Read the full transcript from Mike McDaniel's press conference on September 16, 2024.
Q: I was going ask, is QB Tua Tagovailoa exhibiting any symptoms? How is he feeling? Does he have symptoms?
"He was downstairs today smiling with his teammates. He's working with the trainers and medical staff diligently and as far as I'm concerned, you're in the protocol and I think he's doing well today and we take it day by day. He was feeling good, but what does that mean in terms of a medical diagnosis? I don't base my judgments on my interactions with him necessarily as much as it is hearing the end result of the medical examination and where he's at. It was good to see him and I know his teammates were pumped to see him."
Q: You implored people not to worry too much or discuss too much about his future, what's next, to take it day by day; but there was a report yesterday by NFL Network that QB Tua Tagovailoa is focused on playing football again and coming back. Has he given you any indication? Is that what seems to be the plan for him as he moves forward?
"I think as far as Tua's career is concerned, I think it's of utmost priority of mind for Tua to speak on Tua's career. So I think reports are reports. As far as I'm concerned, I'm just worried about the human being and where that's at day to day, and I think I'll let Tua be the champion of his own career and speak on that."
Q: Is he going on injured reserve?
"Not enough information quite yet. That's going to be driven by medical experts and then when we get the appropriate information and discuss with Tua, then Chris (Grier) and I can discuss that. Not quite ready to make a distinction on that, so that could or couldn't. We'll see in the next coming days."
Q: Unfortunately this is something that he has history with now as far as evaluation and seeing doctors and specialists and all that. Last time he sought independent specialists. Are you encouraging him to go that route again this time?
"Absolutely. That will be part of the process, for sure."
Q: What made QB Tyler Huntley the choice as a quarterback being brought in?
"In lieu of the fact that if you're not going to adhere to timelines based upon what the science tells us and how we want to approach individual situations and player injuries; with that unknown, that was something that – ever since he's – it's been apparent from afar and then having some coaches that have been around him, shoot, he was replacing the league MVP and you could tell from far away that he was a guy that the team absolutely believed could lead them to victory. I think that's a very huge tangible thing for a non-QB1 necessarily, and so for us without knowing exact timelines, we got to learn firsthand a nice reminder of how it only takes one play and what you think your depth is changes abruptly. So that's a move for moving forward to secure some depth in case of the unforeseen which is timelines for us as it relates to Tua."
Q: To kind of drill down on QB Tyler Huntley and why he's here, is he being brought in to serve as the No. 2 behind QB Skylar Thompson or the No. 3 behind QB Tim Boyle or compete with Skylar eventually?
"This was not a move to in any way, shape or form out of anything not that has to do with Skylar (Thompson). Our team going all the way back to his first rep in rookie minicamp as a rookie to down the stretch of the 2022 season to what he was able to do to win the No. 2 job, this is not in any direct reflection to Skylar as Tua's backup. This is more for the depth. I do think that it helps the dynamics of the room to give another guy with starting history to this team and gives another added addition of a guy that's a signal-caller that a team can get behind. I was happy adding – what we were able to do in the quarterback room – in adding (Tim) Boyle, but I think this is more directly to back up Skylar and then you always let competition play out when it's out on the field, but this was a depth move, for sure."
Q: This decision, obviously QB Skylar Thompson did well in training camp, has done well in the exhibition season throughout the years and he does have the most familiarity with your offense. But what makes you so convicted that he can lead this team to victories?
"And I totally understand that question and this is deep-seated. This is observation from the second that he got on site. I think you learn so much about people when they're put into new situations and from his first rep in rookie minicamp, his first day on site to his first rep against I think it was the New York Jets or his first start against the Minnesota Vikings or his next start which was win-or-go-home situation – the final game of the regular season – or his start in the Buffalo game in the playoffs on the road where all these situations, you are grading the player and how he is executing what he is seeing live-speed. And time and time again, he's done things that are very, very difficult your first time around. And then I know last season we didn't really get the opportunity to see him play. It was a neck-and-neck competition in training camp and last year I thought Mike (White) did a great job giving us what the team needed and with an extra year under his belt, I thought in a tight race that he (Skylar Thompson) really separated himself. So I think his game has developed since he's had a starting opportunity in the National Football League. I think all his teammates can feel his command and his growth, and I think he put together some winning football as a rookie. Rookies have a hard enough time digesting anything, let alone being a quarterback in this offense, so there's a lot of reasons that his teammates have to fully believe in him and his ability which is why he was the No. 2 named from the end of preseason."
Q: I guess the idea was this offense needs a certain kind of quarterback to operate it. You've said that QB Tua Tagovailoa is the ideal quarterback for this system. QB Tyler Huntley, he and Tua have different games. Is it a signal that you're willing with QB Skylar Thompson, with Tyler if he ever plays to broaden the playbook? To go a different route? Maybe do some concepts that haven't been really the bread and butter of what we've seen?
