00:00And Chris Perkins writes about the Dolphins in the Sun Sentinel, and this segment can also be our 15 minutes of Game Day Uncensored, since Perk is on Game Day Uncensored with Solana and Tobin.
00:14It's brought to you by the Lexus December to Remember sales event.
00:17Get offers on select models for a limited time.
00:19Learn more at Lexus.com.
00:21So, Perk, what did you learn about the Dolphins yesterday?
00:26We were just having the conversation in the last segment.
00:28Did you learn more about Quinn Ewers, or did you learn more about Mike McDaniel?
00:34What do you come away with after yesterday?
00:38There's a state of confusion in this whole organization as far as the quarterback situation, as far as what happens in the second half of games, as far as Mike McDaniel.
00:50Well, I learned today about Mike McDaniel and his status with Shepter saying that it hasn't necessarily been decided one way or the other.
00:58So, you know, it's just such a weird, bizarre ending to a season, Hawk.
01:05And I was talking to players in the locker room after the game yesterday about how strange it was to see Tua as the scout team quarterback during the week.
01:14He's emulating Joe Burrow.
01:16So, everything is just kind of a weird time for the Dolphins, right?
01:20Nothing is kind of as it seems, and you aren't really certain about many things.
01:27And, Perk, to that point, like, where do they sit?
01:30Like, you say, you're talking to the players more or less.
01:33Like, where do you sit now when your guy is benched?
01:36You're starting a young guy.
01:37So, they know, like, obviously, we're not – we're trying to see what Quinn Ewers is.
01:41We're trying to see what he does.
01:43Hawkins, along with talking about Erlach, why not bench A-Chan?
01:46Why not just save him?
01:47Because you're obviously trying to see what young guys have.
01:49Let's see what Jalen Wright can do.
01:52Like, where does it sit mentally with this team?
01:54Because I've been on some bad teams, bro, but I've never had my starting quarterback benched and just kind of flat out telling me, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:01We're just – we're working towards next season.
02:03Exactly, Jalen.
02:05You know what?
02:06That's one thing I was talking to players in the locker room about.
02:09It's just like, you know, what's your mindset now?
02:13And some of the veterans were just like, look, man, I'm just trying to be a professional, show up for my teammates and this, that, and the other.
02:20But their heads are spinning because the message is out there.
02:23Now that you're eliminated from the playoffs and you've benched Tua, what is this all about?
02:29Is Mike McDaniel trying to win games?
02:31Does his job depend on these last three games of the season, now last two games of the season?
02:36Players are kind of confused about what's going on.
02:40It's just – you know, it's a very unfamiliar place because usually in the Mike McDaniel era, they've been trying to make the playoffs in this – at this time of year or trying to solidify playoff position.
02:54Those hopes are over.
02:56They were over before the Pittsburgh game kicked off.
02:59And so, yeah, I think a lot of these players are wondering, are we playing for Mike McDaniel's job?
03:04Are we playing to see if Quinn Ewers is the guy?
03:06Are we playing to see if we should come back?
03:08Are we playing to see if we fit in with the rebuild?
03:11Like, there's just a lot of confusion right now in that locker room.
03:15But, Perk, I have a list of players here, and you tell me, who absolutely, if you put your GM hat on, needs to be back next season?
03:26And here are the people I have written down.
03:28Devon A. Chan, Patrick Paul.
03:30I think you have to bring back Kenneth Grant and Savai Unaia just because you have to.
03:35You just drafted them.
03:37Jordan Brooks.
03:38Am I missing anybody?
03:43Yeah.
03:43Aaron Brewer.
03:44Aaron Brewer.
03:45But, like, I'm including the coaching staff as well here.
03:50Ooh.
03:50Well, that depends on what you're trying to do, Salon.
03:52Are you trying to tank or are you trying to win?
03:54Because you guys remember that term, too big to fail, right, during the financial crisis.
03:59I think that's almost what the Dolphins are right now because, look, you do have A. Chan and Waddle and Brewer and Patrick Paul and Austin Jackson and Zach Seeler and Jordan Brooks and Minka Fitzpatrick.
04:14Like, right now, you're almost too big to fail.
04:18You probably – and I know you need a quarterback, but you probably bring back a six- or seven-win roster at this point before the draft and free agency.
04:27So, are you going to get rid of, you know, all of these guys or are you going to try to build and try to be like a nine-win team that could eke out a tenth win and get into the playoff?
04:39Who you bring back is going to depend on what is the philosophy and the intent of the organization, and that's going to depend on who is the general manager, right?
04:49So, everything is still uncertain, but, look, I say you not only bring back A. Chan, you need to extend A. Chan.
