Miami Thrice - Q&A with UK Dolphins Podcast

The Washington Football Team have been active in free agency this off-season as Ron Rivera continues his culture shift in the Nations Capitol.

Three of the new arrivals were wearing the aqua green of the Miami Dolphins in 2020.

With the most recent addition of FS Bobby McCain, here at UKHTTW we took time out with the first and only UK-based Miami podcast Dol-Fan UK, to discuss the merits of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Guard Ereck Flowers, and the aforementioned McCain.

Andy, thank you for this look at the three guys who have swapped the sunshine state of Florida for the burgundy & gold in D.C. First up, Bobby McCain. My overall conclusion based on reports, is that McCain is very much a team first guy who has the position flex to play a variety of positions across the secondary?

That’s exactly what he is, in fact Bobby spent most of his career in Miami playing Corner before transitioning to Safety when Brian Flores became Head Coach. He’s one of those consistent players that is very rarely mentioned in commentary, picking up his assignments and going about his job consistently with a strong work ethic.

In 2020, it appears that Bobby was listed as a Strong Safety rather than Free Safety. Where do you see his best fit to match his traits and athletic ability?

Quite honestly, I think Bobby best suits the Nickel Corner role.

His best attribute is his ability to provide close coverage on varied styles of slot receivers, whether that’s a larger Tight End or the more traditional pacey inside receiver, he’s got the physicality and speed to do both.

When it comes to playing Safety, it’s been a mixed bag so far, he mainly lined up at Free Safety for the Fins in 2020. We saw him make some great plays, using his speed to make up ground and break up pass attempts – he also picked of Jimmy Garoppolo against the 49ers, making a great read and breaking down on the ball for the INT.

However, he did take a while to acclimatise to the role, perhaps struggling with the communication aspect of things – which did lead to a few nasty breakdowns in our secondary across the course of the season.

I think that’s why it makes sense to play Bobby at Strong Safety, with Landon Collins taking the leadership role at Free Safety in the Washington secondary. We know Bobby can come on the blitz (he rushed the passer ten times against the Rams last year), and we know his coverage skills make him a difficult match up for any receiver, so he’ll slot in nicely there and he’ll certainly be an asset for Washington if utilised correctly.

Will McCain be a significant loss to the Dolphins? His injury record is pretty good since his draft, so are we looking at a cap casualty rather than a guy who you are pleased is moving on?

It was one of those which we did expect to happen after the draft, especially given that we selected Jevon Holland with the 36th pick, and the fact that our cap was being crunched after bringing in Will Fuller etc.

But yes, he’ll certainly be missed, I can’t fault his work rate, the way he’s helped to develop the younger guys on the team, and sometimes when you barely hear from a player you can appreciate that he’s not a distraction and is committed to his craft.

Not many players have stuck around on our roster since 2015, it’s quite widely known how much of a clear out Flores and Chris Grier had before the 2019 season, with us fans soon appreciating that the Front Office only wanted a certain type of player around as part of the rebuild. Bobby was one of those guys, and I’m sure he’ll bring that ethos with him to Washington.

A familiar face returns to Washington in the large form of Guard Ereck Flowers. After signing a three-year deal with the Dolphins in 2020, it seems that you have moved on very quickly. Flowers performed well in Washington after bad stints at LT and RT with the Giants and the Jaguars. Did the bad traits resurface in Miami, or is this another cap type casualty?

I think it’s the latter again, and I can’t see any reason from a performance standpoint that Flowers wouldn’t have been on our roster if the cap increased this year.

We’ve got a very young offensive line and the more experienced players clearly had developmental responsibilities alongside their on-field duties – with Flowers mentoring Austin Jackson and Solomon Kindley.

That is not to say that I think Flowers will be a big miss next season, as I’m sure Washington fans are aware, he’s solid, makes the odd error and that’s about all there is to be said.

The Fins have signed a few cheap veterans to play on the line, and also drafted Liam Eichenberg as they look to protect Tua – I get the feeling we’ll be seeing a few more cuts until we find the formula to do that.

And lastly, your thoughts on Ryan Fitzpatrick. If Ryan had remained under centre for the Dolphins, do you think you guys would have been a play-off team last season? I am guessing it is understandable that the Front Office wanted to get Tua Tagovailoa in as the starter and potential franchise QB?

That is quite literally a million-dollar question for us. I think (and it was reported) that some of the veteran guys in the locker room preferred our chances with Fitz at Quarterback, his connection with Devante Parker was especially fruitful.

But on the flip side, when Tua came into the team we went on a roll, beating the Rams, Cardinals and Chargers.

The main problem was the fact that Fitz’s playbook clearly didn’t suit Tua (thus Chan Gailey ‘retiring’ after the season), and the horrible string of injuries we had at the receiver position would have put any rookie in a difficult situation. So, to answer your question, maybe, as when Fitz was on the field, we seemed to move the ball a lot easier, but there was always the chance of a game changing turnover on every single play.

What will excite WFT fans with Fitzpatrick and do you see him as a clear level above Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen?

Man, I’m excited to watch Washington with Fitz calling the shots. Your receiving core is exactly what he needs to succeed.

I can see him forming a great connection with Cam Sims on the outside as he loves putting the ball up for his tall X receiver to go and get, and then he’ll feed McLaurin and Samuel almost constantly.

I’m not sure Antonio Gibson is going to be his biggest fan, as Fitz seems to prefer running the ball himself when plays break down, so Gibson might not act as a safety blanket quite as much this year.

In terms of playing style, Fitz isn’t afraid to force the ball into coverage and he really trusts his receivers to come down with the ball wherever they are on the field. He’s very much a gunslinger, and more often than not this seems to favour his team. But there’s always the chance he gets picked off.

If you consider the high that came with his cameo against the Raiders last year, then there was also the low of the Broncos game – where he subbed in for Tua, led the team down the field and threw a pretty ugly pick to end the game.

I must admit when Washington signed Fitz I thought it was to back up Heinicke after the latter ended the season so promisingly. I don’t think there’s a huge gulf in talent between them, but Fitz is clearly a more tried and tested hand, and I can definitely see why Ron Rivera would go with him as the day one starter.

With the strength of the WFT defense, the situation he finds himself in is very similar to Miami and he can certainly be relied on to complement that with a ‘score at all costs’ mentality.