What McDaniel Revealed About Status of Dolphins Injured Star Defenders

The Miami Dolphins are heading into their final game of the season against the New England Patriots with some big injuries on the defense, including arguably the team’s two best players on that unit.

Minkah Fitzpatrick has missed the last two games with a calf injury that he suffered in the team’s loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers, while linebacker Jordyn Brooks left the Dolphins’ win against Tampa Bay with a hamstring injury.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel spoke to the media Monday and provided an update on both players. McDaniel said Fitzpatrick is still day-to-day and doesn’t want to be shut down.

Brooks is in a similar situation: he’ll do everything he can to play against New England, but he's also “day by day.” It seems he’s earned quite a say in whether he suits up, too.

"Every case is different," McDaniel said when asked if Brooks had a say in whether he would play. "It's vitially important that you have realtionships with each and every one of these guys, so you know when to take charge of protecting people from themseleves, and when guys have earned the right to speak on their behalf."

“There’s not a player who has done more and sacrificed more for this team,” McDaniel added. “He’s having a career year, and I think a lot of his peers will gain appreciation once they see the tape of just how well he’s played... I'm confident that he won't put the team in a risky situation simply out of hope, and we'll take it day by day because he earned that."

Brooks Is Chasing NFL Leaderboards

Brooks isn’t the type of player who needs extra motivation to suit up, but it’s hard to imagine he’s not at least thinking about the prospect of leading the NFL in tackles.

Before Monday Night Football in Week 17, Brooks has a six-tackle lead over Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White.

Brooks had just five tackles when he left the game Sunday early, allowing White to close the gap a bit with an eight-tackle game against the New York Giants.

If Brooks can’t play against New England, it’s hard to imagine White not overtaking the lead. White has had fewer than six tackles in a game just once this season, Week 6 against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Raiders will take on a struggling Kansas City Chiefs team in Week 18, so he should get plenty of chances to make tackles.

What makes this whole discussion a bit ironic is that Brooks and White are a perfect example of why tackles are such a flawed stat. Brooks is having an All-Pro-caliber season, while White is struggling mightily for the Raiders.

Not all tackles are created equal, and Brooks has significantly more valuable tackles for the Dolphins. Plus, Brooks is literally just better at tackling than White.

Brooks has a 3.1 missed tackle rate against the run this season, compared to White’s 14.9 missed tackle rate, according to Pro Football Focus.

All it takes is one quick look at their tape to see just how much better Brooks is, but that won’t do him any good in the race to lead the NFL in tackles.

More Miami Dolphins Coverage