Gaskin out 3 weeks with MCL sprain

I mentioned this in the trade thread...figured it was worthy of its own thread.

Some of us wanted more Breida and less Gaskin...well, we got it!  Let's see how Breida responds.  I assume he'll split time with Howard and new acquisition DeAndre Washington.

The biggest loss with Gaskin out is pass protection. Gaskin is a very good, maybe great, pass protector...not sure about Washington, but Brieda definitely isn't good at it.

and as a reliable pass catching option out of the backfield.  yes, the drop against LA sucked, but on the season Gaskins has caught 30 of the 35 (86%) balls thrown to him.  for comparison, Parker is 30 of 42 (71%) and Williams is 14 of 30 (47%).

Brieda is fast, but he dancing a bit too much and Howard is a more straight-line runner - which hasn't been successful with less than effective O-line run blocking.  Gaskins was no expert at anyone aspect of his game, but was the best of all skills (running, receiving and pass blocking) combined.  Howard has been inactive because as a backup he's a luxury the Phins couldn't afford given that he didn't play special teams, but i think his role will now increase.

The RB position all of a sudden looks awful!
--Breida didn't practice today due to a hamstring injury.
--Patrick Laird is battling an ankle injury that limited him in practice today.
--Washington can't join the team yet due to COVID rules.

It's early yet, but right now it looks like Jordan Howard could be "the man" on Sunday. I guess Salvon Ahmed may get a look as well, depending on the availability of Laird and Breida.

This is a golden opportunity for Jordan Howard to get out of the doghouse and prove his worth. I've always liked him as a player, so I hope he gets his act together. If he is in shape and back to his old self, he could provide a nice boost to the offense.

I think Breida plays in the same role.  I think Howard will get a lot of run because of his running style.  His immediate impact will be better because of what Tua brings.  The quick RPO and short passing game will back off the front 7 in my opinion. Not to mention the Cards are a little banged up up front. They also give up about 4YPC and 100YPG in rushing defense. I look for Howard to have a breakout game.

You may see both Perry and Bowden active for this game. Chan Galey will earn his money coming up with this gameplan. Ideally, you would love to put a run-heavy ground and pound attack out there against the cards, but, the lack of RB personell may dictate otherwise.

This is Howard's best chance to get out of whatever dog house he has been in. He should get plenty of chances to carry this week. Hopefully, the line can open some holes.

Tua will not be able to be hidden this week, as he was, to a big extent last week, (due to the score). He is going to have to make some plays with his arm. I am looking forward to it. Can't wait to see him tear it up.

Realisticly, I would be happy with 180 yrds, at least 1 TD and no more than one turnover. And, a win of course. most importantly.

scotgif wrote:Tua will not be able to be hidden this week, as he was.....

I get the sense that everyone thinks this about Tua.  I dont get it. I disagree that he was hidden.  I agree that he didn't play much of the prepared gameplan but he went out there every offensive possession and played not to lose because of Flores and Gailey.   Did we see everything we wanted to?  No of course not becauase the defense literally played 4 straight possessions because of their own success.

This is the NFL you dont take a QB with the 5th pick so he doesnt get exposed.  He played the plays that was called.  He played well with the passing downs that he was given.  Not his fault for the drops.  I don't see anything more to it than that.

This was every throw he made. Pay particular attention to 1:43 mark to 1:49. The deep comeback to Grant. It was how he dropped and displayed patience. Grant looked like he was the third option.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSy38f_gh3M&ab_channel=NFL

Here's what I noted in that reel.

Tua did pretty well, and I appreciate how quickly he gets through his reads.  The line looked terrible.

Preston Williams is seriously underperforming and in my opinion has earned a well-deserved break on the sidelines.

Why not use Grant in those drag routes that Williams was running?  The potential for a big play with Grant getting the underneath passes while on the move is far more than Williams, and Grant should drop less passes than old stonehands.

Gaskin is missing something in his skillset.  I don't think he's much more than a change of pace back at the absolute most.  

Mike Gesicki is too hot and cold for me. You need consistency from a tight end.

I think with better protection we'll see a different performance out of Tua, and I don't think he played bad at all.

Scot, I agree that we'll see both Bowden and Perry this week - unless Callaway is ready. If Callaway plays, I think Bowden gets the nod over Perry. Either way, we are going to see a lot more speed in this offense with any combo of those three guys.

I really, really hope Callaway has his head on right. He is a dynamic playmaker, and I think Tua will love throwing to him. I heard that the Phins have been impressed with Callaway's work habits so far, so hopefully he has grown up. He could be the X factor as we head into the second half of the season.

One thing that really stands out in the Tua video is the way he scans the field. He isn't just a one read QB (like Trevor Lawrence) - he'll go through his progressions and find the open guy. You very rarely see a rookie do that in his first game, especially when he's under heavy pressure. The other thing is Tua's release - that ball comes out REALLY quick.

Gaskin update: placed on IR, eligible to return week 12 at Jets.

Breida has a chance to play Sunday, but sounds unlikely.

What I mean by "hiding" Tua in the rams game was based mostly on game situation. They were way ahead. No need to sling the ball all over the field when you are in the 3rd qtr and up 21-10. Call it being overly conservative, if you wish.

The problem is, they could not run. If they had sustained a couple 2nd half drives, I feel you would have seen a few more throws mixed in. But, we were 3 and out too many times. I feel they would have probably been just as "conservative" if Fitz was playing, insted of Tua. They wanted to run the clock out on the ground, but were unable to.

Knowing what we know about the dolphins I know what you meant by”hidden”. I actually saw a couple articles saying “hidden” in a different way. And you are correct scot because we saw them
Play ultra conservative against the jets blowout, and the 9ers blow out. The sentiment of running the clock out doesn’t have to be literally running the ball. The RPO game was there at the end quick passing, bubble screens, read options, draws were all there yet they still felt the need to go WILDCAT!

Let the kid play. Let him WIN the game. Let him close it out! Let him have that feeling! Aren’t we trying to groom him? Let him play. Mistake or not we gotta know if he can handle it