Dolphins Tough Love Maybe Coming Too Late

Over the last month, the Miami Dolphins have been showing some tough love to players on the field by diminishing their playing time in games or getting rid of players for poor performance. The problem is that head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier should have seen these things earlier in the season. 

The latest example was when the team waived inside linebacker and captain David Long. Last year, Long had a very good season with his run-stopping but was a liability in pass coverage. This year, he fell off altogether. His run-stopping tackles have gotten him graded as one of the worst, and the same with his pass coverage.

It hit rock bottom with the Dolphins in their tough loss to the Arizona Cardinals. On several plays, including the big 3rd down run by quarterback Kyler Murray, Long was in position to make a tackle at the point of attack but missed.

The run by Murray late in the 4th quarter gave the Cardinals a first down and allowed them to bleed the clock to give the Dolphins no time to get the ball back, and they kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired. Long was victimized repeatedly in the passing game by tight end Tre McBride, just like Long had been victimized all season. The Dolphins benched him against the Buffalo Bills a couple of weeks ago for Anthony Walker, and the defense has played better in those areas. However, when the Dolphins claimed linebacker Tyrel Dotson off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks, the Dolphins decided to let Walker go.

The Dolphins should have seen this way before the Cardinals game and benched Long, but they should not necessarily get rid of him. They should have gone to Walker earlier, but McDaniel and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver chose not to see what others had. The Dolphins have always had issues finding a pass coverage linebacker over the years, and that’s a story for another day, but not seeing that Long’s play has fallen off the charts was negligent on their part. 

The Dolphins have been doing the same at the tight end position. They benched Durham Smythe weeks ago for dropping passes and missing blocking assignments, but their backup Julian Hill, while physical as a blocker, has had issues with penalties and also fumbles when he catches the ball when he gets a rare target his way. The Dolphins found their pass-catching tight end in Jonnu Smith, but the others have been inconsistent this year.