Dolphins mailbag: Talking offense after another poor performance
The Dolphins’ season is quickly unraveling with a third straight loss and another inept performance on offense. And their road doesn’t get any easier, with an in-state matchup against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
In this week’s mailbag, I take a look at all things offense, from the play-caller situation to whether quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s return could boost a struggling unit. And a reminder that if you have questions you would like me to answer in future mailbags, you can ask me on Twitter or email me.
Here we go:
Four games in is a good enough sample size that the offensive philosophy is trash. The excuse of “playing what the defense is giving us” no longer applies. What immediate changes are [needed] to salvage the season? Hint: It’s fire both OC’s. - @WonderWhoWhen
The co-offensive coordinators are taking a lot of heat and rightfully so with an offense that ranks 31st of 32 teams in total yards. The coordinator situation is also interesting because the Dolphins have still yet to say who is actually calling plays. We know that quarterbacks coach Charlie Frye is communicating with quarterbacks in their headset and relaying the play call. But former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer said last week that Frye is also calling plays, and opposing head coaches have said it’s co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach George Godsey.
I’m not willing to say a shakeup with the offensive coordinators/play-caller should take place for two reasons. One, the problem isn’t limited to just the play calls. The offensive line has improved since the Buffalo game but hasn’t done the quarterbacks any favor with their pass protection. And there have been moments for downfield completions that players and coaches admitted they have yet to capitalize on. One such moment came early in the loss to the Indianapolis Colts, with Brissett opting to throw a short pass to running back Salvon Ahmed instead of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who was streaking uncovered across the field in zone coverage.
Two, lost in a lot of discourse during the three-game losing streak is the fact that this new-look offense was built for Tagovailoa, who has only had one full game under his belt this season. Whenever he returns from fractured ribs, which would be as soon as Oct. 17 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, I’m willing to give a few games to see how an offense tailored more to skill set looks.
When will the Dolphins give up the Malcolm Brown experiment? He’s not a great short-yardage (or any yardage) back, despite his size. Gaskin should be the featured back no matter what! - @3pthreat
Brown has started the last two games and the results have been mixed. He did score on a 24-yard run against the Las Vegas Raiders but he’s averaged just 3.6 yards per run and, as you mentioned, hasn’t fared well in short-yardage situations. He has graded out as the best pass blocker out of the running backs — and the best in the NFL, too — and with offensive line issues, that’s probably played a significant role in his increased workload.
Two rush attempts and 12 snaps for the team’s best running back certainly isn’t a formula for success, and I think we’ll see a correction in that workload, as soon as Sunday’s game. Underutilization of skill position players hasn’t been limited to the running back position, though. Players such as Waddle, Mike Gesicki and DeVante Parker haven’t been put in the best positions to succeed, too.
What will it take for Flores to bench Austin Jackson? Seems like he is more gun shy this year about replacing underperforming players. - @the305pancake1
It seems like we’re nearing the breaking point, as Jackson hasn’t made any noticeable improvements through the first quarter of the season and has appeared to regress from his rookie season. To your point about replacing underperforming players, the team has seemingly fazed out another first-round pick in Noah Igbinoghene, who has been inactive three of the first four games. But unlike Igbinoghene’s position, the Dolphins don’t have a clear replacement for Jackson. Greg Little? Move Liam Eichenberg from right tackle? I’m not sure how close we are to seeing him get benched, but a few weeks ago offensive line coach Lemuel Jeanpierre made a telling statement that if a player isn’t getting better, he shouldn’t be on the field.
Do you think Tua’s return could lead to any improvement for the offense or is the OL / play calling too much of a liability for anyone to succeed? - @LaikaSpaceDog
The Dolphins’ issues on offense aren’t just limited to the quarterback position, but Tagovailoa’s return could be a bit of a shot in the arm for the unit. He wasn’t perfect in his sole start this season against the New England Patriots. The offense struggled to maintain scoring drives and Tagovailoa showed his inexperience in throwing a bad interception that almost cost the team the game.
But in a limited sample size, Tagovailoa has been more reluctant to throw the ball downfield, compared to Brissett. He’s averaging 8.3 intended air yards, which ranks 16th of 35 passers with at least 30 pass attempts. Brissett, on the other hand, is averaging 6.9 yards, which is tied for 28th.
The offensive line will still need to improve for the offense to have the type of downfield passing that fans are pleading for. But the return of Tagovailoa could result in a bit more aggressiveness from the passing game.
