize.

I think it’s still a close, high scoring game, but I think Miami squeaks this one at home.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
Late shot from Matt Milano knocked Tua out of the game. I think Tua misses the rest of this game and Thursday is certainly in doubt as well.

Teddy Bridgewater looked like he’s never seen an NFL field in 3 pass attempts, so this one is looking bad.
 

rymflaherty

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2010
3,424
Norfolk
That was one of the greatest defensive performances I’ve ever seen…they were on the field that whole second half.
To not have had more breakdowns or penalties out of sheer exhaustion is incredible.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
The defense played fucking HUGE. I have no idea how they didn’t break. That was sheer will. Everyone left everything out there. Hats off to the Bills as well. They battled their asses off. I was pulling my hair out that they kept dialing up cover zero and letting up easy completions, but Boyer adjusted.

Tua must have memorized the concussion exam questions. I don’t know how he came back in. The offense didn’t do too much. Tua delivered that strike to Waddle that set up the TD. I was less than thrilled with McDaniel’s final play calls. I think that was his worst game, but he did dial up that beauty of a call to Waddle on third and 25.

Miami the only undefeated team in the AFC and winning a game versus Buffalo is gigantic for both playoffs and getting the gorilla off their backs.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
View: https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/1574143846702845952?s=46&t=zrAX8oC_JmFuu_9EZi2cEQ


Tua and McDaniel said after the game that Tua’s back is why he stumbled and had to be taken out of the game. He got bent in half on a QB sneak earlier in the game.

Tua said when took the hit from Milano, he said he hit his back then his head. Also, Miami doesn’t evaluate Tua for a concussion, the league appointed evaluator does. So this isn’t a case of Miami letting Tua back on the field. He also seemed fine in the second half.

Either way, I would be very surprised to see this team win Thursday night. They emptied the tank to beat Buffalo. Going on the road on a short week after a game like that is a huge ask.
 
Last edited:

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
34,980
Either way, I would be very surprised to see this team win Thursday night. They emptied the tank to beat Buffalo. Going on the road on a short week after a game like that is a huge ask.
I was impressed by the Bengals D today but you guys should be all over Burrow.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
Mike McDaniel is 3-0 versus Bill Belichick, John Harbaugh, and Sean McDermott. That’s hugely impressive.

Josh Boyer has stepped out from behind Flores shadow and held the boogeyman to 17 points. Say what you want about the Bills defense being decimated, they had almost their entire offense in the game. That’s huge.

This is a good football team. If they can actually win Thursday night, they would be 4-0 to start coming into the soft part of their schedule that we were hoping they could make up ground on. That now may be where they attempt to put some distance between themselves and the Bills.
 

swiftaw

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2009
3,546
I'm ecstatic by their start, but I wouldn't be shocked if they lose on Thursday. I think yesterday's game exhausted them physically and mentally. Still, if someone had offered me 3-1 after 4 games I would've bitten their hand off.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
I'm ecstatic by their start, but I wouldn't be shocked if they lose on Thursday. I think yesterday's game exhausted them physically and mentally. Still, if someone had offered me 3-1 after 4 games I would've bitten their hand off.
I’m with you there. I suppose the upshot of the defense playing so much yesterday is the offense should feel pretty fresh. They’re going to have to carry the team Thursday.

If this game was Sunday, I’d be confident in a Miami win. But the short week, and travel making it an even shorter week, is so hard to overcome after a game like yesterday.
 

pdaj

Fantasy Maven
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
3,413
From Springfield to Providence
Aside from starting off the season vs. the Patriots at home and a bit of a let-up mid-season, I hated this year's schedule for the Dolphins. Ravens and Bills (two of the most physical teams in the league), followed by a short week road game vs. last year's AFC Super Bowl representative? Then, later in the year, the Dolphins head west to play the 49ers and Chargers on the road in consecutive weeks. And their next week back? On the road vs. the Bills. Talk about no fucking favors, as if the lack of prime time games wasn't disrespectful enough.

This is my odd way of saying ... yeah, a 3-0 start is HUGE!

I have no idea what to expect on Sunday, but this team seems ... different. They appear to have the right, uber-talented veterans/leaders in place. A mature, one-week-at-a-time approach and sky-high expectations.

