Dolphins in Depth: Will Dolphins respond to Lions’ intensity?

Dolphins in Depth: Will Dolphins respond to Lions’ intensity?

So, yours truly is back in South Florida getting his four-year-old daughter ready for prek. Um, but babysitting your Miami Dolphins is Isaiah Smalls, who today sent out some very cryptic tweets uh about the Miami Dolphins seemingly getting manhandled by the the Detroit Lions. I was not there, Isaiah. So, I am relying on your eyes, your observations. Please paint me the picture that I need to know about the 2025 Mommy Dolphins. I will sum it up with a with the very first play I remember. It’s something that is that I’m probably going to remember for a very long time just because of how I don’t want to say illustrative it was, but just of how powerful it was. So, the one play was was one-on- ones. I didn’t see h how the I No, no, no. Look, look, look. I didn’t see how the reps start, but I saw how it finished. How it finished was Almond Ross St. Brown running down the sideline and catching a touchdown pass and Jack Jones some 5 to 10 yards behind him trying to catch up. And that essentially kind of is a little bit of a metaphor for the day. Today the Detroit Lions just looked head and shoulders better above the Miami Dolphins and it really wasn’t even close. I primarily watched the defense. I, you know, collaborated with David Feronus over there at South Florida Sunset. when he watched the offense and look man and I I wanted to see the defense specifically because I want to see how the corners fared and I wanted to see how just you know this this the defensive front has been pretty solid right it you know it’s been solid against the Dolphins themselves but then also in Chicago they performed well they really weren’t really getting after it today I can count maybe on one I saw maybe two sacks maybe two sacks. Jared Goff for the most part had all day. And that’s when I really started to see how solid of a of a quarterback Jared Goff is. I I honestly had probably underrated him a little bit because some of these passes he was throwing, I mean, right in the bread basket. I I I’ll say one more, but there is a It was on the goal line. It was a goal line play. It was a pass from Goff to Almond Ros St. Brown and Alman Raw just kind of ran a little bit of a wheel route and hey Jason Marshall Jr. I’ll give him credit. He was there with him all day. Only issue is good offense. Hold up, hold up, hold up. Why is Jason Marshall Jr. defending Aman Rah? Uh you haven’t been paying attention really on the goal line packages because usually Jason Marshall Jr.’s in there. Yes. Next time. Next time you next time you look at goal line package, look who the corners are. It’s usually Jason Marshall Jr. because I was I wasn’t surprised. Okay. And like I said, it the the coverage was tight. He was on him like why on Rice. Only issue was the pass was a little bit better. So when I tell you Amar stretched out that hand, the ball literally fell right there. I mean like you got to give it you got to give it up for the young rook for for great coverage. Hey, it’s just better offense, man. Good. Hey, elite offense beats elite defense any day of the week. Unfortunately, Jared Goff has a little to it to him in terms of the completion percentage, the accuracy. Um, I believe he completed like nearly 70% of his passes last year, throwing for 37 touchdowns. So, you didn’t So, the secondary got shredded. No pass rushing pressure. Not much of pass rushing rushing pressure. And that kind of allowed Jared G to call curve up the secondary. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Minka made a play or two like forced incompletion, but most of it was the the the Lions dropping a ball, and there weren’t a lot of drops. Like Sam Leapora might have had one drop. Ammon Raw, they called it a drop on the sideline for like it was like deep, it was like a um he dove for the ball. It was a sideline catch. The ref said hit the ball. I thought it was good. Granted, the ref was right there. It was the opposite sideline for me, but it was it was it wasn’t good. Zack, like I said, Zack Cer got in the backfield a few times. Derek McClendon, who replaced Chop Robinson, he got in the back field as well a few times, but there wasn’t Zack got a sack. McClennon just was just it just it just he wasn’t able to to to get home because by the time he’d get there, it just be balls out. Now, let me ask you this. Was this a lot of because a lot of times when you do joint practice that’s when you get the first team 70% of reps, second team 30% of reps. What was the split like in your opinion? I think it was about about that. It was about maybe 70% first team, 20% second team and you know not about 10% of final team. