Five Things I Think I Think About the Miami Dolphins – Week 18

Man, what a good ending.

Oh, sorry; I just finished Stranger Things.

The Dolphins’ 2025 season?

Let’s just say I’m not nearly as sad to say goodbye to that.

Miami played with an eye toward the future

Regardless of how bleak that might be.

They followed my advice (I know because of both their loyal readership and their unreturned fan mail) and didn’t play De’Von Achane or Jaylen Waddle. Austin Jackson, Darren Waller, Chop Robinson, and Minkah Fitzpatrick also didn’t participate, due to various reasons, leaving most of the reps to depth guys.

That’s genuinely swell.

It avoids any ridiculous at-the-finish-line injuries that could affect otherwise successful careers (for Achane and Waddle, specifically) and allows younger players to get meaningful time in an otherwise meaningless game.

Jaylen Wright was the lead running back (though he averaged 1.8 YPC, so we’ll just choose to ignore how positively this will or will not affect his confidence going forward), while the leading pass catchers were fellow children Theo Wease, Greg Dulcich, and Tahj Washington.

Youth is going to be key for a team with cap challenges and a fair chunk of holes in the roster. And, lucky for all of us, the Dolphins have both.

Obviously, speaking of youth:

Quinn Ewers could lead this type of offense

In his third start as a professional American football quarterback, Quinn Ewers finished 16/23 (70%) for 137 yds, 1 TD, and 1 INT.

He’s a rookie in his first game outside the confines of his home stadium. This means he’s going to make mistakes, such as throwing an interception in the end zone and taking a few questionable sacks. He’s also going to grow as he gets more opportunities (we hope).

No; he’s not a dual threat Superman-style player. He’s a guy who can succeed when the team plays balanced, mistake free, smart football. There’s a big distinction between that and ‘everything needs to be perfect to work’.

A successful offense with Ewers in charge necessitates some help from some non-Ewers pieces:

1. Playcalling that values the run game, mixes up short and deep passing, and responds to what the opposing defense shows.
2. A defense that actually stops someone every so often.
3. Eventually, the ability to adjust plays at the line based on pre-snap evaluation.

Can the Fins’ staff set up the playbook to allow for #1? Can they collect enough talent to allow for #2? Can Ewers evolve enough to ever approach #3?

My lifetime of fandom tells me no. No to all three. But if I gave into the shrieking voices calling from the void of eternal disappointment, I couldn’t call myself a fan in the first place.

Winning culture and winning teams can be built on a similar foundation. With those elements in place, it’s not a requirement to have the threat of a 70 yard QB scramble. It’s certainly a nice to have and makes things easier, but there are countless examples of quarterbacks who had success without...