Episode 567: The Jets Game Aftermath, Tyreek, Tua, and More

Episode 567: The Jets Game Aftermath, Tyreek, Tua, and More

And we’re off. Hi everyone, welcome back. It’s episode 567 of the All Dolphins podcast on this last day of September in 2025, the day after the Miami Dolphins defeated the New York Jets 27-21. And the crowd goes nuts. Dave Hyde from the South Florida Sun goes nuts. He’s leading the cheers. Go ahead, Dave. Miami has a Dolphins. No, I got I got my victory cigar right here. We’re going to get it on, you know. There you go. Very nice. Uh we’re going to talk about the Dolphins game, the victory, the victory. That’s let’s let’s put let’s let’s put it like that. And of course the aftermath of the game and the bad news uh involving wide receiver Tyreek Hill with the news confirmed on Tuesday, the knee dislocation was accompanied by a lot of torn ligaments including the ACL. Mike McDaniel confirming what as I said earlier kind of should have been obvious that he’s done for the year. The question is when does he come back? How does he come back? This is to the NFL, not necessarily the Dolphins if he does come back. Yeah, it has all the hallmark of a, you know, I was looking at people who have fallen the the parameters of a dislocated knee, multimone knee. We’re talking Alex Smith’s type injuries and and anybody who followed his comeback and uh how difficult that was and you put that Tyreek’s elite game is built on elite speed and so and he’s 31. So, I mean, I I don’t think we’re we’re we’re we’re going down a, you know, a a road you don’t want to go down by just suggesting or even raising the idea that that might have been his his last NFL play, unfortunately. Yeah. And and the vibe I get is you mentioned Alex Smith is another one that was kind of like this also in a Monday night game, also against the Jets. That’s former Dolphin center, Hall of Famer Dwight Stevenson. uh his injury was kind of catastrophic as well. His as I recall involved nerve damage as well and I don’t know that that’s in play for Tariq which certainly would be I guess a modeicum of good news among a lot of bad news. Yeah, I talked to a physical therapist today who said the question is just what you said, nerve, you know, did that did it is there nerve damage in there? And if so, then that raises everything to another degree. You know, if you’re a Dolphin fan, the last couple years, it just seems like there’s been some really, you look at uh Bradley Chub, Jaylen Phillips, there’s been some really tough injuries, you know, and and everybody, as Mike McDaniel said, it’s 100% injury game. Everybody gets hurt, but there are levels of getting hurt and and this is about as bad as, you know, about as bad as it gets in the game. No, without question. In fact, I wrote about this on my me do Dolphins and Si.com today. It seems to happen a lot with the Dolphins in prime time games. These these big headline grabbing injuries, not for Jaylen Phillips torn ACL last year, two of the two concussions, you know, against Cincinnati against Buffalo. We mentioned the Dwight Stevenson injury. Cameron Wake to an Achilles in a Thursday night game. It’s like, I mean, what’s going on there? Yeah. Um before we close the door on Tyreek, we should mention that uh Dolphins are signing a familiar face to fill his spot on the roster at wide receiver. That being Cedric Wilson Jr. signed off the New Orleans Saints practice squad. Why Cedric Wilson Jr.? He’s familiar with the offense. This again, this was a guy who was on the practice squad. He’s a complimentary player at this stage of his career. Uh will even be active on Sundays. Again, this is not and this is with every signing that occurs at this time of year, temporary expectations because generally speaking, if the guys are available at this time of year, there’s a reason. Yeah. And and the bottom line is you don’t feel whoever’s coming in ain’t going to fill Tyreek’s cleat. Um there’s just no way. And that that’s, you know, the main reason you left the game is a win and and um a long awaited win considering the first few games. Um, but you really didn’t walk away feeling real good about it because you just lost your best player and and the guy the offense really revolves around as far as, you know, the threat to the defense. Whose defense of who are the defense’s game plan? Who do they walk into the stadium scared of? That was the guy. And um so you look at who could possibly make up it’s it’s the collective effort, you know, and and certainly the good news, shockingly good news was Darren Waller in the game. Two touchdowns. He looked he looked like a impactful he was an impactful tight end and he looked and moved in ways that just are shocking for a guy who not only missed a full season but missed essentially the training camp and and he barely practiced and now he’s coming on and uh you know he he made a few really big plays. Yeah. And he made the kind of catch in the back of the end zone that we haven’t seen here. I know somebody mentioned Mike