Chris Perkins Explains Why the Dolphins Should Rebuild

Chris Perkins Explains Why the Dolphins Should Rebuild

It’s always great having with us Dave, guy you’ve been working with for a long, long time, Chris Perkins covering the Miami Dolphins for the Suns Sentinel. Perk, good morning, brother. How you doing? And thanks for being with us. Oh, man. Y’all are a welcome distraction. I’m trying to find any excuse not to go downstairs and grab a workout for the first time in four weeks. So, I Is it getting to that point, Park, where you like I I do that sometimes? I’m I was going to go home and not playing tennis. I go, I hate walking. Do you like walking, Perk? You ever just take off and people, oh, just walk, you know, couple of miles a day? I hate walking, man. I You know what? I I live uh I I I walk I can go 2.2 miles to the east and be at the ocean. So, the walk isn’t that bad. I live, you know, North Bay Village, not too far from the beach. So, the walk the walk isn’t that bad if I can get off my butt and actually do it. Joe. All right. A workout though, Perk. Four weeks. That Now, if I did that, I’d feel awful. That’s That’s I I got to work out a couple times a week. You do, Dave? Few times a week. Yeah, that’s where I’m at. I’ve put on nine pounds in the last month. Well, that’s all right. Don’t fit the same. Yeah. Hey, don’t Well, you want to keep looking good if you know you’re in the game. I know what you’re saying there, Park. Don’t worry about that. Hey, Perk. Um, I want you to help us out on some of these top. I want to ask you first of all, you think this 53man roster they have with a with a couple of guys on the AR, you you think it’s a very talented roster overall, even with the young guys we have? Well, you know what, Joe, I thought this was a nine- win team coming out of training camp. Um, maybe it’s like a seven- win team. The talent, the talent isn’t bad. It’s just not good. I would give it maybe a letter grade of a C. Um, you know, at the start of this Greer McDaniel tandem, they did have the best talent that they had gathered in like two decades. It’s not at that stage anymore. You’re almost at the pre-rebuild stage right now. The preset, another reset. So, if we’re on the edge of a rebuild, what’s going to happen this off seasonason? That’s what everybody that Joe and I were just talking about that who’s staying, who’s going where are you at with with the the the top end people, champ? Uh, well, you know what? I’m I’m at um Get Out the Broom and Finish What You Started with Chris Greer. And that that’s because with when it comes to like Mike McDaniel and Tua, okay, you can bring them back for 2026, but are they in your plans for 2027? Probably not. Probably not. And And so, why why delay it for another year? Um, just get out the broom and start the rebuild. Uh, you know, I’m I’m all for resigning uh Han. Um, you know, he’s he’s due for a contract extension. Uh, don’t let Han be like Wilkins and Hunt where you let him get to the final year because you don’t think he’s worth it. And then in the final year, you decide he’s worth it and he looks at you and says, “I gambled on myself. I’m leaving. I’m going to get paid.” And and you’re stuck with nothing. So, um, you know, that that’s where I’m at with the team. and just start the rebuild after this season. Hey, uh, HN, if he doesn’t get a new contract, I I don’t think he going to sit out. And if he’s not sitting out because on the outside, he’s going to sit out on the inside, whatever the hell they call that where you watch practice every day and he just does a little conditioning. Do you agree? There’s no way he’s playing. He doesn’t want to play with this. Yeah. Hold it. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he would be pissed and rightfully so, right? I mean, look at what this guy has done uh ever since he’s been in in the league, you know, third round pick and he’s he’s delivered for you. And now he’s the offense with with uh Tyreek Hill and Darren Waller sideline. This guy is the offense. And I and that’s with all due respect to Jaylen Wadd. A Chan is what makes this offense go. So, you need to lock him up. And now look, if you’re planning a a rebuild, maybe you don’t want to devote that kind of money to to him. and and um you know I think Dave Hyde on the Dolphins deep dive with per uh promotion uh at at noon today he said this last week that um you know maybe James Cook from Buffalo is a model for the Achan extension I I would agree but you know look I I I guess if if you’re if you’re going to go full rebuild I could understand not not resigning Achan but you got to give whoever is going to be here next year a chance right give give them Achan and Waddle and and you at least give him a chance. But man, I and and and and I I guess Han will be here anyway, but not a pissed-off Devon Han. Give him a happy Devon Han. We were uh talking about guys they’ve drafted and I don’t think it’s been good enough overall. We got good players. We got We got a hit. We got hit on like Achan as a third round pick that’s hitting big. He’s the best player on the team. But Chop Robinson, what has happened to Chop Robinson? Boy, I don’t know. I I don’t know, Joe. Um, you know, may maybe that six or eight game stretch last year was was the aberration and and the rest of it is what he really is. I I don’t know yet. Um, but I I’ll say