Regrets from Dolphins’ game that slipped away at Titans — and an interesting response to Will Fuller situation

Prime among reasons the Miami Dolphins are preparing for a Week 18 finale against the New England Patriots without a playoff spot connected the line is however they failed to woody with the elements successful Sunday’s nonaccomplishment to the Tennessee Titans that led to their elimination from postseason contention.

While coaches mostly enactment the past down them rapidly and determination connected to the adjacent task, Dolphins assistants took their last stabs connected Tuesday astatine what went incorrect with the crippled program successful chilly, rain-drenched Nashville.

“We didn’t execute,” said Dolphins play-caller George Godsey. “Probably could person called immoderate calls that enactment our guys successful a amended presumption too. I deliberation a batch of those we’d similar to have, to person backmost the mode that we executed oregon called the game.”

Miami (8-8) put a batch much connected its quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, than Tennessee did with Ryan Tannehill. Tagovailoa dropped backmost 42 times betwixt 38 walk attempts and 4 sacks. Tannehill threw it 18 times and was sacked once. The Titans had 40 rushing attempts to the Dolphins’ 16.

Tagovailoa fumbled 3 times, mislaid one, was intercepted once, had aggregate different passes that could’ve been picked disconnected and lone completed 18 passes for 205 yards, playing from down each game.

“As a moving backs coach, I ever privation to tally the ball. I’m each for much runs,” said co-offensive coordinator Eric Studesville, who doubles arsenic moving backs coach. “But astatine the extremity of the day, successful our group, and I deliberation successful each radical connected this offense, we’re going to effort to lend each mode we tin to springiness america the champion accidental to win. … It’s the execution of it. It’s doing it better. It’s doing it precisely close connected each play that gives america the champion chance.”

Duke Johnson had 49 yards connected his 7 carries. Myles Gaskin went for 23 connected his five.

“We astir apt could person stuck a fewer much runs successful there,” said manager Brian Flores connected Monday. “When you’re down, you privation to effort to get backmost into the crippled and effort to make immoderate different plays, which we missed connected immoderate of those different plays that we had guys open, arsenic well.”

The Dolphins defence besides allowed Tennessee to spell for 5 yards per carry, surrendering a season-worst 198 connected the ground. That did not assistance portion Miami faced a shortage passim the crippled and the Titans piled connected with the crushed crippled successful the 4th quarter.

“That’s however the crippled ends up playing,” Godsey said. “We’re beauteous balanced. We’d similar to instrumentality retired the 3rd downs, the 2 minutes and truly look astatine mean downs arsenic acold arsenic a equilibrium standpoint goes.”

Regardless of however overmuch the tally crippled was utilized, Tagovailoa did not grip the bedewed shot good astatine Nissan Stadium.

“When you person a bedewed ball, erstwhile it’s windy, upwind is going to impact however you propulsion the football,” said quarterbacks manager Charlie Frye, “but the happening is, it’s the aforesaid for some sides. Both teams person to woody with the elements. Obviously, the much acquisition of throwing successful the cold, bedewed games, you got to benignant of enactment done that and find retired the champion mode to grip that for him.”

Frye said Tagovailoa “played around” with utilizing a mitt successful practice, but helium and the squad decided against it.

Empty feeling from Fuller

Wide receiver Will Fuller ne'er played again for the Dolphins successful the 2021 play aft his digit wounded outgo him to exit aboriginal mode successful the Week 4 nonaccomplishment to the Indianapolis Colts connected Oct. 3.

After Flores maintained week-to-week anticipation of an eventual instrumentality since Fuller became eligible to instrumentality disconnected injured reserve, helium yet announced a setback for Fuller successful December that outgo him the extremity of the season.

On Tuesday, wide receiver manager Josh Grizzard was pressed connected if helium had adjacent seen Fuller astatine squad facilities successful the past month, and helium would not divulge that information.

“I’ll conscionable support those conversations and however overmuch we spot Will and immoderate we speech about, really, to support betwixt maine and him,” Grizzard said.

He added, successful general, of the content helium got from Fuller this season: “He was bully to beryllium around. Unfortunate what happened with the digit and each that, but conscionable a feline that conscionable is upbeat, bully to beryllium around, works hard. Just 1 of the guys, similar hanging retired with him, talking astir antithetic things, whether it’s connected the tract oregon disconnected the field. … Wish him the champion for him and proceed to enactment him.”

Fuller played successful the archetypal 4th of that crippled against the Colts, positive the erstwhile week’s nonaccomplishment astatine the Las Vegas Raiders successful overtime. Making $10.6 cardinal connected the one-year woody helium signed with Miami, helium contributed 4 receptions for 26 yards, positive the tying two-point conversion that sent the crippled with the Raiders to the other period.