Below are Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel’s comments made to media on August 18 via Zoom call — McBreviated. A summary of his answers for those short on time or patience for the overwhelming supply of verbiage.
Q: After the flood of reports today about Matthew Judon visiting, I know probably most of the reporters on this call were beseeched by the question: Are any of your edge rushers out long term or even several weeks with an injury? So are any of your edge rushers out long term or several weeks with an injury?
““There’s some presumption there. No, there’s not. We’re visiting for the sake of seeing if there’s a situation that both parties would be able to come into an agreement of, ‘Hey, this is a situation that fits.’ So visiting for visiting purposes, we’ll see what it leads to.”
McBreviated: McDaniel farts around, says there’s mutual interest and ‘we’ll see what it leads to,’ which we all have by now as Judon has reportedly signed.
Q: As we hit this final week of the preseason, another joint practice, I was just curious what your thoughts of the level of competition have been for training camp this year so far? Are you happy with where everything has been?
“I think this year relative to other years – you guys know my mantra and I very much believe that you allow players every opportunity to win employment and create their own spot on the roster and this year, it’s probably the most vast real competition. We put a lot of emphasis on this rookie class and I think they’re pushing a lot of people. A lot of young players are fighting for opportunities on this football team so I’ve been very happy with the competition because it’s been embraced by the players. I would say the team is closer even though the competition for jobs is that much more difficult and I think we’re benefitting from realistically, it’s all 90 players; if you can get them to improve, it makes the decisions difficult, but it’s good for the football team because everyone is better in that process. So it’s been very, very competitive and we’ve always had some competitive battles, but this probably takes the cake, this being my fourth year.”
McBreviated: This is the most competitive it’s been in his tenure in Miami and it sounds like McDaniel expects a high number of rookies to make the team and he insinuates that those who won’t have pushed the others, it’s been embraced and made the team better overall in McDaniel’s eyes .
Q: Is this the week you roll TE Darren Waller out there for the first time and how do you balance protecting him versus getting him some reps at some point if he will indeed be ready by the time the season begins?
“This is where we thought a realistic assessment would be made, we’re kind of making that daily. I’m expecting to see him sooner than later. In the back of my mind, it would be this week, but I’m not going to just put him out there this week just because I said it before. I’m hopeful, but it’s very soon so we’re just making sure all our ducks are in a row before we take that listing off of him.”
McBreviated: Words words words but no answer.
Q: I wanted to get some clarity on some of the injuries. Obviously DT Zach Sieler didn’t participate in the second joint practice. Neither did RB De’Von Achane. Are those injuries something that might limit their participation this week in practice, if not longer?
“I’m expecting to see (Zach) Sieler this week. With De’Von (Achane), he’s an explosive athlete. It’s a calf that we’re – calves are the ones that you have to be super proactive especially with explosive players where we don’t want to have a long, strenuous, nagging issue. So we probably won’t see De’Von this week after further assessment through the weekend, but that’s more preventative in nature just because all trainers across the league have horror stories with calves if you’re too aggressive coming back, so that’s the nature of that as it relates to De’Von.”
McBreviated: Sieler will be back this week but Achane’s soft tissue injury needs more time, especially given the nature of where the injury is (calf) compared to how he plays (explosive).
Q: I wanted to ask about one of your favorite topics which is being present, engaged. Watching from home, I saw on television that S Minkah Fitzpatrick was charting throughout the game. I don’t know exactly what he was charting, but he was very involved in all the plays. I also noticed in the fourth quarter while you guys were trying to hold onto a lead that all the players were lined up, sort of cheering on their teammates. What are your thoughts on all of what I just said there?
“I think it’s talk versus doing. I think we’ve talked a lot about what we want our team to look like. The actions, the ones that you’re noticing are the same ones that I’m pointing out that to me, realistically, that’s something that’s a derivative of intentionality and true investment into each other. I think the sidelines have been different all preseason. I think it was on display in Detroit and that’s a result of enhanced connectivity that’s real, not just saying, ‘Hey, we want to be a closer team.’ I think you’re seeing defensive players celebrate with offensive players and vice versa. You’re seeing ‘Q. Bell’ (Quinton Bell) makes a tackle on kickoff and Tua (Tagovailoa) has his towel waving and I’m telling him to get back out of the white. That’s a good problem to have. That’s how teams – you want to know how people succeed throughout the season and particularly down the stretch in the season, that extra relationship earned, the extra accountability witnessed, the trust, all these things amount to more than inches in a game of inches. I’ve been very proud of how guys have invested into their craft that I talk about being present because it starts with that, intentionality and being present each and every day, focusing April 21 the way that you would on August 21 and those things add up. I think we have a much more connected team because everyone has recognized ways we can grow and I think both preseason games I’ve been very happy with a level of connectivity that I think is enhanced for good reason.”
McBreviated: Personal note (sorry) – I loathe the word intentionality when you can just say intent. That said, he didn’t address what I thought was the best part of the question which was Fitzpatrick. He basically said he feels like the players get along and pull for each other and he’s happy about it.
Q: A short time ago, we got news that Xavien Howard was signing with the Indianapolis Colts. I’m wondering, I guess this is a one-and-a-half-part question, whether he was considered by the Dolphins and what the likelihood is that you may add a veteran cornerback?
“I think inherent in our job responsibilities is that we consider everything. We make a ton of moves that we don’t make, if that makes sense. You consider everything. If that’s true, I’m happy for ‘X’ (Xavien Howard). There’s a lot that goes into the final roster, one of which is evaluating your guys fully and then also there’s opportunities every day that you’re going against. You’re grading your guys versus whoever is available, that’s just the nature of the National Football League. And then you have another cut down date where there’s more of that that goes on, but I would say the best way to answer it’s kind of inherent in our responsibilities to consider all those things. There’s a possibility that we could add somebody and there’s a possibility that, from our professional opinion, the better player is already on our roster. I think that’s part of the reason I’m so meticulous with the evaluation process and to see how people respond and not just say, ‘This nameplate from last year isn’t as good as the other nameplate from last year.’ People are defining themselves every day, so I let them define themselves by their play and we as an organization discuss all those players. I wouldn’t close the lid on that possibility at all, but I’m not trying to open it either. There are new challenges, plenty this week, both with playing against our team and having a joint with some more talented players as well.”
McBreviated: If McDaniel was trying to slam Howard in the most intelligent, hidden way possible, I think he just did it. “We make a ton of moves we don’t make,” means they decided NOT to consider Howard. He also said “from our professional opinion, the better player is already on the roster” and his “nameplate” comment, to me, means that Howard is just that at this point, a name. If I got all that right, I am super proud. Not of myself, but of Mike for shooting straight in the midst of all that hooey.
Q: Sticking with the cornerback position, I’m curious, what do you see inside the building that people outside the building are not seeing? Because I feel the conversation around the Dolphins, so much of it focuses on concern about the cornerback position. So what do you see on a daily basis that people outside are not seeing that makes you confident that that position is going to be OK?
“Detailed commitment to technique and fundamentals, and I know with absolute certainty is the difference between winning and losing, being one of 11 and evaluating people for what they’re doing. What have I seen? I’ve seen guys play very consistent bump coverage relative to the rest of the league or teams we go against. I’m seeing guys that are making plays in the pass game and the run game. I’m seeing guys play off coverage, reading through quarterback quick game footwork and progressing to a larger pedal and staying square with widen departure routes. I’m watching corners play the game between aggressive reroute and bail, disciplined football. I’m watching people take direct angels on shallow crosses. These are all things that I usually don’t speak about because it’s coachspeak and what we do every day, but the challenge is not to find the names that make us feel most comfortable on the front end, it’s trying to be real and find the best players. Whether it’s individual players or teams, I think there’s a reason why there are so many surprises each and every football year. How many times has everyone predicted the correct order of each division winner and who is second, third, or fourth? How many times are there surprise players? Well, that’s all because there is a ton of work post-2024, and people change every year. Pete Carroll once told me at my first Owners Meetings, meetings, he’s like, ‘One thing that you can’t ever forget is that you can’t assume that people are the same every year, after every offseason.’ I understand it, but I do think it’s the same conversation every year where people are assuming that teams or individual players are the same person that they’ve known and when you don’t have a long resume of NFL production, you assume that that’s because they’re not good. I think that’s probably why there’s a disconnect, because we’re all evaluating people off of days, weeks, of very, very focused intentional instruction and evaluation from that. With the Miami Dolphins, our opinions come from the field and how people are producing. When there are other people that are better served for this organization to do those jobs and we have the ability to target those players, we always do that. Really offseason and training camp is where players define themselves, both good and bad. We’re watching a lot of guys go after their dream and do some good stuff each and every day that’s hard for you guys to report.”
McBreviated: The first half of all that he summed up himself — “coachspeak.” In the middle part, what I deduced is that they are going to go with some young guys over some veterans you might expect and there are players who have progressed since last year the media just doesn’t know about yet in his mind. He thinks there is a lot of assumption based on some players and their lack of respective NFL experience, but it doesn’t mean they can’t play. He included that they will always be looking outside the organization if it helps them improve and ended with either a little dig or the suggesting that what’s being taught is not privy to the media so it’s hard to report on , hard to tell which. (In fairness, he also may have been referring to Dolphins policies that media not report certain things they see).
