CBS’ Phil Simms assesses the Dolphins and why he’s encouraged. And NFL, NBA media news.

Second in a three-part series in which CBS NFL analysts assess the Miami Dolphins

CBS’ Phil Simms, the former Super Bowl winning quarterback with the New York Giants, looks at the Miami Dolphins roster and sees a team building the right way, with a quarterback who can be very good, but also cautions against lofty expectations this season.

Simms, the network’s longtime former lead NFL game analyst and now a studio analyst on The NFL Today, shared thoughts on what the Dolphins are doing in a phone conversation:

▪ On their drafting of Tua Tagovailoa: “I saw Tua play most every game he played, studied him hard. I think he can be a really good pro; he’s extremely accurate, really good throwing motion where the ball doesn’t get away from him. I could count on one hand the number of times I ever saw him lose [the grip of] the ball out of his hands.

“The injury thing would worry me, but sometimes you’ve got to take a shot. You can’t be afraid to take a chance to win big. He’s not going to be a dynamic runner in the NFL. He’s not Lamar Jackson. He’s a pocket quarterback [but] he also throws well on the run.

“One knock is he at times gets engulfed by the pass rush; that’s something he will learn. Get rid of the ball [when pass rushers are closing in]; I wouldn’t say that to Jackson or Patrick Mahomes” because Simms believes they have more escapability than Tagovailoa does.

▪ When should the Dolphins start playing Tagovailoa?

Simms agreed that it makes sense for Ryan Fitzpatrick to start the opener even if Tagovailoa had a full, normal offseason — which he didn’t — because of several factors, including experience and familiarity with Chan Gailey’s offense from having played five seasons for him with the Bills and Jets.

“When the time is right to play Tua, the Miami Dolphins will show us,” Simms said. “They are not going to gamble. If the team is bad and Tua is healthy, they will play him at some point this year. The Dolphins will know.”

Simms’ advice is this: When the Dolphins think he’s ready, be extra careful by waiting another week beyond that to play him.

▪ On the skill position players: “It’s a better than average group. Jordan Howard is a thumper. What Matt Breida did in San Francisco won’t leave him; he’s one cut and my [butt] is going in there full speed. Their running back situation doesn’t bother me.

“[Tight end] Mike Gesicki I like; he’s improving. DeVante Parker reminded me of [Green Bay’s] DeVante Adams last year. He’s starting to look the part of a big [No. 1 receiver]. He really improved. Jakeem Grant is a guy that can do everything. If I was a rookie quarterback with that group, I would feel pretty comfortable.”

▪ Simms likes the Dolphins’ philosophy of prioritizing skilled cover players in the back end, including spending a ton on Byron Jones and Xavien Howard and using two cornerbacks (Bobby McCain and Eric Rowe) at safety.

“Brian Flores came from the Patriots and Bill Belichick did something that nobody had ever done in football; he built his defense mostly about the secondary and built it from the back to the front. I love that approach. Not many people are thinking like that. The Patriots had 18, 19 defensive backs on their roster at one point” last season.

▪ Simms said he’s a fan of Byron Jones and doesn’t worry about the low interception totals (one in two years playing cornerback) because “when you play man to man, when you play really tough man to man, that’s not where the interceptions come from. Interceptions normally come in zone.”

▪ He loves the acquisition of linebacker Kyle Van Noy.

“I love guys like him,” Simms said. “They get better every year they’re in the league. I remember he got drafted [by Detroit] and I said it’s not going to work. He plays like a pissed off guy when he’s out there. That makes him a gritty, tough SOB on the field. Big time player, underrated.”

▪ Among Miami’s other defensive pickups, Simms said: “Emmanuel Ogbah, I followed him at Cleveland [and then at Kansas City last year]. Man, I like that guy. Shaq Lawson became a really good player in Buffalo. Elandon Roberts can be a speed guy outside.”

