Marlins’ Nick Neidert sharp in Arizona Fall League

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Nick Neidert had a rough 2019 season plagued by a knee injury. He was mainly at Triple-A New Orleans (5.05 ERA in 9 starts) but spent a third of his starts in Jupiter split between the Florida State League and the Gulf Coast League.

An invitation to the Arizona Fall League put a validating cap to his season.

In his first start, Neidert threw 2 2/3 innings, giving up two runs with three strikeouts against the Peoria Javelinas. He turned it around against the Mexican Pacific League’s Naranjeros de Hermosillo on Tuesday with four scoreless innings and six strikeouts, leading the Salt River Rafters to a 4-0 win.

Neidert was one of three minor league prospects that were acquired by the Seattle Mariners in the Dee Gordon trade two offseasons ago. One of them is Robert Dugger, who made it to the big leagues this summer.

Next year could be Neidert’s turn.

Brian Flores

Dolphins’ failings run deeper than stripped down roster

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Dolphins’ mind-numbing mistakes, disorganized defense lead to another embarrassing defeat in Dallas.

For a brief moment, there were indications the Dolphins were ready to play a competitive game. Maybe even capable of it.

Josh Rosen, in his first start for Miami, was avoiding rushers, making some impressive throws right on target.

Inexplicably, considering they fell behind 10-0, the Dolphins were on the brink of taking the lead before halftime Sunday at Dallas.

An assortment of forehead-smacking dropped passes and a killing fumble by Kenyan Drake prevented it from happening.

Then in the second half the team that was outscored 102-10 in the first two weeks reverted to form and got steamrolled again, 31-6 by the Cowboys.

Better off watching Tua

For the @TankForTua (Tagovailoa) crowd, the objective remains on track.

If you’ve been watching Alabama’s Heavin’ Hawaiian, he is providing validity to the strategy of throwing away a season for the chance to draft him.

After back-to-back games with five touchdown passes, Tua said he’s still learning and can get better.

As for these 0-3 Dolphins, the lessons of catching the ball and tackling remain elusive.

So after it appeared there might be some positives to point to in Week 3, there really weren’t.

It was good to see the offense making better use of Drake. Then he fumbled.

DeVante Parker made a terrific one-handed grab 40 yards down field. Then he dropped a perfectly placed pass over the middle that could have gone for a touchdown prior to Drake’s gaffe.

Rookie receiver Preston Williams has his moments, but he couldn’t hold onto another would-be touchdown pass long enough for it to be ruled a catch.

The mistakes are mind-numbing even for a team that has been stripped down for a total rebuild.

That’s D for disaster

And the defense is like it’s playing on the down slope of the roller coaster, prompting safety Bobby McCain to say, “I am concerned with the defense. Run defense, pass defense, it doesn’t matter. We give up 31 points, we give up 49 points, whatever it was, that is what I am concerned about. It’s not one phase of the game. Defensively, we got our ass whooped.”

It could be pointed out that this team wasn’t assembled to win anything at all.

But you have to wonder about this coaching staff’s ability to put together a cohesive plan and muster a competent effort.

You think of coach Brian Flores’ TNT gimmick that has players doing punitive runs in practice after mistakes that “take no talent.” Then you see a successful onside kick nullified by an offside penalty.

You also wonder about the decisions to get rid of certain players who supposedly weren’t in step with the program.

Such as Minkah Fitzpatrick, who after a short week of practice with the Steelers had an interception and forced a fumble in his debut at safety with Pittsburgh.

Mixed bag for Rosen

The expression on owner Steve Ross’ face during the second half in Dallas was one of “What have I done?” Yes, he was the one who ordered the drastic measures that have this season on course for historic futility.

https://twitter.com/DolphinMaven/status/1175869461481607168

“Some good, some bad. I’d say right in the middle,” Rosen said in evaluating his performance.

Rosen had to go off for an obligatory concussion evaluation and was fortunate he was well enough to be able to return.

The offensive line, already subpar, had left tackle Jesse Davis and right guard Danny Isidora go out with injuries.

The bottom line, the Dolphins have one touchdown in three games.

Perhaps it is a mistake to try to assess these Dolphins in the context of real games. Because what we’re seeing every Sunday feels unreal.

​

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns

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Kat’s Korner: Dolphins compete, lose to Cowboys

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There’s no such thing as a moral victory?

Well, maybe this season there is.

Our resident superfan, Kathleen Noa (@Kathleen_Noa), recaps the Dolphins’ reasonably competitive 31-6 loss in the latest edition of Kat’s Korner.

Jock Takes: All in on the Dolphins’ strategy

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Do you like what the Dolphins are doing? Do you see an endgame here?

Jaccare Givens (@KingJock24) does.

Look for more videos from Jaccare and the rest of Five Reasons Sports here.

Josh Rosen

Going Dutch: Rosen Starts At QB

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B4FBA6E9-D5EE-43E7-9B0E-D477E286E4A7 Going Dutch: Mike Sonbeek aka @DutchBeek gives his thoughts on the Miami Dolphins naming Josh Rosen as their starting QB. Rosen was acquired by the Dolphins from the Cardinals for a 2nd round pick on draft night.

 

Rosen will get his chance to showcase his talent as he makes his case to be the Dolphins Franchise QB.

 

Rosen was selected in last year’s draft in the first round by the Arizona Cardinals

Dolphins’ QB Josh Rosen deserves chance to start

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It’s Rosen time!

After a week 1 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Miami Dolphins looked to regroup quickly vs the New England Patriots.

And no matter how nice the field looked, or how appealing the white throwbacks were — this game was ugly.

Miami’s offense looked anemic for most of the game, much like they did last week vs Baltimore.

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 11/21 for 81 yards. And in a relief effort, Josh Rosen threw for 97 yards on 7/18 passing.

So where do the tanking Dolphins go from here?

For me, it all starts with the QB position. And although I pledged my allegiance earlier in the offseason, the time is now for “The Chosen One’ to take over. Why? Because the Dolphins need to know before the end of the season whether or not he’s the guy, and having ‘X amount of games to evaluate Rosen on, appears to be in the team’s best interest.

Now, I know you’re going to mention the turnstile of an offensive line, or the complete lack of a run game, but that’s okay. Because as we’ve seen all offseason long, Rosen appears to be the better all-around QB. He has a better sense in the pocket and appears to be capable of making throws, Fitzpatrick is not.  Yes, Flores has all but announced the veteran Fitzpatrick as the team’s Week 3 starter. And if the Dolphins truly are tanking, why make the change now?

Why not wait two more weeks until the BYE?

That all sounds well and good.  However, if you’re one of the 53-men on Miami’s roster, you have to realize Fitz just doesn’t have his magic anymore.  And no matter how badly you’d rather not trade away young talent like Laremy Tunsil or Minkah Fitzpatrick, losing won’t help matters.  The young defensive back forced his way out of Miami, and several others could too before the process is complete.

Truth is, the Harvard graduate has not looked the same since retiring in South Florida. What we can’t fully understand however, is the type of leadership he brings to this team. And for as respectable as that might be, the time is now to make a change. Josh Rosen was once a top-QB prospect and was highly coveted in college. Since joining the Dolphins in April, Rosen has done and said, all the right things. Now is his chance to prove to someone, anyone, that he can be a starting QB in this league.

If you’re Miami, best case scenario he looks like something the team could potentially build upon. Maybe he shows enough to have an open QB competition next summer. Most likely, however, is that a team completely void of talent continues to flounder. Anything less than failure would be in-humane. The Dolphins need the #1 pick and Tua Tagovailoa.

But in the here and now, it’s time for change.

Unfortunately, the book has been closed on both #FitzMagics. And unless he has a similar case to Benjamin Button, there won’t be many more highlight moments from the 36-year old QB. However, the opposite holds true for Rosen.

Each and every year, we see QBs define odds and become top-tier talent in the league. Why not Rosen?

It’s time. Start ‘The Chosen One’

Josh Houtz (@houtz) still supports Josh Rosen, even if it is #Tankovailoa SZN

Many Dolfans onboard with Dolphins tanking plan; I’m skeptical

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An interesting aspect of the Dolphins’ radical rebuilding project that must be recognized is it seems to have significant fan support.

