Mike McDaniel October 14 Takeaways
Head coach Mike McDaniel addressed the media before the Miami Dolphins practiced at the Baptist Health Training Complex on Friday.
Here were the highlights from McDaniel's press conference:
-- McDaniel asks before the start of the session if the focus on this press conference could be the Minnesota Vikings, which is flat-out not going to happen.
-- Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater remain in the concussion protocol, and if Bridgewater is not cleared by Saturday, then Reid Sinnett will be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the backup to Skylar Thompson for the Vikings game.
-- Bridgewater is limited to a number of reps in practice, per the concussion protocol, but has been diligently taking note, per McDaniel. "He's gotten all the reps he can get mentally."
-- In case there was any doubt because of the situation this week, Bridgewater remains the No. 2 quarterback once Tua gets back to action. "The team really believes in all three quarterbacks."
-- Like Bridgewater, Tua has been taking mental reps all week. McDaniel says Tua has done a good job from a leadership standpoint this week. "He's really assumed all the things that aren't football directly, which I commend."
-- Here comes a Vikings question, which elicits a reaction from McDaniel, and it deals with the low number of sacks they have allowed. McDaniel says it's a combination of Cousins, the offensive line, the scheme and the respect opponents have for wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.
-- Asked about Kevin O'Connell of the Vikings heading into a matchup of first-year head coaches under the age of 40, McDaniel remembers scouting him as a quarterback coming into the NFL in 2008. The two coached in the NFC West and McDaniel says there's been a lot of overlap in their careers. Says he's not surprised by the success O'Connell has experienced this season.
-- Austin Jackson is eligible to come off IR this week, but McDaniel says "we're taking it day to day with him," with a tone suggesting this might not be the week for Jackson to make his return.
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FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM
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-- McDaniel says he doesn't care about the ping-pong table issue and why exactly it disappeared this week, saying the locker room belongs to the players and whatever the reason it was taken away isn't significant. And we're right there with him.
-- Tyreek Hill is held in high regard because of his performance and also because he's a leader, McDaniel says.
-- The final question goes back to Thompson, McDaniel said he was a target for a long time. With that said, McDaniel adds that he's exceeded expectations in terms of how he prepared and how "moments aren't too big for him." Says he's got an entire football team that's excited to play with him.
