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The Article I Didn't Want To Write

10/16/2021

9 Comments

 
By: Chip Turner

There’s a great line from a great movie that I won’t wax poetic about, because the entire Dolphins fanbase is tired. So, very simply, “The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.” And that’s really the crux of why I didn’t want to write this article. Because this season, a season full of promise and hope, is in a metaphorical death spiral into the depths of the AFC. 

Welcome to Week Six of the 2021 Miami Dolphins season.  

This season has gone wrong in a spectacular variety of ways. This wouldn't be unusual as most Dolphins seasons have gone recently, but this offesason and preseason gave rise to much anticipation, so the Dolphins’ cratering has evoked a particularly vehement response. 

And justifiably so.  

In one day, we’re going to find out if this season is salvageable. Tua Tagovailoa is expected to start against the Jaguars. The Jaguars aren’t good. They’re actually spectacularly bad. Miami SHOULD eviscerate them. 

Now, quick show of hands: Who is genuinely confident that the Dolphins will eviscerate the Jaguars?  

Yeah, me either. 

There are considerable problems on the Miami Dolphins. And, as a huge supporter and believer of Brian Flores and Chris Grier, it pains me to say this, but they need to be addressed. Right now. 

Maybe things turn around tomorrow. And…I hope they do. But I have zero confidence that they will, so we’re gonna get a few things out of the way. ​
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NUMBER ONE: 
The Miami Dolphins no longer have a talent issue. 

They don’t. You can argue with me all you want about this, but there simply isn’t a curse over Hard Rock Stadium that magically makes players suck. 

Rookies Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillps, and Jevon Holland have all shown flashes of absolute brilliance. There have been FIVE offensive linemen drafted in the past two years. Will Fuller was brought in. DeVante Parker is tremendously talented. So is Preston Williams. So is Albert Wilson. All of these players SHOULD be producing consistently, but aren’t. Why is that? 

We’ll get back to that shortly. 

NUMBER TWO: 
The Miami Dolphins are tremendously inexperienced at every level. 

The head coach is in his third year. The DC is in his second. The OCs are in their first. The OL coach is in his first. The DB coach is in his second. The cornerbacks coach is in his first. Rather than continue this exercise, I’ll just say that the ONLY coaches on the staff with more than three years of experience (at their current position) on the entire team are Dave Puloka and Jim Arthur.
 

Dave Puloka and Jim Arthur are the Strength and Conditioning coaches. 

As far as the roster, there is a tremendous lack of experience at almost every position. There’s talent, but little veteran leadership. At best, this was going to lead to growing pains. Currently, it’s led to considerable (and increasing) agony. 

So, who’s accountable for this? We’ll get back to that shortly, too. 

NUMBER THREE: 
The Miami Dolphins have a talent evaluation problem. 

This is the one that really irks me, because it’s more than just a drafting problem. It’s not just that Miami doesn’t know how to evaluate talent in the draft, because that isn’t entirely true. It’s partially that, and it’s partially that the extremely inexperienced staff apparently has absolutely no idea how to properly use the talent they have.  

There is no reason that Jaylen Waddle should be running seven-yard comeback routes. There is absolutely no reason that Austin Jackson should have regressed from an ascending rookie last year to a borderline unplayable offensive lineman. There is absolutely no reason that offensive linemen who were cut by the Dolphins during the preseason are performing extremely well on other teams, while the Dolphins can’t assemble an offensive line that can keep a QB healthy for more than a game, using the linemen they kept. 

And there is no reason that the Miami Dolphins have gotten almost zero results out of a plethora of early-round draft picks over the past three years, except for one specific reason. And that is....

NUMBER FOUR: 
​The Miami Dolphins have a coaching problem. 

I think, up to this year, Brian Flores did an admirable job as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. But this year, he deserves every bit of the criticism he’s received. One of the main jobs of a head coach is to put his players and staff in a position to succeed. And the deeper you dig into what’s happened so far in 2021, the more you realize that Flores didn’t do that. If anything, he set the whole team up to fail. 
​

A very young team, a very inexperienced staff, and continual turnover at many key coaching positions has led to one very unfortunate conclusion that a lot of people have danced around. It’s something that a lot of people, myself included, are very reluctant to say. But it needs to be said: 

The Miami Dolphins look like they don’t have any idea what they’re doing this year. 

