tukafan21

We only had 9 carries that went for over 5 yards on the day, I'm not really sure you can then say our OL manhandled their line. If you OL manhandled the opposing DL, you should have more than 9 carries that went for over 5 yards (and no, I'm not saying we should then have had a dozen 15 yard carries, but there should have been more of those 6-10 yard chunk plays than we got). Which again, is the root of my problems with this game, because I agree with you, Etienne looked solid, combined with Rico having the game of his life. Better play calling and being less predictable, in an advantageous matchup, 100% should have lead to more carries of over 5 yards than we had, which in turn should have then opened up the passing game more, none of which happened. Hence my point of the thread, not to let Rico's 200 yard game make you gloss over the fact that Canales still called an awful game. This thread was never meant to be an attack on Rico or a desire to see more T-Mac targets, it was a statement about Canales still being a terrible play caller.

I think that's part of the problem, he's spreading the ball around too much, many of them are the first read play calls, and on top of that, a large portion of them are purposefully called screens or other short passes. I just looked, the Cardinals are the only other team in the league right now without at least 3 players with 100+ yards receiving so far this year, with the majority of teams having 4 or more. And even then, their #2 right now is McBride with over 200 yards. Our 2nd leading receiver this year has 108 yards (albeit with 4 more players with 82 or more). On the surface, that might not be as alarming as you might think, but when you add into it that Bryce is currently 6th in the league in pass attempts, and it's even more alarming that he hasn't gotten a 3rd player to 100 yards so far and his second highest is only 108. XL has 39 yards on 18 targets. Renfrow has 82 yards on 24 targets. Tremble has 87 on 16 targets. Sanders has 92 on 14 targets. None of those are good enough, so why aren't we calling more plays with T-Mac as the first read and forcing the ball to him (and again, that's not me wanting my guy to get more targets, that's me wanting more targets for the only productive pass catcher so far this year, I'd feel the same no matter what that player's name was). All of this is why I have issues with Canales' play calling. How do you have a player who had 73 yards in the first half and then you only give him 1 target in the 2nd half despite playing from behind the majority of that time? You can be happy about the win, happy about Dowdle getting 200 yards, but in a game where your QB threw it 30 times, I can't accept the above sentence in the same breath, that's just terrible play calling, which is on top of the already predictable play calling in general, which is also on top of boring play designs as well. Add it all up, and THAT is why I'm unhappy even after a win, not because "my guy" didn't have a bigger game.

Again, maybe it's my frustration with him on the whole that I just don't see it as much, but I don't see him going through his progressions from the pocket that much, only when he's forced to scramble. Just seems like he's very often throwing to his first read from the pocket, which would then be on Canales for spreading it around, not because he worked through to find the open man. Also, part of it is that we're constantly seeing open guys that he's not throwing to, so if he's going through his progressions, then he's just flat out making the wrong decisions.

I'll be honest, this one is more of just a gut feeling based on watching Bryce all this time, not something I've actively tracked.... But I don't think it's Bryce, I think it's Canales. Bryce doesn't move through his progressions well (or at all) unless he's scrambling around and thus is forced to. He very often seems to be throwing to his first read or what the play was called for. If Bryce was a QB who stands confidently in the pocket, working his way through his progressions and hitting the open man, I'd get it and agree with you, but that's just not what I've seen from my recollection, again, not like I've taken notes of that on all his passing snaps, so maybe I'm wrong on that one. And sure, it could be Bryce making that decision at the line based on what he's seeing pre-snap, but if that's the case, it's almost more alarming than the opposite, because it's not like he's tearing it up, so it means he's making pre-snap decisions of where to go with the ball, going that way, and still sucking, along with Canales then not being like "WTF are you doing out there?!?!" and making him stop doing that.

Yea, I've never had high expectations since we drafted Bryce, so it's not like I'm just upset about not meeting them. I went into the season wanting to see player improvement and Canales' play design/calling improvement. I'm now to the point where I 99% only care about seeing individual player improvement. The 1% is that I unfortunately have to still hope to see Canales play calling improvement, because that is kinda critical for the improvement of all our young offensive players. Offense is different from defense, you need good play designs and calls to show out. On defense, everything can be a mess, but a great young player can still stand out and look great. Our defense can be a mess but still have Horn locking down his guys on the outside, Scourton or Princely winning their pass rushing and pressuring the QB, DB swallowing up multiple blockers. But it's very hard for any QB, RB, WR, or TE to individually shine when the play design and calling is poo.

