Same cycle, same mistakes, same team. Over, and over, and over. Just a year ago, Brian Flores looked like one of the league’s best head coaches, and was on his way to leading a young Miami team to an impressive 10 win-season. Chris Grier had swindled his way to a war chest of draft picks, and the Dolphins looked to be the blueprint for any team entering a rebuild (and they’d done it in no less than 24 months). 

Today, the Miami Dolphins currently sit at a laughable 1-7, bottom of the AFC East. 

So, what happened?

To anyone, it should be painstakingly obvious that Miami’s problems stem from poor off-field moves, and that they’re currently seeing the byproduct of those decisions on the field. 

There’s many ways to be a successful franchise in the NFL, but the NFL Draft is almost always the starting point. If done correctly, it’s the “easiest” and cheapest way to accumulate talent. On the flip side, there’s only so many busts you can draft before it costs you, and Miami has certainly drafted their fair share. It’s clear that the coaching staff overvalue their own coaching abilities, and are committed to drafting low floor/high ceiling guys, in hopes of turning them into superstars. These players include Noah Igbinoghene, Austin Jackson, Liam Eichenberg, and plenty more. 

When these players inevitably don’t reach their potential, due to the glaring lack of coaching at almost every position, the team is left in a state of disarray. Suddenly, we’re back at Square 1. That’s where Miami is at the moment, and GM Chris Grier (along with various position coaches) is to blame. Sure, every once in a while, take a punt on a freakishly athletic guy with huge upside potential. With every Austin Jackson, you might land an Xavien Howard. But, doing this with almost every single pick? Insanity. 

Funnily enough, of the few players Grier has drafted that have been “hits” in Miami, a vast majority were these “plug-and-play” guys. Rookie Jevon Holland and 3rd-year DL Christian Wilkins headline a few of these selections, and both are one of the better players on the team. These drafting issues are a huge reason why Miami hasn’t taken a jump forward from last year, and instead regressed.

But let’s forget Miami’s drafting woes for a minute, and focus on free agency.

In 2020, Miami went hard in free agency, and made almost all the right decisions. Chris Grier brought in top veterans in positions of need, re-signed key starters in all 3 phases of the game, and did his best to set the team up for success. In 2021, for some reason, Grier did almost the exact opposite. They didn’t address the WR room well enough, with injury prone Will Fuller being the only acquisition. Unlike last year, they let key starters in Kyle Van Noy and Matt Haack walk, and opted for cheap, unreliable replacements. 

Hindsight is 20/20, and looking back, it’s easy to see that Miami’s season was set up to fail from the start. Miami wasn’t aggressive enough and clearly overvalued the talent they had at home, and it’s proved to be costly. Looking forward, the Dolphins will likely have the most cap space entering the 2022 NFL season, and it’s interesting to see how the front office will handle that responsibility. That is, if they’re even still here. 

On the field, Miami’s problems don’t get any better. That “big jump” the team was supposed to make this year? Yeah, sorry to break the news, but that never happened. 

And no, before anyone starts, it’s not a Tua problem. Does Tua need to improve? Yes, 100%. It’s obvious he tries too hard to fit balls into tight windows, and his pre-snap adjustments need some work. Some of this could be the result of the recent Deshaun Watson rumors, and Tua feeling the need to play “hero ball” each week in order to prove himself. In fact, under extreme duress, Tua is actually one of the league’s best “escapers”, albeit a small sample size.

Regardless, the accuracy and release are there, and his arm strength is getting better each week. He’s not nearly as passive as people suggest, with 20.3% of his throws falling into the “aggressive” category, ranking 6th in the league. Couple that with the fact that he’s only got an average of 2.55 seconds to throw the ball (a full 0.25 seconds below the league average), and it’s clear that he’s the least of Miami’s worries right now. There’s plenty more to say on the Tua-In Vs. Tua-Out debate, but that’s for another day.

So then, what are Miami’s problems on the field? Well, almost everything else.

First and foremost, it starts with the play-calling, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. This 2 offensive-coordinator experiment is one of the most bizarre things I’ve seen in 15 years as an NFL fan, and Grier and Flores need to take the blame. It creates confusion in the coaching room, and that’s clearly spilling over onto the players.

In yesterday’s loss Buffalo, Miami lost the ball on 2 separate occasions due to a mix-up involving a receiver in motion. If a mistake happens once, it’s probably on the player. But two of the same error, one of which came directly after a timeout?! That’s a coaching problem, end of story. The players clearly don’t know who to listen to, and I don’t blame them.

Evidently, the receiving department needs serious revamping, which is odd because I remember writing the exact same thing last year. While talented, FA signing Will Fuller and veteran DeVante Parker can’t stay healthy at all, and just aren’t worth the headache anymore. To make matters worse, Albert Wilson and Preston Williams have seemingly forgotten how to catch a football.

Out of this group, I seriously only trust Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki to remain with the team long term. Jaylen Waddle ranks 7th among all NFL players in receptions, and Gesicki isn’t far behind at 15th. Both are very talented, but it’s just not enough. Make a trade, sign someone in free agency, do SOMETHING, but this receiving core needs changing, and fast. 

Now, the offensive line. Yeah, HUGE whiff on that Chris Grier, huge. Since 2019, Grier has spent 5/17 total draft picks on offensive linemen, and is yet to hit on a single one. Sure, it could be a coaching problem, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. But, at the end of the day, it’s still Chris Grier signing off on every single card that Roger Goodell ends up reading aloud, and he needs to be held accountable.

Just how bad is it? Well, out of 170 qualified linemen in 2021, here’s how the Miami’s offensive linemen rank in pass block win %: Greg Mancz (53rd), Michael Dieter (92nd), Robert Hunt (119t), Jesse Davis (153rd), Austin Jackson (157th), and Liam Eichenberg (169th).

If you don’t know, this is BAD. Like, really, REALLY bad. I could say more, but I’d be beating a dead horse (probably a horse that died from a lack of protection, but who knows).  

To make matters worse, Miami’s running game is almost non-existent these days, which is a huge sucker punch to all us who wanted to draft DeAndre Swift or Najee Harris in the last few years. Miami ranks 31st in rushing yards, and 32nd in rushing first-downs. Even so, it’s not like Miami doesn’t have a talented running-back on the roster, because they clearly do in Myles Gaskin. But Gaskin is small, and as much as he tries, he just isn’t the best blocker. Couple that with our struggles on the offensive line, and we’re suddenly leaving one of our best skill players off the field to start a better blocker in Malcom Brown, who couldn’t find a hole in a block of Swiss cheese. 

Perhaps though, the real reason Miami has dropped off so much, is the defense.

For reasons I can’t wrap my head around, Flores has completely shied away from Cover-0 and the aggressive blitz packages that were so effective for Miami last year. However, even with these new schemes, the Dolphins’ defense hasn’t actually played *that* different from last year, bar a few key metrics. Last year, the Dolphins allowed 5.9 yards per play, compared to 6.1 yards this year. Last year, the Dolphins allowed around 7.0 yards gained per pass attempt. This year? 7.3.

But, the 2020 Miami Dolphins relied heavily on big plays, turnovers, and sacks to win games. This year, those numbers have fallen off a cliff. So, although the underlying metrics (QB hits, passes defended, etc.) are mostly the same, those plays aren’t translating into game-changing plays. As a result, Miami isn’t catching any breaks, and it’s costing them. No short fields for the offense, no momentum-shifting plays, and no easy TDs. Turnover-based defenses are almost always going to fall off at some point, and Miami is seeing that now. It’s not a sustainable defensive system, which is especially questionable team-building under a defensive head coach. 

Special teams? Oh, right. Well, the less I say the better. They’ve fallen off a cliff, and when I say cliff, I mean CLIFF. The Dolphins boast one of the best legs in the league in Jason Sanders, so why not let the guy kick every once in a while? I’m sure I’m not alone in that I’d definitely trust his leg over whatever masterful 4th-and-1 play our OCs draw up in crucial moments of the game. Sanders was an All-Pro last year, yet the Dolphins have only even attempted 12 FGs across 8 games. 

Somehow though, the punting is even worse. Getting rid of a proven, reliable punter in Matt Haack for a guy who’s coming off a torn-ACL just doesn’t make sense. And yeah, I know it’s a bit weird to criticize a punter, but I’m annoyed, so here we are. 

Overall, disappointment is how I’d mark Miami’s season so far. High expectations, only to be let down again. Honestly, you could grab any article about Adam Gase’s firing a few years ago, and you’d find yourself reading over the same problems we’re seeing today. Lack of execution on both sides of the football, poor game management, lazy penalties, and a head coach who seems stubborn beyond belief. 

Finally, the big question: Should Flores and Grier be fired? 

I’m still not certain, but we’re reaching the tipping point. From his terrible assistant hires, cowardly play-calling (or lack thereof), and poor handling of the Tua-Watson situation, time is *almost* up on the Brian Flores era in Miami. However, the promise was there last year, and in my eyes, he’s got the rest of the season to prove his worth. Oh, and the lack of motivation in the team? Hey Coach Flo, why not publicly defend your team’s starting QB once in a while? I’m not an expert, but I’ve got a sly feeling that’ll help locker-room morale. 

Chris Grier’s tenure in Miami hasn’t been anything close to stellar, but he may have saved his job with the recent 2021 draft class. Jaylen Waddle, Jevon Holland, and Jaelen Phillips all look like superstar picks, and I’ve got to give credit where it’s due. However, Miami simply can’t afford to miss on another draft. Grier is on a shorter lease than Flores, and needs to knock the 2022 NFL Draft out of the park to keep his job. More Jevon Holland’s, less Austin Jackson’s.

Now, the Dolphins’ season is all but over, but their future isn’t. Make no mistake about it, there’s plenty of talent in that locker room. Tua Tagovailoa, Mike Gesicki, Jaylen Waddle, Christian Wilkins, Jerome Baker, and Jevon Holland highlight a relatively talented group, but they need help. Flores may (or may not) be the guy, but he can’t do it all himself either. Teams are built and broken down with the GM, and Miami needs to be absolutely positive that Chris Grier is their guy. If not, it’s time to move on. Easier said than done, but get that right Mr. Ross, and maybe you’ll see a playoff win before you’re 90. Oh, and make the throwback uniforms permanent. Sincerely, every Dolphins fan ever.