Miami Dolphins accountability: Blame can go around to everyone
By Brian Miller
On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins were embarrassed for the 2nd time in consecutive games against the Bills dating back to last year. Someone needs to be accountable.
We are in year three of the Miami Dolphins “rebuild/overhaul” and Sunday’s blowout loss to the Bills should not have happened. Teams have bad games but bad teams get blown out like Miami did on yesterday. This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction, it’s the truth. Miami isn’t a good football team right now.
In week one, the Dolphins beat the Patriots by one point. By one point to Mac Jones. The game wasn’t a high-scoring affair. They won 17-16. We chalked up the win to a hard fought division battle against a good defense. Compared to the Bills, the Patriots defense isn’t very good. The Bills controlled the Dolphins from the start and never let up. It was close for a while thanks to Miami’s defense but the game was never really in Miami’s hands.
Brian Flores has to share some of this blame, no, he needs to shoulder a lot of this blame. If we are going to blame anyone at all. He chose the coaching staff which includes the Dolphins offensive line coach who is coaching a unit that is straight up trash right now. Is it the players along the line or is it the coaching not having them prepared?
Chris Grier is not exempt. He traded two Pro Bowl players in Minkah Fitzpatrick and Laremy Tunsil. He received a bounty of draft picks in return. Those have equated to Tua Tagovailoa, Noah Igbinoghene, and Austin Jackson. Tagovailao is a big question mark, Igbinoghene has been inactive the last two weeks and Jackson was a turnstile on Sunday. Not a good look. Add into the questions about Liam Eichenberg, Jaelan Phillips, and other mid-round draft picks and Grier should be answering questions.
Compounding all of it is Grier’s inability to add free agency fits. He spends a lot of time working numbers for good contracts rather than adding talent that can help make the roster better. Miami has neglected the offensive line with top talent available in FA and instead of gone bargain shopping for players like Matt Skura and J.D. Fluker. Two players who didn’t make the roster. But they could have spent more and added to lineman instead of spending $10 million on Will Fuller who hasn’t played a down and may never play for the Dolphins.
Instead of drafting top talent at running back, Grier went with a DE/LB who isn’t seeing the field enough or making an impact when he is. The Dolphins are trying to play Billl Belichick football but without a QB in New England, the Patriots are just a good defensive team with a serviceable offense. In Miami, it’s a good defense with an offense that can’t win. At least the Patriots invested in offensive line help.
Finally, the players need to shoulder some accountability. Yesterday was a joke and the players should be ashamed. Aside from a few players that continue to make plays, Miami’s players often looked lost. There are players that need to do more. Spend more time in a film room. Spend less time doing whatever it is they do off the field.
Whether it is Jesse Davis and his inconsistent outside play or Austin Jackson’s inability to take a step forward, the players need to do more. They need to fight more. They need to be more physical. This isn’t a physical team.
To be fair, the team is still very young and to be more fair, the lineman are all draft picks that have no more than a few years of experience. Jackson, Solomon Kindley, Robert Hunt are all entering their 2nd year in the league. Michael Dieter, the starting center is in his third. Jesse Davis has the most experience and he was an undrafted free agent in 2017. Liam Eichenberg has two games under his belt.
There is still room and time for improvement and the season is far from over and even further from being out of reach for a playoff birth. The Dolphins will get better but they need to do it quickly. They can’t be what they were yesterday. They need to be a team feared instead of a punching bag.
Today, Grier and Flores need to get together and make a plan. They need to figure out who might be available to trade for and they need to try and make that move. Not for Deshaun Watson, not yet. They have more pressing issues, like the offensive line.
Miami is better than what they were on Sunday. Something didn’t click and someone is responsible but no one is either solely responsible or void of responsibility. Everyone is, for yesterday.