Welcome Back to NFL Football my fellow Dolphin’s Fans!! So nice to be back and offering my useless opinions for you guys to promptly tear apart….And I wouldn’t have it any other way. To start off with a Division win over a Patriots team that has owned this division for most of the past generation is great. Beating BB is also great and a special congratulations goes out to our coach Mike McDaniel on his first regular season win. It definitely felt different in the stadium yesterday. Regardless, here are the grades….But in my new Good, Bad and then the grade format.
QB — The Good: CLUTCH 4th down throw to Waddle for the TD. Absolutely perfectly thrown. Tua was throwing strikes on intermediate comeback routes yesterday….. A good sign. He knows the offense for sure…..Another good sign. He moved the team on multiple drives.
The Bad: He has to stop with the stupid throws while in the grasp. That’s gonna cost us if that’s not corrected. I’d like to see him be a little more aware in the pocket. I’ll say this….The OL didn’t really do a great job yesterday protecting him.
Grade: B. He managed the game well and threw strikes when he needed to. He definitely needs to improve on some things…..But a good effort.
RB’s — The Good: Edmonds is hard to cover out of the backfield and is dangerous with the ball in his hands in space. We have to find ways to get the ball to him in space as much as possible. I mean….He literally extended drives by himself after catching the ball. Mostert had a couple nice runs at the end of the game.
The Bad: Neither back found any holes in the running game until the 4th quarter when the game was basically over. Obviously our “improved” OL had a lot to do with it….But our RB’s definitely left some yards on the field. Our leading rusher was Edmonds with 25 yards on 12 Carries. Not gonna get it done people. This is an area we have to improve. Especially since the whole offense is predicated on the running game.
Grade: C -. We have the horses…. Mostert and Edmonds showed enough to say this position is covered….But neither set the world on fire yesterday.
TE’s — The Good: Ummmm….. Well….. Smythe had a few nice blocks. He also had a 14 yard catch.
The Bad: I guess when you’re not really used much….The positive is that you can’t do much too bad. Gesicki wasn’t used much at all. He had 1 catch for 1 yard.
Grade: D. I noticed Gesicki wide open down field twice. Hopefully, film study this week reveals that we still have TE’s on this team and that we can throw to them. Otherwise, we need to trade Gesicki for an offensive lineman tomorrow.
WR’s — The Good: Everything. Tyreek Hill is great. Jaylen Waddle is great. They were scary yesterday. I feel like we’re only scratching the surface with these guys. I like what Wilson did yesterday as well. If you’re playing against this offense….You better have your DB’s rested up.
The Bad: Not too much really. I felt a couple times the WR’s could have fought for more yards on the sidelines….But that’s nit-picking.
Grade: A. Easily the best unit on this team.
OL — The Good: They did manage to open holes late in the 4th quarter. On more than a few plays Tua had time to throw. Pass protection was better than last year….But that’s not a very high bar to clear.
The Bad: Uggh!! Again. Not Good today. Holes for the running game? Non-existent for 95% of the game. Pass protection? Marginal. Even the snapping needs improvement. What does it say for your OL when you actually miss Austin Jackson? Sad….Just Sad.
Grade: D -. I’ve said enough.
DL — The Good: A few nice stops behind the line. Zach Sieler and Christian Wilkins are very good. I thought Raekwon had a decent day. Ogbah had a sack. They had some pressure….But definitely not enough.
The Bad: They got GASHED by the Patriots OL in the running game. I watched them get pushed around for most of the game. To be honest…..Not a great day for this crew.
Grade: C -. They need to be better next week for sure….But we only allowed 7 points .
LB’s — The Good: Ingram for the scoop score. I thought he had a good game. Riley was VERY active today. He had a couple nice plays. Phillips recovered the 4th quarter fumble.
The Bad: Other than the fumble recovery, Phillips was INVISIBLE. No pressure. Nothing. BAD game from him. A lot of bad angles and missed tackles from this crew. I know we held them to only 7 points…. But that’s mostly because Mac Jones sucks. It’s not because this unit had a good day. They didn’t. This unit needs to be better.
Grade: C -. I hope we see better next week.
DB’s — The Good: X is money. I thought the penalty against him was BS. Needham was good. Kohou was good. Jones had a GREAT day. Nice pick and a good day by Holland. Best unit on the defense.
The Bad: A couple long receptions let up by Needham….But that happens. Other than that….A good game by this unit.
Grade: B +. No complaints here.
ST’s — The Good: Morestead and Sanders were very good today. The coverage units were also decent.
The Bad: Our returns weren’t so hot. Not sure I like Edmonds on a kick returns.
Grade B -. Solid game.
Coaching — The Good: Good play calling by McDaniel today. The 4th down call was a great call that I didn’t agree with at the time. I was proven wrong. Nice job. The defense only let up 1 touchdown. You gotta love that.
The Bad: Confusion all game long on defense. I can’t count the number of plays where guys didn’t know their assignment. Thank God it was only Mac Jones we were going against. Hopefully, we get those problems ironed out for next game.
Grade: B -. A win is a win. Luckily, we have a week to iron out the wrinkles and go back at it.
Conclusion: We beat the Patriots. Gotta love that. However, I ask myself….Would that effort have beaten the Bills yesterday? I don’t think so. So while I’m happy we won….We have to improve in a few areas. The one thing you can’t argue is we have the tools to beat anybody….. Now we have to sharpen those tools.