It'll be interesting to see the forthcoming injury report.
 

Justthetippett

New Member
Aug 9, 2015
3,339
Credit to Miami thus far, but they could easily be 1-2 and those close games have a way of evening out over the year. Goes without saying we’ll know a lot more about them in a few months. Tua’s ability to sustain a season will obviously be huge.
 

BusRaker

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 11, 2006
2,984
I really like Mike McDaniel. His pressers are just so freakin' honest. Congrats to the Fins for there 3-0 start
 

rymflaherty

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2010
3,424
Norfolk
Aside from starting off the season vs. the Patriots at home and a bit of a let-up mid-season, I hated this year's schedule for the Dolphins. Ravens and Bills (two of the most physical teams in the league), followed by a short week road game vs. last year's AFC Super Bowl representative? Then, later in the year, the Dolphins head west to play the 49ers and Chargers on the road in consecutive weeks. And their next week back? On the road vs. the Bills. Talk about no fucking favors, as if the lack of prime time games wasn't disrespectful enough.

This is my odd way of saying ... yeah, a 3-0 start is HUGE!

I have no idea what to expect on Sunday, but this team seems ... different. They appear to have the right, uber-talented veterans/leaders in place. A mature, one-week-at-a-time approach and sky-high expectations.

It'll be interesting to see the forthcoming injury report.
The start is even more brutal than you think, assuming that wasn’t a typo, this weeks game is Thursday.

I think they have a chance, but I won’t overreact too strongly to a loss considering the circumstances. Especially since I was someone that was realistically expecting 1-3, or 2-2 at best, and it not necessarily dooming the season.

I also don’t really buy into the last two weeks being lucky, improbable yes, but not lucky…the Dolphins made plenty of plays to win those games as well. And unlike years past, what is encouraging is that they were too wildly different games. It wasn’t the 17-13 slugfest against a shit QB that Miami pulls out, which have been most of the close wins the past few years. It was the offense winning one week and the defense the next, with each unit making enough plays late to allow the other group to win it. Hope they stay healthy enough and stay focused once they get into the games we thought they’d be winning.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
The start is even more brutal than you think, assuming that wasn’t a typo, this weeks game is Thursday.

I think they have a chance, but I won’t overreact too strongly to a loss considering the circumstances. Especially since I was someone that was realistically expecting 1-3, or 2-2 at best, and it not necessarily dooming the season.

I also don’t really buy into the last two weeks being lucky, improbable yes, but not lucky…the Dolphins made plenty of plays to win those games as well. And unlike years past, what is encouraging is that they were too wildly different games. It wasn’t the 17-13 slugfest against a shit QB that Miami pulls out, which have been most of the close wins the past few years. It was the offense winning one week and the defense the next, with each unit making enough plays late to allow the other group to win it. Hope they stay healthy enough and stay focused once they get into the games we thought they’d be winning.
My scorecard has the defense winning two games and the offense winning one game so far.

If they put together a complete game at some point, they’re gonna blow the doors off of a few teams.

If the Bengals were smart, they would try and do what Buffalo did, and put together a few long drives and try and lean on Joe Mixon. Keeping Miami’s offense off the field and keeping that defense that will be on fumes on the field will be key. They don’t want too many quick strikes with Miami getting the ball back.
 

Rudy's Curve

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 4, 2006
2,440
My scorecard has the defense winning two games and the offense winning one game so far.

If they put together a complete game at some point, they’re gonna blow the doors off of a few teams.

If the Bengals were smart, they would try and do what Buffalo did, and put together a few long drives and try and lean on Joe Mixon. Keeping Miami’s offense off the field and keeping that defense that will be on fumes on the field will be key. They don’t want too many quick strikes with Miami getting the ball back.
That would be great except for the fact Mixon is averaging 2.8 a pop. Maybe he'll get it going at some point, or maybe the cliff is here. Former Dolphin for a hot minute Samaje Perine ran it much better yesterday and I wouldn't be surprised to see close to an even split Thursday, especially with Mixon a little banged up. I think you'll see some quick hitters to the WRs and rely on their YAC, but I'll gladly take quick TDs and worry about time of possession later. Miami's pass rush is certainly better than the Jets', but it obviously helps they don't have a game-wrecker in the Watt/Parsons mold the Bengals faced the first two weeks. I could definitely see Ingram giving Jonah Williams fits though, as he's really struggled.