Q: From your perspective, how did you see your team respond to three pretty physical joint practices over the past few weeks? And what lessons from those two practices are you looking for your guys to apply this week when the Jags come to town?
“I think it’s much of the same – how do players play their very best in the biggest moments? It’s the same rep when you’re talking about a big division opponent or you’re talking about an elimination game or a conference championship or a Super Bowl. All NFL players show up whenever they’re in a competitive situation and they want the positive result. The trick is especially when you have a highly competitive, physical mindset of both the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions, you know that you’re going to come to work and they’re going to try to beat you. Can you focus on how you’re supposed to do your job and the nuances of the technique and fundamentals and not focus on all the other things that can really distract people, which is like, ‘Hey, I want to make a play,’ or, ‘I want to crush this guy at the point of attack.’ That’s all good, well every player wants to beat every other player on every snap. Can you focus within the heat of battle? Early reps at that are invaluable. One thing I thought was the best thing about both joints is the intentionality and effort going into it was correct, and I thought we learned a lot of individuals. I think overall collectively I used those individual examples as lessons but a lot of individuals learned the lesson of doing different things from your technique and fundamentals in a competitive environment. It’s the most difficult thing to master, but when you look at the way that we had the effort and the intentionality – with the Chicago Bears as an example, I thought we had better technique and fundamentals in all three phases in the game than we did in the practice. With the Detroit Lions, I think we had all of the above improved on the second joint. That means we got better, and the idea throughout the preseason is to find ways to consistently improve and not stay stagnant or regress. As far as utilizing the month of August to get lessons for your team that will survive, we’ll be talking about the same things we talked about in both joints in October and November. To me, that’s successful regardless of how you cut it. There’s things to get better from, but overall I just liked the intensity that both those teams brought and our intensity to challenge. I thought we definitely got better from the whole trip, both in the connectivity of the team but really in what I think are the biggest lessons in football and that’s how to control what you can control, which is your investment into your focus of the things that we work on the most which is our technique and fundamentals.”
McBreviated: McD feels like in practicing with the Bears and Lions, the team was put in a competitive environment and what he was looking for was for players to be in the heat of competition and still be able to learn and focus on technique and fundamentals, which is a hard thing to learn to do. He thinks they got better throughout the trip and the best two days for the team were the preseason game against the Bears and the second joint practice with the Lions. Also, intentionality.
Q: A couple of housekeeping matters if I could. Can you provide an update on CB Ethan Bonner and S Dante Trader Jr. who we saw played only five snaps? And then do you remain as confident as you were at the time of his injury that OL Austin Jackson will be ready for Week 1?
“Ethan Bonner, it was a real hamstring, so it’s a timetable of weeks but nothing beyond that. Dante Trader Jr., that was pre-planned in the process. I wanted (to give him) an extra rep to prepare for a game and get a series in but not overcook that competitor and send him on – that was pre-planned and we’ll see how it plays out.”
McBreviated: He said Bonner was a “real hamstring” and the timetable is weeks. I’m not sure what that means but it’s at least a partial tear if he’s out that long. Trader only getting five snaps was planned before the game to both get him in but not have him overdo it. He disregarded the Jackson question.
Q: OL Austin Jackson, do you remain confident that he’ll be ready Week 1?
“I do. Nothing has told me that I shouldn’t have confidence, so things are going as planned.”
McBreviated: See above.
Q: I know you’ll be focused on your team obviously this week in joint practices, but I’m just curious what your thoughts are on Travis Hunter as a player? Are you intrigued by what he can do on the football field and might you peak over to what he’s doing during joint practices?
“I think everyone is intrigued with the idea of having one roster spot fill two needs. I think he’s a great player, I really liked him coming out. His ball skills stood out, and you could feel for a guy that was that highly touted that he’s a football guy, that’s what is most important to him and that’s what drives him. That will be cool, but I think the biggest thing is I’ll be telling the players to not focus on them, so I probably shouldn’t pontificate too much on him, because for me, I’m really driving home that in my opinion and the players’ opinions, the team that we should focus on solely is the Miami Dolphins. There will be extra effort to try to keep – maybe I’ll put earmuffs over some of the players when you ask them questions about their individual players, because I want them less concerned about any of the nameplates that are coming and I want them focused on our game and how we play it. I’m excited but I won’t even think about it that day because it’s about our growth and nothing else.”
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