Zim’s Grades For The Game: Week 16 Edition

[dolfan91]

Maybe I'm just overly optimistic, but I keep expecting something different out of McDaniel. I know the injuries to Tua have made it more difficult. But that's also a good reason to rely on tight ends more.

Tua played absolutely fantastic when healthy this year. But he also played well under Gailey too. I was expecting more from McDaniel, especially with his reputation.

Here's something to think about. Why is it, San Francisco keeps winning with the offense McDaniel helped with. In Miami he's changed up, relying more on the deep pass game. I was expecting the all around offense San Francisco has, not what he's actually implemented in Miami; which lacks several elements he helped created, while in San Fran.

 

[gofins60]

Here's something to think about. Why is it, San Francisco keeps winning with the offense McDaniel helped with. In Miami he's changed up, relying more on the deep pass game. I was expecting the all around offense San Francisco has, not what he's actually implemented in Miami; which lacks several elements he helped created, while in San Fran.

Why? Because there's a good chance that McDaniel really didn't do anything in SF. He's spent all or most of his coaching career as a hanger-on with the Shanahan family. He probably does what he's told, and occasionally thinks up a few decent play designs, so they keep him around when they move from team to team. He never called the plays in SF, yet in Miami he's both doing that and running the whole team. IOW, he's doing on-the-job training for two positions at the same time.

Does Ross know that you're allowed to hire a Head Coach that actually has experience?

 

[WildBill]

For years on this board I’ve lambasted Chris Grier. For years many of you have given me **** for it. Well….You’ll have to forgive me for saying “I told you so”. Grier’s Failure is now complete. However, he’s not alone. Steven Ross is just as guilty in this complete collapse. In the end, Ross and Grier have proven to be a disease for the Miami Dolphins. Today was just one of the symptoms. On to the grades:

QB — The Good: 12 of 19 for 161 yards isn’t a horrible day for Bridgeloser. His QBR ended up being 85.6. He did have a nice flip pass for a TD and a nice toss to Hill for another TD that was ruled a lateral. As for Thompson, he had a nice TD to Gesicki. That’s about it.

The Bad: I’m pretty sure Bridgeclown and Thompson were having a competition to see who could set the QB position back the furthest. In the end Bridgewaste ended up winning by actually being worse than Mac Jones and setting the QB position back to the 1920’s. A feat I didn’t think possible.

The Grade: F . Embarrassing. Humiliating. Today was an absolute disaster at QB. The sad thing is either one of our QB’s just had to outplay Mac Jones. They couldn’t do it.

RB’s — The Good: Some nice catches and hard running by Mostert and Wilson today. Mostert had 62 yards receiving as well and was our most productive pass catcher today. Wilson added another 31 yards receiving.

The Bad: Mostert’s fumble almost cost us early. Luckily we got a favorable call from the refs. We totaled only 74 yards rushing from our backs. I will hold McGenius accountable for the lack of yards on the ground to a big degree. His insistence on running the ball on every first down instead of mixing it up every now and then cost us. But….He’s a genius….So nevermind.

The Grade: C - . The holes weren’t there for a large part of the afternoon. Obviously, a patchwork OL had a lot to do with that as well. That’s just the fact. However, this group made some nice catches and gained yards through the air. They deserve a C - for that.

TE’s — The Good: We had a Mike Gesicki sighting!! Unfortunately, our next sighting will be him catching touchdowns from Josh Allen next year against us. But hey…He had 2 whole catches for 18 yards and a TD. Question: How smart of a coach do you have to be to get a Pro Bowl caliber TE catches when you have the 2 fastest receivers in the league on the outside? Obviously, that requires an IQ way higher than some guy from Stanford. Maybe we can get our next genius coach from MIT or Harvard. Oh yeah, Smythe had 1 catch for 9 yards. Awesome.

The Bad: The Bad is our TE’s accounted for only 3 catches for **** sake. 3 ****ING CATCHES!!! On a day we needed to win a game. Pathetic.

The Grade: D + . How are these guys not wide open on every down??? I don’t have access to All-22 tape…But I find it impossible to believe that Gesicki isn’t open at least 12 times a game. They got the D + for Gesicki’s TD.

WR’s — The Good: Nice TD and a nice flip afterward from Hill. Waddle had a great catch where he really climbed a ladder. The about covers it.

The Bad: With QB’s as bad as we had today, what can you expect? I really don’t know what to say more than that. With a receiving Corp this good to only throw for 168 yards to them is a disgrace.

