Coach Mike McDaniel meets with the media | Miami Dolphins

Coach Mike McDaniel meets with the media | Miami Dolphins

What’s this? I don’t know. This is where the officials are going to explain the video uh thing with the with the ball with the I don’t know. I know exactly what you’re talking about. The video thing with the ball for sure. Do you like that they have the uh it’s the uh it’s computerized now. I don’t know what first down. Thank you. They the the first down markers are determined by with the ball makes sense. I I you know I can I can visualize the uh the technology that could make that happen. So I mean I think it’s good. I, you know, unfortunately, are we going to have less players running into humans standing with metal sticks? Because if that if that’s the case, I don’t want any part of it. I wanted to uh go inside your brain a little this morning. One thing that I was curious about, very, I was curious about this. I know you said, you know, in the season ending press conference last year that finding guys for tardiness did not work. You’re such a a nice person who has forged good relationships with players. How much thought did you give early this off season to whether you needed to become more of a jerk, more of an sob, more of a hard ass type coach? Is that something that you thought about? Could you take us through your thinking with that? And have you You’re damn right I thought about it. Um, no. I I think uh you know you are in practice. you’re if you’re doing your job right, you’re both assessing how you do things and how people receive things. Um, you know, I think it’s it makes it pretty easy um, you know, with the nucleus of the of the team spearheading um a motivated locker room to be accountable to each other that um, it’s for me it’s easy to um, evolve into um, what’s best for the players. Um that’s kind of been the journey of life um for me anyway. So um is it hard for me to um post in front of a team meeting people who got fined for doing something um outside of what our standards are? Um no at all. It’s absolutely not. It’s very easy. Um I think uh a lot of there’s a lot of scars with professional athletes. Um and to gain their listening, you have to earn trust. Um, and it’s been notable how I’ve attempted to earn trust, um, you know, with with players. Um, and I, and that’s not to be confused with, um, setting out expectations and delivering on those. Um so I think you know with time um and you know putting together the right group of people um it’s very easy for me to hold players accountable spec es especially when um they don’t hear it wrong and know it’s for their benefit. Um so that’s uh yeah I I think I answered it maybe. No no it was a very good answer. So was there any thought you gave then to becoming a yelling tyrant or did you immediately rule that out for all the reasons that you just stated terms of your view of the best way? So so in the vein of um an adult temper tantrum based on how people perceive me. No, I would not be motivated by those by those things. I think um uh I I’m motivated by uh improving players and creating a winning football team and uh the ins and outs of that, you know, um mo are are the compass for with how I adjust myself. Um but you know, le leaning into uh perception and perceive things. Um not not totally based on day-to-day day-to-day fact. I I I I just uh I’m the best version of me. Um and uh I’m on a team with a a bunch of co coaches that that mirror that. And uh and this team in 2025 up until uh uh or through July has has modeled that. So we’ll see what August has for us. Is a guy who could stage a hold in, but we haven’t seen any signs of it. seems like he’s gone through every rep 11 on 111. Have you thanked him for that or is that even necessary? How how have you handled that with him? Well, I think uh you define yourself by your actions. Um uh you know, most of all in in life. And so, uh you know, I’m very aware that um all players have a have a choice in in what they do on a day-to-day basis. specifically with Zach um uh and and his actions speak. So um I see and I and I think his his teammates um uh very much recognize how Zack Ser plays football and and contributes to the building every day. And you know, I think Zach has a a vision of um a a a team a team that I share and he understands it as a as a leader. He’s uh he’s trying to um show guys how he wants teammates to play football and um I’m excited every time I see Zack Cer. To what told us last week, Tyreek is still rebuilding his relationship with the team after how last season ended. How are you seeing that develop over the start of camp? Um, I’m seeing uh the daily investment. I’m seeing um uh I I I think it’s uh uh it’s a well-known fact that you know too is the leader of our our our team in the locker room as the franchise quarterback. And I think there’s a a lot to be