Game 1 thoughts: Dolphins at Patriots

We need wr’s who can run routes. There’s a reason why Miami is always near the bottom in passing offense. We don’t have a guy who can get open. If you can’t get open then you better have a QB with pinpoint accuracy.

Yeah the fact that Wilson and Hurns opted out this year really hurt Miami WR corp. I see this as a learning year for Miami than a Year that really should count.

Umix10 wrote:We need wr’s who can run routes.  There’s a reason why Miami is always near the bottom in passing offense.  We don’t have a guy who can get open.  If you can’t get open then you better have a QB with pinpoint accuracy.  

In fairness, the Patriots have an excellent secondary. Not many receivers in the NFL are going to create consistent separation against that group.

But yes, without Parker it is a raw group of receivers. Williams and Ford are still learning, but both have a lot of potential as route runners. Williams kept falling down a lot against New England for some reason, but he was getting open. Grant is what he is...he can create separation with his speed, but he's so small that it's easy to jam him at the line if you get your hands on him. Hopefully Bowden and Perry can develop as the season goes on. It might be worth a shot to give Breida some looks as slot receiver while the rookies learn.

Gesicki is a major mismatch for both teams, so hopefully he'll become more involved in the passing game than he was on Sunday.

Bottom line: we need a healthy Parker!

rightchea wrote:Yeah the fact that Wilson and Hurns opted out this year really hurt Miami WR corp.

Yep, losing that veteran experience hurts. We need these young guys to step up soon.

Great news: Parker practiced in full pads today. I assume that means that the hamstring injury isn't serious. I don't want the injury to linger, but if he can walk he can play - this is an important game against Buffalo, and we need him out there.

Yes that is good news, if he's in full pads he's trending the right way - it's only Wednesday. More treatment and rehab coming maybe he gets a rest day tomorrow / Friday.

I would have him sit out half of tomorrow and get that hamstring fully checked out before going out and hurting it again

I don’t think it’s good news at all. IMHO, he’s a young man trying to push himself. The bigger picture to me would be to sit out another week. Make sure it heals. My problem is that just 3 days ago he couldn’t finish a game and now he’s practicing full go. He missed quite a bit of time prior to the opener and still missed the 2nd half. I don’t think 3 days is gonna do it!

We need him healthy for the back of the season really

To me, part of the reason I was excited about this latest Parker news is this:

Before last season, every Dolfan was calling Parker, basically, a weak-ass pussy for being immature, lazy and constantly hurt. Fast forward to 2020, and now we're hearing about a guy that, just 3 days after re-aggravating an injury, is working his ass off to get back on the field and help his team. That is great news. Flores wants team-first men on his team, and that's exactly what Parker is showing here. This type of toughness is what we need more of in the Dolphins locker room.

Of course I don't want the injury to get worse, but this is the NFL - like I said, if you can walk, you can play. No one is ever 100% healthy, and unless it's a truly serious injury, the best players suck it up and do what they can to play. Even if Parker ends up being nothing but a decoy on Sunday, that will still give us a better chance to win a very tough matchup.

We are a young team no doubt. That was the plan all along from last year. Younger but CHEAPER. Other than JONES no one was really over paid. Wilson is not the stud we need. Parker is not a polished route runner unless fly pattern and jump balls are the only routes in the tree.

We need Jarvis Landry, Davone Bess, Mark Clayton type guys who can win the routes within 4-6 yards.we have 2 6-4ish guys who can go get it but none who can shake off guys. We have zone receivers who can sit on an opening. None can win man to man matchup other than jump balls

Umix10 wrote:...and now he’s practicing full go.

well, not exactly.

Receiver DeVante Parker, who missed the second half of the opener with a hamstring injury, practiced in pads but was limited.

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article245000285.html

limited.

Limited means that he needs to not practice today and just stretch out his hamstring and keep it from getting worse

Yeah, for a veteran like Parker, limited is just fine. He can learn the gameplan and not put too much strain on the hammy. It's possible that he's a game-time decision...you never know with a hamstring. But again, the old Parker wouldn't have even dressed for practice.

And Umix - you are absolutely right. A tough slot receiver with great hands like Landry or Bess would be perfect for this offense. Maybe Bowden can (eventually) develop into that guy? He definitely showed some signs in college.

Losing Wilson and Hurns to opt-out for COVID hurt our depth, and now that depth is getting exposed with just a single injury.

Honestly I'm fine with it. If you're going to be short, WR is a good choice vs OL, DL or the secondary.

Against the Bills, our goal should be to game plan an effective power running attack in order to take the pressure off the passing game. Setup the pass with the run. If we can't run the ball when we need to, this season is doomed anyway. Gailey knows how to scheme and develop a rushing attack. With Parker hurting and Fitz coming off a 3 INT performance, this is the time to bring it to the game.

Miami's OL didn't look that bad yesterday but then again it, not the Bills defense. so we will have to see how well they do this coming Sunday

rightchea wrote:Miami's OL didn't look that bad yesterday but then again it, not the Bills defense. so we will have to see how well they do this coming Sunday

Actually New England had the best defense last year and the DPOY in Gilmore. Miami struggled because NE is the most disrespectful team Ever. They will not hide the fact that they man press you all game. Gailey thought that his scheme could beat it. His scheme was only worth 11 points. They never really adjusted.