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. 60. I’m going to go ask you 6010. What about special teams? What you want me to give you a detail? Like, yeah, you buy special teams. How did How did they do? I’m gonna be honest with you. The special teams was when I walked over to check with Ronis to get to swap. Okay. So, y’all were y So, there was no place that you could just watch both fields. No, no, no, no. I like I and Fon has kind of found a place to do that, but I I didn’t like where he was heading because I couldn’t see the gains. Like I I like to be able to say like Yes. Yes. Yes. I couldn’t see the game yesterday as well last last week as well. Um could not see the yardage. Let me ask you this question. Okay. Offensively, what was the report that you got? cuz we’re we’re reading I’m reading tweets and all I’m hearing is Detroit Lions people like, “Oh, this is this Lions team is either a juggernaut or this Dolphins team is really bad.” Yeah. Um what what did you see offensively? So from from what I from what I heard offensively the the couldn’t get anything going offensively and Tua kind of spoke to that unfortunately like he he said today was a very frustrating day for him because it just didn’t seem like they were able to connect really and you know Tyreek was back but Tyreek didn’t do anything competitive. Jaylen Wadd was back, but he was on a limited snap count, right? He wasn’t fully participating in all of the I I’m gonna be honest with you. I think I’ve ever in my entire career covering the Dolphins, I think I’ve seen Tyreek maybe participate in one joint practice and that was the one that he he hurt his wrist. Like when I say we going back year to 2022. Yeah. like Tyreek just doesn’t really do joint practices. Not because he doesn’t want to. There’s always just something flaring up. Um but Jaylen Wadd was out there. Jaylen Wadd was out there. There again, not much. So there’s there was a debate within the media room because there’s a apparent touchdown that he scored on a screen, right? I believe it was during I I don’t I don’t want to speak on what what period it was, but it was a touchdown he scored on a screen. I know it was team period because they mentioned Brewer kind of being out there to lead the pack. However, it’s heavily disputed because the ref said like that one of the um Lions defenders would have got him for maybe a short game, right? All the Dolphins media people though, they said that were watching, they said it was a touchdown considering obviously Wadd’s speed and you know with the ball in his hands and he’s a little bit elusive. Yeah, exactly. And apparently the Lions defender just had reached out his arm to like tap him, right? So it was a little bit debatable. But like I said, other than that, like the only favorable things I heard from that offense was Devon A who got, you know, one of the top performers in my I was I was struggling for top performers in the stock report. I was Okay, hold on. So against Chicago, they had effectiveness running the ball to the left side. Did you get a report on what the run was was like? So the so I believe the misdirection that um I wrote about I believe it was some he there was a misdirection play to the left that got a big gain. Uh and then the in terms of running that’s the only big thing that I heard from him. I also heard that he had a a nice catch during seven on sevens. Um, and you know, against against running backs, you know, on one-on- ones, apparently he was dominating, which I I’m sorry, against linebackers, uh, AN was dominating. But I mean, that’s not Yeah, I don’t pay attention to one-on- ones unless it’s a defense win. Like, I I can’t even I can’t even validate anything that happened except for French play one-on- ones. That’s a whole different ball game, of course. But, um, one-on- ones, if a defense, if a defensive player wins, that’s when I pay attention. Offensive player supposed to win because he knows what’s coming. um the defender does not. Um so overall with this change your tune, I know it’s just a joint practice. I know they’ll get to respond tomorrow. I know they’ve got a Saturday exhibition game, but does this change your tune in terms of what you can expect from this team? I think so. That’s the thing about joint practices, right? Everyone wants to overreact. And don’t get me wrong, I think you have to use your eyes, right? And trust your eyes, right? And so for me, like I said, like the secondary’s inability to kind of cover the the the Lions and them not getting pressure again. Like there’s no Jaylen Phillips there. You know, Chop was hurt. I mean, I