Gassiki uh at Baltimore in week two in 2020, right? Which was similar that one, looking into the replay of what Darren Waller did. It’s not that he out jumped Sarder for the pass, but the the dexterity and the athletic ability to be able to get both feet in bounds before, you know, his momentum carried him outside. I mean, that’s some some hefty work that you generally will not see from a 66 200 whatever pounds he weighs. I mean, that was impressive. Yeah. And it and it takes advantage of one of two’s um talents, the accuracy. He can put it up there where only his 66 tight end can go get it and and um so to be honest, we I’ve talked about this. It’s kind of a mystery. They have all these small receivers for the past few years and and really haven’t found somebody like a like Waller did in this game who who presents a size component to their receiving core and gives Tua that kind of a target. Uh especially in the red zone. Yep. He can unlock a lot of different things. And the thing with Tyreek is no, the Dolphins offense is not going to completely collapse because Tyreek is not there. But what we should keep in mind, and you can tell me that if you disagree, uh, if you do, in which case I will disconnect you very quick. I can’t. I can’t. Uh, but to me, again, it’s not just the the key catches that he makes on third down. He had a couple of those like Monday night. Is his mere presence loosens the defense up like crazy, not and it helps the running game, it helps the passing game. just his mere presence and the mere fear that he instills in opposing defensive coordinators and that’s not there anymore. Jaylen Wadd also is really really fast. He’s not the same kind of the thing with Tyreek Hill. What made him so unique as we always said is it’s not that there are guys who may be short area quicker than Tyreek. Not many but maybe there may be a couple of guys who long speed may be faster than Tyreek. There’s nobody who comes close to having that combination of of both like he does and the acceleration. I mean, uh, yeah, you know, after last year, my question was, okay, he’s over 30. Is he is he losing some speed or something other component to the offense and then he goes and he runs two 10.1 100 meters in in the offseason and in an actual track races. So his speed was always was, you know, he hadn’t lost a step and and believe me, defensive coordinator. So you look at how defense is set up with guy cornerback on him and and every defense has a safety up top of him because they are not going to the one rule the one rule is do not let Tyreek beat you deep and and as you said everybody benefits from that in that in that offense. the other playmakers benefit or they should they should have. Um and and so it’ll be interesting to see what type of attention now uh W gets um or or how the coordinators going into Carolina now decide to defend the Dolphins. No, without question. Uh okay, so we mentioned you mentioned that the Tyreek injury was the biggest reason why Dolphin fans were like, “Yeah, we won.” But but could it be also that they beat a really bad Jets team that committed 13 penalties, fielded a punt in that inside your three yard line, which to me boggles the mind. Punted down 10 on third and 10 with seven and a half minutes left. Again, what are they doing? Not not my problem. I I don’t cover the Jets. Um and then still won by six. Got outgained by 104 yards. Could that part of it be another reason why Dolphin fans may some Dolphins fans and I think headlining of that is for all that the Jets ran for an average of seven yards per carry 199 yards a game and and they mystifyingly in the first half they they they almost went away from the running game some place they decide instead of just continually running it down the Dolphin throat like they did that first drive they started to mix in passes and I’m Why would they do that? And now by the fourth quarter, they had to start throwing the ball because they’re down to to the point a couple scores. So, but that, you know, the Dolphins defense hasn’t, you know, has hasn’t matched up physically the first few games and then you got um Weaver, Anthony Weaver talking about violence and and really firing up everybody say we’re going to see who they are on a Monday night game. And the Jets just came, they Jets came out, six offensive linemen, made no pretense of what they’re going to try to do, and they were just clearing out the middle of the Dolphins defense and and just running it right down their throat. And and and if you you know, the two things I carry, Tyreek Hill’s injury and the defense is a continually I mean, if you can’t stop the run on defense, it’s hard to have a good defense overall. Um, and they didn’t they, you know, they didn’t even have a passing component really. The Jets didn’t. Wait until they come up against a quarterback who can throw the ball and and um which won’t be this week. It doesn’t look like um but at at some point they will. And that’s really the concerning part, you know, get away