04:57He's about the best thing that you have going on that offense.
05:01You know, he is the best thing you have going.
05:03That's with no disrespect to Aaron Brewer.
05:05He is the best thing that you have going.
05:07So, if you want to build, you can build.
05:11You have – if I'm not mistaken, a first round, a second round, and three third-round draft picks.
05:17So, you might be able to build this into a nine- or ten-win team, but stripping it down to like four or five wins is going to be just as difficult as building it into ten wins right now to me.
05:31And, Perk, it was obvious yesterday, and you blame Quinn Ewers if you want to, but the big-picture numbers are we're terrible in the third quarter.
05:39They have 12 of this – see, 225 now, Perk, never talking about McDaniel's whole tenure, 12 scoreless third quarters.
05:48They've outscored – they've been outscored 113 to 27 in the third quarter this year.
05:52Like, that's not a – that's not a people thing.
05:54That's a schematic thing.
05:56That's a coaching thing.
05:57That's a – I don't know, philosophy thing.
05:59Why in the – what the hell – matter of fact, let me tell you this, Perk.
06:02What do they do at halftime, Perk?
06:04Do they really think about the game, or do they play PS5?
06:08Because how the hell do you come out and score 37 points in 16 third quarters?
06:14I don't know.
06:15This is coaching.
06:16This is coaching.
06:17You're being outcoached, and this is what happens at the end of the season is what happens in the second half of games.
06:23You know, we know their record in December and January, and Dave Hyde had a statistic today,
06:30and I can't remember what it was, but it was something about a 3-24 record or something like that
06:38when they get outscored in the second half.
06:40I can't remember what it was, but it was – I don't know.
06:44I point to coaching.
06:45You guys know I'm one who thinks they should take a broom to this whole operation,
06:49Greer, McDaniel, and Tua, and just start all over again.
06:54But, you know, that's – what you're talking about, Shannon, goes to coaching,
06:59and you've got to figure out, you know, is this something that can be overcome next season?
07:06Steve Ross said he doesn't want status quo, and so if you bring McDaniel back,
07:11what kind of offense is he running?
07:13Who is going to be the quarterback?
07:15How can you get things like this, the halftime being outscored in the second half,
07:20how can you get those things corrected?
07:23So there are just so many questions to answer.
07:25I don't know why the second halves are so bad, but you've just got to think
07:29they don't make the correct adjustment, and that goes directly to coaching.
07:33It is just an unmitigated disaster.
07:36You know, when we talk it out, Solana gives you a list of players,
07:40and you're like, yeah, I can make a case for him coming back.
07:42I can make a case for him not coming back.
07:44And the way that we know things are, it's just an unmitigated disaster.
07:48I wonder, what did Mike McDaniel have to say at his press conference today?
07:52Like, anything, like, does he acknowledge this is an unmitigated disaster?
07:58He did not, strangely enough.
08:00He was, that would be something, wouldn't it?
08:05He was really saying that he's, yeah, he was saying that he's still trying to give this team
08:10the best chance to win every game.
08:12And so, you know, when you ask him about, you know, Quinn Ewers playing
08:18and whether his job depends on it, and Barry Jackson from the Miami Herald
08:22asked him that today, and, you know, Barry basically asked him,
08:27if your job depends on the outcome of the season,
08:32why are you playing the rookie quarterback?
08:34Because it seems like a veteran would give you a better chance to win,
08:37and Mike said, I am actually trying to give us the best chance to win every week.
08:42So he didn't really directly answer the question,
08:46but this is an unmitigated disaster.
08:49I can't remember the Dolphins being so uncertain at this time of year.
08:54They've had worse records, and they've had, you know,
08:58worse quarterbacks and all that kind of stuff,
09:00but you don't know the GM situation.
09:03You don't know the coach situation.
09:05You don't know the quarterback situation.
09:07You don't know the HN situation.
09:08There's so many balls up in the air right now,
09:12and I don't know who's juggling.
09:14I don't know if it's Steve Ross, if it's Jim Kelly, if it's Mike McDaniel.
09:18It's really a very, very strange situation with the Dolphins right now.
09:22That's the part that makes this so confounding,
09:24is you can go around the league usually and say,
09:27oh, okay, 15, 16 games in, 14 games in.
09:31I see this team's trajectory,
09:34and we know what they're going to need to do this offseason.
09:37I see that team's trajectory.
09:39You know, like you can look at Kansas City and go,
09:41oh, okay, it's wheezing to a finish,
09:43but you saw signs that things are going to need to change this season.
09:47It's not just Mahomes being out.
09:48You get to the Dolphins,
09:50you could make six different cases for what should happen next,
09:54and it's all going to be dependent on what decisions they make
09:58on who's going to be there and who's not.
