A few weeks ago I was tasked with a 4 week review on the Dolphins, except in that 4th game the team had a major change. They lost their star and starting QB in a fairly dramatic fashion, followed by some real performance diminishments. The team just didn’t function the way they needed to in the 2 games they played without Tua. It was rough to watch, because we have seen the other side. The winning, excellent, championship team side. After Teddy Bridgewater was ruled out in the first quarter of the Jets game from a head and elbow injury on October 9th, they just didn’t follow Thompson as a leader, and actually seemed to unravel as a cohesive unit. I can only call the loss to the Jets brutal, and here we are, week 6 summary: 3 wins, 3 losses.
The reality is that Tua could be injured again, it is always a risk for the players. Bridgewater was injured in the very next game after Tua! So what is the Dolphins strategy to maintain high team morale and positive performance outcomes? Once they put in Thompson the Dolphins didn’t even look like the same team with the exception of a few players like Hill, and Waddle. (I thought Xavian Howard really stepped up and pushed himself above and beyond already excellent athleticism.) We all know a few individual players just can’t do it alone. Without the team fully committed mentally those exceptional moments were lost and didn’t yield wins. We know they are physically capable athletes of the highest caliber. Is Tua the lynch-pin of the 2022/23 Dolphins?
I really wonder if the Dolphins would be sharing company with the Eagles right now with a 6-0 or be on par with the Giants, 5-1? Was their style of pushing through with explosive energy in the 4th quarter for the comeback win just a fast start at the beginning of the season? It will be interesting to see if the team comes together like we saw in preseason and their first few games now that Tua has been cleared to play on October 23rd against the Steelers. It will be a highly emotional and intense game for the fans for sure.
Dolphins Wins/Losses 2022/2023 Season
9/11/22
Dolphins 20
Patriots 7
9/18/22
Dolphins 42
Ravens 38
9/25/22
Dolphins 21
Bills 19
9/29/22
Bengals 27
Dolphins 15
10/9/22
Jets 40
Dolphins 17
10/16/22
Vikings 24
Dolphins 16