from the injury of of they got to develop this line somehow, the front seven somehow. Yeah. But and it’s correct. And the funny part is the the whole time this summer was like, “Oh, the quarterback’s the quarterback’s gonna be a nightmare. It’s going to be a nightmare.” Guess what? If Jack Jones and Rashel Douglas are now your two best players on defense right now, they’re they’re pretty close to it. Yeah, they they picked those two guys up off the scrap heap, you know, after training camp started when they’re were desperate for quarterbacks and, you know, we’ll see how the season progresses, but last night Jones made the play of the game, knocking out the fumble. It was uh Javon Hollandesque against Jacksonville in the opener a couple years ago and and um and then Rasool Butler, you know, again, are you thinking basketball again? Rashul Douglas, Russell Butler shoots. Yeah, you’re looking for impact on impactful plays and there were a couple. Now, um Dodson had the strip sack, which also isn’t let let’s face it, three turnovers for the Dolphins for a team that didn’t have any the first three games. That was the big Yep. you know, plus for and the defense created two of them. Special teams, obviously, the opening kickoff of the second half was the third, but um you’re looking for ways the defense is coming around some. There you go. That that was it. Yeah. kind of a small small yeah small baby steps baby steps uh from the movie What about Bob if you’ve never watched it folks watch it’s a great movie it’s a very funny movie um to me I would say probably the most encouraging thing of this whole game beyond Darren Waller was an obvious is for the first time all year I didn’t see any panic any happy feet any skittishness skittery whatever the the noun is from Tua. Like Tua would looked way more decisive in the pocket. And guess what? His feet were were his footwork was much better and thereby he was more accurate and had had his best game of the season so far. Yeah. And he protected the ball. I mean I probably to your point you extend it. Um the one thing asked of him in this game um was to really protect the ball and he made some nice throws. the one to Waller that we talked about um found open guys, but to me it was about the Jets weren’t protecting the ball in various ways and the Dolphins this game for the first time this year really took care of it and played a clean game um where you didn’t have the costly turnover. No, without question. There was another another good throw that stands out to me is actually the one on the play where Tyreek got hurt where there was a non-rusher coming to Tua and he he threw it uh through the out 10 yard gain on third and eight to keep the drive alive that led to Waller’s second touchdown. you were about to say. Yeah. To your to your also I I like what Mike McDaniel did this game. Not only sticking with the run that more runs than passes and I meant to look up as that that can’t have happened very often in in the last four years. Um but also he was moving too out a little of the pocket and what do you do if you’re you’re you’re concerned about a pass rush or you’ve had a pass rush? You move it out. and he had, you know, the plays were set up and designed so nicely because two is rolling out and there’s he’s got a clean view of an open field to an open receiver and and and so that was a real nice design touch um by McDaniel and and you didn’t have some some of the chaos almost of previous games. Correct. And on those pit plays when the pass rush got penetration against the offensive line, which still is not a great unit. Let’s not kid ourselves, but it’s not again it’s not the abomination that some folks would have you believe. But on those plays where there was pressure to did a lot better job again of maneuvering himself into the pocket and not like I don’t want to say being in panic mode, but being like again happy feet. Yeah, you’re right. happy feet, anticipating rush pressure where there wasn’t any uh I didn’t see any of that last night and that was again to me that was maybe the most encouraging thing of of everything that we saw against the Jets. You know, I say the the the main thing they didn’t ask him he didn’t have to do too much. You know, again, they they had a nice running game and they stuck with it, which you’ve seen him go away from at times and and just rely on his arm in the passing game. um and and they had to lead the whole game. So it it wasn’t like they were feeling the need to play the clock or or you know come down at the end and score the way the Jets were having to do. So it was a real from a management standpoint it was a real comfortable game for them to play the the style and the tempo that they like to play. No, without question. Uh, couple of other quick notes here before we resume our conversation about the game uh against the Jets. This is week four. No, we’re past week four, which means that the players who were placed on IR, PUP, NFI, are now eligible to return for the Dolphins. There