The Problems with the Dolphins Were Clear From Day One

All offseason I and many others pointed out the many flaws with this 2024 Miami Dolphins football team.

Poor Offensive line

Poor Defensive line

Lack of a quality backup QB

The team was very old

Lack of a quality starter at some key positions

Many Dolphins fans and media types turned a blind eye to all of those issues and shouted from their soapboxes how this 2024 roster was better than the 2023 roster. The team had more depth, and unlike in the past two years, when injuries occurred, they would be able to survive them.

There were many bad faith Podcasters and YouTubers who pandered for “Likes” and “Clicks” to line their pocketbook even though they knew this team was flawed. They are smart people who knew this team wasn’t going to be that good, but they care more about being “popular” online and making money through their platforms. They shouted down anyone who gave an honest and fair criticism that the iceberg was ahead.

Well, here we are on October 1, 2024, and I think we can now look back and say one side was clearly right, and one side couldn’t have been more wrong.

Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel (together because they are tied at the hip and will sink or swim together) have a flawed view of how to win in the NFL.

They think you can win by being fast (not tough), creative (not logical), and having speed (over power).

It’s not working.

Sure, some Dolphins fans and people in the media will point out Miami went to back-to-back playoff appearances. Great, they were a 7 seed and a 6 seed, and both times were out in round 1 of the playoffs.

If you think that is “success,” then we fundamentally disagree on what “success” is, and you can probably stop reading this column.

Miami let Christian Wilkins and Raekwon Davis walk this offseason and sold this idea; they would use that money to sign multiple defensive linemen and have a rotation of many players instead of just paying one or two. Benito Jones, Jonathan Harris, Teair Tart, Neville Gallimore, Isiah Mack, and others were signed. Then, they were all quickly cut in August except for Jones.

But wait, they did sign Calais Campbell at the age of 38….who can only give you about 30 snaps a game.

Then they let Robert Hunt and Connor Williams walk and figured the offensive line would be ok. They signed Jack Driscoll to replace Hunt, but they cut him in August after he had a strong training camp. Oh, and don’t worry about the left guard. They re-signed Isaiah Wynn, but he was still injured and will not play this season.

Just typing this makes my head hurt. Did these people in a position of power actually execute these moves and didn’t think it would blow up in their faces?

A teenager with no life experience and limited knowledge of pro football could have seen this disaster coming a mile away. Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier each make millions of dollars and thought this was a good plan of attack.

And don’t forget about the lack of accountability in Miami.

The Dolphins’ special teams have been terrible for years, yet Danny Crossman is still here. Great message being sent there by McDaniel.

Or how about the reports that are coming out around the league? The “word on the Dolphins” is that if you go to Miami, you don’t have to work hard.

There are lots of veteran rest days in training camp; they don’t run laps after practice often, if at all, and it’s a “softer” and “easier” environment than the 31 other teams in the league.

Or how about the report that the players, yes, the players on the team had to tell McDaniel this week they needed a padded practice after the awful performance vs Seattle in Week 3.

McDaniel has no situational awareness in games and can’t read his own lockerroom to where the team is at.

In years past, it was easier because you could just point to “injuries” and cope with the losing that way as to why the team came up short. Now, in year 3 of the “Mike McDaniel Era,” unless you are blind as a bat or totally naive, we can see it has nothing to do with injuries.

It has everything to do with a bad philosophy on how to win in the NFL, and the two people currently in power are too stubborn to change their line of thinking.

Post Game Wrap Up Show: Dolphins Fall to 1-3 After Loss on MNF