Zim’s Grades For The Game: Preseason Game 1

[GhostArmOfMarino]

IMO our 1st string offense moved the chains vs their 1st string defense fairly well. There were certainly times when the play calling seemed to focus on achieving a goal outside of scoring. In particular, running the ball vs an elite front in the red zone. Our 1st string defense pretty much shut down their 1st string offense. The Bears only won because of Fields’ late game “heroics” vs guys who won’t even make our final roster.

Yeah obviously the guys Fields was going against will not be major contributors to this team.

In fairness to him though the guys he was playing with won't be contributors for his team either. I don't want to take anything away from his performance even if it was a meaningless game with meaningless players.

 

[Vaark]

Perhaps it’s time you become a fan of the Texans or Packers. Because you obviously are going to be miserable as a Dolphin fan as long as Tua is the teams QB and Tua will be the teams QB for at least the next decade or longer.

Since you love Watson and Rogers and hate Tua, it would likely be better for your mental health to change teams and root for the QB’s you love. Because neither Rogers or Watson are ever going to be the Dolphins QB and you obviously aren’t going to enjoy rooting for the Dolphins as long as Tua is the teams QB.

Because it is obviously Tua’s fault that the team has a terrible offensive line and below average RB’s. Since the line doesn’t seem to be getting better and the RB’s are what they are, Tua obviously hasn’t done enough to improve these areas of the team. I thought that was Grier’s job but you have made it very clear that the fault is Tua’s.

I have tried to understand your comments regarding Tua but now those comments have gone from
confusing to absurd. I just wonder why you would want to trade for Watson. Since you blame Tua for everything wrong with the Dolphins. I just wonder why Watson couldn’t do a better job of getting the Texans defense to play better last year and how dare he throw 7 interceptions last year.

No supposed long term fan is that consistently convoluted in his/her "insights!" This guy is obviously trolling to get the attention and reactions he probably doesn't get IRL. He is an irritant since he drifted ashore here, fersure.

I am most guilty I admit, but if we all either put him on ignore or stop reacting to his pathetic attention-seeking posts, it's the equivalent of suffocation by oxygen deprivation

 

[NoblePhin]

Not sure I follow. Tua didn't play at the end of the half? His interception was early in the 2nd quarter and on 1st down.

Meant rather end his time of play

 

[Sirspud]

Yeah obviously the guys Fields was going against will not be major contributors to this team.

In fairness to him though the guys he was playing with won't be contributors for his team either. I don't want to take anything away from his performance even if it was a meaningless game with meaningless players.

I get it, but those guys around him were holding a pretty solid pocket, giving him solid open options, and honestly, the two plays that are his claim to fame from the day - his scramble and then his TD pass on a route even Michael Egnew could have taken to the house - it really didn't matter much about the players out there with him.

 

[Jpaul]

Well….Football is back! That’s the good news….. The OL….That’s the bad news. These grades are based on the people who played in this game. Not on the potential of the guys that sat.

QB’s - B - : Tua looked VERY good behind a bad OL. The interception was a bad decision. Questioning his arm strength shows me you know nothing about football. Brisett looked good and had a great TD throw. Sinnet is PS material at best.

RB’s - C : Brown is slow and has limited vision in this game. Everyone else was as good as they could be behind what I consider a PUTRID OL.

TE’s - D + : Gesicki with a nice long catch. Other than that they were quiet. The run blocking from this group is a problem though.

WR’s - D : I didn’t see any separation from our receivers….. Just like last year. Tua had to fit throws in to tight windows. No throws to Waddle at all. Not an impressive game by any means by our receiving squad. We need to get guys healthy here.

OL - F - : Wow. This unit is just BAD. My thoughts right now are that this unit has regressed. We might actually be worse off than last year. Austin Jackson has shown ZERO improvement. That’s concerning. Jessie Davis should seriously consider retiring before he gets someone killed. I saw Kindly move a couple people….But he got worked in pass pro a few times. This is past the point of concerning. If you’re a Dolphin fan…. you should be scared right now.