are four players. Liamenberg, who’s on PUP, who Mike McDaniel told us last week or a couple of weeks ago, is still a ways away. Cam Smith, who’s on who’s on NFI and on Football illness list, who I would not count on seeing anytime soon. In fact, Mike McDaniel conducted his day after the game media session on Tuesday. He wasn’t even asked about Cam Smith. He was asked about the two guys on IR eligible to come off this week. That being Andrew Meyer and Jason Sanders. And McDaniel basically said this is not the week for them. So that means another week of Riley Patterson who’s three for three on his field goal attempt. So, or is he four for four? He might be four for four. I think he hit three yesterday. So, it would be four for four. And then it means another week where Andrew Meyer, who this is, this is another thing that may be Andrew Meyer when he comes back. Does he become a candidate to start a right guard? The Dolphins started Cole Strange, the former New England first round pick against the Jets on Monday night. Um, did okay. Not great. better than Keon Smith probably. Um but a scenario where the Dolphins can find an upgrade, they gladly would do it. So yeah. Yeah. The the big thing with uh last night when as opposed to Keon when Keon Smith was there, you didn’t notice problem. I mean, there weren’t any glaring right problems on the offensive line that I’m I’m sure there was a breakdown here and there, but I can’t think of any play that caused problem. you know, a major catastrophe or a game-changing play or anything like that. Um, the offensive line can run block and and again, they move two around a little that that helped the pass blocking and so yeah, you know, that that’s their offense I thought was just fine last night. Not great, you know, not explosive, but but fine. No, I mean it was efficient and I mean because 300 total yards which is not like a ton but I believe it was three for four in the red zone which is very very good and part of the difference in this particular game because again um and then the question is the question should the question be asked does it matter whether the Dolphins win the game or the Jets lost it? No, not I mean you see this happen all look look the week before the Jets almost beat Tampa Bay you know at the end. So, so I hear people complaining, well, they should have beat them by two scores the way it was going. That’s the NFL, you know, teams come back, teams are closed, the Jets, and but to your point, the Dolphins played a nice efficient to use your word game. Not not anything you’re going to go, oh, that was great. I’m talking offensively. And if you’re looking at the season as a large Carolina’s not a good, strong, physically running team. Um, then they play the Chargers who have lost both their offensive tackles and Mai Beckton at guard has been hurt. So, who knows how their offensive line’s going to play. Then they go to Cleveland, which is a disaster offense. Big news out of Cleveland. Big news out of Cleveland. Apparently, there is word that they may be switching to Dylan Gabriel. Okay. When when they play the Vikings in London, I believe it is, uh, on Sunday. So could be the Dolphins three weeks from now we’ll be seeing Dylan Gabriel. So you get a third round rookie quarterback if that happens. But but my point is there there’s a stretch here where they could if they’re going to clean up problems the schedule affords them the ability to clean up some problems on defense if they can. And I mean those two rookie defensive tackles were getting blown out of there um last night. And you know, I I don’t know what options they have but to play the rookies to be honest with you. And and to be hon you almost have to play them, right? Wasn’t that the philosophy going into the season? And and you’re going to take some lumps earlier in the year. The idea hopefully with young players, especially as they progress and by midseason they’re they they you know got a tow hold into the league and understand some things that they didn’t understand earlier. And so you almost have to weather the storm. Yeah. Yeah. And if you look though, Jordan Phillips’s snap count, I think it was 16 snaps, maybe 18, one of the two, it’s on the website, which was easily, I believe it was 16, and his previous season low is 30. So, they chopped his playing time a lot, which is okay. Kenneth Grant’s your first round pick. Kenneth Grant’s got to play and he’s got to work through whatever is going on. He’s not Yeah, he’s not being impactful on the least. We’re not expecting Aaron Donald right away. not expecting Christian Wilkins right away, but the performance has not been satisfactory, I guess the word I would use. And beyond that, I don’t think Zack Cers played particularly well. He did have not back-to-back plays where he threw the running back for a loss. But overall, the body of work so far in 2025 has not been great. and throw Bonito Jones in there too because I mean whoever they having him and and Dodson hasn’t looked um perhaps