Following our Miami Dolphins’ first preseason contest against the Washington Commanders this past Friday evening, I asked the following question:
What were your takeaways from last night’s preseason game between our Miami Dolphins and the Washington Commanders? What were the positives and negatives that you saw? What was encouraging, and what has to be addressed/hopefully fixed before the season begins?
Below are some of your thoughts and answers-
ShulaSunglasses had an unfamiliar feeling watching the first team play.
Willis looked reasonably sharp and the O line moved people when the starters were in. The first drive represented what we will be starting in week 1 and it looked positive. I understand the Commanders didn’t have theirs 1st team Def in on that drive which bewilders me, but I was pretty please to have a cohesive front unit and a qb who can move and throw. I was happy actually which is a feeling I am unfamiliar with lately.
SOD1961 points out that the horrible cap situation led to woeful depth on this team after the starters.
Not a lot of depth should be expected with 60% of the cap dedicated to players no longer on the team. A reset was needed to get the cap back in order. We are on the way up, but gonna be a tough year if injuries pile up like they normally do. Thanks Grear and McPansy. Summer of ‘24, aka Summer of Unnecessary Extensions, sunk this franchise at least through this season. If Hafley wins 6 games, he should be Coach of the year.
gizmoe65 wants to see the team send Ewers packing like yesterday.
Ewers has to go ASAP, he’s not the answer. We need to make a trade for veteran back now.
JUK was overall okay with what was put on film Friday night but is understandably concerned about the backup QB situation.
The more i think about it the more I’m ok with how it went. My main reactions:
- Our backup QBs are bad. The most disappointing thing was Ewers looking dreadful, but I thought his ceiling was capable backup anyway. I don’t know how Malik will go, but if he gets hurt it could be a brutal time
- Considering everything our D was fine. We had 10 possessions (not including the one play at the end of the 2nd quarter) and had 3 turnovers and 5 3 and outs. To only concede 20 points (and just 3 in the second half when we had one drive with a first down) in those circumstances isn’t bad. The only real issue was the Run D in the second quarter
- Pleased we ran the ball ok with all units except the real scrubs
Overall as i said elsewhere id rather win the opening drives 7-0 and lose 20-0 the rest of the way than the other way around. Better hope Ewers can bounce back if Willis does get banged up
pete s. sees this squad only squeaking out 4 wins this coming season.
WE’LL SEE HOW IT GOES
4 AND 13 MAYBE
heatforlife I guess wanted Simpson, not sure…
ty simpson 22 25 pre season or not thats hard to do in a game.proctor one pick before simpson
MiamiItaliano agrees with most of us on the starting offense and that the backup QB’s are not serviceable.
Starting offense looked sharp on the first drive. Defensive units didn’t let the game turn into a blowout. Back-up QBs need to be cut.
Unicornmiami99 would have liked to see the team select the future NFL star from the U.
Clearly depth is an issue, defensive secondary and edge are obviously lacking. I still wish they picked local hometown hero Rueben Bain, he’s looking like a stud, three sacks in first camp joint practice and betting odds favorite right now for defensive rookie of the year. Still very early and hoping Proctor pans out. While I think Miami’s draft will ultimately turn out good, I still don’t understand the first pick, just like I didn’t understand the Kenneth Grant pick. But I am rooting for them and hope they turn out. On a positive note, Caleb Douglas may be the real deal after all. If this year’s draft outlier picks (Proctor and Douglas) end up being solid starters and draft class is good then maybe Miami has a chance in a year or two and won’t have to reset again. Let’s 🙏.
coach k 13 just hopes that this ship is being steered in the right direction this time.
Let’s face it, we all know this will not be a good year, the first drive was awesome, not so much after that, hard to have any depth when you have no money to spend, let’s just hope we are heading in the right direction for once!!!
Ksphinfan says that with a complete and total reset of the team from the ground up, the lack of depth should be expected but will come with time.
This year is a total reset. New g.m . New head coach. New quarterback. All kinds of new players and rookies. I cant remember the Dolphins ever revamping as much as they have this season. There is a major need for depth, but that will come along with future drafts and free agent signings. The expectations are low for me but the future looks better. I hope the new regime works out. There’s us older folks who don’t have many games left to watch to be able to go through another reset in 3 years.
James Pappas sees things as different since the GM is independent now.
You don’t remember 2019? With all those early blowout losses before Flores turned it around? That was just as extreme. But so far, this regime looks good. And they’re on the same page. Not with a GM doing things at a coach’s whim.
That’s our selection of comments for this evening. If you missed the post from last evening and would like to add your opinion on Friday night’s game, please add your thoughts to the comments section below. It seems as if most fans are happy with what they saw from the first team and knew the lack of overall depth was expected given the roster teardown. As always, thank you to each of you who took the time to join in and answer our Phinsider Question Of The Day.