DL - B - : The starters were good/great. Very nice effort here. I like Ledbetter. He flashed. Potentially a VERY good unit based on today. They dropped a letter grade because the 3rd stringers got no push and gave up some long runs.

LB’s - B - : Not a bad game at all. I’m looking for a big year out of Baker this year. I liked his game today. McKinney is a thumper.

DB’s - A - : Nik Needham played great. Noah made one play then got burned on another. BUT….At least he made a play. I actually see a little progress out of him. This is an ELITE unit in the NFL. Period.

ST’s - A : Waddle is fast. He’s gonna be dangerous. Jakeem Grant looked good. Sanders was perfect. Palardy is an upgrade over Haack. Good coverage today as well.

Coaching - B : It’s preseason.

GM/Front Office - F : I have been critical of Grier for a long time. What bothers me is that It’s turning out that it’s justified. As of this writing, Austin Jackson and Noah Igbo are wasted picks. That is really frustrating. The OL is, as of now, worse than last year. Malcolm Brown looks like a waste of money. Need I go on? Either we need to fire every one of our scouts, or we have to start thinking about replacing Grier. I know there are a lot of people that are going to say that I’m over-reacting. If that’s your take…..Tell me when it’s OK to call Grier out. I’ll be waiting.

I'm sorry but I don't see how you can give Grier and the front office an F when you give A grades for DB's, ST's, and B's to DB/LB/QB's...Do you not understand that Grier and staff have built the other aspects of the team and not just a few of the struggling parts. No GM hits on every single player unfortunately you will have some misses. Yes, they have missed a lot with the offensive line. Criticize them at times for sure, but commending some parts of the build but only judging them on only the problematic ones is not a fair assessment. Our offensive line choices have been underwhelming but in most other area's we've done fairly well in building the core team for the foreseeable future.

I appreciate you taking the time to create a write-up but if you do, please assess things fairly and not with bias. When you start off by saying I have been critical of Grier for a long time you instantly show your biased and an inability to judge the whole product fairly from a front office perspective. This is the most promising squad we've had in almost two decades...I think they are doing some things right and clearly do not deserve an F.

 

[Sirspud]

I'm sorry but I don't see how you can give Grier and the front office an F when you give A grades for DB's, ST's, and B's to DB/LB/QB's...Do you not understand that Grier and staff have built the other aspects of the team and not just a few of the struggling parts. No GM hits on every single player unfortunately you will have some misses. Yes, they have missed a lot with the offensive line. Criticize them at times for sure, but commending some parts of the build but only judging them on only the problematic ones is not a fair assessment. Our offensive line choices have been underwhelming but in most other area's we've done fairly well in building the core team for the foreseeable future.

I appreciate you taking the time to create a write-up but if you do, please assess things fairly and not with bias. When you start off by saying I have been critical of Grier for a long time you instantly show your biased and an inability to judge the whole product fairly from a front office perspective. This is the most promising squad we've had in almost two decades...I think they are doing some things right and clearly do not deserve an F.

Grading a GM is not expecting them to "hit" every draft pick. It's whether or not they've stocked the football team with good players that can facilitate this team's success, whatever road the GM took to get them here.

It's pretty obvious looking at the play on the field that the potential of this squad is heavily limited because the offensive line just isn't providing NFL caliber play. I've watched good portions of most of the preseason games played this week, and I'm not just being a disgruntled fan when I say the starting offensive line for the Dolphins gave their team the least to execute plays consistently than any other offense out there. And this is despite the FO throwing a ton of resources at it. This despite the FO having two years ago made the unforced choice of trading away a young LT when it had to other building block linemen.

It's also obvious that this team's RB room is one of the least talented of any in the league, and the big FO failure in the league is that they basically have done NOTHING substantive to improve the group that saw a +35 year old QB lead it in rushing two years ago. Their half-hearted solution looks like a guy who will be out of the rotation by week 4, he's so physically unimpressive and doesn't make good decisions either.

