Dolphins Week 3 mailbag: Is Tua Tagovailoa the answer or are they rebuilding?
Week 3 is officially behind us.
At least that’s how many Miami Dolphins feel after a 31-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
It might feel weird to say on a Friday, but that’s a byproduct of Thursday Night Football. And despite many predictions otherwise, the Dolphins didn’t embarrass the city, as the team showed fight until the very end.
At 0-3 and more than a week before the New York Jets come into town for a Monday night showdown, I’m sure the fans have tons of questions. Let’s dive in.
QUESTION: Tua Tagovailoa not being the long-term answer, but gotta keep him next year. Draft a QB, let him sit for a year or less behind Tua to learn. Those who can’t do, teach. He’d be a good mentor for a year. Then we cut ties. Have cap space and a QB on a rookie deal. Is this the way?
ANSWER: This would be an ideal solution if the organization has given up on Tagovailoa. Not sure if that’s the case, though. Also, this scenario assumes Tua is OK with them moving on and wants to mentor. There’s a long list of quarterbacks who weren’t willing to do that.
Q: I personally think we were just lied to all offseason about this year. Ain’t no way you can look at me with a straight face and say there isn’t a single corner on the market that could stand around and look lost better than Jason Marshall Jr. I feel like we are in a rebuild right now. What’s your thoughts?
A: I’ve been skeptical about the “Marshall at nickel” experiment since it started. And you’re right, it hasn’t gone well to start. He’s young — there will be growing pains, but it has been worse than I expected. They brought in Mike Hilton, but clearly weren’t satisfied (I don’t know why, considering the need). Marshall will probably miss a week or two with a hamstring injury, according to coach Mike McDaniel, so hopefully he will come back ready, but this is what happens when an organization waits until the last minute to fill a need. Granted, injuries to Kader Kohou and Artie Burns were really unfortunate, but the early bird gets the worm.
Personally, I don’t think this is a rebuild. The organization opted to rely more on younger players and this, unfortunately, is sometimes what happens. That said, the Dolphins are in a much worse place than a rebuild: smack-dab in the middle.
Q: Are Tua’s limitations too much to ever overcome? Offense becomes predictable and everything needs to go right to win. I think Tua is great at what he’s great at, but seems like you can’t win anymore without improvisation and threat of big arm.
A: No. Tua wouldn’t be the first limited QB to win a Super Bowl (think 2015 Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Joe Flacco). The formula – defense and solid run game – is there. If Tua has that and a great offensive line to keep him upright, the sky is the limit.
Q: When Ryan Tannehill played, he had his problems. And Tua is better, but the knock on Tannehill was he needed a wall in front of him and a running game. How has that changed!? And he was more mobile than Tua.
A: No because the organization has had one solid offensive line (2023) during Tua’s entire tenure. You can fault Tua for throwing an interception in key situations in back-to-back games, but it’s extremely tough to make the throw vs. the Bills with a 300-pound defensive lineman in your face. That’s an O-line issue
Q: Which pick will they have in the draft, who will they take with that pick, and who will me MAKING that pick? Ok, that’s all I got, hope that covers it
A: If I knew the answer to these questions, I’d go play the lottery tomorrow because I clearly transformed into a psychic.