I agree about Evero deserving credit, but that's also unfortunately where I have to say something that I'm sure won't go over well either. As that's great and all, but honestly, at this point, do we REALLY care about Evero showing improvement in his schemes as a coach other than making our players better individually? If you're in the same boat as me, and 100% expecting a new HC next year, what our DC does this year with in game improvements is nice in the moment, but pointless in the long term since he'll then also be gone next year, no way a DC gets kept around for 3 HC's no matter what he did that previous year. So yes, I give him credit and want us to show improvement there, but it's just unfortunately not something I'm going to get excited about either when looking forward into 2026 and beyond, which as I've clearly said, is really all I'm looking at this year, how it sets up our future as a franchise. Now I'll also be fair there and say if you think Canales and co. will be back next year, then sure, it's something to get excited about, but I just can't see any way Tepper brings him back again.

Also, this post is EXACTLY what I wanted to move on from Bryce this offseason and sign Jameis. Because he'd be slinging the ball all over the field and it would expedite the growth of all our young pass catchers, which to me, regardless of our record, would have made for a "winning" season. We all want our long term franchise QB, but if you can't get that, expediting the improvement of the rest of your roster is a solid consolation prize given the state of our franchise.

Very fair, but also something I have a "I don't give a poo" attitude about, because I'm so over Bryce and as I've said, this year for me isn't about wins and losses, but improving as a team, which includes individual players getting better. T-Mac, XL, Coker, Horn Jr, Sanders, and Evans aren't going to get better as pass catchers if they're just out there blocking all the time because we're too afraid of Bryce sucking and costing us games. If we lose games because Bryce sucks and throws INT's (or fumbles without being touched lol), but all of our pass catching options got a couple extra targets to help expedite their improvement, it's a trade off I'd take 100 times out of 100. As THAT would then help our future as a franchise, as when we get a real life NFL level QB in here next year, he's getting to throw to players who spent this year growing as players, not having wasted a year of improvement because we're too afraid to let the noodle arm throw the ball.

And if that's the case, then you shouldn't be throwing it 30 times. But if you do, give your only legitimate WR threat more than 8 of those targets. Because again, this isn't about T-Mac, it's about the overall play calling. If we came out and just went very run heavy, with the play design and calling keeping the defense on their heels so we're constantly ripping of 5+ yard carries and sustaining long drives, then I'd be 100% okay with it and not upset with "my guy" not having a big game. But we didn't do that, we kept running rather predictable plays, with bland play design that wasn't scheming players open or creating open running lanes to constantly get chunk yards in the run game. It was Rico breaking off a few big plays, partially due to his breaking of tackles, that got him the 200+ yards, NOT Canales' play design and play calling. Do you see the differentiation I'm talking about there?

post game box score analyzing doesn't tell the full or accurate story though. He had 1 target in the entire second half, in a game that we were losing into the 4th Quarter. Take names or how many targets any other individual player got out of it. In what world does a team with such a talent gap between their top WR and the rest of their pass catching options make for smart play calling when that player gets 1 target in the 2nd half of a game they were losing for the majority of that time? And again, I said I was wrong to bring up T-Mac in the OP, because it wasn't even about him. His lack of 2nd half targets are just part of my issue with the play calling, it still felt very predictable and bland throughout the entire game, and THAT is my issue with Canales and where I've seen zero improvement from him.

In a sense, but I'd say it's more like we won because the Dolphins were just a worse team and because Evero made the adjustments needed to keep the game close enough to have a chance. Which, again, is my point and the same one I was making after the Falcons game. Winning in spite of your mistakes because the other team made worse mistakes, is not something that gets me excited moving forward, it just makes me more concerned, particularly when this coaching staff has already shown that they don't fix their mistakes moving forward week to week. And, as I've said, I'm just done "enjoying wins" because we got a win, despite not actually looking good while doing so. I want to get into the playoffs again, I want to contend for SB's. To me, showing improvement and looking good, but still losing in the end, would make me happier and more excited for our future than backing into wins against bad teams in spite of our own issues. Not a single thing about this win gives me hope about our long term future, but numerous things happened throughout the game that give me cause for concern. And that's not me saying I want losses for draft positioning, I'd still rather win those games, but if it's look good and lose or look bad and win, it's an easy decision for me to look good but lose. This season was never meant to be about winning games, it was about showing improvement, which is 100% something you can do in losses, just as you can show regression in wins. I don't care about winning or losing this year, I care about improving as a team, record aside. To me, this is a season where showing improvement is a win, showing regression (or the same mistakes) is a loss, the actual win or loss is irrelevant to me because we're not a contending team right now, that's when wins and losses matter.

Oh 100%, totally get it, I'm just saying I can't see how he stays healthy with the way he'd built and the way he plays

Half our drives were for less than 30 yards, I guess I just don't see it the same way you do. Having 8 carries over 5 yards (and only 6 over 10 yards) out of 23 isn't exactly like we were taking advantage of a team that couldn't stop a team running to the right with smart play calling to rip off chunks of yards on a constant basis. Which also is kinda my point... if the Dolphins were really having THAT much trouble stopping runs to the right, a better play caller and play designer should have been able to get us more than 8 runs (and only 7 in that direction) of more than 5 yards. It's that Dowdle deserves the credit for breaking off those bigger runs, NOT Canales and his play calling. My problem is with Canales' play calling from opening kick to final whistle on the whole, not a few selected plays where the player broke tackles and made great plays.