▪ He said it’s too soon to judge second-year defensive tackle Christian Wilkins because “quarterback and inside defensive linemen are the two hardest adjustments in the NFL.”

▪ He believes this will be an upper-half-of-the-league defense.

“I would be disappointed if they were in the second half of defenses in the league. If they were 13th or better, that would be really good.”

▪ On offensive coordinator Chan Gailey: “I’ve known him for a long time. For coaches, they miss it. Staying away, it revives them and you get better. I’m interested to see what he does. I’ve seen everything he did with Pittsburgh and Dallas and then he changed his philosophy with Buffalo and the Jets. Chan knows how to get rid of the football quickly.”

Simms knows people will expect Gailey to maximize Tagovailoa’s talents operating RPOs [run-pass options] but cautions that, “the NFL has kind of adapted to it. Mahomes was destroying the league with them [in 2018] and didn’t try them as much last season.”

▪ Simms understands Miami moving away from the more complicated New England style of offense that was implemented by dismissed former Dolphins offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea.

“The New England system is truly rough and it’s so big; it’s a lot of learning,” Simms said. “It’s hard to duplicate the New England system because [offensive coordinator] Josh McDaniels loves the challenge of trying to beat you before the play starts.”

▪ Simms’ expectations for the Dolphins are modest this season because the Dolphins have a difficult out-of-division schedule with the teams in the NFC West and AFC West.

“That’s the worst draw you can get: the double West,” Simms said. “Miami is not going to win a Super Bowl this year. Once you get to six wins this year, you would say OK, and if it goes over six, then we’re moving. No way they’re going to hit on all those draft picks. But I’ll give them credit” for showing patience and undertaking a rebuilding program.

AROUND THE DIAL

▪ Fox’s Tua Tagovailoa documentary, which was postponed from its premiere showing last Sunday due to to a weather delay in a NHRA race, will air on Saturday following the noon Kansas State-Arkansas State college football game on Fox.

▪ NFL TV notes: Of the four networks that carry NFL games, only Fox plans to use virtual fans — initially only on Sunday’s Detroit-Chicago game and then, potentially, on more games if it goes well Sunday. NBC’s lead producer explained here why he’s not comfortable with virtual fans on NFL games....

CBS and ESPN committed to airing national anthems this weekend... ABC/ESPN’s lead college team — Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit — will call the first game of ESPN’s traditional Week 1 Monday night double-header (Steelers-Giants)...

CBS — regionally televising six games Sunday — will send Dolphins-Patriots to less than 30 percent of the country. CBS affiliates in several markets — including New Orleans, Austin, Baton Rouge and El Paso — requested to carry a game other than the Dolphins-Patriots game that was assigned to them and were granted that request... Fox has the doubleheader this week. Here are the TV maps.

▪ Zack Duarte, one of several people dropped by WQAM and 790 The Ticket because of cost-cutting measures due to the pandemic, was re-hired in a part-time role to anchor Dolphins and Hurricanes postgame shows. At this point, there are no plans for the local evening talk shows to be revived.

▪ NBA TV notes: Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson will call every remaining Miami Heat game this season... Brian Anderson will call most remaining TNT games (including the Western Conference Finals), though Kevin Harlan is needed for Game 5 of Clippers-Nuggets Friday before racing to a CBS NFL assignment in Cincinnati...

ABC/ESPN chose Maria Taylor over Rachel Nichols as studio host for the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals. Nichols will continue to host The Jump weekdays on ESPN and handle sideline reporting on the Eastern Finals and NBA Finals, replacing Doris Burke, who will be the analyst on those games on ESPN Radio - a role Hubie Brown handles during non-pandemic years.

Here’s part 1 of the series with Tony Romo’s thoughts on the Dolphins.

Please check back Friday for part 3.

This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 4:54 PM.

Barry Jackson

Miami Herald

305-376-3491

Barry Jackson has written for the Miami Herald since 1986 and has written the Florida Sports Buzz column since 2002.