4 things we learned after the Miami Dolphins put one on the Patriots

After months of debating, speculating, and at times nearly ripping each other’s heads off, we finally got to see the Miami Dolphins play football. It was awesome just getting prepared for the game. I’m sure all of us have our pre-game rituals and routines that you once again fell in love with. I bet you had that great feeling go down your spine when you donned that Dolphin’s jersey for the first time.

The Miami Dolphins left week one with a victory. It was a solid win against an AFC East rival in the New England Patriots and it was the kind of win where you could clearly see who had the better team regardless of what Adam Archuleta says(we’ll get to him later don’t worry).

But let’s face it, we also were expecting more production from a certain player(more on him later as well). There was certainly a bit more meat on the bone and that’s frustrating.

But as I said, the Miami Dolphins are 1-0 and are on the road this week against Baltimore who also beat an AFC East team in the Jets. This Ravens team, I promise you, won’t be as weirdly inept as they were last year when the Miami Dolphins surprised everyone and made them look like a JV team on Thursday night football. For Miami to get to 2-0, they’re going to have to click better than they did today. I think they would tell you that.

Make no mistake, I’m thrilled and I’m in a great mood as I enter the work week. My mood will be stellar all day on Monday. But I can’t help but wonder about the future.

I’m here to share with you four things I feel we learned after week one. Oh, and I have my game notes at the end. Stick around for those and make sure you get to the BONUS page where I speak about Adam Archuleta.

The defense for the Miami Dolphins showed once again that it’s their team.

The Miami Dolphins have a completely revamped and upgraded offense. The makeover the offense endured was like you see on those house restoration shows where the hosts, who’ve never swung a hammer in their life, fix up a cruddy house and turn it into a palace.

The defense didn’t do many upgrades besides bringing in Melvin Ingram lll.

The biggest question mark was whether or not Josh Boyer, a Flores hire, would be able to call the defense the way it needs to be called. After one game, it appears he can do that.

It’s not bad either when your elite talent makes a play minutes into the game.

From what I’m hearing, Xavien Howard to Jevon Holland is the new Stockton to Malone. Was it pass interference by Howard tugging on Parker’s jersey? I mean, he tugged on his jersey but is that kind of tug going to keep a guy as big as DeVante Parker from jumping? Doubtful.

Throughout the rest of the game, life was tough for Mac Jones and the Patriot’s offense. They got a few nice runs off early. But as I expected, if the Miami Dolphins got a lead, then it would be extremely hard for the Patriots to move the ball when everyone knew they had to pass. The undynamic duo of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge don’t have that club in the bag and they never will.

Do you know who else knows this team belongs to the defense? Mike McDaniel.

He knows where this team’s bread is buttered. He knows this team goes how the defense goes. It’s unfair that in an offensive league that the defense is relied on to carry the team. It’s going to catch up with them real soon if the other side of the ball doesn’t do their part. I think we all know that.

But yesterday, the defense as a whole did a great job keeping the Patriots in front of them, wrapping up for the most part, and making life miserable for Mac Jones. They brought pressure like I said they needed to do and it worked.

Some unheralded guys like Kader Kahou and not-so-unheralded guys like Brandon Jones had huge games. That can happen when you play alongside other fantastic players.

The Miami Dolphin’s offensive line looked alright at times but there were a bunch of times it got worked.

The offensive line, at best, is a work in progress. This unit, which was at a level of bad that has never really been seen before last year, was in fact better yesterday. I would hope so after the addition of Terron Armstead and Connar Williams.

But the team only had 65 yards rushing on 21 rushes. That’s not good and it’s nothing like anything Mike McDaniel wants.

Chase Edmonds went nowhere often when running the ball. It was pretty much the same thing with Raheem Mostert.

I was however pleased with how they finished the game running the ball. In the Dolphin’s last drive, it seemed like they burning up some clock with tough running.

Pass protection is where the line’s play was most surprising. Yes, Tua did some horrific things such as holding on to the ball too long and not sensing rushers coming at him. But there were far too many times when he had less than a second to do anything because a guy was untouched and was coming to destroy him.

Liam Eichenberg had a rough day and I distinctly remember Connor Williams letting a guy simply cross his face and not put a finger on him which resulted in a fumble.

A lot of it, based on me watching the regular game and not the All-22 or even the All-24 that includes the get-back coaches, was the Patriots running stunts up front. Ends would loop inside and tackles would take the c-gap which caused the most problems. It was worse when those stunts were delayed stunts.

It was the first time this unit played with each other and it showed.

Austin Jackson went down with an injury after Alec Ingold burrowed into his legs on a 3rd down and didn’t return. Then Greg Little, who was pretty awful out there, replaced him and then he went down. Hunt moved to tackle and Robert Jones moved to guard. Jackson stayed dressed the whole game but he didn’t return to the game.

Then the world came crashing down when Terron Armstead limped off the field. Fortunately, he came back but man alive I was white-knuckling it and I was in my basement.

