Coach Mike McDaniel meets with the media | Miami Dolphins

Coach Mike McDaniel meets with the media | Miami Dolphins

specifically um things for this football team uh to win football games. But um I’m far from even going down that direction of would have could have possible things. We have a football game um against the Buffalo Bills that you know we we are certain that Tua gives us the best chance to win. Um and we uh uh have to approach our jobs with diligence and um we have to execute. And Tua knows that uh you know heavy is the crown of being a franchise quarterback that you um with the with the um the anointment of a being a franchise uh quarterback comes um you know the the consequences of um having to be on top of your game. And um we’re all uh under the same scrutiny um and have the same uh uh uh starting point of all right you are uh on the field um to give us the best chance to win and when that um when he doesn’t give us the best chance to win then you you adjust. But specul speculation um as far as uh all right if this player doesn’t do his job um down the road uh will he still have his you know I think I think it’s pretty simple we we we play the players that give us the best chance to win and when that um changes or if that changes or if somebody else gives us a better shot then we adjust there but I I still um absolutely uh don’t forget all of the the learning lessons and the the growth that Tu has had over his career and I’m counting on him to have the similar um response uh you know from this last game but I mean as far as conjectures go down the road for a headline you know I I I don’t see how that necessarily helps the Miami Dolphins play the Buffalo Bills you saw Chris get moved on from Chris on Friday the news came out after we had a chance to speak with you What was your feeling on that and your conversation with Stephen Ross? And there was a report that there were assurances made that you were continuing to be the head coach the rest of the season. Is that correct? All right. Well, um, as far as we we’ll two-part this. So, as far as my feelings, you know, you come into work um on Friday and you know, my focus was cleaning up um the things that went wrong from the um Baltimore game and getting a head start on uh correcting those things moving forward to Buffalo. Um you know, uh Mr. Ross um told me directly. Um, and you know, I I I I prioritize the idea of not spending any time thinking of things that could happen from a from that that standpoint. So, you know, I I took the information as he delivered it um and uh heard him and um you know, for for me personally, you know, Chris is a guy that I’ve worked with every day since I’ve been here. um so personally that um you know I’m a human being and and whether it’s football or it’s um you know life things you know that’s uh an emotional toll when you realize that all right things are going to be different having said that um none of my job and what people depend on on me for has anything to do with any of my feelings I it’s irrelevant um the my job state or as it stands is to be the head football coach and um to make sure that I have a group of individuals um you know as as empowered as a team as possible so we can go um to the inevitable game on Sunday at one o’clock and give ourselves the best chance to win. So, anything outside of that, I’m I’m I try to be as disciplined as possible um to uh to um understand what is required of me, where my brain needs to be at. Um and my focus has been on uh uh having a having a team um learn from the lessons today so that we can apply the lessons um and our um preparation for Buffalo towards Buffalo on Wednesday and that and that’s kind of where I where where I’m at. What can you tell us now about Champ Kelly who will assume the role in the interim and in this short time that you’ve uh been working with him? Well, I’ve known Champ for um a little while um and got to gotten the opportunity to work with him directly um you know this year and you know I think he’s a guy that uh adds value through um uh how he comes to work every day. Um he has energy and um is is very team oriented um and has uh you know um history in this uh in this particular type of scenario um uh having been interim GM uh once before and um we’ll take those lessons and help help us uh you know collectively um work together uh to do the best thing for the football team moving forward. So, um, you know, I think he’s a he’s a a person that is well equipp equipped both professionally and and just who he is as a as a person um to take on this challenge. How difficult though does it make your job to prepare for a game on Sunday when you might not have all the players that you have today after this trade deadline? Um as far as the the trade trade deadline is concerned, it’s you know much much it’s very similar to uh you know um digesting injuries after a game where you have um you know you have your possibilities of of players that you think that um will be able to play on the on Sunday and sometimes those um those players are in question or sometimes you find out new information that they’re ruled out. I think um you know that that’s a every week rep um that uh you know you kind of have to um apply uh when you’re talking about specifically the the uh uh decisions that need to be made um for the specific game plan. What are your feelings toward the Jaylen Phillips trade and the loss of his services? Well, my feelings which I I I again I I What’s your reaction? Yeah, my reaction. Um, so I I think you know there’s there as a head coach you have a a unique balance where my job is clearly to prepare the team to win this football game that’s coming in now six days. Um that being said, uh it’s vitally important that um when when you’re making decisions um you know uh for an organization that you know that I make my feelings clear on how that how things relate um in the short term and the long term to be able to understand uh you know the uh the no one wants to um lose a good player. Um but there’s you do things for the the best interest of your football team in both the short and long term. So uh I you know my feelings towards it was it you know I I have a a high regard and a lot of investment into Jaylen Phillips. Um and I you know this that part of the business I absolutely uh dislike um in terms of uh having to say goodbye to a player. That being said, I