The Grade: C + . They did the best they could. It’s not their fault they have a moron for a head coach and 2 absolute clowns as QB’s today. It’s a disgrace.

OL — The Good: Not much good here. The official Stat sheet says they didn’t give up a sack….But That’s not correct. And….. Yes, they were a patchwork line. But….They were overmatched from the start.

The Bad: The problem is we needed better than OK. We needed above average. We didn’t get it and being overmatched didn’t cut it. Can we put EichenPuke on waivers right now? I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of watching him miss assignments.

The Grade: F . Unfortunately, our injury prone startling LT that we paid a fortune to wasn’t available today…..Again. We needed him. However, neither was our former first round draft pick that we signed and who hasn’t played yet Eric Fisher. How do you sign an injured LT to replace your injured LT? Can someone help me with that?

DL — The Good: Seiler and Wilkins had 2 of our 3 sacks today. Wilkins played another good game. We held them to 77 yards rushing as well. Not bad.

The Bad: As usual, when the game is on the line, this unit gets run over like the French did in 1940. No QB pressure. No sacks. No big plays. Does Raekwon Davis still play on this team?

The Grade: D - . The D - comes from Wilkins and Seiler’s sacks. Other than that…. They folded again late. Pathetic.

LB’s — The Good: Roberts had our other sack today. Phillips had an active game. I actually noticed Baker once.

The Bad: Not a great day for the Linebackers today. Not one difference making play was made by this group except for one sack and a couple rushes by Phillips that didn’t get there. Nowhere near good enough. No forced fumbles. No interceptions. Nothing.

The Grade: F . I’ll say it again…..Nowhere near good enough with the season on the line. Especially at the end of the game when we needed a stop. I don’t understand how this unit could be so bad now. I can only blame Boyer.

DB’s — The Good: N/A

The Bad: Penalties. Check. Blown assignments. Check. Awful Coverages. Check. We let Mac ****ing Jones get a QBR of 98.4 for **** sake!! That’s embarrassing. What’s even more embarrassing is Noah Iggybanana is still on this team. There has to be a free agent on the street right now that is better than him. Am I right?

The Grade: F . The worst game I’ve seen from a defensive backfield in years. Bill Arnsbarger and Don Shula both rolled over in their graves today.

ST’s — The Good: Morstead punted well today. A 47.3 average is good. He even coffin cornered one….And our defense blew it. But he punted well. Our coverage teams were good as well.

The Bad: Jason Sanders. Talk about a disappointment. He’s been a disaster for most of the year. So….Do we bring in any competition for him? Nope. Let him just keep missing kicks. Nice Job Grier.

The Grade: C - . Morstead deserved a B today. Coverage teams deserved a C. Sanders deserved an F again. Pathetic.

Coaching — The Good: N/A

The Bad: New QB…..Do you A: Throw some quick slants, Jet Sweeps and mix things up on first down? Or B: Keep doing the exact same thing as the last 4 losses including running the ball on 90% of your first downs? Or C: Do the B option mentioned prior and add in late play calls so your QB gets to the line with 4 seconds on the play clock? If you guessed C you win! Tell them what they won Johnnie!! Well Bob, they win another long off-season with no playoffs! As a bonus, they win an NFL first round draft night with zero picks!! But wait!! There’s more!! They win an NFL free agency period where the Dolphins can’t participate because we’re over the cap!! Back to you Bob.



The Grade: F . McGenius??? I think not.

The Conclusion: We no longer control our own destiny. We cannot make the playoffs with out help from other teams. Let’s be honest….We don’t deserve to be in the playoffs. If you can’t beat a Mac Jones lead team….You suck. I really feel like it’s going to be 3 years before we’re competing again for a playoff spot. We’re in a deep hole. Unfortunately for us, Tua, McDaniel and Grier are holding the shovels.

So this is hilarious. Honestly. I laughed more than a couple times. Well written.

I only saw snippets of the game but it's hard to compete in NFL, let alone down to your 3rd QB. Even though the pats are terrible, they still had their starter. And just ask vegas -other injuries don't matter- only QBs move the line.

I know what it's like to have a season ending collapse, but there's still a good chance at playoffs for you guys and I don't think yesterday was endemic of larger problems. I think the largest problem is, and will continue to be, Tua's availability going forward. Probably for however long he's your QB. If he sticks around you may have to find a halfway decent backup (like BAL with a somewhat similarly fragile LJ).