The other side of the ball should be pretty fascinating - the Bengals defense has been very good, but they've faced Trubisky, Rush and Flacco and none of them have the 1-2 punch Miami does. Hendrickson vs. Armstead should be a hell of a battle (they certainly know each other) and the Bengals will have to keep the Dolphins behind the chains, which will be tougher presumably without DJ Reader. Not that the Bengals have been any great shakes, but if Miami can go there and win on a short week after what happened yesterday that's a hell of an accomplishment.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
That would be great except for the fact Mixon is averaging 2.8 a pop. Maybe he'll get it going at some point, or maybe the cliff is here. Former Dolphin for a hot minute Samaje Perine ran it much better yesterday and I wouldn't be surprised to see close to an even split Thursday, especially with Mixon a little banged up. I think you'll see some quick hitters to the WRs and rely on their YAC, but I'll gladly take quick TDs and worry about time of possession later. Miami's pass rush is certainly better than the Jets', but it obviously helps they don't have a game-wrecker in the Watt/Parsons mold the Bengals faced the first two weeks. I could definitely see Ingram giving Jonah Williams fits though, as he's really struggled.

The other side of the ball should be pretty fascinating - the Bengals defense has been very good, but they've faced Trubisky, Rush and Flacco and none of them have the 1-2 punch Miami does. Hendrickson vs. Armstead should be a hell of a battle (they certainly know each other) and the Bengals will have to keep the Dolphins behind the chains, which will be tougher presumably without DJ Reader. Not that the Bengals have been any great shakes, but if Miami can go there and win on a short week after what happened yesterday that's a hell of an accomplishment.
Appreciate the Bengals insight.
 

sodenj5

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
6,759
CT
Melvin Ingram was named AFC DPOTM. M

View: https://twitter.com/miamidolphins/status/1575463793341218816?s=46&t=8i3u8xvfZMw4eDPAOo_O7w


After seeing so many free agents come in and not make an impact, it’s awesome to see a guy like Ingram come in as an under the radar vet signing paying immediate dividends.

Speaking of the defense, Miami’s D has been very, very close to having a monster performance. They dropped 5 INTs last week versus Allen and probably should have had another 2-3 sacks.

Even on a short week, I think this might be a big game from the D in terms of output. Burrow has been under siege all season. Obviously fatigue concerns me, but guys like Phillips and Ogbah have been so close to having sacks the last two weeks, but Lamar and Allen are aliens. Burrow is more of a sitting duck back there, and I think the D might tee off.
 

pdaj

Fantasy Maven
SoSH Member
Dec 15, 2002
3,413
From Springfield to Providence

Agreed. Melvin's proven to be such a huge veteran add on the defensive end this year, and there's no reason not to expect it to continue, health permitted, of course. His pass rush/nose-for-the-ball skillset is especially fun. There's also the added bonus to having him likely being GEEKED to face his old team (Chargers).

Tonight's game is a tough deck for the Dolphins. I hate TNF for away teams, and this one just so happens to follow the most brutally exhausting game of the year. If Miami wins this one, this will feel a bit more like a potentially special season.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

posts way less than 18% useful shit
SoSH Member
Nov 17, 2010
14,927

Kenny F'ing Powers

posts way less than 18% useful shit
SoSH Member
Nov 17, 2010
14,927
Also, I really enjoy the dude coming in and trying to curl Tuas spasm'd fingers back up before the camera gets a good look at that horror. Gotta think of the children.
 

Looch

New Member
Jul 15, 2021
758
The Amazon Prime team has totally failed to raise basic questions about how culpable the league and the Dolphins might be for bringing Tua back so quickly after Sunday‘s scare. Michaels, Herbstreit and the halftime team only mentioned the Sunday injury in passing without even asking whether something went seriously wrong in how his injury was handled. Not a good look for that group or the Shield as a whole, for the zillionth time.