Seahawks 24 Dolphins 3: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
I’ve been trying to warn everyone for a long time that, contrary to popular belief, fan-favorite Head Coach Mike McDaniel is not a good head coach. He was on the Ugly list last week, will be on this week’s list, and was on the last four Ugly lists in the final games of the 2023 season. There are common denominators, which I will again recap later.
But most immediately, here’s what bugs me (and should bug you) about today’s 24-3 blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks. And forget about the quarterback play for a minute. For the third consecutive game, the Fins got behind by 14 points or more early in the game. This is inexcusable and tells me that the head coach is not getting this team properly prepared to play. Secondly, this team is fundamentally below average. Eleven penalties, including countless false starts, illegal formations, and holding calls. This is a broken record. If you can’t get simple fundamentals down, how can you possibly contend for a playoff berth? I don’t know what happens in practice, but I blame the coaching. Last week, it was seven flags. Opening week, it was nine. Need I say more?
The third thing that bothered me was the offensive game plan, knowing what you had at quarterback. This was a plan as if Tua was playing. Same ol’ offense. With the offensive line woes (and injuries), why wouldn’t you toss half the playbook in the trash this week because Skylar Thompson isn’t Tua, and half of those plays are not going to work with the ability and decision-making required of said backup QB who has not started a game in over a year? And if McDaniel thought Skylar could run the full playbook, then that’s on him as well because there has been no evidence of it in his three-year tenure.
As far as the game in particular, there certainly wasn’t much good about it, and it was plenty ugly. Let’s recap the GBU for the week:
THE GOOD
The defensive line. This unit gets promoted from last week’s Bad list as the pass rush improved during the game, and the group came up with three sacks led by Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell. Campbell also deflected a pass which ended up in Sieler’s hands for an interception.
THE BAD
Quarterback play. Was anyone truly surprised? As coach Dennis Green once said, “they are who we thought they were.” Skylar Thompson is a third-stringer and has proven so, and yet the organization felt comfortable with him as a back-up quarterback. Tim Boyle certainly isn’t the answer. Here’s hoping “Snoop” Huntley will start Monday night.
The offensive line (two consecutive weeks). They gave up six sacks and a world of hurt on Skylar Thompson. Terron Armstrong cannot stay healthy. The Fins ran the ball for a mere 65 yards.
Tight End play (third consecutive week). I was inches away from dropping this unit to the Ugly column, thanks in large part to Julian Hill, who had a nightmarish game. Durham Smythe added his contributions with a holding call and a dropped touchdown pass, albeit a touch catch. Chris Grier’s big offseason signing of Jonnu Smith has not panned out. He added a non-descript two catches for 18 yards.
THE UGLY
Third and fourth down conversions. A combined one for 15.
Mike McDaniel (repeat). Three other factors I’ve not mentioned yet. Game management decision-making, clock management, and play calling. What to do on fourth down seems to be a mystery. McDaniel, like most coaches these days, follows analytics that favor going for it on 4th and seven or less. But instead of going for a fourth and one early in the first quarter, he opted for a 57-yard field goal attempt, which was not even close. Seattle takes advantage of field position and drives for a touchdown. This all came about because instead of simply running on second and one to get sure first down, he tried to pass, which fell incomplete, and then tried the obvious run on 3rd and one, which failed. Lastly, getting plays in on time remains an issue and a holdover from last year. The Fins were out of timeouts with five minutes left in the game. McDaniel is a great guy, has a gregarious personality, and is liked by players, but he needs more seasoning. He is not ready to be a head coach in this league.
Chris Grier (repeat). It’s time to take some accountability, Mr. GM. You failed to upgrade or improve the offensive line for the umpteenth year, failed to improve the tight end position also for the umpteenth year, failed to improve the backup quarterback situation, and your draft stunk. Perhaps you thought injury-prone Tua Tagovailoa and Terron Armstrong would remain healthy for 16 games. Yes, Tua was for 2023, but that was an outlier. Armstrong hasn’t played a full season since, goodness knows when. Your roster has probably had 20 tight ends come to camp over the last few years, and they still stink. Chop Robinson is a non-factor in a position in which you already had Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Phillips. I, like many, could go on and on, but let’s leave it here for now.
I can’t think of a worse Monday night match-up other than Fins-Titans, but that’s what we have next week. Stay tuned.
Post Game Wrap Up Show: Dolphins Lose in Ugly Fashion to Seattle
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