said about a leader um saying the hard things. I think there’s a lot to be said about um you know uh uh Reek and and how uh how clear they’ve been towards each other so that these conversation that you can say these things and call a spade a spade. Um I I see that as grown man um uh grown man stuff’s watching uh grown man stuff like that that that is real that um relationships aren’t um created in a vacuum of uh uh dandelions and daisies. Um relationships real ones um uh ones that matter. uh you you go through a process of earning and uh delivering on trust. So um what what I’ve seen is it’s important um it’s important to the players on this team uh that they are connected to each other um both on the football field and off. And when you have people um going in that direction and focused on that um the it there’s there’s only good things that can come from that. So um so far so good. Uh I I see guys delivering on on their words with actions. Mike Kendall Sheffield is out of practice on Wednesday. Can you provide an update on the status? Um are you going to practice today? Practice today. Are you going to practice today? I’ll watch practice. Well, then the secret will lie with those. He’ll You’ll see him at practice today. He’s working through some stuff. He’s He’s at practice today. How’s Olli Gordon second doing? Um better than the first. You knew it was coming. Um no. Uh you know, it was the second I think we’ve had two we’ve had two days of pads. Um, and uh, with the last one, I think Olly, uh, you know, took the opportunity to, to kind of introduce himself to the team, um, as a rookie, uh, running back in particular. A lot of guys are, um, talented their whole careers and the best plays, um, snap, hand them the ball, right? Uh well in the NFL you that the position of running back uh expands a ton um to get you the ball in numer numerous ways and he is um in the rookie process where he’s learning um by mistakes and so far um he’s responded in a in a great way. you know, um you can’t you you have to do right by the length of the season with rookies and not overcook a successful day. Um and and wish them into a um taking the foot off the gas. So, um I I say that guarded only because um so far so good. He introduced himself um to his teammates with some pad level um and uh and uh you know as the as training camp goes um the battles will continue and uh they I think they know who he is today and we’ll see how he responds to that. Mike, how is Matoss doing? We know he’s out of the hospital, but how’s he doing? he um he’s he’s getting better and um he’s uh uh you know with his family and and and uh with the appropriate care. So um that’s uh that was the only thing that we care we cared about from the jump is that um the recovery uh continues to progress and it is ide no timetable. not concerned with the timetable. Um, but I will uh let you know when one one exists. Mike Alexander Madison has told us that um you guys didn’t kind of pigeon hole him or or kind of define him as a short yardage back that you’ve enabled him to do a lot of things. It looks to us like he’s showing quick feet. He’s made some double digit runs. Has that surprised you or or that’s kind of what you thought? Well, um seeing as every every run that he’s had in camp, um you can hear me yelling, um wait, this isn’t short yardage. Okay, so that’s Yeah, that that’s the that’s the whole crew, all 90. Um there’s a version that you uh that people have defined them as um put or put them in a box. I think um uh Mad Dog himself uh is a great example of No, here um we allow your your play to tell us who you are and how you adjust to coaching and how how willing you are to invest in your game and your team. Um, and so he’s a great example as as a veteran player who uh I think he um I’m hoping he knew that that kind of uh uh box in that he that he’s had because um that that was the whole basis of my continued joke that I’ve been yelling at him. So, uh, but you know, I think that that that’s the great thing about football, um, and being on a team in the National Football League is a lot of people have a lot of opinions and collectively you can, um, work together so that individually, uh, you can define yourself um where, uh, you know, perhaps in his case, um, in places that, uh, you know, people around the country have um, limit and said he couldn’t do. So, I I love that kind of stuff. Patrick Paul has looked immovable in one-on- ons, including putting like Chub on the ground a few times. What’s it been like to to watch his growth? Um, Patrick Paul is having a a very good camp. Um and that’s because he had a very good fivew week um training um uh uh period of time on his own um that followed a um a great eightweek program of offseason. he um you know I think he’s been on a steady uh uh a steady confidence climb um and you know it was very helpful uh getting