10:00Like, it really is.
10:01What a terrible situation to be in for a professional sports franchise.
10:06And you know what?
10:08Right now it all adds up to mediocrity, doesn't it?
10:11I mean, unless you decide just to empty this roster and think,
10:14like, I just don't see this team making the playoffs next year,
10:18but, again, I don't see, like, a four- or five-win roster at this point.
10:23You've got the talent to win, like, six, seven, eight games,
10:28but that status quo is so frustrating, right?
10:32You just don't see any way out of the mediocrity next season,
10:37maybe in 2027, but in 2026,
10:40I think that they're getting it from mediocrity once again.
10:44And, you know, coming off of two straight losing seasons,
10:47if you look at, like, seven, eight wins, six, seven, eight wins,
10:52that's not good enough.
10:54So they've got to come up with a really good plan in the offseason,
10:58and not for me, the idiot from the Sun Sentinel, for the fans.
11:02So you give the fans a reason to spend their money,
11:06because if I'm a fan, I'm looking at this organization right now,
11:09and it's like, I'll spend my money in 2027.
11:13I'll watch the games in 2026,
11:15but I'm not spending any money on this team until you have a plan
11:18and until I see a light at the end of the tunnel,
11:21because it just looks like you're going to be stuck in the mud again next year.
11:25Chris Perkins, read his work in the Sun Sentinel.
11:28Better days ahead, Perk.
11:30Yep.
11:30Hey, Hawk, a quick question for you,
11:32because I know you like language and you like food.
11:35is there any such thing as an open-faced sandwich?
11:39Wow.
11:39Great question.
11:40I know it's a menu, but, you know, yeah.
11:43Great question.
11:44I feel like we may have had that question,
11:46because the moment that the sandwich is no longer between two pieces of bread,
11:52is it even a sandwich?
11:55There you go, Hawk.
11:56This is the kind of thing I wonder about, Hawk.
11:58I'm a troubled man, a very troubled man.
12:00because there is something soothing.
12:05You walk into a restaurant and there's an open-faced turkey sandwich
12:08with melted Swiss over it,
12:10but the moment that it's open-faced
12:13really takes away any semblance of a sandwich.
12:18So what would you then call it?
12:20Just turkey on toast?
12:23I guess so.
12:25Yeah, how do you sell that?
12:26How do you sell that?
12:28You're better off selling the soup that it comes with, right?
12:31Fascinating.
12:31I don't know.
12:32I don't know, Hawk.
12:33Yeah.
12:33You can't call that a sandwich,
12:35because then where does it stop?
12:36Like bruschetta.
12:38What, some diced up tomatoes on a little cracker,
12:40and now all of a sudden it's a sandwich?
12:41Right, so now anything you put on a piece of bread,
12:44is that just an open-faced sandwich?
12:47That's ridiculous.
12:48No, because they have burgers on lettuce buns.
12:51And is lettuce a bun, or is that just lettuce?
12:54Because there's lettuce on normal burgers.
12:55But do they call that a sandwich?
12:58Yeah, lettuce buns, a burger,
12:59a burger on lettuce buns.
13:01Oh, nobody calls that a sandwich.
13:03They call it a lettuce wrap.
13:04That's a lettuce wrap, bro.
13:07Yeah, I don't think anybody says,
13:08let me have a lettuce sandwich.
13:09Let me have a meat on some lettuce.
13:10Yeah.
13:10Yeah.
13:10Yeah.
13:11But an open-faced sandwich is anything on one slice of bread,
13:18then, technically an open-faced sandwich.
13:22In other words, if you go to a tapas place, I mean, tapas,
13:26are those all just open-faced sandwiches?
13:29Yeah.
13:30Is bruschetta an open-faced sandwich?
13:32But you're saying, Perk, if I grab a saltine and I put a little bit of butter
13:38on it, that, all of a sudden, is a butter sandwich now?
13:42Right.
13:43First of all, that would be an open-faced butter sandwich.
13:46But nothing between two crackers is a sandwich, is it?
13:50No.
13:52No, no.
13:52But the best thing is avocado toast.
13:54The avocado toast is one piece of bread with a bunch of crap on top.
13:58Right.
13:58It's not an avocado spread sandwich.
14:01It's avocado toast.
14:03Yeah.
14:04Yeah.
14:04Yeah.
14:05I told you I'm a troubled man.
14:07Well, I'll tell you what.
14:08We'll figure this out for your next appearance.
14:10You figure out the dolphins.
14:11All right.
14:12All right.
14:13That's a deal.
14:13That's a deal.
14:16Chris Perkins from the Sun Sentinel.