They'd never do it, because it really would be insane to do, but if I'm the Commanders, I'd seriously consider trading Daniels after this season, especially as he'd get a HUGE return for him. He's RG3 part 2, with his body type and style of game, I just can't see how he holds up long term, he's going to end up having a seriously injury prone career. It would take some massive balls (or pure insanity) to pull the trigger on trading him, but I do think 5 years from now it would be looked back upon as a smart trade.

I've admitted that it was a mistake for me to bring his name up in the OP because it's me, and of course people are going to take it as me just complaining about him not getting more catches. But this has nothing to do with the player, it has to do with the play calling on the whole, and yes, part of it is not using your #1 WR more when you have next to nothing after him in the passing game. But I'd still have the exact same feelings right now if we didn't have T-Mac and we just had another equal caliber WR1 in his place, because to me, Canales still called a terrible game. His play calling/design didn't get Rico his 200 yards, it was Rico taking a few carries for big yardage including breaking some tackles on those plays.

Two separate issues Yes, T-Mac 100% needs to be fed more, 8 targets out of 30 attempts when he's the only legitimate receiving threat right now is just dumb, but that has zero bearing on Rico's game. Again, 6 good plays by Rico does not make for a well called game by Canales, I don't understand why that's so controversial of a thing to say. Rico had a great game and final stats because he made a handful of great plays, not because Canales kept the Dolphins on their heels and because of it we ripped off constant 8-15 yard runs. Had that been how he put up the 200+ yards, I'd be the first person to jump on here and congratulate Canales for calling a great game, but that's just not how it played out. It's giving credit to Rico for the game he had, but still living in reality in the totality of the play calling of Canales from opening kick off to the final whistle. Outside of those few runs, you can't tell me you weren't screaming at the TV for the majority of the game with Canales boring and predictable play calling (and play design). That's all I was trying to say with this thread, that we can't give Canales a pass because Rico broke off a couple big plays, he still called a complete poo game as the offensive play caller. As that's exactly what happened a couple weeks ago. We win 30-0 in a rivalry game and half the fan base starts talking about how we're finally turning a corner and just stuck their head in the grounds to not see the glaring issues that we still saw in that game. Then we get utterly blown out by a team that wasn't a complete disaster in their own right and fans fall back in disarray.

I've said this too many times to count, but just enjoying wins because we get them so infrequently is how shitty franchises continue to be shitty, because their fans are "just happy" when they get flawed wins. I'd rather lose but show improvement in key areas such as play calling and QB play than win and still struggle in those areas. Because until we improve in those areas, this team is going nowhere, so what is the fun in "enjoying" the 3-5 wins we get where we still don't look great while doing it? I want to make the playoffs again, we won't get there because we win fluky games, we'll get there because we've improved as a team. Show me improvement in a loss and I'll enjoy watching that game more than wins like this, because I care more about our long term high level success than shitty wins in lost seasons. You watched that game and enjoyed a win, I watched that game and saw why we're still going nowhere as a franchise in the foreseeable future but won in spite of that. It's been a decade since we've been decent, how are you not sick of "enjoying" those type of games?

I don't think Dan's job is either safe or in jeopardy no matter what he does, his job security should be 100% tied to Canales. History has shown that both GM's and HC's who get hired separately, do not usually have long term success, the ones that are hired in tandem in the same offseason are the ones that have a higher success rate. Morgan should be here as long as Canales is here, but once Tepper decides to move on from Canales, Morgan then needs to go as well so we can bring in a pair who are a good fit for each other, rather than each of them trying to adapt what they want to do to fit with the other. I also don't even need to read that list to know I don't want anyone on it, as I want someone who people wouldn't be thinking about, as in, someone who is already a GM or Asst GM who teams don't expect to be interested in making a move. It's the one place where Tepper can throw is big wallet down on the table and out spend the rest of the league because there is no cap restrictions there. Go out and make an offer to an elite GM candidate to where they just can't say no because of how much you're offering them. Then you give them the keys to the house and stay the F out of the way, just let them do their thing and what you're paying them big money to.

