Sorry that Joe Schad and I couldn’t get to all your questions in our chat with readers on Sept. 23.
To make it up to you, here are some we didn’t address.
Thanks to all our readers for participating!
— Hal
Is Mike McDaniel too nice to win a championship?
Mitchell M.
Is McDaniel too much of a players’ coach to ever win a championship?
I think he does have to get tougher, but there’s only so much someone can change before players start to think he’s being phony. So you don’t want to lose their respect that way. But players have to know if they don’t do what they’re supposed to do, there will be major consequences. I’m not sure that message was adequately conveyed in his first couple of seasons.
Katie H.
What kind of changes do you think McDaniel has to make to break through in the postseason?
Easy. Postseason, I believe, is played in January and February. If you don’t have a team that can play in winter elements, don’t bother attending the party. That means a hard-hitting defense and a hard-hitting rushing attack.
Lonny W.
What is the Dolphins’ approach to building an offense strong enough to get to the playoffs, but strategic to secure decent draft standings for next season?
I don’t think what you’re asking is possible, unless you are so loaded you can trade away a top talent to a horrible team and snooker it out of a high draft pick.
Anonymous
What happened to the CPR (Chubb/Phillips/Robinson) rush?
Well, they have a combined four sacks (Bradley Chubb has three in three games — nice pace — and Chop Robinson has one). As Jaelan Phillips pointed out when we met with him, in 2022 he had zero sacks through three games before chalking up 2.5 in the next four games. Numbers aside, the three can (and I believe they will) pick up the pace, because the defense depends on it.
Howard V.
What will prove the Dolphins have momentum?
The easy answer is something like a three-game winning streak. But is that really the answer? The Dolphins have been a streaky team under McDaniel. Last season alone, they started with two three-game losing streaks, then won three in a row. Problem solved? Not really. They finished the season 3-3 in their final six games and failed to make the playoffs. And let’s not allow ourselves to be blind to which teams they beat. The schedule eases up now. Want to convince me? Flex some muscle in that three-game run of Ravens-Bills-Commanders.
Is Tua worth the money Dolphins are paying him?
Alex A.
Do you think the Dolphins made a mistake in signing Tua to the contract they did?
I don’t think they’d give him the same deal today. But things can change. There was a time he was compared unfavorably to the guy the Dolphins passed on, Justin Herbert, then a time when Tagovailoa was Pro Bowl material and had the upper hand for some. Today, things have swung back in Herbert’s direction. Tagovailoa has to up his game, make better decisions and will his team to wins that ought to be losses. And, oh yeah, stay healthy.
Caron M.
So, there are lots of things to fix evidently. Where should the Dolphins start?
Caron, you’re killing me. (Rolling up sleeves to Steve Kornacki level) Step 1 for Steve Ross has to be determining the leadership of this team. After that, there needs to be a concrete, fundamental plan in place. Is this team in win-now mode? I don’t mean “we think/we hope/we pray” win-now mode. The Dolphins convinced themselves of that this offseason but they’re not convincing anyone of that today. So if it’s rebuilding, so be it. Nobody wants to go through that but this piecemeal routine of adding a few pieces, handing out lucrative extensions and praying … that isn’t getting this franchise anywhere.
Alex A. (Take II)
What is the toughest question you ever asked any player, coach or owner?
Two come to mind.
Go back to Sept. 14, 2014. Dolphins played at Buffalo. Final score was 29-10 and you can guess which team had 29. Sammy Watkins sliced through Miami’s defense, catching eight passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. I remember looking down from the pressbox and seeing plays in which Watkins was so wide open, it was impossible to guess who was supposed to be covering him. After the game, I headed down to the visitors’ locker room at Highmark. There are closets in your home larger than it. I went up to defensive back Cortland Finnegan and asked him what I didn’t think was a particularly tough question related to the challenge of dealing with Watkins’ speed. Finnegan shrugged and scoffed, something to the effect of, “Yeah, have it your way. He’s fast. Whatever.” I didn’t take it personally and I’m happy to say a couple of weeks later, Cortland and I had a very good chat, I believe about his community efforts. But it illustrates what I’ve always considered the toughest part of the job: Asking good questions after a loss. I’ve even talked to players about the balancing act it requires. You never, ever want to come across in some kind of accusatory tone or appear to be rubbing it in. Those guys just spent a week preparing for a test and it’s either pass or fail. It’s not my job to compound matters.
I’ll toss out one other example, mainly because it’s still fresh. In August we met with GM Chris Grier. At that point I’d been quite clear in my reporting that I had serious reservations about the secondary — reservations that have been shown to be quite valid. In my mind, I compared it to Grier’s inability to construct a dominant offensive line a couple of years ago despite his insistence that reporters were more worried about the OL than he and McDaniel were. So my question at the start of the news conference (no warming up in the bullpen) was this: “A number of people in this room including me have raised serious concerns about your secondary especially the cornerback position. Do you think we’re making – to borrow your phrase – do you think we’re more concerned about it than you are?” Grier began his response by saying, “Turning it on me, huh?” Fans don’t want to hear this, but Grier is a very likable man. We have a cordial relationship. He always makes news even though he only speaks to reporters a few times a year. So in wording my question, I was not seeking to be a wise guy. Just the opposite. I thought that if I did not acknowledge his prior stance about reporters being infatuated with the OL, that would have seemed far closer to being a wise guy and therefore disrespectful.
James O.
I thought Gilbert Godfrey passed away.
Speaking of wise guys. … Yeah, I’ve heard that a couple of times. And I’ll share a little story. I was covering the Kentucky Derby years ago when I decided to head down to the paddock. I summoned the pressbox elevator, the doors opened and I began to step inside. And I was horrified to find myself alone with … yeah, Gilbert. For some reason he was decked out in green, shockingly loud jockey’s silks. I could have said something. He could have, too. But I swung around, faced the doors, and couldn’t wait to hit the ground floor.
Worst elevator ride since John McClane hitched a lift to the top of the Nakatomi Plaza.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins Q&A: Answering more of your questions from our chat
Reporting by Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