this, you’re right about hitting on draft picks, Joe. And moving forward, I I’m I’m not a fan of forcing the quarterback pick in the first round. If he’s there, okay, you can take him. you’re probably going to be putting him behind a patchwork offensive line with not without much help on on either side of the ball. But if he’s there, I guess take him. But me, continue building the trenches. Again, you you started two years ago with Chop and Patrick Paul and then then this year you had uh Kenneth Grant and Jonah Sabai. Keep going in that direction. That’s what all that that’s what most of the fans were complaining about for the last, you know, two or three years. The trenches aren’t good enough. Keep going in that direction. And that’s what I want to see from the draft and and a lot of the reboot. What do these final games mean to you, Perk? I mean, I I playoffs. I’m not even going to I’m not even going to talk about the playoffs because I think it’s it’s a fantasy right now. Um but what are you looking to happen to um I guess to decide things for Steve Ross? I’m looking for Mike McDaniel’s team to do something it hasn’t shown me before. And so to me, that’s winning in December and January, that’s beating playoff caliber teams, that’s winning late season road games. Those three things, those are the things that that that really separate your good teams from your so- so teams. Those are the things that catapult you into the playoffs, that secure that home field uh advantage in the playoffs. So, that’s what I’m looking for from from a Mike McDaniel team is to show me something it has not shown me previously. We’ve seen them beat teams like New Orleans and the Jets. You beat Pittsburgh on Monday night. Okay, that’s significant. That’s a that’s a road game in prime time in December. You beat Tampa Bay, whether or not Baker Mayfield is there, that’s significant. You beat New England in the season finale, whether or not they’re resting players, that’s significant. Do some of those things and then we can, you know, start or continue the conversation about Mike being back. But if you do this status quo and you lose to Pittsburgh and you lose to to Tampa and you lose to New England, quote, you’ve been stuck in the mud for the fourth straight year, I don’t need to see anymore. So, that’s what I’m looking for in these final six games. Um, I want to try to win every game and I want to see, you know, guys get more out of all the players on the team, see improvement, and uh, and the other thing is I don’t care where we draft. It does like we and we’re probably not going to get the top two quarterbacks if right now it it could be Mendoza and it could be more from Oregon. Could be the top two guys. And if there’s a big drop off, I’m with you. Don’t take a quarterback. Don’t just take a guy to take him. Um go out and get something else. And uh and you just can’t be desperate and start reaching to try to get something better for Tua. You you you agree with that? And yeah, 100% Joe and and and the other thing is look, this season is showing us that it’s not just that first round quarterback that that you can thrive with, right? That we’re seeing Baker Mayfield do stuff. We’re seeing those those first round retreads come back around. So, so perhaps that’s an option until you find your franchise rookie, you know, the guy that you want to start off with as a top five pick or a first round pick or whatever. Um there there’s there’s different ways to find quarterbacks and and if you’re not ready to make a move anyway. Um I I’m just not a big fan of getting that top five pick and putting him behind a weak offensive line and he doesn’t have a good offense and the defense doesn’t help him out. He’s pretty much out there on an island with without a chance. I I the more I I I go, the more I’m for have things in place and then do the plug and play with the quarterback. You know, have your offensive line, your running back, your receivers, your your playmaking defense, then you draft your quarterback and you give him the best chance to succeed that you can. Well, the added dilemma they’re in is if this is a one-year try out, do you want to bring in a quarterback and possibly hand them off to the next regime, a quarterback who they might not like? So, there there’s a whole there’s a whole bizarre maze to walk through the way they’re going about things right now. I You guys agree with this, too? Everybody keeps telling me all these top GMs would turn down this job. I’m like, what do you mean? They they all want a job. Like, they’re gonna listen for sure. all of them. I don’t believe this is like a bad job and nobody wants to be part of it. Do you buy that? As long as you can get control and and you and they have patience and understand this thing’s a mess. The front You mean a But do you mean a bad job if you inherit Mike and Tua and I think I just I just think no matter what they say for a year, it’s not a bad job with your big plan of what you need to do and you got total control coming in as GM. I don’t think it’s a bad job. I I I think if you have total control, meaning now to me, you guys know that I I don’t like the speed finesse thing that Mike McDaniel had with the offense. I favor more physicality, more muscle, a stronger run game. If I can come in at the GM and I can convince Mike that yes, you need to be more physical. You need