The potential weakest unit on the team was weakened even more. Not the best way to start. What a world we live in where I’m really hoping Austin Jackson gets back in there very quickly.

Overall, there’s a ton that needs to get cleaned up with this unit. I’m very interested in seeing how they respond to the coaching they’re going to get this week.

Tua Tagovailoa had a solid-looking statline but that’s not the story here.

Tua Tagovailoa was mid. He was average. His grade is a C. I wish that I can say otherwise, but I can’t say that honestly.

He had 270 yards, a TD, and no INTs. Looks great in the box score.

But we have eyeballs. We watched the game and we saw a guy in the 2nd half try and mess up this excellent defensive performance. If the given play goes awry at all and there is any pressure coming for Tua, well then you can rest assured that Tua is going to do the opposite of what a smart quarterback should do.

I won’t talk about the first play of the game where it appeared Tua missed a wide-open Tyreek Hill. The ball was tipped. It was clearly tipped.

The play where he was flushed to his right and he threw across his body to Waddle and it should have been picked but it wasn’t. Yeah, that was God-awful. I don’t understand why he does that.

Or, the multiple sacks and near-sacks he took because he just keep back peddling. I don’t understand, did he get slower or something?

Then at the end of the game, he was rolling to his left. He could have easily run for a 1st down and instead, he tries to hit Scherfield who was open. It’s a tough throw across his body but it’s a throw everyone can make. He one-hopped him.

That’s my problem with Tua. All I want is for him to make normal plays. He often can’t. I want Tua to make plays that I’ve seen a guy like Case Keenum make. Tua makes Case Keenum look like Philip Rivers or Carson Palmer.

Any talk by any of the beat writers that said Tua’s arm has a bit more zip on it than last year are big-time frauds. His arm looks exactly the same. We all know it’s weak but oh my word is it sadly weak. It takes hours for the ball to get there when he’s throwing outside the numbers. Kudos to him for getting it there and getting completions. But we all know that can’t hold up.

The absolutely worst part comes from the boots on the ground who were at the game. According to folks I very much trust, there were many times where Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were open deepish and Tua decided to check it down. That can’t consistently happen. That can’t happen against the good teams. It works against bad teams with bad offenses but there is zero chance this approach works against the Bills, Chiefs, or Chargers.

So for now, I’m taking an optimistic realistic approach. I feel like I’m always that way but I can see times when I didn’t want to admit certain things to myself until I had to. I hope Tua eventually trusts his arm and lets it fly more. But, I have a feeling he won’t do that often.

This will lead to his demise as the starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins. This team is too good to be held hamstrung by QB1. But, I’m going into Baltimore with the hope that Tua gets coached up and Tyreek Hill shows him that he can make those throws. That’s what I’m telling myself until I can’t anymore.

In his first game as the head ball coach. Mike McDaniel patted Bill Belichick on the head and said thanks for playing.

This guy Mike McDaniel didn’t stumble at all. He had his game plan and he executed it pretty much exactly like I thought he would. The defense gave him the lead and he handled it well.

I enjoyed the call to hand it off to Alec Ingold on 3rd and short early in the game. I liked how he used motion all over the place and he did what he could to protect Tua from himself. I like the reverses to Hill and Waddle. I may not need many more deep shots to Alec Ingoldone on 3rd and one but I understand the argument for it.

Obviously, he wants to run the ball better than the Dolphins did. That needs to get coached up and I think it will.

Involving Chase Edmonds in the passing game is also smart. Get him in space and let him do his thing.

The biggest flex that McDaniel had was the 4th and 7 at the Patriot 43 with 25 seconds left in the half. I was fine with punting because I didn’t want to give the Patriots any form of momentum heading into halftime. Then Miami comes to run a play and still thought they were just going to take a delay of game to give Thomas Morstead more room.

But that isn’t what happened. We know what happened and here it is.

It was a tight window throw and Tua laid it in perfectly. Jaylen Waddle did the rest. That’s what this offense can do when you get these guys the ball. One mistake by the defense and it very easily can be a house call.

The best hype man in all of football said it eloquently when describing Mike McDaniel.

Belichick had nothing in terms of a good roster and Mike McD just leaned on him. I’m for that. I’d like a better offensive production especially when there are more plays to be made but I’ll take a win anytime. Congrats to Mike McDaniel for being undefeated in his career.

This portion of this wonderful Miami Dolphin article contains my notes. I saw and wrote down these notes and I really think you should see them. I take stupendous notes.

Early on, the Miami Dolphins were not bringing pressure and Mac Jones had all day to throw. Even he can find someone if you give him an hour to sit back there. Eventually, that changed.

Alec Ingold with the first catch of the 2022 season. Didn’t see that coming. Ingold also had a nice block that led to a seven-yard run. I like Ingold a lot. I feel he is going to make a lot of little plays that will turn into big plays.

4th and 1 and Tua gets them to jump offsides. Major yikes for a Bill Belichick-coached team.

