Realistic expectations for the Miami Dolphins season opener on the road in Indianapolis

WQAM-AM / AM 560 Sports WQAM

Going around the room to share our expectations for how the Dolphins offense and defense will look vs the Colts in Week 1.

Transcript

00:00And we've talked plenty this week about what kind of game you're expecting

00:04from Miami and Notre Dame, and you're expecting the under.

00:07What kind of game are you expecting for the Dolphins Colts a week from Sunday?

00:14Because I'm curious if, you know, I love the cutesy brand of football

00:20that Mike McDaniel played at the beginning of his tenure here.

00:24I'm looking for, like, the 320 yards passing from Tua and 18 different receivers involved.

00:31And I'll give you the motion penalties and the false starts if it's an exciting offense.

00:38Are you expecting a 270-yard day from Tua on a big debut for Tyreek Hill this season?

00:46Or are you expecting more of a Devon A. Chan and Ollie Gordon and some tosses to Julian Hill?

00:55I'm taking the ball to Julian Hill. I'm going to be mad.

00:59But, no, a zebra doesn't change its stripes.

01:05Mike McDaniel cannot not do the cutesy stuff.

01:08It's what made him a head coach.

01:10It's what made him successful. It's what made him score 70 points.

01:13It's what we talk about it like that.

01:14We're going to have the pre-snap motions, all these resets, double motions,

01:20the little flea flicker motion where the guy comes across and runs back behind Tua.

01:24All that's still going to be in.

01:27And I don't not...

01:28Hawk, let me...

01:30I do not not want Tua to throw for 300.

01:33I'm not saying don't let Tua throw for 300.

01:36I want him to get to third and one and fourth and one

01:39and run the ball downhill at somebody's head.

01:42I want them to have a bully, some kind of bully packet,

01:46some kind of physical mentality,

01:47because if Tua is still doing what he did to 23,

01:51that offense, what it did, they were top offense in the league.

01:55You're going to go play the Ravens and the Bills

01:57and those teams that have it, and you have to be able to do it.

02:01I expect third and fourth and short to look different,

02:04but I still want the cutesy stuff.

02:06I still want Tyreek on the bang eights.

02:09I still want reverses.

02:10I still want hand sweeps.

02:12I don't want a double reverse on fourth and two.

02:16That's where it's going to piss me off.

02:18But I still want them to score 30, 40 points a game.

02:21You know what I want on fourth and two.

02:23What?

02:25Bootleg.

02:26Naked boot.

02:27Let's go.

02:28Let's get that rushing over to...

02:30Let's surprise them all.

02:33Huck, our entire season goes off as Tua's health,

02:38and you are politicking for him to run more.

02:42They're not expecting that bootleg at all.

02:43The defense knows they would never risk him that way.

02:47You could run on the first play.

02:49If you have the ball at the 30, the first play,

02:53Tua could run for a 70-yard touchdown.

02:55If you have the guts, Mike McDaniel,

02:57to run a bootleg on play number one.

02:59And Tua is not Lamar Jackson.

03:03Play number one.

03:04They run a naked bootleg.

03:05They literally aren't going to be paying attention to him.

03:08They're going to see him shooting on the sideline,

03:10and they're going to say there's no chance he has the ball.

03:13He's going to get about 13 yards and slide.

03:17Now they've seen the play.

03:18Let's save the play for week 17.

03:21Alana, what kind of offense are you expecting opening game?

03:24Remember last year, opening game, Jacksonville comes to Miami,

03:28and we are expecting Dolphins kind of fizzled out in 2023.

03:32They lose a Tennessee game.

03:34They go up to Kansas City.

03:36They're playing literally in the frozen tundra.

03:38They have guys off the street trying to win them playoff games.

03:42They're coming back with a vengeance.

03:44Week one against Jacksonville.

03:46Tua is going to shut down the Trevor Lawrence discussions.

03:50And then Javon Holland saved your season by punching out a ball.

03:53And the Dolphins grinded the win out.

03:55And credit to them for doing it, by the way.

03:57It's not an indictment on them.

03:59I expect that type of game.

04:01I expect a game that's set up for Riley Patterson to win it

04:05with a game-winning field goal.

04:07No, but seriously, that's what I expect.

04:09Tua has not thrown the ball to Tyreek Hill in pads

04:13against another team since last season.

04:17Think about that.

04:18And Tua didn't play the last two games.

04:19I believe, even though, Crowder, I know you say

04:23preseason doesn't matter.

04:24Those two have their timing down.

04:26I don't know, man.

04:27Tyreek Hill had surgery.

04:28Hasn't played football since he quit on this team.