to kind of get away from this speed thing, not totally, but kind of get away from it and let’s try something different. Okay, it’s a great job. But if Steve Ross says, “No, we’re we’re letting Mike do whatever he wants to do for this final year or whatever,” then it’s not a great job. The GM has to have that kind of control. That is true. But I would say most GMs have drawn up who they want their coach to be, right? Yep. I mean, if you’re a GM and you’re going to marry your career’s on the line, you’re going to go with someone who you want. And and look, Mike’s reputation is one of the great innovator. Look at teams are doing what he does from the the uh no motion all the things he does. He does draw he draws he draws up some stuff. But make no mistake about it if you’re a new GM coming in you’re dealing with a little different guy. I mean you got completely different style of talking and walking and dressing and everything. Say it’s a great job. It’s not a great job for everybody because you if you inherit Mike because he’s not everybody’s cup of tea. I mean that he’s he’s the unoot coach at times. So, all right. Well, Perk, we didn’t we didn’t really get anything accomplished, but we we just wanted to hear from You didn’t ask about his his life either. No, I’m not going to get How are all right? Because every How are you doing with the ladies? How’s everything right now? I know you’ve been busy. I know you’ve been busy with football. I I I just had a a friend come in from Madrid, strangely enough, and and uh yeah, stayed stayed with me for uh for a few nights. So, that that was good. and she wants me to come out there to Madrid and see it’s a former neighbor of mine. She she’s from South Africa. She’s lived all around the world. She used to live in Costa Rica. Um so she’s been in Madrid for the last eight months. So that was cool. But um you know, still looking, man. I’m I’m I’m about to start swiping, Joe. I’ll tell you the truth, man. I am really Are you really going to break down and swipe? What about old school? Going to the bar and going, “Hey, you look good. Can I buy you a drink?” What are you doing? I I’m I’m trying that, man. Swiping. Yeah. Yeah. I’m I’m I’m doing that. But it’s it’s running low, man. It’s running low. So, I you know, I’m thinking I’m gonna have to start swiping, man. I’m gonna have to finally come into the 21st century. I think you better get to the gym, perk. You’re pretty. Hey, FK, I can’t wait to see you. I really want to see if you’re a fat ass or not now. I can’t believe it, Parker. That’s terrible. Hey, it is. It is. Do some crunches and stuff. Hey, Parker. I I do. What what what about did did uh the ex-girlfriend did she go through and marry this guy or did she was she just playing games with you? No, no, no. She’s actually married, man. So, that that is no longer an option. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She’s married. She’s married. So, uh yeah. As a matter of fact, I was just in San Antonio last week and my family was telling me they follow their their friends with her on Facebook still. So, uh they were telling me, you know, I’m never on social media. So, uh yeah. So, they were telling me, yeah, she’s she’s married. She she is no longer an option. So, I’m I’m at the starting line. I’m at the starting line, man. At the starting line, perk, I I didn’t see you. Were you you were in Madrid? I Right. Were you over there? No, no, no, no. I didn’t go cuz uh Omar had a little lady with him over there. I didn’t get to see her. I was looking forward to seeing how Omar was doing over there. Oh, he kept her a secret, huh? Oh, yeah. He was I wonder what that means. He said he’s taking it slowly. That’s all he said. I’m I’m taking it slowly. Yeah. Yeah. That’s a change. That’s a change. Oh, that’s good. Maybe it’ll help. You know, you know that. Yeah. Hey, anyway. Hey, Perk. Thank you, man. I appreciate you coming on with us, bud. Take care. Last six games, eight and nine. I’ll see you, man. Take care. We’ll see you. All right. Thanks, Chris Perkins from the Sun Sentinel joins us. They got a good chance to win eight games. That’s what I predicted eight games. That’s what I’m rooting for. Eight games because I then I’m writing my prediction. They should win. I mean, so, so they’re going to go they’re going to beat the Saints and the Jets. Six and seven at that point. And then they got four left and they’re going to get two of them. And if they get Mason Rudolph instead of I mean, Aaron Rogers, that helps, right? They got a good chance. By the way, Joe Shad, Woody was ripping Joe Shad. He said they’re going to win seven games and everybody was getting on Joe Shad. He’s, you know, calling him company man and stuff. And they might even do better than that. We’ll see. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s take it slow. We got nine o’clock hour coming

Chris Perkins joins the show to break down the state of the Miami Dolphins, calling for the team to “get out the broom” and commit to a full rebuild. He explains why Miami should lock up De’Von Achane now before his value skyrockets and highlights the need to keep investing in the trenches. Perkins also dives into the Dolphins’ looming GM search, debating whether the franchise should stick with Tua Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel or allow a new GM to reshape the organization