What is at the heart of the Dolphins problems?
It’s another year and another round of watching the playoffs without the Miami Dolphins being on screen. Although the Dolphins aren’t a bottom-tier team, they haven’t been a top-five team since the days of Dan Marino.
They had a small run in 2023 when they were 11-3, but that ended in three straight losses. Outside of that, I can’t point to a time when the Dolphins felt like one of the best teams in the league.
You can point to a plethora of reasons as to why that was and is, but what I’m wondering is what’s the one core issue that the Dolphins need to fix to get them over the hump and turn into a consistent playoff threat?
The Dolphins spend the money on star players, build the facilities, create a stable front office, and have who, most presume, is a top-ten quarterback, so why does it feel like they’re stuck in the middle? Other teams either came out of the basement and passed them, while the upper-echelon of teams rarely face the same problems as them.
What are the Dolphins stuck in mediocrity?
House Of Cards
It’s the same old story for as long as I can remember. The Dolphins start out hot in the fall and then it all comes tumbling down at the end of the year.
This year, it was a combination of injuries, and not being physical enough in the trenches, but more so on offense.
No physicality up front leads to no running game, no running game leads to predictability, and predictability leads to low-scoring outputs and turnovers.
For some reason, the Dolphins can never put it all together at the right time for a playoff run, and when I look at other teams that consistently do, I wonder what they have that differs from the Dolphins.
Let’s look at the cream of the crop. What do teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, and the Philadelphia Eagles do or have that the Dolphins don’t?
These teams all have a top-five to top-ten quarterback, great front office and coaching staff that create a culture, a top-half offensive line, and a formidable defense. Another similarity between all these teams is that they all have a dual-threat quarterback that extends drives with their legs when called upon.
The last similarity that gets overlooked is that they stay healthier than most teams. I don’t know how, but I’d guess their strength programs and medical staff are top-notch, or they have the luck of the Irish.
Falling Behind
When we look at some teams that went from the basement to penthouse like the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and Washington Commanders, what did they do to speed up their timeline and pass the Dolphins?
The Lions built from the inside out and dominated the trenches. Being the most physical team in the NFL comes with rewards, even when the quarterback isn’t considered a star player. Jared Goff is very good, but the Lions are loaded, and their emphasis on the offensive line makes that team go.
The Texans and Commanders were horrible five minutes ago, but making the change to a defensive-minded head coach and hitting on a star-caliber quarterback seems to be the coach-and-quarterback combination sweeping the NFL.
That seems to be the winning formula, but it didn’t help Miami when they drafted Tagovailoa with Brian Flores running the show.
What’s The Foundation?
When we look at the teams in the playoffs or that consistently make it there, it starts with having a top-ten quarterback that stays healthy. Tua Tagovailoa might be top-ten, but he doesn’t stay on the field.
There’s an emphasis on the trenches, mainly the offensive line. Chris Grier took some swings on the group but ultimately ended up with more questions than answers, and that’s after laughing about the group being questioned a few years ago.
A competitive culture needs to be established where players can hold each other accountable, and remain disciplined during games. Did head coach Mike McDaniel create that kind of environment? I would say he didn’t.
A healthy roster is key late in the season, and the Dolphins rarely usually limp to the finish line. This isn’t just a Tagovailoa issue, it’s both sides of the ball. It could be an indictment on strength coaches and medical staff, or is it on Grier for signing players with histories of injuries?
I bring my question back up again. What’s the one core issue that the Dolphins need to fix to get them over the hump and turn into a consistent playoff threat?
