Dolphins defense frustrates Tom Brady, who was silent on tampering and everything else | Schad

TAMPA — Tom Brady showed some frustration during Wednesday's joint practice with the Dolphins and it had nothing to do with tampering questions from the media.

No, Brady did not speak with reporters from Tampa or South Florida and there's a good chance he won't speak with them Thursday or Saturday or maybe even for the rest of preseason.

Brady should face the music, of course, but we suppose it's his prerogative to take the fifth as it relates to past in-season flirting and out-of-season yachting with Miami folks.

No, while almost all of Wednesday's attention was focused on Tua Tagovailoa taking snaps from Connor Williams and firing passes to Tyreek Hill, Miami's defense was excelling on an adjacent field.

So much of Miami's success in 2022 will be predicated on if its defense can perform at least as well as they did down the stretch last season.

First 8 Dolphins games of 2021: 29 points per game allowed.

Final 9 Dolphins games of 2021: 16 points per game allowed.

"We've got to go out there and be dominant," Dolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah said Wednesday.

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Ogbah had what would have been a sack and also a batted pass. Other defensive players who made plays included Christian Wilkins, Jaelan Phillips, Zach Sieler, Brandon Jones and Keion Crossen.

Dolphins should blitz all season

This Dolphins defense is very deep and very talented. And there is no reason defensive coordinator Josh Boyer should not be thinking attack, attack, attack, blitz, blitz, blitz.

The Dolphins and the Bucs have brought the heat more than any NFL teams in recent years. Miami's offensive line held up fairly well in the first joint practice.

Tampa's offensive line, depleted by three interior absences due to injury and retirement, did not fare so well. Advantage Miami. As it should be this season.

Miami's defense is expected to be so good that coach Mike McDaniel acknowledges it may be smart (at times) to call a more conservative game.

In the last 10 games of last season, Miami held opponents to less than 300 passing yards, something that hadn't happened in four years. Now consider that the Dolphins brought back Ogbah and added Melvin Ingram.

If cornerbacks Xavien Howard (stay) and Byron Jones (get) healthy, there is no reason Miami should not be among the league leaders in sacks, interceptions, turnovers and points per game allowed.

Nobody is paying attention to or focusing at all on Miami's defense right now and when was the last time that's been the case for either side of the Dolphins' football?

Yes, we all need to see if Brian Flores' departure has an effect.

Flores will get to see that in person when Miami hosts Pittsburgh Oct. 23.

Tua, Tyreek absorbing spotlight

Defensive players for the Dolphins have been slightly annoyed at all the attention given to Miami's offense at training camp.

Fans chant "Tua! Tua!" and "Tyreek! Tyreek!" without much concern for how the defender might feel about that. It should noted that, unfortunately, cornerback Noah Igbinoghene has not yet made a giant leap.

Igbinoghene has struggled at times covering Dolphins and he struggled at times on Wednesday covering Bucs. Miami's depth at cornerback could be something worth monitoring.

Consider that last season, the Dolphins were torn up by Brady and the Bucs, 45-17, here in Tampa. Brady passed for 411 yards and 5 touchdowns that day.

Few knew that Brady could possibly be on his way to Dolphins ownership and even possibly a stint as a Dolphins quarterback. Didn't happen.

But entering that game, everyone knew that Miami's top corners, Howard and Jones, were banged up. Howard had shoulder and groin issues. Jones had quadriceps and Achilles issues.

They played, but allowed a total of 10 completions and 3 touchdowns. And so even though Wednesday was just a practice, it meant a bit more to Howard.

Xavien Howard, Emmanuel Ogbah mad

"Back at home, that s--- was on my mind 24/7," Howard said. "Still is. So I feel like that brings a little bit fire to it."

As if Howard needs any more motivation. Hey, if that game and the absurdity of not being including among Madden's Top 10 cornerbacks do the trick, we're all for it.

Ogbah, the defensive end, said that game was on his mind, too.

"We were waiting on this day," Ogbah said.  "We felt like we got embarrassed last year."

Before practice, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel downplayed the notion that Brady's presence in the wake of tampering penalties might be "awkward."

"What happened?" McDaniel said. "For me, nothing happened. Everyone else is the one making it awkward. It doesn't occupy a single iota of space with anybody we have."

In an alternate universe, Brady would have been suited up in aqua for Wednesday's practice. He wasn't. We don't know how he would have felt about it and perhaps we never will.

We do know that Brady seemed a bit irritated by the Dolphins defense. And so that makes it a good day.

Saturday's preseason game

Dolphins at Bucs

7:30 p.m., CBS

Joe Schad is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins defense wins day against Buccaneers, Tom Brady offense