Mike McDaniel October 28 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:

-- First question deals with the trade deadline and whether McDaniel talks to his players about it, particularly those whose names might come up in rumors. For the Dolphins right now, that likely would include tight end Mike Gesicki.

-- The Dolphins rank eighth in the NFL in run defense, and McDaniel first points to a commitment to getting better at it. From this vantage point, we also need to mention the good work from linemen Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler and linebacker Elandon Roberts, among others.

-- After losing Brandon Jones to a torn ACL, McDaniel says you don't replace good players with one player. The issue with losing Jones is that he's got a unique skill set at safety with his blitzing ability and tackling.

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-- Regarding the Detroit offense, McDaniel says the Lions challenge defenses with both their running and passing game.

-- In trying to teach players, McDaniel says he's a big proponent of using analogies, including bringing up basketball moves, sumo wrestling (for pad level). Says he can't keep track of all the analogies he uses.

-- The Dolphins played a clean game against Pittsburgh in terms of penalties and turnovers, and said it was a combination of coaches emphasizing it and players going out and avoiding the mistakes.

-- Having 16 players limited in practice, like the Dolphins did Thursday, affects the way you practice. McDaniel said he had to adjust practice Wednesday to adjust to the large number of players who are dinged up. Says it does affect preparation for a game and adjustments need to be made throughout the season to deal with injured players.

-- McDaniel indicates that there isn't a player who's definitely out for the Detroit game.

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