FO's get an F when there are easily identifiable holes in a team you could drive a truck through from the get go, before injuries even set in.

 

[Jpaul]

Grading a GM is not expecting them to "hit" every draft pick. It's whether or not they've stocked the football team with good players that can facilitate this team's success, whatever road the GM took to get them here.

It's pretty obvious looking at the play on the field that the potential of this squad is heavily limited because the offensive line just isn't providing NFL caliber play. I've watched good portions of most of the preseason games played this week, and I'm not just being a disgruntled fan when I say the starting offensive line for the Dolphins gave their team the least to execute plays consistently than any other offense out there. And this is despite the FO throwing a ton of resources at it. This despite the FO having two years ago made the unforced choice of trading away a young LT when it had to other building block linemen.

It's also obvious that this team's RB room is one of the least talented of any in the league, and the big FO failure in the league is that they basically have done NOTHING substantive to improve the group that saw a +35 year old QB lead it in rushing two years ago. Their half-hearted solution looks like a guy who will be out of the rotation by week 4, he's so physically unimpressive and doesn't make good decisions either.

FO's get an F when there are easily identifiable holes in a team you could drive a truck through from the get go, before injuries even set in.

Unfortunately I don't think the F grade takes in consideration the "good players that can facilitate this team's success" with your grade assessment? I get the frustration because we're close to being a really good team but need major improved play out of the offensive line. Don't let your frustration seep over into not recognizing some of the good the front office has done with this team. Also, please name the easily identifiable holes in this team that one could drive a truck through it?

Offensive line..check....RB room...it would be great to have a star back, but with an improved line this unit is fine. WR room could easily improve with guys getting back healthy. After these three areas one would really be nitpicking. In general, if people agree that "if" the offensive line were fixed then the team would be in a much better position to win football games and threaten for the division, and/or get a playoff spot, etc...that would suggest that the other areas on the football team allowed us to be in that position which is a direct result of the work of the front office. If you're not complaining about the D-Line, backers, secondary, depth at the WR position this year, TE room, and QB play then one should commend the front office that you don't have the material to do that this year. Because that shows progress from years past. After seeing the haul we got for our young LT which is the gift that keeps on giving (still have draft picks in the future from that decision) I would trade him 100% if I had to go back in the past a 100 times. In reality I don't care that you give the GM an F because that is your opinion, but what I do care about is the apparent unwillingness to credit the front office where they have done well with our team. If you said everything you said and the grade had taken in consideration at least the entire built roster I wouldn't have even commented back, and probably would have given you a thumbs up.

 

[dolfan91]

How bout some Trill!!!

 

[Burt Macklin]

Well….Football is back! That’s the good news….. The OL….That’s the bad news. These grades are based on the people who played in this game. Not on the potential of the guys that sat.

QB’s - B - : Tua looked VERY good behind a bad OL. The interception was a bad decision. Questioning his arm strength shows me you know nothing about football. Brisett looked good and had a great TD throw. Sinnet is PS material at best.

RB’s - C : Brown is slow and has limited vision in this game. Everyone else was as good as they could be behind what I consider a PUTRID OL.

TE’s - D + : Gesicki with a nice long catch. Other than that they were quiet. The run blocking from this group is a problem though.

WR’s - D : I didn’t see any separation from our receivers….. Just like last year. Tua had to fit throws in to tight windows. No throws to Waddle at all. Not an impressive game by any means by our receiving squad. We need to get guys healthy here.

OL - F - : Wow. This unit is just BAD. My thoughts right now are that this unit has regressed. We might actually be worse off than last year. Austin Jackson has shown ZERO improvement. That’s concerning. Jessie Davis should seriously consider retiring before he gets someone killed. I saw Kindly move a couple people….But he got worked in pass pro a few times. This is past the point of concerning. If you’re a Dolphin fan…. you should be scared right now.