My other takeaway... Sure, I'd take Gesicki off your hands next year! Knox has been disappointing this year and if McDolphin isn't going to use Mike G, why not?

Going to be an interesting off-season down there in MIA.

 

[fansinceGWilson]

The crazy thing is, the D played really well and made Mac Jones look like the scrub that he his until that mid-fourth quarter possession that we ALWAYS give up a long drive on. Like it’s scripted. I don’t get it

The D gave up 16 pts - enough to insure a win in most NFL games. And 7 of those 16 were a DB blowing coverage. I agree, the D played well enough.
I'm beginning to wonder if the consistent D collapse in 4Q is on talent or the DC. It's almost like the D goes 'prevent' which actually translates to 'encourage.' Is that Boyer changing scheme or Mcd?

 

[royalshank]

The D gave up 16 pts - enough to insure a win in most NFL games. And 7 of those 16 were a DB blowing coverage. I agree, the D played well enough.
I'm beginning to wonder if the consistent D collapse in 4Q is on talent or the DC. It's almost like the D goes 'prevent' which actually translates to 'encourage.' Is that Boyer changing scheme or Mcd?

I don’t know but it’s a pattern. Heck, it’s almost a given like setting of the sun. Every game, every 6-8 minutes left in the 4th, the D gives up a soul sucking long drive that usually ends in points. It has to be the coaching.

 

[royalshank]

So this is hilarious. Honestly. I laughed more than a couple times. Well written.

I only saw snippets of the game but it's hard to compete in NFL, let alone down to your 3rd QB. Even though the pats are terrible, they still had their starter. And just ask vegas -other injuries don't matter- only QBs move the line.

I know what it's like to have a season ending collapse, but there's still a good chance at playoffs for you guys and I don't think yesterday was endemic of larger problems. I think the largest problem is, and will continue to be, Tua's availability going forward. Probably for however long he's your QB. If he sticks around you may have to find a halfway decent backup (like BAL with a somewhat similarly fragile LJ).

My other takeaway... Sure, I'd take Gesicki off your hands next year! Knox has been disappointing this year and if McDolphin isn't going to use Mike G, why not?

Going to be an interesting off-season down there in MIA.

McDolphin!

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Tua played absolutely fantastic when healthy this year. But he also played well under Gailey too. I was expecting more from McDaniel, especially with his reputation.

Here's something to think about. Why is it, San Francisco keeps winning with the offense McDaniel helped with. In Miami he's changed up, relying more on the deep pass game. I was expecting the all around offense San Francisco has, not what he's actually implemented in Miami; which lacks several elements he helped created, while in San Fran.

I think the addition of Hill might have changed McDaniel's thinking. I'm sure he saw the explosiveness in training camp and thought "what if."

I was impressed with the success of the passing game early in the season and I think most of us expected the run game to come along. The short-yardage run game has been abysmal.

Maybe this team wasn't as far along as we all wanted to believe. But I have to think that McDaniel's vision includes a strong run game.

 

[Duss]

You can blame the coaching all you want but no teams will win with

Top2 qbs out
starting tackles being street fa 10 weeks ago
Starting edge rushers out
5 of top 6 dbs out

It would help if the starter that is not injured (sanders) could actually do his ****ing job

 

[djphinfan]

If your gonna hire a new coach because you believe in his potential then you give him three years to evolve the process..

See Dan Campbell

 

[dolfan91]

I think the addition of Hill might have changed McDaniel's thinking. I'm sure he saw the explosiveness in training camp and thought "what if."

I was impressed with the success of the passing game early in the season and I think most of us expected the run game to come along. The short-yardage run game has been abysmal.

Maybe this team wasn't as far along as we all wanted to believe. But I have to think that McDaniel's vision includes a strong run game.

I think the success of the passing game, early on, had to do more with the element of surprise, along with opponents having injury issues. Once teams started to scheme against Hill and Waddle, McDaniel had no answer. Earlier in the season, no one thought much of Tua and his ability to throw deep. Miami had surprise on its side. And quite frankly, they blew the doors off the NFL. Now things have changed, quite a bit. Teams have taken the middle field away.

Imho a serious argument can be made, that McDaniel isn't capable of adjusting to a more underneath game or taking advantage of what is being given. Tua is also at fault here as well; because he keeps looking deep, instead of checking off underneath.

Ever notice how the TE's are seemingly always around the LOS; and rarely out running routes. Especially routes meant to catch passes. It's almost like the TE's and RB's are a diversionary tactic on McDaniel's part.

