Bobby Slowik Reveals What to Expect From Dolphins Offense in Week 1
Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik met with the media ahead of Sunday’s season opener and offered some insight into what Miami’s new-look offense could look like, the development of quarterback Malik Willis, and the challenges the Las Vegas Raiders defense will present.
While there will be some similarities between Slowik’s offense and what Dolphins fans saw under former head coach Mike McDaniel, Slowik made it clear that Miami will have its own identity.
Slowik and McDaniel both come from the Mike and Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, meaning there will naturally be similarities in how they view offensive football. However, Slowik said each coach sees different ways to attack a defense.
“There’s gonna be a lot of things that are very much gonna be the same and there’s gonna be a lot of things that are very much different,” Slowik said.
More important than the scheme itself is how the Dolphins play.
Slowik emphasized that playing with effort and physicality will be at the heart of Miami’s offensive identity. That philosophy aligns with what head coach Jeff Hafley has preached throughout the offseason.
“We want to play with high effort. We are going to play physical,” Slowik said. “The style of play to me is always going to be the starting point.”
A Young Dolphins Offense Faces Its First Test
The Dolphins will have to handle crowd noise, a talented Raiders defense and the adversity that inevitably occurs during an NFL game. Slowik said he will be watching closely to see how Miami’s younger players respond when things don’t go their way.
“Do you rise to the occasion or do you sink? That’s what we’re going to be looking for,” Slowik said.
With limited regular-season film available for both coaching staffs, Slowik expects adjustments to be a significant part of the game. That makes Miami’s effort, physicality and ability to respond to adversity even more important.
Keeping the Raiders Defense Off Balance
There has been plenty of discussion throughout the offseason about Miami establishing the running game and getting the football into De’Von Achane’s hands.
The Raiders know that, too.
Slowik said Miami’s objective isn’t simply to run or pass a certain number of times. The Dolphins want to remain efficient while preventing the defense from becoming comfortable.
“We want to keep the defense off balance,” Slowik said.
That could mean running into certain loaded boxes when Miami believes it has a favorable matchup, or countering defensive looks with passes, screens, reverses and other concepts.
Slowik also noted that defensive pressure packages have become an enormous part of modern NFL football. Miami must be prepared for movement along the defensive front and different linebacker and blitz packages designed to create confusion.
Slowik Has Been Impressed With Malik Willis
One of the most interesting parts of Slowik’s media session was his discussion of Malik Willis.
Everyone knows Willis can run. Slowik said Miami intends to take advantage of that athleticism while balancing the need to protect its starting quarterback.
“Malik Willis is our quarterback,” Slowik said. “We need to win the game and we’re going to do everything we can to win the game. We also need to make sure he stays healthy.”
Slowik also revealed that Willis’ speed has exceeded even his expectations.
“I’ve heard he was fast. He is fast, fast,” Slowik said.
But Willis’ development as a passer may have impressed Slowik even more.
Slowik praised Willis’ pocket movement and footwork, specifically his ability to make subtle movements inside the pocket to create throwing lanes. When Willis’ feet are right, Slowik believes he throws the football accurately.
Willis has also shown an ability to deliver passes from a variety of arm angles.
“He can throw it any which way,” Slowik said.
According to Slowik, some of those throws aren’t necessarily planned. Willis simply reacts naturally to what’s happening around him.
“He plays the game in a really fluid manner,” Slowik said. “He’s been really impressive to watch.”
Chris Bell Continues Working His Way Back
Slowik also discussed Chris Bell, who was activated on August 17 after missing significant offseason time.
Bell still has some catching up to do physically after missing more than a month of work compared to many of his teammates, but Slowik has been encouraged by his progress.
“When he’s fresh, when he’s good to go, he’s explosive. He’s aggressive,” Slowik said. “He’s a big man that’s moving really fast.”
Slowik also praised Bell’s change of direction and mindset. The challenge now is continuing to build his conditioning and getting his legs underneath him.
Dolphins Offensive Line Entering Week 1 in a Good Spot
Miami’s young offensive line has been another major storyline throughout the offseason.
Despite having several young players up front, Slowik likes where the group stands entering the regular season.
“We’re in a good spot,” Slowik said.
He specifically mentioned Aaron Brewer and Patrick Paul as players who have helped lead the unit.
Slowik believes Miami’s offensive line has made encouraging progress in the running game and has also reached a good place in pass protection.
Continuity will be critical. Slowik emphasized the importance of keeping the same five players together as much as possible, particularly early in the season.
The Maxx Crosby Problem
If Miami’s offensive line wants to make a statement Sunday, there may be no bigger challenge than Raiders superstar Maxx Crosby.
Slowik didn’t attempt to minimize the difficulty of containing him.
“The guy’s an unbelievable player,” Slowik said.
While Crosby’s ability as a pass rusher receives plenty of attention, Slowik was particularly emphatic about his ability against the run.
“His run defense is elite — and I mean elite, elite,” Slowik said.
Miami will have to account for Crosby on virtually every snap.
“Everybody on the field, it doesn’t matter what position you are, you need to know where 98 is at all times,” Slowik said.
The Dolphins will have plans designed to minimize Crosby’s impact, but Slowik acknowledged there is no way to completely eliminate a player of his caliber.
Greg Dulcich Becoming a More Complete Tight End
Slowik also had positive things to say about tight end Greg Dulcich.
Dulcich has traditionally been viewed primarily as a receiving threat, but Miami has pushed him to develop into a more complete player.
During training camp, the Dolphins intentionally put Dulcich in situations where he had to block on the strong side of running plays in both zone and gap schemes.
Slowik believes that work has paid off.
“I think he’s really taken his fundamentals and his technique in that part of the game to another level,” Slowik said.
Perhaps more importantly, Slowik believes Dulcich takes pride in becoming more than simply a pass-catching tight end.
Miami’s Mental Toughness Will Be Tested
For all the discussion surrounding scheme, Willis, Achane and the Raiders defense, Slowik repeatedly returned to one theme: how Miami responds when things go wrong.
With such a young offense, mistakes are inevitable.
What happens after those mistakes could determine Sunday’s outcome.
“Being able to flush it, go to the next play, keep playing with the same intensity that we played with before is going to be paramount to us,” Slowik said.
Slowik believes all 11 players have to remain connected and help teammates through difficult moments.
Ultimately, he believes Miami’s physicality, effort and ability to remain together will matter more than any individual play call.
“Our play style, our effort and our ability to do that and stay together is what’s going to wind up deciding the game on Sunday,” Slowik said.
Sunday will provide the first opportunity to see exactly what Slowik’s version of the Miami Dolphins offense looks like when the games finally count.