Re: TUA THE SAVIOR!!!

by **JMP** Wed Dec 08, 2021 4:05 pm

finfanatic wrote:I agree... He will definitely get another shot here. Ross is a supreme goober.

The whole Watson thing has cast a both Grier and Flores into a bad light for me. The fact that Ross seemed to be on board with the idea just confirms what a rotten supreme goober Ross is.

Maybe the team could win with Grier running personnel, but when you factor in that he thought it would be a good idea to bring in Watson, that means he "got to go!"

On Gesicki: Keeping all those TEs is to prepare for when the Phins let Gesicki go. Prepare yourselves.

I bet Grier was willing to throw Gesicki in on the Watson deal!!!

I still don't know what actually happened with Watson. I do believe the Phins looked into him in the offseason, but I am not convinced that they aggressively pursued him during the season. They might have...but to me all the info that came out just seemed so phony. I think the media and the Texans were behind 99% of all that crap. Ross is an ass-hat and the Dolphins handled the situation terribly regardless...I just don't believe all the "news" that came out at that time. I wonder if we'll ever hear the true story???

As for TE - it sure doesn't look like the Phins are preparing to move on from Gesicki. He's a huge part of their offense. My guess is he gets franchise tagged and will then work out a long-term deal. The TE vs. WR label could be a sticking point.

by Umix10 Wed Dec 08, 2021 11:21 pm

JMP wrote:....As for TE - it sure doesn't look like the Phins are preparing to move on from Gesicki. He's a huge part of their offense. My guess is he gets franchise tagged and will then work out a long-term deal. The TE vs. WR label could be a sticking point.

Its hard to tell right now the way the offense has sort of morphed into what we see today.

Miami is number one in the league when it comes to using 12 personnel. With an emphasis on blocking TE who can catch. Gesicki is essentially a WR. Miami has sort of constructed an RPO offense more out of necessity for protection. Using Smythe and Shaheen(before he got hurt) was more about masking the short passing game and giving extra protection. On straight passing downs, Gesicki was always in the game. Gesicki rarely lines up as in-line blocking TE.

The offense should change once Miami commits to the pass protection that is required for traditional NFL. Gesicki absolutely needs to be extended or given a new contract. But if the OL doesn't improve than I believe they move on from him.

by **JMP** Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:41 am

Umix10 wrote:
JMP wrote:....As for TE - it sure doesn't look like the Phins are preparing to move on from Gesicki. He's a huge part of their offense. My guess is he gets franchise tagged and will then work out a long-term deal. The TE vs. WR label could be a sticking point.

Its hard to tell right now the way the offense has sort of morphed into what we see today.

Miami is number one in the league when it comes to using 12 personnel. With an emphasis on blocking TE who can catch. Gesicki is essentially a WR. Miami has sort of constructed an RPO offense more out of necessity for protection. Using Smythe and Shaheen(before he got hurt) was more about masking the short passing game and giving extra protection. On straight passing downs, Gesicki was always in the game. Gesicki rarely lines up as in-line blocking TE.

The offense should change once Miami commits to the pass protection that is required for traditional NFL. Gesicki absolutely needs to be extended or given a new contract. But if the OL doesn't improve than I believe they move on from him.

Great post, Umix, but I just don't see how the Phins move on from Gesicki when he is such a huge part of what they do. I would think he'd see the field even more once the OL gets fixed and they don't have to rely on blocking TEs all the time. He's going to set personal bests for yards this season, and has already set marks for catches and catches over 20 yards. I wish they'd use him more in the red zone, but otherwise he is a "can't replace" guy in my mind.

Like you said, he really is a WR this season, and I think that will cause a hold-up with a new contract. That's why I think he'll be franchised...it will allow time for the two sides to come to an agreement.

by Umix10 Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:04 pm

JMP wrote: That's why I think he'll be franchised...it will allow time for the two sides to come to an agreement.

Agreed! I think more importantly it will give the Front office time to build that line. The downside is they need to "BUY" some guys upfront. It wont be cheap either. That's just a lot of cap space to chew up on Gesicki knowing that you want him long term anyway.

We'll see

by mercury22nathan Fri Dec 17, 2021 11:43 am

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, whose analysis of Tua Tagovailoa has consistently been among the most insightful on network television, recently summarized how Tagovailoa has significantly been impacted by something that’s understood to be true but never acknowledged in any Dolphins news conference: the offensive line’s shortcomings. “When I watch the [Dolphins offense], it makes me think of the Princeton basketball team with [former coach] Pete Carril,” Orlovsky said. “Constantly moving. There’s never a moment where they snap the ball and everyone is standing still. It’s shrunk-down formations. People are full-speed motion. You’ve got [one player] going this way, a fake handoff [that] way. Like some form of an RPO [run-pass option] this way. “I hear the conversation that Tua gets the ball out so quickly because he has to or he’s not good enough. That’s not the case. Tua is getting the ball out so fast, and the ball isn’t traveling far downfield, because that offensive line stinks. He has to mask it. The ball has to come out so quickly.