Gaskin was nice but we underutilized him as well as Breida. The biggest mismatch was right there. We coulda ran the passing game through the backfield. It woulda made for boring football but I’ll take Gaskin and breida over a LB group without Hightower all day.

Umix10 wrote:

rightchea wrote:Miami's OL didn't look that bad yesterday but then again it, not the Bills defense. so we will have to see how well they do this coming Sunday

Actually New England had the best defense last year and the DPOY in Gilmore. Miami struggled because NE is the most disrespectful team Ever.  They will not hide the fact that they man press you all game.  Gailey thought that his scheme could beat it.  His scheme was only worth 11 points.  They never really adjusted.

Gaskin was nice but we underutilized him as well as Breida.  The biggest mismatch was right there.  We coulda ran the passing game through the backfield.  It woulda made for boring football but I’ll take Gaskin and breida over a LB group without Hightower all day.

Yeah, Gailey didn't seem to try to scheme the Pats out of man coverage at all on Sunday. Not sure why...maybe the lack of preseason really prevented him from installing everything??? Still, you need to find a way to get those guys out of man and into zone. I do think we need to utilize the backs more - more carries, but also more passes. I think I mentioned already, line up Brieda in the slot a couple of times, create a mismatch. I also read an article that mentioned that the Phins rarely used motion against the Pats - that's something I'd definitely like to see added to the offense - get guys in motion so you can keep the D off balance.

Totally agree JMP! No motion at all. Which by all accounts, is the first adjustment you make to get your receivers out clean. I think the public was over sold on how simpler his offense is. Remember Mike Wallace complaining about how he would always line up in the same spot in Sherman’s offense? The predictability? I’m hoping I don’t see a Gailey do this because He seriously could fuck up Tua’s career like Sherman fucked up Tannehill.

This is what happens when you hire coaches over 65. The only place Gailey belongs is in a museum with all the other old fossils. Remember Dinosaur Dan Henning? He was over 65 too when he was a Fins assistant. Just sayin'.

JMP wrote:Not sure why...

could be cause he hasn't called a game against an NFL defense since the 2016 season - 4 seasons ago. we'll see how long it takes him to knock the rust off and realize defenses have evolved in his time away.

DolFan 316 wrote:This is what happens when you hire coaches over 65. The only place Gailey belongs is in a museum with all the other old fossils. Remember Dinosaur Dan Henning? He was over 65 too when he was a Fins assistant. Just sayin'.

Age has nothing to do with it. Pete Carroll is 69 and Bill Belichick is 68. Dick LeBeau coached till he was 77. Wade Phillips was still a top DC in his 70s too.

merc wrote:could be cause he hasn't called a game against an NFL defense since the 2016 season - 4 seasons ago. we'll see how long it takes him to knock the rust off and realize defenses have evolved in his time away

This idea has more merit. Gailey is likely rusty and the lack of preseason sure didn't help.

The good news is, the modern-day NFL offense isn't all that different from what Gailey has been running forever - multiple receiver sets, running from passing formations, RPOs, etc. He just needs to know that today's defenses are better equipped to deal with those concepts.

Gailey has been very creative throughout his career. On Sunday, he wasn't creative at all. So, we'll see. I'm not worried after one week, but hopefully progress is made sooner than later.

DolFan 316 wrote:This is what happens when you hire coaches over 65. The only place Gailey belongs is in a museum with all the other old fossils. Remember Dinosaur Dan Henning? He was over 65 too when he was a Fins assistant. Just sayin'.

I have to agree, I don't understand how someone that not use to the new way of doing things is one of the best coaches out. I think Miami could have found someone else.

I love having Gailey on the staff. He's an invaluable resource for a young head coach like Flores. Gailey has been there, done that - he's seen it all.

Chan absolutely does not come across as a clueless, senile old man in his interviews. And he's the same age as Belichick...it's not like we're talking about a 98 year old guy that can't walk or complete a coherent sentence.

Way too much emphasis put on a week one loss after a shortened preseason.

i'm not so much as worried about his age as i am about the long term commitment. both from him and from the Dolphins to him. if he has been anointed as the man to develop Tua, there is not much sense in replacing him a year or 2 into the process. we need consistency for him to develop properly and ideally Gailey will be around at least 4 to 5 years.

mercury22nathan wrote:i'm not so much as worried about his age as i am about the long term commitment.  both from him and from the Dolphins to him.  if he has been anointed as the man to develop Tua, there is not much sense in replacing him a year or 2 into the process.  we need consistency for him to develop properly and ideally Gailey will be around at least 4 to 5 years.

My guess is the plan is to implement a system that can easily be transitioned to another coach once Gailey leaves. It may even be one of the young coaches currently on the staff. I don't think anyone expects Gailey to be in Miami long term.

I don't see this as a huge deal...teams lose coordinators every year.