uh you know inratiated into the NFL game and being able to play um you know behind uh uh you know Terron Armstead one of the best to do it and um he he is operating every day like he knows um the NFL regular season is coming and um he wants to surprise people just like sounds like you guys are u by 101 ones. Um the players on the team um he has earned respect with being as intentional and deliberate um as any player on the team. And uh you have a gigantic um player with an athletic skill set that is attacking what really matters. Not hey I blocked him or hey I didn’t but angles of sets um how to keep your balance uh you know how you drive off the ball landmarks all of those things pad level. He’s he’s all in to his game and I think people are are starting to see see that on the practice field and we hope that turns to the game. When we heard from Tula last week, he said that early in his career he used to kind of judge and gauge his practices based on results. I completed this many passes. I threw this many touchdowns. I didn’t throw an interception. But recently he gauges it based on two or three goals he sets for himself each day. Is that something that you that has been coached into him or is that something that you’ve seen as a natural development within him as he’s grown as a player? that that is a product of um a lot of intentional deliberate work conversations um you know myself uh you know Frank Smith, Daryl Beville, Bobby Sloic um but most notably Tua because the game um the game in general but specifically for the quarterback is quite literally handling noise And when you are able to go through a practice and focus on specific things to your game and not results, your training um you know kind of in in sync with all the great people that are great at stuff you have to it is it is a daily challenge. She’s working on stuff that um you know, philosophically I believe is is gigantic for mastering um uh NFL quarterback play. Um and uh that you know that’s the meat and potatoes of it. Working on identifying working on something um so you improve. And you know the sometimes the hardest thing um in sports is uh adjusting to success or failure. Um and when you aren’t your motivation is not to do anything but get better um generally you get better. So I don’t know about you. I’m fired up about him getting better. You fired up about him get getting better? Sure. Sure. Come on, man. You don’t love ball. See everybody doing well. There we go. Mike, when you have uh when you have two guards and Jonah and James that have primarily played uh when at guard on the right side in their career before here, how do you decide who ends up what spot given maybe both of their comfort zone? Um you know, coins, we just flip them. No, the uh there’s a lot of lot of things. You have to have a reason. The starting point is um a reason. Well, when you have people that have both played, right, um what uh you know, you you you try people at who who should be the left, you know. Um I know you want me to tell the world. Um, and uh, I’m not going to, but not just yet. But I think you you have to spread reps out and get guys um, comfortable. Uh, and to do that, um, you need to make them uncomfortable at the beginning. So, you throw them in there, see see how they react, but you don’t, um, try to, uh, you don’t try to all of a sudden make a rash decision. um you you you think through um all right, can this get better? Because the first time you do anything is um going to be the first time and it’s going to be its worst. So, um we mix it up. Uh try to try to have a sound reason that we do things. Um for for me, uh I wanted to get Jonah started at something. As a rookie, you have to re reframe your game anyway. So, um it’s important to get him work at left. Um James has had um work at left in his life. Um and we’ll see what comes of the reps that they’re they’re utilizing um both in walkthroughs and in practice. But for for a rookie, we’ll start him out at one spot and then um once he knows the offense and what he’s doing um if there’s an appropriate reason, we’ll move him um uh other than that. Or we’ll keep him there or we’ll we’ll play him at tackle. Who knows? There are still uh there’s still a handful of of marquee name quarterbacks available. Have you and Chris decided to bring any into the building for visits in the coming days? Um the Yeah, we’re we’re always looking at improving the roster. I’m um I’m excited about the practice today and we have um the the way the players have been developing. um I have more than enough to keep my attention, but um we’re uh we’re always one day away from um making a move at any position um because we’re we’re constantly trying to improve the team and that’s part of it. Cool. Thanks.

Coach Mike McDaniel meets with the media on Friday, August 1.

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