“You play in such a defensive posture if you’re Tua. I can’t hold the ball. I can’t push it downfield. It has to get out of my hands. I have to see this defender to my right, that defender to my left. I’ve got to make sure I read the RPO right, inside out. It’s another example of how well Tua is playing given how poorly the five guys up front are.”

Tagovailoa is releasing the ball in 2.5 seconds, second fastest in the league. The Dolphins are last in pass block win rate at 45 percent.

at least someone is recognizing that Tua is succeeding despite the awfulness that is the O-line.

by white1 Fri Dec 17, 2021 11:55 am

Every season. EVERY. SEASON.

Our o line is so bad. Then we go into free agency, sign four linemen, and then draft two more. AND IT'S STILL CRAP.

I don't care what they have to do or how, this team needs to fix the offensive line once and for all. The last time we had a good line was when it was Albert - Tunsil - Pouncey - and even they barely played together because of injuries.

Fix it dammit FIX IT!!!

by mercury22nathan Mon Dec 20, 2021 11:14 am

white1 wrote:Our o line is so bad.

how bad?

32. MIAMI DOLPHINS (NO CHANGE)
Best-graded: G Robert Hunt | 63.0
Worst-graded: G Austin Jackson | 47.8
Miami’s offensive line isn’t just the worst in the NFL; it is a historically bad unit. The group is allowing the highest pressure rate in the league (43.3%), despite being well protected with RPOs and quick passing. Tua Tagovailoa’s average depth of target is just 6.9 yards downfield, the second-lowest in the league. Miami rosters three of the NFL's 10 worst offensive linemen this season in terms of total pressures surrendered, and nobody boasts an overall PFF grade higher than 63.0 overall. It is a minor miracle that Tagovailoa looks functional behind this line.

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-week-15-offensive-line-rankings-2021

not just worst in the league, but historically bad!!

by DolFan 316 Mon Dec 20, 2021 7:54 pm

Even more astounding: Tua's sack percentage is 4.1, which would be third best in the league if he took every snap at QB for the Fins Shocked

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TagoTu00.htm

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2021/

by mercury22nathan Tue Dec 21, 2021 8:10 am

so now they're trying to use the narrative that Tua is only looking good because he was facing bad defenses.

Conversely, not a single one of the Dolphins’ victories in this six-game win streak came against a team that ranks in the top 15 in points allowed.

Tagovailoa has produced his highest passer ratings this season against an Atlanta team that ranks third-worst in scoring defense at 27.4, a Jets team that allows the most points in the league at 30.6 per game and a Carolina team that is 16th in that category at 22.4.

and that he's on a 3 game audition not to get replaced.

The Dolphins will get a good look at Tua Tagovailoa against some of the league’s better defenses before they make one of their most critical decisions in years: Whether to stick with him next season or trade for Houston’s Deshaun Watson. Over the final three weeks of the season, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins will face the league’s 13th-rated defense (New Orleans), the ninth-rated defense (Tennessee) and the third-rated defense (New England).

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article256448331.html

i guess this is supposedly why Rapoport yapped what he did about the Phins being open to replacing Tua this past Sunday morning. no matter what he does, Tua just can't seem to catch a break in the press. i just hope Grier, Flores and Ross aren't still actually thinking about this.

by DolFan 316 Tue Dec 21, 2021 8:15 am

SO...the Fins are fighting for their playoff lives, and all Grier and Flores really care about is...using the final 3 games to evaluate Tua like it's preseason?

Not buying it no matter how hard they try to sell it.

The sad part is, if they were as hell bent on replacing pretty much anybody else on offense as much as the media keeps saying they want to replace Tua, this might be a top 5 offense as soon as next season!

by mercury22nathan Tue Dec 21, 2021 8:22 am

DolFan 316 wrote:The sad part is, if they were as hell bent on replacing pretty much anybody else on offense as much as the media keeps saying they want to replace Tua, this might be a top 5 offense as soon as next season!

right! hell, replace any 2 guys on the OL not named Hunt and this team is probably not 7-7 (Raiders, Jags and Falcons), but 10-4 sitting on top of the AFC!

by **JMP** Tue Dec 21, 2021 12:15 pm

I seem to recall how everyone thought the Ravens were a great team and Lamar Jackson was in the MVP conversation - and then the Dolphins embarrassed them on national TV, with Tua shredding them in the second half. But now that's not considered a good win for Tua and the Phins?

And how about Collinsworth endlessly fellating Taysom Hill ALL DAMN NIGHT the other day in a game where Hill completed 50% of his passes and couldn't get anywhere near the endzone? Yeah, but Tua sucks??? Mad

It's disgusting the way Tua gets treated.

by white1 Tue Dec 21, 2021 2:08 pm

LOL!

I love how a historically-bad offensive line and a collection of receivers that are constantly hurt is just glossed over as "an excuse for Tua".

He's winning anyway and putting up the top completion percentage in the league IN SPITE of all the weaknesses on our roster.

The answer? According to our front office upgrade at QB by trading for Watson. LOL! Watson will FOLD with this dearth of talent around him. He would be taking AT LEAST five sacks a game here.

If this front office decides to trade away a treasure chest of picks while overlooking ALL of the problems on offense, they are only dooming themselves.

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