Believe it or not the Miami Dolphins season isn't already over

Well, we finally got to see some good old fashioned Miami Dolphins football. After months of speculating, pontificating, and having trophy-laden visions dance in our heads we got to see what a ton of backup players can do against a mostly backup-driven opponent can do on August 11th. We got to see the 2023 Miami Dolphins, in their first available opportunity, put up a whopping 3 points.

It's not what we wanted or expected. I think most of us were thinking of at least a few TD drives to happen but alas the QBs that the Dolphins through out there had other ideas.

Like any preseason game for any team, there were strikes and gutters, ups and downs, and players, units, and processes that could have been better and ones that showed a little something. It's the nature of preseason games and like all y'all, I also have to tell myself to take a deep breath and relax.

The fate of the 2023 Miami Dolphins wasn't decided or even shown last night. Does that mean that Mike McDaniel, Vic Fangio, and Chris Grier should feel all set where everything is at? Not at all. In fact, all those guys have to realize, and I'm sure they do, that they have a healthy amount of work in front of them to make this team better.

I think we all can see that the backup QB position is the equivalent of a barnyard explosion. Why Mike McDaniel kept calling bootlegs to the left side of the field for the QBs that got compounded by the QBs doing something rather dumb each time I'll never know. Why Skylar Thompson decided to do his best Bryce Petty impersonation and get sacked, hard, by two guys at once puzzles me.

One of my favorite lines I see out in those internet streets is that Tua better not go down because there is not much behind him. Here's a little news flash for everyone: no team out there who has serious aspirations of winning it all can lose their starting QB and expect to just keep the train on the tracks.

Hopefully, Chris Grier saw Austin Jackson, Liam Eichenberg, and a number of the backups play football last night and is on the phone this second looking to bolster that unit, a unit we all knew was a sleeping giant in terms of a sleeping giant that can't block other people. Dalton Risner should have gotten a call around 11 PM last night to come down to Miami for a visit.

But there we also some guys who looked good out there. Devon Achane ran hard, caught the ball well, played tough. Cam Smith(I hope he isn't hurt too bad) had some marquee plays that we've seen throughout practices. Undrafted defensive tackle, Brandon Pili, made a few plays that stood out one being a nice TFL.

Erik Ezukanma, who is Deebo Samuel in case you didn't know, had two dynamic big-boy runs on sweeps. He looked like he belonged out there as did undrafted running back Chris Brooks who added something you don't get too much with the Dolphin's running backs and that's physicality.

My overall point is that there is a a good amount to clean up such as QB play, penalties, and that pesky other element of football called special teams that Mike McDaniel likes to sweep under the rug. But there are some players to build on that can and will have to be solid depth behind the starters.

All is not lost and the season is still on for the Miami Dolphins. We just hope that the coaches and players see last night as a kick in the ass and go out and have a more focused practice week with the Houston Texans. That's all any of us can really do right now unless you want to be a doom-and-gloom person. It's your choice.

Enjoy your weekend.

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