FOXBOROUGH - The Dolphins have won seven of their last eight meetings against the Patriots, including all six when Tua Tagovailoa has been the quarterback. Considering the Pats had one of - if not - the most outstanding defensive minds in the history of football overseeing their team, how is this possible?
Well, let's start with the fact that the other guys get paid, too. And even though the Fins have proven to be far more reliant on their quarterback than just about any other team in the league - I did not expect them to be punchless after putting Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve for those four weeks - Mike McDaniel has shown some signs of evolution that go beyond his creative and constant use of motion.
“Definitely, I think I’m right in step with players," said McDaniel this week. "In the National Football League, if you’re not getting better, tick, tick, tick. There’s too much competition; you have to continue to evolve, and that includes myself. There’s a lot to learn. I don’t know the recourse – I can extrapolate or forecast, but I don’t know the recourse of having explosive plays and the offense we did last year until you’re actually in it and seeing how people defend.
"I have to, I think every year, adjust to players, and defensive presentations have been a unique necessity for evolution, as well as our roster has different assets, and we have different guys to get the ball to."
For instance, after being a wasteland for tight ends in previous seasons, all of a sudden, Jonnu Smith looks like the guy Bill Belichick once called "probably the best after the catch" in the league (about a few months before he overpaid Smith in free agency).
Smith went for 101 yards against the Raiders last weekend, and in the four games since Tua's return, he has 18 catches - 13 for first downs - for 212 yards and two scores. That's just two catches and 27 yards fewer than Tyreek Hill, and 7 grabs and 77 more yards than Jaylen Waddle. Devon Achane is now a force in the passing game as well. His 23 receptions lead all Dolphins players over this stretch.
But the coach and the quarterback are behind an updated plan. Part of that, though not acknowledged by either man, is Tagovailoa's injury history. There is an even more pronounced desire to get the ball out of his hands quickly, which makes life hard on the front seven.
"It's hard to get to the quarterback," admitted Keion White, the Pats' best pass rusher by a long shot this season. "If you can make a route concept that's 30 yards down the field in 2.5 seconds, that's a hard thing to do to get to a QB in 2.5 seconds. Especially when they're double-teaming, max protecting, play action, things like that. We have to be better with our rush, better with our discpline, that will open up more opportunities for us on the inside."
So you combine that quick passing game with the Dolphins' speed - "they're probably the fastest team in the league," admired White - and not only is it hard to affect the quarterback, but one false step in the secondary can change the game quickly. Miami has had less of that in recent weeks but is still averaging over 27 points per game over this stretch.
"You ever get comfortable with a bullet coming at you?" asked Jonathan Jones, answering a question about whether seeing these guys year after year is a benefit. "You don't get comfortable. Those guys are explosive, and every time you're on high alert because those guys can make a play out of nothing, and so, no matter how many times you've seen it, it's always something explosive."
That will again put the spotlight on defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington and the man overseeing the program, Jerod Mayo. They got outcoached and out-schemed by a similar offensive mind in Sean McVay Sunday, and while the Fins will work between the hashes more than the Rams did, they will see more motion and as many bunch sets as LA presented, and that didn't go well for this Pats' defense.
"Well, I think the first thing, this is a little bit different.," said Mayo of the matchup compared to the Rams. "You look at last week; it was more about the size matchup. This week, it's about the speed matchup. We have guys in the locker room who have covered those guys relatively well, and we just have to continue to do that.
"I would say when you look at matchups like that, it's always fun to see a guy travel with a guy. But again, they learn you, and you're learning them during the game. I think there is something to sometimes changing those matchups up just to throw it off."
That was Mayo subtly trying to defend the decision to keep Christian Gonzalez stapled to the boundary for the better part of the loss to the Rams. And though he indirectly admitted to reading/hearing what yours truly (and others) were writing/saying, he insisted that the plan was good and that Gonzalez got the "majority" of 1-on-1 man-to-man reps against either Puka Nacua or Cooper Kupp. My charting didn't reveal that, for the record. But that's neither here nor there in the here and now. What does matter this Sunday is that whatever the plan Covington comes up with (and Mayo approves) going into the game will be adapted if need be, and based on how McDaniel has adapted in the last month, I'd expect the need to adjust on the fly (unless the Fins plan is flawless).
"I think he's just learning," observed Jones of his first-year defensive coordinator. "I think he's learning what he wants to call, how he wants to see it, and just continuing each week to try to put us in the best situation to win."
Cole Strange returns to practice: The Patriots started the 21-day clock on offensive lineman Cole Strange, who tore his patellar tendon last December.
"One piece of good news, Cole Strange will return to practice today, which is exciting, not only just for him to get back out there, but just understanding the journey that he has taken to even get to this point," Mayo said. "Oftentimes, those things get looked over, but it is a journey. Any time you're coming back from injury, which I know the feeling, it's not a straight line to getting back to the way you used to play. It takes time going through rehab and all those things. It's been a long year for Cole, but again, we’re excited to have him out there.
"We’ve just got to take it day by day. Like I said, this is his first time out there, just take it one day at a time."
Could he play center?
"Well, first I think just going through the individual drills and seeing how he responds to that stuff is the most important thing," Mayo said. "He does have the flexibility to play center and play guard. He's been getting extra work at center. Dave Andrews has done a good job with him as well. Going back to a guy that – he’s on IR for the year, but just his leadership remains in the building. One of those tasks has been to help Cole understand the center position while he wasn't able to be on the practice field."