Well….I guess maybe we could still make the playoffs with this team. Kinda like, I guess O.J. Simpson didn’t kill his ex-wife and that waiter returning her glasses…..Or kinda like, I guess I have a shot at the Powerball tomorrow night. Or…. Not. So…. Before the grades….I say this…Chris Grier’s incompetence is becoming increasingly apparent by the hour. I am now openly questioning Brian Flores coaching abilities. At a minimum, his inability to choose an effective OL Coach or an Offensive Coordinator that can figure out how to produce more yards that the other team’s Running Back is deeply concerning. My grades will reflect how I saw the game today….And please pay attention. It seems I’ve been correct on my evaluations to a lot of people’s consternation.
QB — D - : Brissett doesn’t get the F only because he survived playing behind the world’s worst OL. I also gave him points because he’s also trying to move an offense under the guise of the world’s worst offensive coordinators. I actually feel bad for old Jacoby. Regardless, he’s never going to be an effective long term QB in this league. He’s a backup at best….And from what we’ve seen in the last 2 weeks, he’s not a great one.
RB’s — D - : Again, avoiding the F only because they’re playing behind the above mentioned OL. I’ll say this, Brown isn’t the answer. As a matter of fact, he’s just not good. Also, this goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway….. Chris Grier obviously is only marginally better at spotting RB talent than he is at spotting OL talent. It didn’t have to be this way…. But it isn’t going to change until we get rid of Grier. Anyway….Ahmad and Gaskin are decent receivers. However, neither is very good at the power game….They’re not built for it. Obviously, neither is good at pass protection. Maybe, we can use a high draft choice on a guy that isn’t solidly mediocre.
TE’s — D + : Wow…How amazing is it when the guy on your team that’s best suited to attack the middle portion of the field is used that way??? Unfortunately, that wasn’t done until the 4th quarter. Mike Gesicki is a good TE. However, our genius OC’s, don’t seem to use him that way. Regardless, we haven’t signed him…And chances are, our brilliant GM will let him go to Free Agency and we’ll have to draft another guy to do that job. Durham Smythe had 2 catches today I think. That’s all from the TE’s.
WR’s — D + : Parker with 4 catches was OK….in the 4th quarter…. After the colts decided to play prevent. The under-utilized Waddle had 3 catches. Meanwhile, get ready for a shock…Fuller got hurt again and Grant “caught” a ball for a 7 yard loss. I think Wilson caught a ball for 11 yards. Regardless, this receiving unit is way better than what’s being shown on the field currently.
OL — F : The stat sheet will say that Brissett was only sacked 3 times for - 31 yards. But I was at this game, and I specifically watched this OL today. All I can say is that Dwight Stevenson was in attendance today, and he must have been embarrassed. This line is nothing short of pathetic. Just a few thoughts:
- We traded up for Eichenberg?? Really? I hope he is better next year….But he really wasn’t good today. Not at all.
- Robert Hunt is regressing . This is a shame. I had higher hopes for him. I really think his confidence is suffering.
- Greg Mancz at center was below average today. No push on running plays. He got pushed around in pass protection. It’s early in his Dolphins career…So I’ll wait to see how he looks next week before I give a good evaluation…But today wasn’t a great start.
- Jessie Davis - Sucks everywhere he plays. Can someone please cut him?? PLEASE?? There have to be guys on the street that are better than this moron. Disgrace.
- Austin Jackson…. Allow me a second to pat myself on the back again…. I said he sucks awhile ago ….And I got so much grief for that. Well…. It seems I was right, Huh? I’ll say it again….HE IS NOT AN NFL CALIBER LT. Period. Watching him get a abused play after play is really disheartening.
DL — D + : We got beat upfront trying to stop the run…Again. We really need Raekwon Davis back ASAP. We did get some pressure on Wentz….But we still allowed Wentz to have a QBR of 115 and allowed 330+ yards to a team missing how many starters? Ogbah got a sack today. We need much better results from this crew….And we’re not getting them right now.
LB’s — C - : The lone bright spot of the day in my opinion was Jaelan Phillips. He got pressure all day. Got his first 1/2 sack. Got a phantom face mask call that was total BS. But anyway….He looked good. I was happy with the LB’s today. Van Ginko made a couple plays. Overall, this was probably the best unit on the field today for the Dolphins. Still…We can’t get off the field on 3rd down with any regularity….This unit also needs to improve in pass coverage. But not too bad today.
DB’s — D + : We only allowed 228 yards passing today. But there were key breakdowns in coverage at the worst times. I also don’t like how the coaches are using these guys. I’ll cover that below.
ST’s — D - : Palardy was better but had a bad straight line punt the went for a touchback. Trying to be too cute. Sanders had a kickoff go out of bounds at a bad time. And of course…How about Grant’s fumble? The only reason these guys avoided an F is because we downed one punt at the 1 and that Sanders had us in the lead in the first quarter.
Coaching and Front Office — F : Where do I start??? Why is it that our OC’s aren’t doing ANYTHING different than last week? Your OL can’t hold a pocket? Move the ****ing pocket a few times!! How about a screen or 2 on 3rd and long when you see the defense lined up to bring a blitz? I don’t understand why we don’t throw down the field until the middle of the 4th quarter. Please help me on that. Let’s turn our attention to the defense…Why are we paying 2 CB’s Millions to be Bump and Run Corners and then we don’t play bump and run? Does that make sense to anyone? We are playing far too many downs in zone and playing off coverage. By the way….Does anyone here remember the amoeba defense? Where the **** is that?
As I stated above, it’s time to fire Chris Grier. He has to go before he can do any more damage to this franchise. As for Flores, I’m losing faith here guys. The promising young coach is in struggle mode. I feel like there is a serious disconnect between the front office and this coaching staff. Regardless, this isn’t the start we were hoping for. I don’t see 8 wins for this team.
