Part 2 of the Miami Dolphins On SI pre-Tennessee mailbag:

From Jerry (@UFGatorJer):

Does Snoops’ mobility free up Hill and Waddle for more production on Monday nights?

Hey Jerry, in terms of keeping him alive a lot longer while rummaging around in his pocket, yeah, that might help. To what extent, I don’t quite know, but I don’t think I would exaggerate that impact.

From Mark Jones (@chiefkfc):

Hey dude, I love your work…this offense is crying out for some up-tempo at times…why the hell is this so hard for the Dolphins…??

Hey Mark, that’s never part of this offense, to be very blunt. I know the play calls are often extended, so I think this plays a big role in that.

From Rico’s RoughNecks (@TheFin22):

In terms of athleticism (arm strength, accuracy, mobility, scrambling, speed, etc…), where do you rank Tua out of the 32 starting QBs? I ranked him 31st, just above Kirk Cousins.

Hi Rico, I’m not sure I see the need for this because I think it’s pretty clear that Tua has physical limitations, even though his accuracy is among the best in the NFL. If we want to go there, the biggest problem for me is that Tua is undersized, without the pace and quickness to mitigate the impact of that, like Kyler Murray for example.

From Ed Helinski (@MrEd315):

What do you think about Tyler Huntley starting? I think he gives the Dolphins that running and scrambling dimension that is missing from the offense? Agree or disagree?

Hey Ed, there’s no doubt that Huntley brings another dimension to the quarterback position and I think the Dolphins would be foolish not to take advantage of that a few times against Tennessee. I expect a better performance than we saw from Skylar Thompson last week, but he will need a better performance from the O-line and I would still caution against expecting too much.

From Chris Bustin (@ChrisBustin13):

Hey, Alain. How can fans determine this season if the defense is better under Anthony Weaver compared to how it performed under Vic Fangio? Is there a particular statistic you like the most? Thank you!

Hey Chris, my measure of good or great defense is that it always (or almost always) seems like a major feat for an opponent to move the ball. This is what you see when you look at teams like the Steelers, Chiefs, Ravens and Vikings, who more often than not look dominant. I think this is more than any statistic, although I’m big on busy and takeaways.

From Mark Lever (@MarkFinsfan):

What do you think are Snoop Huntley’s strengths and weaknesses?

Hey Mark, Miami Dolphins On SI contributor Dante Collinelli has done a great in-depth scouting report on Huntley that covers this in detail, but my reader’s summary is that his strength is his mobility and his weakness is that the accuracy is very inconsistent.

From Michael Gura (@MichaelGura4):

It is absolutely not my intention to offend McDaniel. But it looks/sounds…off. He’s been wandering/stomping even more than usual lately, his coaching on game day is woeful, and he looks sloppy and disinterested. Big mistake to reward mediocrity with a contract extension. No sense of urgency! Thoughts?

Hey Michael, how could anyone be offended by your comment? LOL. Whatever criticism you have of his matchday coaching – and I haven’t liked some of his decisions so far this year – I would never call him disinterested. This is a man who is completely invested in his work and the team. As for his wanderings, I’m here to tell you that this is nothing new. He has always been extensive in his media sessions, but perhaps some fans are noticing or bothered more because the team is going through a rough patch.

From Yeti-Eddy (@Rainorshine7775):

Let’s see how you answer this. Do you believe the offensive side of the ball will stop playing hard if TUA goes down? If so, why?

Pretty curious about the “let’s see how you answer this” line. What does that mean? Anyway, no, I don’t see any difference in how hard the team plays, but it’s clearly not nearly as good and a lot of that has to do with McDaniel putting everything together offensively to match what Tua does best as are backups. I don’t have the same skills nor have I had the thousands of practice reps with the receivers that Tua has. But effort? No, don’t see that.

From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):
I’ve noticed a shift in the media over the past 72 hours. I’ve noticed it in you, Chris Perkins, and especially Barry Jackson. . I think someone from the Dolphins gave you all a pep talk about Skylar Thompson. The first words that come to mind when I think of Skylar’s piece are: skittish, indecisive, inaccurate, and hesitant. He steps out of the pocket when there is no reason to do so. He doesn’t trust his lectures. He has poor pocket presence. You can never be successful in the NFL with these qualities. The guy has played about 8 games and started 4, I believe. He has started a play-off game. He has thrown the ball more than 150 times in the NFL. His friendly numbers are below par, even for a backup, which is very friendly. He showed you exactly who he is. Believe him. What did I do wrong? Why don’t the dolphins believe the tape Skylar released? Why would Dolphins fans think he’ll be anything but terrible when he plays?

Hey Dana, do you realize Thompson has played more than two quarters of regular-season football in the last two years? And QBs can evolve (do I really need to reference another QB you know)? Is it possible that all of us – Perk, Barry and I – can recognize that Thompson didn’t look good against Seattle and that the possibility still exists that he could be a good backup? Whether that happens is certainly questionable, but what would it say about the Dolphins if what we saw from Thompson in Seattle is exactly who he will always be? It would be gross mismanagement by the front office if they didn’t bring in a better backup this offseason, which is exactly what I wrote last week based on Skylar’s performance in Seattle. That said, doesn’t Skylar deserve another start, especially considering how little help he got from the O-line? Oh, and no, if anyone here changed their mind – and I personally didn’t – it wasn’t because of a message from the team.

From Carl Bueckert (@BueckertCa94374):

What is your impression of how MM and CG have handled this season, knowing that this team has so many flaws. Thank you, sir.

Hey Carl, as I wrote two weeks ago, this current four-game stretch was going to be a referendum on offseason decisions to shore up the backup QB, IOL and replace Christian Wilkins with quantity over quality (with all due respect to Calais Campbell because he just can’t play as many snaps as Wilkins did), and the first test failed quite miserably. But let’s see how the next three matches unfold.

From Pajake Japat (@D1nonlyJP):

I hope Tua can come back this year and finish the year strong. However, I think the organization can no longer deny that we once again have a problem with the quarterback position. If you had to guess, what will the approach be next year? Design…trade…?

Hey Pajake, that’s a good question and I’d be lying if I said I knew because I don’t think the Dolphins know either. I think a veteran is preferable to a rookie unless the Dolphins end up with a high pick in the first round (which would spell bad news for this season). And the question would then become what kind of veteran to get (established starter or journeyman), which would determine the route to getting him. But in my opinion this conversation is still a bit premature.