Biggest question facing Dolphins. And ex-Patriot implores everyone to get off Tua’s back
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on the day rookies reported to training camp:
▪ Tua Tagovailoa has taken more than his fair share of criticism, and the next five months — barring injury — should provide a definitive answer on whether he’s the long-term solution.
In the meantime, former Patriots Pro Bowl defender Willie McGinest called for a ceasefire in the criticism of the Dolphins quarterback.
“A lot of quarterbacks get a lot more rope that aren’t as good as Tua,” McGinest said on NFL Network. “He can throw the ball down the field. I don’t think we’ve had a fair assessment of what Tua really is. Give him more time, like we give all these other quarterbacks. And get off his back!”
McGinest expects a run-first offense with a lot of movement and misdirection and easy throws to get Tagovailoa on a roll early in games.
▪ Two offensive takeaways from the offseason program, heading into camp in the next week:
The speed is impressive (the best in years here), and “it’s hard to tell their tendencies,” defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah said.
But let’s be clear: The line remains the biggest question with this team, particularly if Terron Armstead has durability issues.
Tagovailoa was under constant pressure during two of the handful of offseason practices open to the media.
Keep in mind that Armstead — the Pro Bowl centerpiece of the line — wasn’t participating as he healed from a minor knee procedure; he’s expected to be fine for the season.
But it would be a concern if Larnel Coleman, Greg Little or Kellen Diesch lines up at left tackle in a game this season, something that’s quite possible because Armstead has never played a full season and missed nine games in 2021.
Connor Williams, a left guard for the Cowboys, needs to prove he can play center, though he has the skill set to excel there provided he doesn’t have issues with snapping.
“He’s been great,” defensive tackle Raekwon Davis of Williams at center. “It’s a fair match” with those competing in practice.
Per Pro Football Focus, Williams allowed the third-lowest quarterback pressure rate among all NFL guards last season at 2.6 percent, behind only Joe Thuney and Kevin Zeitler. He allowed only one sack.
The Dolphins hope he has similar success in his move to center.
But much depends on whether Liam Eichenberg (left guard) and Austin Jackson (right tackle) take the step from subpar to at least decent, and whether Robert Hunt evolves from good to very good.
Former Dolphins receiver O.J. McDuffie, co-host of The Fish Tank podcast and the Dolphins radio postgame show, put it this way to me about the offensive line: “I can’t believe our guys we’ve drafted are that bad. It comes down to how they’re being coached. The best thing they’ve done is all the offensive coaches all have o-line experience.”
▪ Hunt, who the Dolphins believe can be a great right guard, loves the team’s new wide zone running scheme.
“I get to run off the ball,” he said. “I like that. We are trying to make everybody defend the whole field. Guys are just trusting what the coaches are saying and we are just running off the ball. We got [the defense] guessing and it’s a beautiful thing. It’s the type of offense I ran in college. I respect it a lot. I love it.”
What specifically creates an advantage with the new scheme?
“Snap count,” he said. “The snap count makes a huge advantage. I never thought about that until this year. We know the snap count. The defense doesn’t know the snap count. They are just sitting there, mouth open, just breathing, just looking. They don’t know what’s going on. We know, so we lock it in and go.”
New offensive line coach Matt Applebaum has been receiving positive reviews, publicly and privately:
“Matt is a guy that you can tell really cares about the room,” Hunt said.
Of the new offensive coaching staff, Hunt said: “You can tell they want to teach. We’ve got some really good teachers in our room. [They explain] the ‘why’ — why we’re doing everything — so it’s a beautiful thing.”
He said new coach Mike McDaniel “lights up the room.”
And of new offensive linemen Armstead and Williams, Hunt said: “You can tell both guys are leaders.”
▪ On the addition of running backs Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds, Hunt said: “I just told Mostert this: I was like, ‘Damn, you’re probably like one of the fastest guys I’ve ever seen hit a hole.’ I’ve been watching film, just because we watch a lot of 49ers film right now, and he’s just ‘whoosh.’ He gets the ball rolling. Chase Edmonds is nice too, really good.”
▪ Quick stuff: ESPN commentator Mike Tannenbaum, the former Dolphins executive, said the Dolphins — aside from Tagovailoa — have the best skill position personnel in the AFC East... Pro Football Focus, counting down the top 50 players in football, rates Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard 48th, citing the 71.3 passer rating in his coverage area in his career. Tyreek Hill seems likely to be in the top 30, which hasn’t been announced....
The Dolphins’ two practices before the Week 2 preseason game against the Raiders will be closed to fans, but the two joint practices before the Week 3 preseason game against the Eagles will be open to fans. The first training-camp practice will be July 27 but the first practice open to fans won’t be until July 30.
▪ Eichenberg (who has gone from tackle to guard) isn’t the only player who has switched positions.
Brennan Scarlett said that he’s working a lot at defensive end after playing linebacker last year. That extra versatility should help his chances to stick; he will be competing with Melvin Ingram, among others, for snaps.
This story was originally published July 19, 2022 at 5:16 PM.
