Dolphins mailbag Week 6: is this team done and if so, who should get fired?
Miami Dolphins fans want blood.
After a disastrous 27-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Dolphins, a team that had high hopes when the season began, have essentially become the laughingstock of the league.
They let a backup tailback put up more than 200 total yards of offense. They finished with less than 20 rushing yards. And they blew a 17-0 lead.
To say that the 2025 season could soon approach a level that can only be described as a complete disaster was not something that anyone could have predicted. Or maybe they could have — the life of a Dolphins fan has been pretty rough for the last quarter-century.
The next several weeks will be crucial; a lot of jobs are on the line. If the team wants to prevent a potential roster purge, they need to first take care of business against the Los Angeles Chargers.
QUESTION: Seriously, do you have any faith this team finds a way to slow down the run on defense and win Sunday?
C. Isaiah Smalls II: After last week, no. That said, this would be their best opportunity to do so considering the Chargers will start their third-string running back and won’t have their two elite tackles.
Q: What would you prefer? A purge at the trade deadline or see it through?
CIS: Purge but only for the right assets and draft picks. If teams are trying to buy low, don’t oblige. What you don’t want is to have a roster that’s not competitive AND nothing to show for it.
Q: Is there a scenario where coach Mike McDaniel survives, while general manager Chris Grier gets the axe?
CIS: I’m sure there is. Everything depends on whether the players still believe in McDaniel. If not, you have to let him go. If they do, Ross will find himself in quite the predicament. Like coaches are with quarterbacks, however, sometimes GMs want to find their own coach.
Q: Will Mike McDaniel last the entire season in your opinion?
CIS: Depends on whether the players quit on him. Once that happens, you have to let him go.
Q: What’s the point of having Ethan Bonner on the team, for three years now, if he can’t crack this lineup?
CIS: He’s pretty solid on special teams.
Q: Even if no one gets fired if they lose against the Chargers, is there at least a shift in front office philosophy? That is to say, do they become sellers at the deadline?
CIS: Depends on whether they believe the season is salvageable. The bottom line: if you could get back good draft picks and still be competitive, sell sell sell.
Q: Why did linebacker Jordyn Brooks previously decline the green dot responsibility?
CIS: Last year he did. What people don’t understand about the green dot guy is that not only do you have to do your job, you’re responsible for communicating the entire play to the defense. Some guys, like Brooks, just want to go out there and play without the responsibility.