Not only are there very young and inexperienced players, but also these players are being led by a very young and inexperienced staff. There was definitely a plan in place by Flores early on, but he assembled such an inexperienced staff and team that they’re simply incapable of achieving it. Their offense isn’t working. Their defense isn’t working. Their special teams isn’t working.  And the schemes that are being utilized don't make any sense.

And the guy on the hook for this is Flores…or at least he should be. He’s the chef of this particular stew, and so far it smells rancid. 
​

I truly hope the team turns it around tomorrow morning. Tua is back, and then there are a handful of games coming up against bad teams. Maybe the offense clicks. Maybe the defense stops getting gashed. Maybe, just maybe, this team comes together and rallies to save the season. Maybe the whole organization matures in the heat of battle and works together as a finely-tuned machine. 

But do you really believe that’s going to happen? 

Yeah, me either. 
9 Comments
Mike
10/16/2021 11:28:11 am

Anyone who has played the game and has had success knows that coaching is everything. It shows in peewee football, high school, college and as we can see, nfl. Have you seen the offensive line coach talking about his line? What???? How can that guy be coaching pro players? Head coach is everything! The good ones almost always have success, the bad one rarely do. And the Dolphins rarely do. This year is exactly like the Gase year when every dolphin stat was at the bottom of the nfl. Ouch, again! We have to find a real head coach and GM one day and then we’ll be able to watch with a smile on Sundays.
It pains me to say😖

Reply
MojoMark
10/16/2021 01:49:48 pm

They drafted well this year. Don’t like the picking Tua color all other draft picks. It’s the coaching that’s the problem.

Reply
Stephen
10/16/2021 12:15:20 pm

It is a hard realization we have to come to knowing that Flores is on the hook for this teams struggles. Most if not all of us believed in him but it became painfully obvious around week 3 he isnt good at his job.
A job that entails putting together a good staff which he clearly hasn't.

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Steven
10/16/2021 01:22:00 pm

This team completely sucks! Its all on Flores & Grier! I can't stand watching this team Fail year, after year, after year, after year!!! Time for another rebuild, because this one is obviously not working!

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Pamela Cairns
10/16/2021 09:45:40 pm

I agree with part of what you said but not all of it. Flores is dealing with something that we don't understand. I'm thinking it over his head. I don't see his passion and dont see that look in his eyes that I've seen the last 2 years. I know we're young but we have tons of talent and he pulled out huge games out of people you never heard of before. This is bull crap what is going on? People's head need 2 roll. I see no passion in a team that had a ton of passion. You want passion you want drive I have it where is yours? Come on man

Reply
Randy link
10/17/2021 08:34:21 am

The change in coach Flores between this season & the last is baffling to say the least. I, like most have bought in to the process.
The glaring issue I see is his inability to surround himself with people who know their jobs. Is it that he feels someone with too much experience is conceived as a threat to his authority? We had a guy we let go because it would've been too difficult for the qb to pick up the plays.... 😒
Whatever the problem, it falls on Flores & I hope he can get it straightened out.

Reply
Scott 99
10/17/2021 04:33:21 pm

This comment is after the loss to Jac today, not sure what is wrong with Flores this year but he is awful right now . The question is do you give him more time ? I am not talking about the rest of this year but after this year ? Can we allow him to have a bad year and see what happens next year or just a new coach ? Seems like that is what we have been doing for quite awhile .

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Bill Cidela
10/17/2021 08:06:54 pm

I’m not sure what happened to Flo but maybe he’s worried about other coaches having more knowledge than himself? I do know that the mamby pamby decision to have two OCs was horrible. Was he trying to not hurt someone’s feelings? Whatever happened to him I think he does deserve to serve out his five years to get it back. We NEED some stability!!

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Robert Jason
10/18/2021 11:19:08 pm

Chip, you are greatly overestimating the talent., and Grier's competence as to drafting and signing FA.No Rookie of the Year in 22 season. 3 Weeks in a row, the network crew has commented on the lack of STAR power, and yes...coaching decisions. Grier's horrible decision to trade our 1st, to get picks that have been, at best mediocre is fact. Taking Iggy over a much need RB. Selecting Phillips over Rousseau (I'm a UN grad/fan), and failing, in his 12 years as head scout, asst GM and GM to put together a top 10 O-Line is fact. Why do you folks deny what is plainly visible..and what those who study the teams and comment on the games can clearly discern? respectfully, while I agree with all concerning the descent into the coaching abyss, I believe you are not seeing the entire picture.

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