DL - B - : The starters were good/great. Very nice effort here. I like Ledbetter. He flashed. Potentially a VERY good unit based on today. They dropped a letter grade because the 3rd stringers got no push and gave up some long runs.

LB’s - B - : Not a bad game at all. I’m looking for a big year out of Baker this year. I liked his game today. McKinney is a thumper.

DB’s - A - : Nik Needham played great. Noah made one play then got burned on another. BUT….At least he made a play. I actually see a little progress out of him. This is an ELITE unit in the NFL. Period.

ST’s - A : Waddle is fast. He’s gonna be dangerous. Jakeem Grant looked good. Sanders was perfect. Palardy is an upgrade over Haack. Good coverage today as well.

Coaching - B : It’s preseason.

GM/Front Office - F : I have been critical of Grier for a long time. What bothers me is that It’s turning out that it’s justified. As of this writing, Austin Jackson and Noah Igbo are wasted picks. That is really frustrating. The OL is, as of now, worse than last year. Malcolm Brown looks like a waste of money. Need I go on? Either we need to fire every one of our scouts, or we have to start thinking about replacing Grier. I know there are a lot of people that are going to say that I’m over-reacting. If that’s your take…..Tell me when it’s OK to call Grier out. I’ll be waiting.

Hyperbolic as usual.

 

[DZimmer000]

Hyperbolic as usual.

You don’t have to read it. As a matter of fact…. You’re welcome not to.

 

[Burt Macklin]

You don’t have to read it. As a matter of fact…. You’re welcome not to.

You spend all that time writing a post and can't acknowledge you're being a bit over-reactive? Giving our Front Office an F because you didn't like how their acquisitions played in the preseason game?

I understand this after a regular season game, but come on, we should be painting with broad brushes here. Maybe something like:
OL played bad, DBs played good, most everyone else was meh.

 

[Buff]

Well, after watching the first 1/4, I don't really understand the hate for Tua's game. His running was ok, vision was quite good and his passes had some sting on them.

His touch pass to Gisecki was great. He had some nice touches and sharp passes to Hollins that threaded the needle nicely. He was missing his main weapons but in all honesty, the 1st pre season game is just a warm up. The interception was one of those things. Shouldn't have happened, but it did, Its on Tua rather than the TE not doing enough.

The running game with Brown isnt much of a change from last year. Mind you, the front 5 were pushed around a fair bit, particularly the left side. but Gaskin looked quite fast with a nice couple of cuts.

Jackson, Dieter and Hunt in the 1st 1/4 were not good. Jackson got beat quite often, and Dieter was on his knees at least 3 times, which made it easier for the defence to push Tua.

I think Gaskin as the main RB is going to be the way that Mimi goes. He certainly has good speed and vision. The O line still needs work.

In the end, just chill people. Its game one of the pre season.

 

[DZimmer000]

You spend all that time writing a post and can't acknowledge you're being a bit over-reactive? Giving our Front Office an F because you didn't like how their acquisitions played in the preseason game?

I understand this after a regular season game, but come on, we should be painting with broad brushes here. Maybe something like:
OL played bad, DBs played good, most everyone else was meh.

36% of the 2020 draft will contribute on a regular basis this year….And one of them is a long snapper. The OL is a disaster right now…And Grier used the #18 overall pick on a guy that just scored a 31.8 in the first preseason game going up against a guy we got rid of 3 years ago. Igbo absolutely sucks. I’m not even gonna bring up the 2017 draft. Malcolm Brown needs a seeing eye dog to find any hole….. And you’re saying an F is overreacting? Really? I’m calling it as I see it. Period.

 

[Phinatic8u]

Using PFF as a reason to overreact is insanity fwiw.

 

[Lloyd Heilbrunn]

He’s a solid player. But I wish we would’ve drafted TJ watt over him in a heartbeat. That was frustrating and predictable to me the result when I saw that.

I think you're confusing the Charles Harris draft, with the Wilkins draft...