This isn’t a scientific assessment, but it appears that the majority commenting on social media believe Dolphins management is doing what needs to be done.

Good for them, because it will take a high level of faith to endure the atrocities this team is committing to the game of football Sunday after Sunday.

One could argue how much of it is blind faith in a franchise that hasn’t gotten much right through a revolving door of executives and coaches over the past 20 years.

But I get it, fans are fed up with the old one-step-forward-and-two-steps-back routine.

So many of them are all in on writing off this season of epic humiliation for the promise of an influx of fresh talent through a boatload of draft picks and salary cap space accumulated via an epic roster purge.

Tanking shouldn’t be rewarded

Personally, I hate the concept of tanking that has become a trend in the various team sports. The NFL should institute a lottery system so that such a blatant dive for the top pick as the Dolphins are doing isn’t rewarded.

Dolphins coach Brian Flores is correct is saying that such a strategy is disrespectful to the game, even as he participates in one of the most extreme tank jobs that has been undertaken.

It’s worse than disrespecting the game, it’s a disgrace. Smart teams don’t have to tank to stay competitive.

The Dolphins haven’t been in that category for too long, so they have taken desperate measures.

As always with desperation, it’s a tenuous undertaking.

It’s also tougher to pull off in the NFL than in other team sports, particularly the NBA.

It was good to see Dolphins GM Chris Grier speak publicly Tuesday in the wake of the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade to let fans know there is a method to what has appeared to be madness in the roster turnover of the past few weeks.

Grier explained that the Dolphins couldn’t resist when the Texans kept offering more for Laremy Tunsil, and only ceded to Fitzpatrick’s trade request only after all the top brass, including owner Steve Ross, were unable to talk him out of it.

Those deals inflated their impressive cache of high draft picks, Of course, they will have to expend some to replace those young former first-rounders.

And you see gaping holes to fill everywhere you look on the depth chart.

Maven view: No quick fix to this Dolphins mess

Grier aims for rapid turnaround

There is a belief pervading comments on social media that the Dolphins will be much better next year after a draft that includes three first-round picks and two in the second and with ample money to spend on free agents.

Grier somewhat fed that notion Tuesday.

“I don’t know if you really put a time frame with it. For us, we’ve positioned ourselves to where we think the organization will be in a good place shortly,” he said.

“How long that takes? Like I said, we’ll be aggressive in free agency. Again, we’re not going to sit back and not do anything. We’re going to be proactive and try and get this turned quickly.”

Maybe they will, and I hope for this long disappointed fan base will finally be rewarded.

They certainly have a wealth of draft capital to play in the next two years.

It is a stretch to think you can turn them all into winning players.

Look at the handful of draft picks from the first three rounds that remain on this stripped down roster and only Xavien Howard can be considered Pro Bowl caliber.

This year’s draft produced immediate starters in Christian Wilkins and Michael Deiter, so that’s a positive.

Looking at previous years, Kenyan Drake has potential that hasn’t been fully utilized. Jerome Baker and Raekwon McMillan are contributors but nothing special so far. DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki and Charles Harris have fallen well short of expectations.

All of the rest are gone.

Yes, they have mined some gems in later rounds over the years, such as Reshad Jones and Jakeem Grant, and solid players such as Davon Godchaux and Bobby McCain, as well as Lamar Miller, Jay Ajayi and Rishard Matthews, the latter three long gone from Miami.

Draft a hit-or-miss proposition

But even the overall success rate of first-rounders is only about 50-50.

They will get their pick of the quarterback litter. They’d better choose wisely.

The best choice isn’t always the first one. Keep in mind, the Dolphins could have taken the quarterback who shredded them in Week 1. Instead, Lamar Jackson was available to the Ravens at No. 32 in 2018, when the Dolphins took Fitzpatrick at No. 11.

As for filling more needs with established players, experience here has shown that you have to overpay for prime free agents and they generally underperform.

What we know for sure is that a franchise that has had more than its share of bizarre chapters has never had one quite like this.

Grier has certainly heaped a mountain of pressure on his own back. Watching how he plays out this rebuilding game will be a lot more fascinating than anything the Dolphins do on the field the rest of this sorry season.

​

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns

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