don’t think it overall changes my view of the Dolphins, but I will say they are a lot they have a lot further to go than than than I that I originally thought. Right. You you you bring up a good question that I have for you because if Jaylen Phillips isn’t working, I we don’t know exactly what the nature of the issue is. Um, we assume it’s not the Bruise, but if Jaylen Phillips is not working, and I’m I’m fine, for the record, I’m fine with Jaylen Phillips not working because I just need him for game day and I know how Jaylen Phillips is and he’s going to work himself when he’s got something wrong and then something else is going to go wrong. So, I’m good. Um, Chop got hurt today. We don’t know the nature of the injury. You are reporting. A source says that it is not a head injury. It wasn’t a knee injury. Correct. I don’t know. I I It didn’t look It didn’t I don’t I don’t want to speculate again. Um it didn’t I didn’t necessarily see a limp or anything. Um so I don’t want to I don’t I don’t want to speculate there. I believe a a Lions media member who um I don’t want to I don’t want to mis misquote a name, but they said it looked to be shoulder. So I I don’t know. He had a shoulder. Yeah, he had a shoulder injury coming into the draft process and which prevented him from doing a bench press. Shoulder is is definitely a problem area. Uh hopefully that’s not going to be too much of a concern. It was one of the reasons where I never got a bench press on Chop Robinson, which you never gives you a baseline of how strong a player is. And as you know and Chop knows and the whole team knows, I say that Chop is not the greatest when it comes to edge setting. Um hopefully he will get an opportunity to prove me wrong. Uh Chop said on his social media account that he was fine. No big deal. That’s exactly what he said. Now, I’ll be interested to see we talk to McDaniel tomorrow what the actual injury is, how much we can get from the him, but then also, you know, whether or not he even practices tomorrow, but I I’d have I doubt it depending on So, so getting back to my initial question, no Jaylen, no Chop, Chub might be limited. Who was your edges? It was I saw Quinton Bell. I saw Mlendon. Quinton Bell. Mlendon. Yeah, for for like first team reps. Yeah, that that was primarily it. Quinton Bell and Mlennon and No Camera. Good. No, no, no. I mean, I saw them with second and third team reps, but I didn’t see them taking. So, hold on. You are you saying that Mlendon jumped to the first team? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I’m I’m just asking you a question. Who Who was blocking? I’m just I’m just saying that I saw because again, let me just put this caveat out there. We’re As much as that roster, depth chart, excuse me, has these people slotted in certain areas, that’s not necessarily the case, right? I think it’s a it’s a very much a case by case basis. And I will give and I’m going to give you this because on that case by case basis, you know who the first two corners were out there today? Ethan Bonner and Jack Jones. And that was a that was straight guess. Yeah, I know. That was good guess. That was a good guess. So I I I I say all that to say that I think the the team when they are impressed with you, they are going to give you a shot and and and we’re running with a ele since when I’m just saying that’s what I’ve seen. That’s what I’ve seen because I don’t again again since when again when in the since today okay say since today since today four we talking four years of people never moving on the depth chart. Look I I I I was surprised too because I looked up I was like oh is that is that oh okay like yeah let’s see how let’s see how he looks right. though between that and then like I said Jack Jones and and Bonner getting like the first shot. Look, I mean look I one Storm Storm still worked and Kendall Kendall Sharfield. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely definitely definitely I’m not Yeah, they definitely still worked but those were the guys that you know got the first look initially and I was again I was surprised considering um what uh you know Storm has done and all that but I guess they were you know they’re they wanted to challenge these guys. So, I will say this about the defense, Jordan Brooks, regardless of what’s happening on, you know, at the edges or at corner. Jordan Brooks is is is one of one. He just he seems that similar to Willie Gay, uh just has a nose for the ball. Like he had a a tackle for loss um that, you know, he been forced to fumble on. He had some pretty good coverage. Impact player. Yeah. You know, Sam Leaporta had made probably the one of the only plays on him. It