04:31They're clearly not necessarily on the best terms, personally.

04:36I think there's going to be a little bit of a period there

04:39where they have to feel each other out again.

04:41I don't think the Dolphins' offense is going to be firing

04:44on all cylinders week one.

04:46And I happen to think the Colts' defense is a very good defense as well.

04:49I think they win the game, by the way.

04:51I don't think any of this is a criticism of the Dolphins.

04:53I just think it'll take them a little bit of time

04:55to get back into that rhythm

04:57where they're one of the best and most prolific offenses in the NFL.

05:01But to that point, Solana, you make sense with the chemistry talk.

05:06If Tua is going series for series with Daniel Jones, Tua's been here five years.

05:16Off the floor with him.

05:17Daniel Jones got there five months ago and just got the starting job two weeks ago.

05:23That would be trouble.

05:24Like you're saying, they win.

05:26But if they win with a Patterson field goal late to go up 20 to 17,

05:31that's not what you should do against a Daniel Jones-led offense.

05:35And Daniel Jones should be on his ass a lot

05:38if our pass rushers are doing what they're supposed to do.

05:40Don't forget, though, Indianapolis are the favorites.

05:43So not everyone sees it that way.

05:47It would be troubling if this offense goes out and did what they did.

05:53Who was it the last preseason game?

05:55Jaguars.

05:55Those first two series, that cannot be the first two series of the Colts game.

06:00They can't go out there and get two penalties.

06:02Tua can't get sacked twice.

06:04No, you got to have something set.

06:07What would you set the over-under at for Darren Waller targets?

06:15Two?

06:17I don't know.

06:18I've been looking for any player props.

06:20I'm just curious.

06:21I don't even know if there will be a prop for it

06:23because there's really no way to prognosticate it.

06:25Vegas likes an edge.

06:27I don't know if you've noticed that.

06:29But, yeah, I wonder.

06:31I wonder.

06:32I mean, because I got that Odell thing in my head

06:35where I thought he was going to be the secret weapon

06:37and never really panned out.

06:40I think after Waller has a big game,

06:44kind of like Janu did last year,

06:45after they see that he can push the ball down the field and help Tua,

06:50I think his numbers will go up.

06:52But this joker hadn't played football in a year and a half.

06:59Went through a mental health thing and retired.

07:03Like, I think he might need some time to get back on his feet on the field.

07:07But it's why I'm hesitant to just expect the Dolphins

07:10to look like they're in midseason form week one.

07:14Two years ago, this video is going viral two days ago.

07:17Tua comes out in L.A. on the road week one.

07:20This is 2023.

07:22And he is effing unbelievable.

07:24It's one of the best Tua games we've ever gotten.

07:26Remember in the fourth quarter, avoids a sack,

07:29steps up in the pocket, throws a dart to Tyreek.

07:31He had Tyreek all over the field the entire game.

07:34And then the game-winning touchdown drive,

07:37back shoulder fade to Tyreek Hill.

07:40It's the one example of that play actually effing working.

07:43But, man, you have a team that their running back is banged up.

07:49Their starting tight end, we assume, hasn't played a snap in over a year.

07:54Tyreek Hill, their number one option, is banged up,

07:57hasn't taken a snap in any sort of legit football work in over a year.

08:03You have Austin Jackson, your right tackle,

08:05who hasn't taken a snap in a long time.

08:08I'm talking preseason.

08:09He's been out.

08:10Like, there's just a lot of question marks on the offense.

08:12So I think it's naive to just say, yeah, they're coming out.

08:15They're dropping 37 points.

08:17Tua's going to throw for 300-plus yards.

08:19And they're going to look great.

08:21Like, I think they can get there.

08:22But I think it'll take a little bit of time.

08:25If they were playing the Eagles, I would be more on your side, Solana.

08:30They're playing the Daniel Jones-led Colts.

08:33Right, but the Colts defense is the only reason that team had nine wins last season

08:37or eight wins last season.

08:38Okay.

08:39I mean, the defense kept them in the game.

08:41It's a below-up on the defense.

08:43Like, they're only going to $2,002.

08:46I'll tell you what I would argue, though, Crowder.

08:48It's kind of like what we talk about Carson Beck Sunday night,

08:51where he's got experience doing this.

08:53So Daniel Jones, the Dolphins aren't the Eagles.

08:56So I think the prevailing notion is Daniel Jones is more than capable of beating lesser teams.

09:05He's got trouble when, you know, it gets all hot and bothered against the real good ones.

09:11But the Dolphins are not looked at as a great team.

09:14So I think the fact that it's Daniel Jones out there is probably a positive in many people's opinions

09:21when it comes to the game.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended