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What was on the minds of Dolphins fans following the Week 1 loss against the Raiders:
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From Richard Gibbons:
Alain, I agree with you that it seemed Malik was holding the ball too long at times. In your opinion was this him not wanting to be a check-down Charlie or is it more of a case of the play-calling for more deep throws?
Hey Richard, yeah, that’s a very good question, but it’s not about the play-calling because the check-down is or should be part of every pass play as a secondary option. I do think there’s a good chance that Willis simply didn’t want to resort to the check-down too quickly, which is something I would imagine would change moving forward, although getting out of the pocket and scrambling more often also is an option.
From Fins Fan Ryan:
Hi Alain,
I have curbed expectations for this cap-strapped, paper-thin team. Yet I still couldn’t wait for week 1 to see them against live bullets. My frustration was not in the outcome, but in the process. I know we don’t have the horses to compete, but for the things that you can control there are no excuses not to execute. Play calls late to the huddle, constantly being up against the clock. Delay of game penalty on the first drive!! Then another in the 4th quarter when we should be in “no huddle.” Bad shotgun snaps (1st play), players constantly late getting set up. No excuses for that. Those are things you need to nail when you don’t have talent. Also, was it just me or were there hardly any schemed or set plays and quick hitters or bootlegs/ rollouts off play action? Seems like that would be a way to get guys touches and get the mojo going and play to Willis’ strengths. Way too much Willis drop backs to read the defense, and hanging on too long. Looked totally unprepared, maybe a single drive in the preseason was not enough for a completely new offense. Thoughts?
Hey Ryan, I get the frustration and maybe there’s something to the idea that the Dolphins offense could have used more reps in the preseason. I think your assessment is a bit harsh, but I definitely would like to see more quick hitters and bootleg action.
From Thomas Hudson:
So, the question is this: How much of what we saw today was to be expected because the team is bad, and how much of it is bad because they have a bunch of inexperienced people trying to work together in a new situation? Should we expect the defense to get better as they get more used to Hafley’s defense and can we expect the offense to improve as the line gets more work and Willis and the receivers practice more? And is it fair yet to criticize the Dolphins for giving their starters so much time off in the preseason games? I get they got their work in during the joint practices, but my untrained eye says maybe they needed some more work.
Hey Thomas, yes, it’s fair to question the lack of preseason reps. And the Dolphins are both inexperienced and talented-deprived, which is not a good combination and why their won-loss record probably won’t be a pretty sight. But the whole idea and point of the 2026 season is for there to absolutely be improvement as the season moves along, both offensively and defensively.
From Jeff:
Week 1 notes: Harbaugh is still a phenomenal organizational changing coach, the Bears are back and running hard, Waddle will have a phenomenal game (season), I feel very bad for Murray and those hits should just be removed from the game in some way, and I wish the Dolphins had taken Shough in that draft because he tossed it for over 400 yards. Which is more frustrating from your chair: not pressing harder to bring on Harbaugh or not taking the chance on Shough when they very well could have? I fully realize the answer could be neither, but if you had to choose.
Thank you for everything, as always, and looking forward to the analysis on this week.
Editor’s note: This email came in before the Monday night game when Waddle basically was invisible and had a bad drop. In answer to your question, Jeff, I’d go with Shough because John Harbaugh wasn’t coming here and the Dolphins did reach out and I don’t know that any amount of pushing would have made a difference.
From Jeff Horst:
Alain, are you as surprised as me to see Chris Bell on special teams? STs were bad as I feared; is this due to keeping so many O-linemen on the roster. It forces Bell and Dulcich to fill them? Pinion did fine, I must add.
Hey Jeff, yeah, don’t think I would have expected Bell to be on special teams in punt coverage and don’t really think I like it very much – and I might be saying that even if he weren’t coming off a torn ACL. The special teams could be bad because the back of the roster simply isn’t up to par, and that’s generally who makes up the core of those units.
From Ed Helinski:
What overall grade do you give the Dolphins for their efforts and results in the season opener? Better yet, why that grade?
Hey Ed, if by effort you mean performance, I’d go with a C- or D+. It just wasn’t very good on either line of scrimmage and this is where the Dolphins really need to get better. There was enough to like (Douglas, J-Rod) for the grade to not be lower.
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From Mark Malbeck:
Hey Alain, I thought both lines were terrible, no pass rush, no running lanes, and too much pressure on Willis. Where was the improved Chop? I also thought Willis was too patient, he should have run more. Can the coaches scheme some improvements?
Hey Mark, yes, the coaches always can and will tweak their scheme and game plan to get better results, but it also still comes down to blocking, tackling, beating blocks, running the right routes, etc.
From SciGuy17:
ST coverage was bad in preseason and bad in 1st game. It’s not rocket science. Is coaching and/or players the problem? BTW – post game mailbag is a good idea. Fans are usually quite frustrated about something or another. I bet a human, not AI, came up with idea..
It wasn’t AI that came up with the idea for a postgame mailbag, it was Al (as in Alain, get it?). In terms of the special teams issues, understand when your roster is depth-deprived, it’s going to affect the kicking game because it’s not usually your starters who are out there covering punts and kickoffs.
From mgfern:
Hi, Alain. Always appreciate your work. Do you think that the performance Sunday was more lack of talent or lack of experience (ie: young players thinking more than playing naturally)? I know the roster’s not great regardless, but is there THAT much talent gap between Raiders and Dolphins?
No, I don’t believe there’s a huge talent gap between the Dolphins and Raiders, though there is clear separation in the back end of the roster. Maybe the youth played a role in the team’ performance, but there also wasn’t great work done by some of the veterans if we’re going to be honest about it.
From Dan P:
What should us fans be most skeptical about: pass rush, O-line, run defense, or Tabor’s special teams history?
Hey Dan, maybe all of the above, though I seem to recall Chris Taber’s special teams history being fine, if not necessarily inspiring.
From Rich Miller:
I don’t have time to rewatch games or analyze film. Was the O-line as bad as it looked? If so, why? If not, why not? I hoped it would be the one strength of the team.
Hey Rich, the offensive line was not good against the Raiders. I’m not sure there’s any other way of saying it. I was hoping it would at least be serviceable this season, but it didn’t reach that level against the Raiders (though it’s only one game).
Today’s best reads
- Dolphins Poup-Porri: Willis, Expectations and Other Thoughts Heading into Week 1
- Three Bold Predictions for the Dolphins in their Week 1 Matchup with Raiders
- Dolphins Game-Day Mailbag: Grant, Safeties, Slowik, and More
- Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: What Are the Implications of a Week 1 Win or Loss?
- Dolphins Week 1 Instant Takeaways: Uneven Willis, Where Was the D-line?
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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 9:07 AM.