was like a real outstretched 20 yard gain, but it was like again he was right there in coverage and he would have there’s a few it it’s it’s always difficult to judge this during during joint practices, but like with a when a quarterback throws a hospital ball, right? Like a very obvious play that’s like, okay, that guy’s going to like get blown up, right? But then you got to figure out like, okay, is he because obviously the defensive player is going to pull up, right? And I saw didn’t pull up. Not one Miami was pulling up. Miami I I I Miami was pulling up. Only one instance did I see it did I see Dante Trader Jr. not pull up and and they threw a flag for and I say rough this I think it was I didn’t think it was that to be honest. I’m so glad that they threw flags because Chicago man they just they just like people were getting smacked body slam and they didn’t throw any flags. They didn’t kick any players out. I’m not gonna cry about it no more. question. Um, how did the Dolphins do with the physicality since Mr. Grant Stewart basically said there was a wussy team? Yeah, I’mma be honest. Like, you know, and Fonis and I were talking about it just now over lunch. I wouldn’t really say that the physicality was the issue. I think more so the execution, as as Wald pointed out, was the issue. But I know offensively it just seemed like it, you know, from what I’ve heard from the guys, it just seemed like it was either a sack or he, you know, in the sack or it was a throwaway or like a, you know, it just and even in the brief period of of like situational at the end of practice where it was like, okay, offense, you’re going to get a chance, so you go offense, you know, and the red zone. What did they do it in red zone or did they start? They started on the opposite red zone. So they started like 20 yard line and I love that one. 20 yard line. So, so what didn’t mind me doing that three situation periods? Four and out. Hold on. Four. Four reps. First down, second down, third down, fourth down, turnover on downs. Okay. What about the second team? They didn’t get a chance. Oh, so they only went starters versus starters. Okay. And what did Detroit do? drove the ball down the field and and and they ended practice on it was I think it was a third down or like a third and goal or if it wasn’t was they got it down to the goal. Oh yeah, they got it definitely in the red zone. It might not have been it might not have been third and goal or or it might have been like a third and short like on the 10 yard line, right? And so they they called a a defensive holding on Jordan Brooks to that I thought I thought it was on Storm, but they correct me. They said it was on Jordan Brooks and then that’s how they ended practice, but it was third third and like short. Uh you know that’s they would they would have technically punched it in, but Dan Dan Campbell basically called off the dogs. Didn’t want to embarrass you a little bit too much. Okay, that’s what it looked like. Unfortunately, I I I I Yes, I I I know the es and flows of practice and fights. Fights. Oh, man. Jack Jones, first of all, first of all, this is this is what was what I I respect Jack Jones because he was chirping from the very beginning. Chirp from the very beginning, and I didn’t know this until afterwards, but him and Almond Raw used to compete against each other in high school. So, I think he was seeking that matchup. The only difference was uh when Alman Ross saw him, he saw barbecue chicken and it just got it was just okay. And so the there was and then there was a few I don’t want to call them fights, a little skirmishes between Jack Jones and and uh few of the offensive linemen. And then the one at the end though that like when the teams, you know, practice over teams were coming together apparently was Iffy and JO Jameson Williams, you know, obviously former teammates. What? Yeah. I don’t I don’t know what that was, but that was apparent. That’s what, you know, people saw. I didn’t I like I said, I couldn’t the the fight kind of happened right in the middle of the two fields, right? And I was on the furthest furthest field kind of walking. Was it like a melee like in Chicago or just a couple of I I had no clue. All I saw was just like, you know, you can see when like someone’s fighting cuz the entire crowd kind of goes like, oh, like, you know, you get I didn’t get to see anything. But I will say that Jack Jones was chirping from day one, from the very minute. I hope that he I need him not I hope I need him to respond uh tomorrow because you you can’t talk like that, get get torched like that and not have not get back and not have your get back. Like you need to get