Mike McDaniel October 5 Takeaways
Head coach Mike McDaniel addressed the media before the Miami Dolphins practiced at the Baptist Health Training Complex on Wednesday.
Here were the highlights from McDaniel's press conference:
-- First question deals with the two starting cornerbacks, Byron Jones and Xavien Howard. Howard will be day-to-day with his groin injury and will try to play against the Jets on Sunday. Jones will not begin practicing. "It's not progressing as fast as we had hoped from the spring and the summer." McDaniel says there has been no setback, but he won't put Jones on the field if there's any kind of instability in the injured area.
-- Cornerback Keion Crossen will be getting treatment in the upper leg/lower glute area with the hope he can play against the Jets.
-- After his first loss as a head coach, McDaniel said he got texts from some of his peers that he said meant a lot to him. Asked whether it was the same volume as congratulatory texts after his first win, McDaniel joked, "The cricket world is real."
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-- Overcoming adversity always has been a big talking point for McDaniel, so it's natural he says he's not going to shy away from the challenge of trying to get the team bounce back after the loss at Cincinnati.
-- The ability to have a proven backup like Teddy Bridgewater is big, McDaniel says, pointing out to the team's ability to spend wisely in the offseason. McDaniel says Bridgewater already has made his teammates better for this Sunday because of his approach and what he's done in practice. "Feel very fortunate to have Teddy." Says Tua and Skylar Thompson would tell us the whole QB room is better for having Bridgewater in it. "Can't understate it."
-- McDaniel points out that some players were trying to do too much individually to try to win at Cincinnati.
-- Skylar Thompson is very inquisitive and have a question about everything because he wants to do it the right way.
-- Preparing as a starter will be a lot different for Teddy Bridgewater than preparing as a backup because of all the attention that comes with it.
-- The first Tua question comes late in the media session, and McDaniel says Tua remains in the concussion protocol and that's the only focus at this point. "He'll be around as long as it doesn't adversely affect him." McDaniel says the Dolphins want Tua around as much as possible, but not at the cost of hindering his recovery.
-- Tua was ruled out for the Jets game Monday, which some deemed very early, but McDaniel said it had nothing to do with optics. And he adds if he ever starts doing things for optics, then he'll know he's failing at his job. "That's not really my speed, I would say."
-- Regarding any criticism thrown his way, McDaniel said it would bother him only if it came from inside the team. He fully understands it comes with the job.
-- For the running game to improve, McDaniel says it needs more commitment from everybody (including him) and better execution.
-- The Jets coaching staff features a lot of people with whom McDaniel has worked during his career. McDaniel calls head coach Robert Saleh one of the closest coaches to him in the league. He also he has worked more closely with Jets OC Mike LaFleur than any coach in the NFL other than Kyle Shanahan.