Only four penalties for 20 yards for the Dolphins. That gift pass interference late in the game was exactly that, a gift.

Tua fumbles on a 3rd down. I would like it if stopped fumbling. To be fair, Connor Williams completely whiffed on his block and the guy got in without being touched.

Jason Sanders is 100% embracing the Mr. Perfect lifestyle. Now that he has a real punter in there doing the holding, he is primed for an all-pro caliber year.

Emmanuel Ogbah with maybe the easiest sack of his life.

Naturally, a big part of the offense is getting the ball to Tyreek Hill. You could say the entire offense goes through him and you wouldn’t be wrong. Eight catches for 94 yards is a solid start. He is truly a different breed of human out there.

Waddle and Gesicki were invisible in the first half. Waddle eventually had the huge play and an overall fine game. Mike Gesicki had one catch for three yards. You better believe Chris Grier is shopping Gesicki.

We haven’t talked about the other biggest play in the game yet.

The heat-seeking missile that is Brandon Jones did it again. He damn near may be the guy who broke Mac Jones’ back with that hit. And then, Johnny on the spot Melvin Ingram lll casually picked up the ball with one hand as if he knew it was going to be in that exact spot.

Brandon Jones had a fantastic game.

Brandon Jones does not want to be overshadowed by Jevon Holland. Love it.

Melvin Ingram lll also played very well. Besides the score, I thought he sealed the edge well and didn’t let ball carries outside of him.

OH IT’S TIME, IT’S TIME, IT’S TIME IT’S KADER TIME. Kade Kahou had an excellent game. He had a PBU and TFL. But we all know what the most meaningful full play was.

That was an old-school hit that caused the fumble. Randy Moss would love to say “Jacked Up” after seeing that. It be great if Kader is a real player because this secondary needs more guys like him.

Jaelan Phillips got handled by Trent Brown all day. The whole day Phillips was stonewalled.

Credit to the Patriots for taking away all the bootlegs the Miami Dolphins tried. They stayed home on the back end, fencing beautifully. That discipline took away a lot of would-be chunk plays.

I thought the Miami Dolphins would run more screens. I was wrong.

Hey Cedrick Wilson, maybe try not tight rope the sideline on every catch.

My guy Thomas Morstead had a great day punting. He consistently pinned them inside the 20 and had that one where he bombed it and Bethler made the quick tackle. More of that, please.

Not the homecoming DeVante Parker was looking for. Naw, Xavien Howard made sure he wasn’t going to do anything. Not only that but Tyreek Hill looks like the better jump-ball receiver.

Gotta say, I didn’t expect to hear about Skeet Quinlan and efficient of a rusher he was. Nice.

The angle route to Chase Edmonds will be unstoppable.

The Dolphin’s offense let the Patriots hang around. As I said, that kind of performance will not beat the best the AFC has to offer. It simply won’t.

If I’m the Dolphins, I’m checking in with Dallas to see if they want Teddy Bridgewater in a trade. Dak is down again and they have nothing behind him. Trade Teddy, elevate Skylar, and make Tua hold him off. That’s what i would do.

Great moment here from Mike McDaniel and the team.

He’s not a journalist but man alive the amount of journalistic integrity that Adam Archuleta displayed was gross.

Exactly what is Adam Archuleta’s problem with Tua and the Miami Dolphins? This guy spent three hours performing the most extreme form of mental gymnastics defending Mac Jones and the Patriot’s every decision and criticizing everything Tua and the Miami Dolphins did. Mind you, the Dolphins were never trailing in the game which is to say that the Patriots were never winning.

The amount of times he mentioned that Xavien Howard got away with pass interference on Parker in the 1st quarter is concerning. I’m concerned because I think he’s mentioned it no less than 10 times today to anyone who came in contact with him. We get it, you think it should have been called.

There were several examples of Archuleta’s buffoonery. There was when Tua had an untouched rusher coming right at him and he got the ball out a little too slow to Archuleta’s liking. But then when Brandon Jones crushed Mac that caused the scoop and score, there was nothing said about how Mac needed to get the ball out at all.

The Dolphins only had two drives of offense so far and were just starting their 3rd drive. Archhuleta said, “the offense has been stagnant so far today. The score was 3-0 Miami.

Mac Jones, consistently, missed throws and showed every bit of a weak arm as Tua did. Archuleta went out of his to praise him and justify everything Mac did.

Archuleta also thought he could be Tony Romo and predict the play before it happened. The current count was Archuleta was 0-3,487 on predictions.

I don’t know if Adam Archuleta had money on New England but it was terrible to have to listen too.

Are there valid things you can say about the Miami Dolphins and Tua? Absolutely. Just make sure you say the same stuff about the other team.

This is how it usually goes with James Lofton and Dan Foutz. But I don’t remember it being as bad as this. It truly was amazing and eventually I sort of respected how willing he was to die on the hill that was Mac Jones and the Patriots. Can’t wait to have him call another game.

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