that lick back tomorrow. And um look, I’ve I I have faith in him. I just don’t know how much because Ahmed Raw looked I he looked I know Ahmed Raw is one of the better receivers of the league top five regardless I don’t know how you’re gonna rank them but he looked it might not be Jay Jed or Jamar Chase but he looked right there like that number three spot is him and it was it because to me what what really impressed me he was just in a bunch of ways he would he would go deep he would intermediate sport like he’s just was routing people up and it just and even even the five yard out that he caught on Jack Jones on the goal line. I I’d have to see the film to see how he could defend that better. Maybe it is jamming him. Maybe it is a strength issue. Maybe you need to reroute him, but they they need to be less predictable in terms of how they play defense because that that that that’s a lot of zone and I I’ll just take I’ll just take what you give me underneath anyway. But that that’s Hey, uh Anthony Weaver produced the top 10 defense last year. Top five. Top for sure. Um I I I’ll let it I’ll let I know you hate I know you hate that. I know you hate it, but I’m just It’s just the numbers. It’s fourth ranked defense. All right. I I I I’ll let it slide. Um how did the Dolphins do against the run? I think they did they were okay, right? I don’t think like it the pass is really what killed them, right? But in the run they they were they were serviceable, right? It it was okay. Like definitely um you know Montgomery and Gibbs, you know, which is one of the best running back duos in the league, they they made their plays for sure. Definitely made their plays, but they also were stopped a few times. You know, um Jordan Brooks specifically stopped, you know, met a few guys in the hole. Um you know, I they they were okay. They were much much better against the run than they were against the pass. So, so to to sum this up, what do you hope is being said in the team meetings tonight leading up to tomorrow morning second to joint practice? One, if there were any energy issues like, you know, uh, Tua Illustrated, y’all need to fix that. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if it’s I don’t know if it’s y’all got to get to bed at 8:00. I don’t know if it’s a seven like a 700 p.m. curfew. I don’t know what it is, but they need to find a way to come with more energy, right? Two, as much as as you know, McDaniel stresses this not being about individual matchups, I think there has to be some pride, right? I And I’m not saying that they don’t have pride. I’m just saying like you can’t let somebody continuously punch you in the mouth and you not do anything, right? Like there has to be some personal pride. Like me versus you, you’re not going to beat me. And if I and if I just beat my man nine times out of ten, we’ll be okay. I might just be better than you. Like what you gonna do? And sometime I’m in Raw. Might be a receiver up to double color. And then that’s But then like look like you know we’re facing those caliber of of receivers this season. So how you can’t double Jamar Chase because Tig is gonna go off. You can. You just pay the consequences. You can. So it it’s it’s and you don’t have to do it on every down. They’re probably not game planning. They’re not strategizing. This is just mano mano. What do you do? Okay. Um it’ll be interesting to see how they respond tomorrow. Um we will Isaiah will be there. You you going to watch defense or you going to watch offense? I’m switching. We’re switching. Okay. All right. See, good good call. Um see if the offense gets a little bit more efficient. Um, definitely pay attention to the running game and make sure you come back with a report on these new backs because I I don’t know nothing about I I will say I do remember seeing that I think Mike Boon fumbled in fumbled into the end zone or fumbled around the red zone. Something something about him fumbling. That’s the only thing I do remember. Fumbles fumbles. That’s right. That’s right. All right. Well, that is the Dolphins in Deep podcast covering you for these joint practices in Detroit. We will be back tomorrow to give you a recap to see if the Dolphins responded favorably. All right, on that note, we are out.

The Dolphins struggled on both sides in their first joint practice with the Lions and need more execution and energy Thursday. Key fixes include finding a corner to cover Amon-Ra St. Brown and getting production from backup edge rushers with Jaelan Phillips and Chop Robinson sidelined. The Dolphins In Depth podcast explains how Miami can match Detroit’s intensity.

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