because of the guys in front of him. Now he did make the strip sack as I mentioned but for the year as a whole um really the the up the middle hasn’t really looked that hadn’t looked that good. And then the Jets said this is something we can do. We’re not sure what we can do offensively but we know we can run the ball. And again, they put six offensive linemen in there at the start and pounded it. So, the schedule gives them a chance to grow up and and to, you know, develop and and hopefully learn from some some of the stuff that’s going on now. But here here’s the thing that’s with the Jets and the Dolphins counter. The Dolphins opening lineup on defense had four defensive linemen. It was Jordan Phillips, Zacher, Kenneth Grant, Matthew Butler, Chub and Phillips on the outside, two linebackers, Brooks and Dodson. So that’s 468 and only three DBs on the field to start the game. Uh Rasul Douglas was not on the field to start the game. So the Dolphins were prepared for the Jets running the ball and that first drive was like Douglas came into the game right after the first snap, but that first drive is down the field. And the Dolphins, regardless of whether they fix everything else, if they cannot become at least respectable in run defense, they’re not going to go anywhere. And for those who are going to be quick to say, “Well, not going anywhere anywhere anyway.” Well, why not? You look around the AFC because you mentioned like the Chargers having their injury issues. Cincinnati is without now Joe Burrow and we see what happened with Jake Browning at Denver on Monday night. Baltimore has injury problems up the wazoo and now Lamar Jackson’s also hurt. Um, who else is not who the maybe we we thought they were? Houston, I think some folks I mean they won the division last three years. Want to talk about bad offensive lines? Woo. Uh, so it’s still a long road to climb and the Dolphins are still at the bottom working their way up. But the suggestion that there’s no possibility of making a run at some point to me I I wouldn’t dismiss it, but it’s not going to happen if they don’t fix the run defense. Well, it should, let’s face it, they should be two and three after this week. They should be Carolina. Carolina I I mean I I got that the week before they beat Atlanta 30 to nothing. Um and and then they got blown out 42-13 in New England and Bryce Young hasn’t looked anything. And so I guess what I’m saying is they can get a towhold back to a chance of thinking they can get climb back into what’s going on in the AFC, but you got to win this week. Again, baby steps. The one thing about Carolina is is we don’t know yet is they played they’re one and three. They got pretty handled pretty easily by Jacksonville. They played Carolina, sorry, they played Arizona tough. spanked Atlanta and then got blown out by New England, but three of those games were on the road. The three games they’ve lost have been on the road. Their one home game. I mean, they they pushed around Atlanta pretty good, and Atlanta’s not a terrible team. So, is this one of those teams that’s going to be dangerous at home and not very much at all on the road? Don’t know. Um, still not. just taped an episode of Behind Enemy Lines that’s going to appear on Wednesday and uh the gentleman over there was is not exactly necessarily very high on the town level of of the Panthers. So, this is a game as you mentioned, yes, the Dolphins should win and if they don’t, we’re back to looking at okay now the long the big picture. Yeah. And that’s how it’s going to teeter perhaps all season, you know? I mean, that’s just especially, you know, they got the win. You you wanted to see that and you saw some efficient offense. You saw in a very efficient Tua, which you hadn’t seen the first three games. You saw a nice running game to complement everything. But to me, the two glaring questions, you can’t replace Tyreek Hill. Um, and that was a, you know, as as a columnist in here in South Florida, we lost Alexander Barkov, the Panthers best player, and now we lost Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins be the two best athletes in South Florida in in in a fiveday span, suffered season ending in and catastrophic injuries. And so, um, not not a good week. Um, but you you you the the Tyreek Hill injury and the continued running games problems to me on defense made me, you know, okay, it was a win, but as you said, how much was the Jets? If you’re cutting the pie, how much was the Jets and how much was the the Dolphins? No, I hear you. Uh before we wrap this up, since I don’t know how much more we’re going to be talking about Tyreek, you know, once, you know, once the the the the aftershocks of what happened Monday night fade, um two quick questions. Number one, how will you look back on the trade that brought him to Miami? And B, what would you say your favorite Tyreek moment or Tyreek play? Well, um, looking back on the trade, it it marked a, you know, a burn line in in in the in the ground of a changed philosophy