Frustrating all around. Because if Miami had a more diverse scheme like SF, perhaps they are already in the playoffs, inspite of the under performance of the defense.

 

[fansinceGWilson]

Imho a serious argument can be made, that McDaniel isn't capable of adjusting to a more underneath game or taking advantage of what is being given. Tua is also at fault here as well; because he keeps looking deep, instead of checking off underneath.

What is particularly annoying is NFL teams have staff who self-scout. Look for team flaws/tendencies just as opposing DCs do. If the average FH native knows the flaws/tendencies, Mcd's staff has to know. I'm more and more concerned Mcd is playing Madden. He has the talent, even with injuries. I'm confident he has the intelligence and creativity. If he can exorcise the Madden demons, he can be the next top Miami HC. The potential is there if he can be convinced to use all weapons and the entire field.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

I think the success of the passing game, early on, had to do more with the element of surprise, along with opponents having injury issues. Once teams started to scheme against Hill and Waddle, McDaniel had no answer. Earlier in the season, no one thought much of Tua and his ability to throw deep. Miami had surprise on its side. And quite frankly, they blew the doors off the NFL. Now things have changed, quite a bit. Teams have taken the middle field away.

Imho a serious argument can be made, that McDaniel isn't capable of adjusting to a more underneath game or taking advantage of what is being given. Tua is also at fault here as well; because he keeps looking deep, instead of checking off underneath.

Ever notice how the TE's are seemingly always around the LOS; and rarely out running routes. Especially routes meant to catch passes. It's almost like the TE's and RB's are a diversionary tactic on McDaniel's part.

Frustrating all around. Because if Miami had a more diverse scheme like SF, perhaps they are already in the playoffs, inspite of the under performance of the defense.

Absolutely. To your point, McDaniel hasn't really adjusted since the SF loss. Maybe in subtle ways, but not too noticeable to my eyes.

Admittedly when you can't convert those short yardage run plays and sustain drives, it almost doesn't matter how explosive you can be.

But not having success in the short passing game is another story. Especially since we know Tua can be deadly in the short game.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

That one was Kohou

It's one thing to get beat by a great throw and catch by a quarterback and receiver. Sometimes the offense wins even with perfect coverage, a perfect defensive call etc.

Giving it away is a completely different story. Had Kohou turned his head and looked for the ball, he would have realized that his chance for an interception was greater than the receiver making the play.

He's a young player and it's a teachable moment. But when the opponent's biggest play on a drive is a PI that's pretty disappointing. Make the other team earn it.

 

[ForksPhin]

Tua played absolutely fantastic when healthy this year. But he also played well under Gailey too. I was expecting more from McDaniel, especially with his reputation.

Here's something to think about. Why is it, San Francisco keeps winning with the offense McDaniel helped with. In Miami he's changed up, relying more on the deep pass game. I was expecting the all around offense San Francisco has, not what he's actually implemented in Miami; which lacks several elements he helped created, while in San Fran.

Most likely, it is because he didn’t help “create” anything in SF.

I can’t buy for a second that he was involved in their creative usage of Deebo Samuel based on his usage of Tyreek this season.

 

[ForksPhin]

What is particularly annoying is NFL teams have staff who self-scout. Look for team flaws/tendencies just as opposing DCs do. If the average FH native knows the flaws/tendencies, Mcd's staff has to know. I'm more and more concerned Mcd is playing Madden. He has the talent, even with injuries. I'm confident he has the intelligence and creativity. If he can exorcise the Madden demons, he can be the next top Miami HC. The potential is there if he can be convinced to use all weapons and the entire field.

This is absolutely McD’s most egregious failure this season. We have had 16 opponents this season, and I don’t think we altered a single game plan to attack the weakness of any of those opponents - on offense or defense.

We didn’t run against weak run defenses. We didn’t adjust the depths of our routes against defenses with great LBs that could disrupt our typical offensive scheme. We were ill-prepared against obvious running threats at QB. When Waddle and Hill were getting bullied and grabbed, we just kept throwing into it.

We never took what opposing defenses gave us. Everyone loves to tout Herbert (which is fine - he deserves credit), but for a guy with a cannon arm, he has obviously been coached and had an offense designed around taking the easy outlet. Sure, when it’s necessary, he rips balls downfield. But more often, he’s finding the easy completion. We failed to do this all season. Even in the midst of a massive collapse.