"Absolutely and I think there's also the history of our offense does not start Year 1 with the Dolphins. I think with the different assets that we have and this complexion of the offense, for sure, there's a reason why I feel that with the utmost conviction with Tua, but going all the way back to some of the concepts and some of the beliefs that we've kind of developed, it wasn't too long ago where we were adapting within the offense, we were adapting in Washington to uncharted zone read territory. So that was something that we learned that we've kept in place in various situations. We've actually run a couple concepts here before when Skylar (Thompson) and Teddy (Bridgewater) were playing in '22. And then that's something that we carried all the way through 2021 in San Fran when we had Trey Lance on board as well. So there's ways within the offense to adapt to your skill position players and I think you're never – I know from a defensive perspective what that adds to how you have to defend so there is an advantage to, quite frankly, a different angle or a different competitive advantage when your quarterback has a lot of success with his feet. So I think that is something that from our offensive standpoint is not as outside-the-box as one may think. Tua's No. 1 RPO that he runs all the time is an extension of a zone read principle that he just throws instead of running the ball. So there's good caveats to it and a lot of different ways to skin a cat."
Q: The last week dating back to even a week ago, it's been pretty emotional for this team and obviously the latest with QB Tua Tagovailoa. How much of the focus as you begin a new week and prep for the next game is it a focus to kind of re-center things? That things aren't getting away from you after all the kind of emotion of the last week or so?
"Absolutely. That's a huge thing as we grow as a team. Listen, you call a spade a spade – as a team you have to address the fact that why did we feel the way we felt, why were we so caught off guard and why was the ultimate result something that we've been working diligently at preventing for a long time? And the biggest thing is when you are going above and beyond and then absolutely get the opposite results desired, you make sure that the team is individually focused on the growth of their game and not looking over their shoulder being like, 'OK, well shoot…' I was really enthused by today just in general because you want starting from – let's take as an example Anthony Weaver as the defensive coordinator and the trickle-down effect of how the defensive coordinator looks at the result. Well, it could be very easy for a lot of people to be like, 'There was three turnovers and two turnovers on down or whatever and 24 points came off those.' That is the easiest thing. The hard thing is to say, 'Whatever, let's tune up our game, I don't care about what other phases are doing, I don't care about what other positions are doing. How do I relate to our ultimate job? As 'Weave' (Anthony Weaver) said, our job is to get the ball back. I think teams are 18-3 in 2024 when the turnover differential is in the plus. But that doesn't help anyone get better if you just focus on 'Hey, I'm good.' So to me, worrying about our standard and focusing on winning the next game is absolutely the most important thing that this team can learn, especially after you – nobody on the team saw the end result coming, but now I feel like our team understands why it did and then what our objectives are to clean up our game as fast as possible to render results that we're more satisfied with, plain and simple."
Q: Do you expect to have T Terron Armstead available on Sunday?
"Yeah, I think he's day to day. So what that looks like – I feel it's definitely more of a day-to-day situation, so I'm optimistic."
Q: RB De'Von Achane right now through two games has 46 touches, the next five players have combined for 44. Was this always the plan for him to be such a heavy vocal point of this offense? Or is there a plan to diversify a little bit?
"Well, I think there's compounding variables. I wouldn't say – I knew he was going to have an uptick in involvement. I think with Raheem (Mostert), his situation, that's kind of added to it, the defenses structures and what they've committed themselves to has given him more opportunities. I think specifically it's hard not to give guys opportunities that really are thirsting for the ball that are doing something with it – so it's to his credit. You want to talk about a guy that literally did everything imaginable to have that Thursday night opportunity in terms of his time in the training room and making sure he was a full-go. All he's done has given more reasons to get him the ball. I wouldn't say that – it was probably quite the opposite going into the season. I wasn't thinking – we really have a situation where there's a lot of people to give the ball, more so than I've ever been used to here, so to say that I was forecasting such a heavy dose, that wouldn't be honest. But at the same time, he's definitely earned all of the opportunities and he could make a case for even more. So I think I wouldn't expect – there's so many playmakers that we had to diversify. I think his production with the ball right now is definitely a positive for us, because to get the ball away from him, you got to do some good stuff with it. So I think it puts pressure on all eligibles and what you do with the ball, because he's made it very clear that on the routine, he's probably making the first guy miss."
Q: Upon review of the film, why was it so hard to get WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle the ball consistently against the Bills?
"Well, I think there's – football is definitely a team sport. Offensive football, when a team is committing – when a defensive team or an opponent is committing to take somebody away, you have to make them pay appropriately. I think the ops are still there, they just might not be as multiple when you're having a two-man player, you have two people guarding one on run downs. So I think those, what's cool about 'Reek' (Tyreek Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle and their understanding of football and really our offense is there's certain situations where, it doesn't happen that often, but they'll come to the sidelines and tell me, 'Hey, you know what? We need to run the ball.' What they're saying is they know there's not a run fit player. They know that the safety and the corner aren't even looking at the ball during our play action, so you have to execute and make people pay when they're overplaying something. I think that teams have a lot of reason to focus on those guys and I think collectively it's a group effort to get them more involved because they're the – case in point, the rest of the offense is in an advantageous situation if they're going to fully commit the way that some teams have been, that you always have to keep them involved, but there's a balance where teammates have to really make opposing teams pay if they're going to overcommit that way. And until we do, I think they understand as much as everybody else that teams will do something until you make them pay for it."