understand um the uh the you know it was a trade that um we we got back um compensation and I understand the value of that compensation and you know I think um as far as uh you know the organization um and you know me working with the front office and communicating that um it was very healthy conversation that we all uh um understood that you know maybe uh you know there’s sometimes that the the best interest of the football team in the long term uh doesn’t necessarily overlap with the uh exact um interests for one game with one player. So tough decisions in football that um that you know I think uh the way to avoid those tough decisions um you know can you can avoid those if if you’re hitting on all cylinders and and winning football games. Um we we just lost um uh uh this past week and we’ve I if we um want to make that a little little easier on ourselves, we uh just win football games that that we have the ability to that um instead of losing them. So we control the controllables. Um my feelings uh and my reaction are are kind of um that’s the best way I can under uh describe my my reaction, my feelings. Um but the focus has to be and will continue to be um our football team relative to the next opponent which is uh the Buffalo Bills this week. Do you expect any more major trades before the trade deadline tomorrow? you know, um, conversations, uh, happen every single year. Um, sometimes there’s, uh, there’s more reports than, um, are, uh, actual reality. Uh, often times that’s the case. Um, but you’re always having conversations. You’re always ready, um, for for whatever uh, you know, turn. you’re ready for uh the terms of of other teams to um hit you with a blind side. Um and and so whether I whether or not I expect it um you know I’m always expecting the unexpected. So, you’re you’re ready for whatever. Um, you know, we we haven’t um made a major move because it hasn’t made sense um for the Miami Dolphins as we um kind of have collectively derived. So, uh but does that mean there won’t be something um you know, who knows? that that’s um partially our control, partially um you know other teams and and will uh do business um as we know know it to be done which is do the best thing for the Miami Dolphins both short and long term. Mike, I don’t mean to sound overly dramatic, but the team’s two and seven. The GM just got fired. There’s questions about your future and now we’re talking about trades. How do you keep this together? How can you be focused on winning games when there’s so much uncertainty on what the plan is moving forward as far as rebuilding and what’s next? Yeah, I think that um I I think what you’re saying is is very true. Um it also uh what can be very true as well or can current can can be truthful as well is um you know our our our team has found ways to improve and uh you know particularly the the game four days before um that Baltimore game. we found like we we thought that we found the the winning formula to um you know really execute through all of our season growth and then um you know uh the way the National Football League is is um you you have a outcome you have different things um you know the trade deadline right next to um you know a a major move um from the front office standpoint and Yeah, from the outside looking in, um, guys could guy it could appear that that’s a recipe for distraction. Um, what I can go off of is uh my uh feet on the ground observation and relying upon the leaders and the captains of this football team um to uh to show me where they’re at. And when guys come in um from the onset of uh working downstairs um w with Dave and and Kyle um in the training room and um getting their their Monday runs in to the meeting rooms. Um you know, I I I see a a team that understands um the callous that they’ve created through um through this season. there’s we haven’t been void of noise so to speak. Um and there’s a different different variable to distract. Uh the bottom line is is you’re playing a NFL football game against a division opponent, one that um the last two times you’ve played them, you feel like you have had the capability as a team to beat. Um and we will play a game Sunday and we will either be prepared or unprepared for that. So you you um explain that on the front end to the team which is what um we talked about today and then um you uh take it one one day at a time, one step at a time and attack um what our jobs are. So I I have um uh conviction uh in focus and I expect the rest of the team to follow suit with the rul toe. Is it broken? Do you expect them to miss time? Yeah, I mean there’s uh there’s uh uh bumps and bruises from the game. Um none of which that I can uh uh are to the level that I can rule out um you know next week’s game. So uh he’s he’s included in that. So we’ll we’ll see how the next couple days um benefit his body and if he’s able to um give it a go on Sunday. You just you just mentioned your conversations with leaders um around this time of all this uncertainty. I’m curious what kind of take us inside those conversations. How do you rely on these guys to kind of pick up the spirit of the team amid all the uncertainty? Well, I think um you know the the captains and leaders of this team um are in those positions and in those roles um uh for a reason. And I think it’s as simple as you have 45% of the season um of guaranteed games left and you are responsible for what that looks like regardless of mood, disappointment, um whe whether or not we anticipated to be in this situation or not. Irrelevant. I think you um you know, you paint the picture of uh the the opponent and what’s coming Sunday. And I think uh you know the the particular uh players that are in charge with leadership roles on this team um it it’s a quick conversation um before they they uh can can focus narrowly on that target which is uh 1:00 this Sunday and what we have to do in the in the meantime to get ourselves ready for that game. So I think uh you know we’re the the leaders and the and the captains have um made sure that regardless of uh uh results that there’s been elements of growth and uh within this season and my expectation is that we grow from this past game and that we put our best foot forward against against a division opponent at home this coming Sunday. Thank you. Thank you.

Coach Mike McDaniel meets with the media

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