and and they should not have changed their philosophy. They should have stuck building with rookies in the draft. If you’re going to go down that road, you can’t all of a sudden say, “Oh, no. we’re going to we’re going to, you know, buy expensive players and trade draft picks. I wouldn’t, you know, I wasn’t in favor of the of the tank to begin with, but once you you tank, I know once you commit to that, Yeah. and and they they had a nucleus of young talent they could have developed. Um, that’s it. I mean, that said, Tyreek was everything everybody knew. A great great player on the field, a headache off the field. Um, um, and and, um, my favorite moment, the one that jumps out to me right now is is, uh, game in Washington. I mean, we could go to the 70point game, which was the zoo. every everybody goes. But I remember a game in Washington, Ron Vera had fired his defensive coordinator and yet he comes out with a single safety high and and the Dolphins had done this film work film work where they saw, okay, if we run our running back out wide, a linebacker will go with them. The safety then will have to decide, okay, do I and Tyreek was split out left. I I I can’t remember which who the running back was that split out wide right. The linebacker went with him. The safety said, “Who?” Well, I’m going to have to help the linebacker. And they had a rookie cornerback on Tyreek Hill. And boom. It was like off to the races. You know, one of those patented touchdowns from 2023. Um, of course, every defense knows, knew, learned, uh, not to put a single safety high over the Dolphin offense as we’ve we’ve heard at at Nauseium almost since then. But, you know, that was that was a telling moment of what he can do. Yeah. No, I remember that play and it was like Tua took two two steps back, threw the ball like down the field and Tariq’s already opened by five yards. I mean, it was like that was that was amazing. I I I mentioned the one against Baltimore uh where they tried this very unique coverage of nobody within 10 yards of him uh and then two spotted it and then threw him the pass for the touchdown that tied the game at uh 35 at the time I think it was and then Tyreek’s racing to the end zone and he’s doing like a deuces as he’s as he’s heading to the end zone. Um, and I have I have conflicted feelings about the trade because this guy was he took the Dolphin offense to a different level. Now, in the big picture, was it the right move? I think I may be leaning towards you. Um, but he took this offense to a different level. We’re in 2023 when that this offense was operating at peak efficiency was a pretty damn fun and b pretty damn explosive. And to to pile on that uh stories of Tyreek, I remember his first practice because I was out there watch and and he he was dominant and to you it was like black and white the pitcher moves to color, you know, where everything changes and and you knew something and I was walking off down the bleachers afterwards and Rick Spielman the who’s formerly with the Dolphins, general manager and you know Minnesota GM was walking and I said, “What do you think?” and he said Tyreek Hill that that was his only you know that was the one thought from that practice is okay different player has arrived so he delivered everything he was exactly the the player the Dolphins knew they were getting no without question uh he was that was that was a different dude just from the first practice like you mentioned so but that would be another good episode looking back at and at one point we will do it looking back at the whole rebuilding thing. What worked? What didn’t work? What didn’t work? What didn’t work? Oh, what works? Sorry. Uh, but that’s for future. Thank you. That’s for as for down the loft for for now. That’s going to wrap it up. Uh, thanks as always to Dave Hyde from the Southwest Suns Sentinel. Check out his fine work at sunsetel.com. Um, and then for the listeners, viewers here, please follow, uh, subscribe, share, comment, all that good stuff. Be respectful in the comments, please. Uh, and check out the audio portion wherever you get your podcasts. That’s going to wrap it up. Tomorrow, as already mentioned, is going to be Behind Enemy Lines with Charlotte Observer columnist Scott Fowler. Uh, and then there might be double episodes tomorrow. Not sure. Check your notifications in the meantime. Thanks everyone. Oh, should mention Dolphins Collective Tuesday evening at 7 PM where we’ll engage in the typical foolishness with TD Defense Dog Douglong Mark Kelly and myself. So until then, thanks everyone.

Miami Dolphins on SI Publisher Alain Poupart (@PoupartNFL) is joined by Dave Hyde from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel to discuss the aftermath of the Monday night victory against the New York Jets, the aftermath of the Tyreek Hill injury, and more. Make sure to follow Alain on Twitter at @PoupartNFL and Blusky at @alainpoupart.bsky.social, and read his stories (free content) on Miami Dolphins on SI at si.com/nfl/dolphins.