See, it's posts like this that show me how many of you are taking my post as an anti Dowdle post and saying he didn't have a good game, but that's the furthest thing from my intention and what I'm trying to say. Because that's the comparison you're making with Bryce, it's adding or removing a small handful of plays from their stats and saying "this is the game they could have had instead" I'm literally only talking about the play calling from the game, it's literally in the title of the thread, that we still have play calling problems. I'm saying that people are going to get stuck on the 200 yard rushing game by a player and extrapolate that to "well Canales must have called a good game" and I'm trying to say not to fall for that mirage. Because 6 big runs do not make for a well called game when we had over 60 snaps. Even beyond that, if you add in the two 20+ yard catches from T-Mac and the one XL had, and you're looking at 9 of over 60 snaps that accounted for close to 60% of our yards in the game. That's a few big plays covering up for coaching deficiencies, that's NOT a well called 60 minutes of football. You don't beat good football teams by having a handful of good plays a game scattered amongst boring predictable play calling. Had he had the 200 yards because Canales' play calling was keeping the defense on their heels, not knowing what we were doing next, and Dowdle was ripping of 8-12 yard runs on a consistent basis, then yea, that would be something to be excited about with Canales finally calling a good game for a change. Our offense is predictable and the play design is basic, there is nothing I've seen out of Canales' offense that says he's able to scheme and call plays to outsmart the defense, which is something all the elite offensive coaches are able to do in this day and age.

And saying Canales called a good game because of those 6 plays is a good take? That's my point, I'm saying he called yet another terrible game, but people are going to see the 200 yard rusher in the box score and chalk it up to us calling and playing a great game. I'm not trying to take anything away from Dowdle or his performance, I'm just saying I think it's more of a mirage in terms of a statement about the offense/team than anything. If he had put up 200 yards because we were getting 8-12 yard chunks on a consistent basis because we were keeping the defense off balance, then yea, I'm chalking that up to a great Canales play calling game. 6 of our 62 plays accounted for almost 40% of our total offense today. I don't want to be negative, but I also can't help but call it like I see it, and I don't see a team that is turning a page, I see a team that is making the same mistakes that we've been making since last year, and are being bailed out by playing a team with it's own terrible problems. I said the same thing after we shutout the Falcons, that it's nice to get a big win like that, but I saw more problems than good in that game too, and then we got embarrassed the next week. So to me, the "200 yards" is a mirage in the same way the "30-0" was. I should have left the OP at that, but I brought up T-Mac because we're a team with a clear cut #1 WR and nobody else behind him and we're not targeting him enough in games we're losing. I'd have said that no matter who that player was, my personal feelings about them aside.

No I wouldn't, because I have a brain and eyes. The pass was thrown behind him, he had to make a leaping twisting attempt at the ball while the defending was pulling him down by the jersey and keeping him from getting proper extension and body control. Could he have still made the catch? Sure, of course. But SHOULD he have made the catch? Absolutely not, it would have been an amazing play to make, and one he'll make in the future, and one that other elite players could and do make, but those same elite players will also not complete some of those same type of plays as well, and nobody then faults them for it. There is no player in the history of the game that I'd have said that about with that particular play, whether that was T-Mac or Jerry Rice, that would have been an amazing catch if it was completed and a great effort if it wasn't.

Complete nonsense It was a terrible throw and clear blatant PI, the only reason he even got his hands on the ball is because of how good he is, him not making THAT catch is insane to put on him. I have no problem calling him out when he drops one he should have caught, have done it multiple times this year already, but this wasn't one of them. The fan base is already so used to his crazy catches that they're chalking all non catches that hit his hands up to his fault already, it's wild. He's going to end up with around 1,200 yards as a rookie with Bryce as his QB, Canales as his play caller, and no legitimate 2nd receiving option (our 2nd leading receiver right now is Brycen with 108 yards). And all of that on only a 21% target share so far, but people seem to think he has XL level drops problems.

Yes, but those are two separate issues. Using your best player more often as a decoy than a true target, just because your QB sucks, is just dumb and compounding your issues as then your bad QB is throwing the ball to inferior pass catchers on a more frequent basis.

Well sure, but that's not at all what I was saying, I wasn't saying we're the only team that ever uses their #1 as a decoy. My point was that I can't remember a team where there is such a talent gap between their top WR and the rest of their WR room, and then said top WR is used more often as a decoy than as an actual pass catching target, particularly in their rookie season such as Nabers last year and then the nothingness behind him in their WR room. Because I don't think anyone can objectively look at the play design and calls so far and say he's been running more routes with the intention of being a target than with the intention of clearing out space for Bryce to dump it off to someone else closer to the LOS. The other difference is when teams allow their #1 WR to be used as a decoy because teams are constantly double teaming them. Then they generally make sure to target them when they get left on an island in single coverage, something we routinely fail to do when T-Mac gets that coverage.

C'mon now, is this a serious comment? The ball was thrown behind him, he made a leaping twisting attempt at the ball while the defender was yanking him down by the jersey. If they don't pick up that flag, not a single person is calling that a drop or a "deep pass bounce off his hands" like that. I've had no problems with people calling out the actual drops that he has had, but far too many people are attributing the uber difficult plays he wasn't able to make as drops, just insane.