Read the full transcript from Mike McDaniel's press conference on November 20, 2024.
(The guys who are eligible to come back, will we see LB Cam Goode, LB Bradley Chubb or LS Blake Ferguson designated this week?) – "Do not think so, do not anticipate that."
(With WR Tyreek Hill, I guess he told CBS that there was one specialist who recommended wrist surgery. Are you guys basically just leaving it to him for the rest of the season? He says he wants to keep playing and not have surgery until the offseason, if he has it at all.) – "We're kind of approaching it as a collective knowing that his best interest is our best interest. So utilizing all the resources at hand, and it didn't really put the burden on him exclusively, even though I think he knows whatever is best for him we view is the best for the team. I think utilizing each other and all the experts and having one common goal, which is him at his best and what's the best way to do that and weighing the pros and cons, it was a lot to unpack so there was good conversation and trusting regard in opinions, et cetera. It was a healthy process."
(You've made some personnel moves this season. TE Durham Smythe has lost snaps, RB Raheem Mostert has lost some carries, David Long lost his starting job. What was behind those? Were those strictly performance based or were you trying to send a message, particularly with David Long?) – "No, I think it's been the same pattern each and every season in terms of one thing that I'm very upfront with with players, the second they get in the building, the second that we start talking about projected lineups or positions within a position group, I think it's important that people understand you're entitled to nothing in this world. Playing time is solved by players on the field, and the best players have to play, and that's my job to follow through with that. I don't look at someone lost something, I look at who earned the opportunities. It's more about the players that are getting the opportunities and less about guys doing stuff to – I don't trivialize each and every game, that's so sacred, that's very finite for each and every player and coach in terms of you only have so many opportunities and I don't play around with those at all. It's something that I think is important to players in general that not only for themselves, but teammates want the teammate next to them that best deserves that situation; it's about them and it's always fluctuating. I don't stipulate, 'All right, you're this and because I said that, you will be that.' Guys are very aware that I'm adjusting to them all the time, and when snap counts change, that means they change for then. Is that going to be the way it is moving forward forever and always, we'll see how the players take advantage of their opportunities. I don't believe in quote unquote to send a message at the expense of someone's career, and quite frankly, everybody that roots for the Dolphins and is counting on me to make the hard decisions regardless of what the ifs ans or buts, you have to do what is best for the team and that's the best players for that scenario being on the field together in that situation."
(To clarify that, CB Storm Duck played over CB Cam Smith as CB Kendall Fuller's replacement last week. Was that because CB Storm Duck outperformed CB Cam Smith in practice that week?) – "A little assignment related, matchup related that week, yes. There's no crowning of – it wouldn't be factual to say one of those guys is over the other. We'll see what they do with the situation and the opportunity. It was very specific and that one is a great example. I'm really happy with, especially in the last month, the development of Cam (Smith). So it renders one to think that we might be down on him because Storm (Duck) played, (but) that was because what Storm was doing and the assignments and kind of our game plan for that particular opponent. Which I won't give you the keys on that, but you can look at the types of defenses we were playing and we thought that against the Raiders, that Storm would be the best answer for that. It's important the players know that; I don't shy away from that because they have more control in their journey than they realize. A lot of times it can feel like, 'OK, I'm on the outside looking in,' or vice versa, 'I've made it,' and that's a favor to nobody because that's not real. Because tomorrow if Cam completely outplays Storm Duck and we feel comfortable with what we're doing, he'll absolutely play over Storm Duck and everybody is very aware of that. I think it's very important to get the most out of people that they realize that it's about what they're doing in unison with what they've done, but what they're doing and they get to dictate the terms at the present and moving forward."
(I always wondered if a player is going to have a diminished role, say on Sunday, do you sit them down and tell them that in advance or do they figure it out by 2:30 p.m., 3 o'clock on Sunday?) – "You try to not to have surprises; nothing is perfect, but when you know, when you can anticipate maybe a reduced role, you absolutely have conversations that are direct led by the position coach. Sometimes that's a follow up with me just depending on how drastic the role adjustment is. If you had been a starter and then you're not going to start anymore, I'll probably talk to you. If it's a minor tweak, then the position coach usually handles it alone, but that's for all the forecasted adjustments. Then there's the in-game adjustments where I'm going into the game thinking there's going to be a 60-40 split in play time and then the guy on the field is really going above and beyond his job responsibilities, playing really well, well then I'll adjust and am very honest and clear about that. Sometimes guys are on the short end of the stick in that situation, but again no one is entitled to a thing. We're not entitled to go out there and win based upon X, Y or Z, you have to go earn it. You're not entitled to any position in the National Football League, and if you think you are, then you're very delusional because these are very sought after positions, coaching and playing, and the competition is fierce so you better be up for the challenge or someone will be found to rise to the occasion."
(I don't think we've asked you about Drake Maye ever. This is a guy you might have to deal with for a decade plus. What did you see of him in evaluation coming out and what have you seen of him since he's been on the field?) – "I saw a true quarterback who has the ability to gain the confidence of his teammates and lead and orchestrate an offense. I saw a guy that can make plays in a multitude of ways. I think the Patriots are kind of feeling that right now where he's a guy that can see down the field, can play fearlessly in the pocket and make every throw with the arm strength to do it, but also is a very good athlete that has some juice and can make plays off schedule. I think that's been a huge bonus to their offense as of late, had some explosive plays, whether he threw it outside the pocket or he scrambled outside the pocket. He's a guy that you expect to continue to get better, and it's always impressive when rookie quarterbacks make plays at the NFL level just because there's a lot coming at them. They just learned the foreign language like a handful of months ago and are doing it in live action with guys that are trying to inflict pain on you. So I think it's a credit to him and his preparation and the coaching staff as well."
(How is CB Kendall Fuller doing? Would he be ready to practice this week or would he take a longer recovery?) – "Just got done talking to him on the bike, he was sweating on the bike a little bit. It's hard to say. I would be pessimistic about this week, but we'll see."
(Regarding S Jordan Poyer, it seems like he's struggled at times; Brock Bowers' touchdown, it looked like he got caught up in some traffic then missed the tackle. How has his season been going do you think?) – "I think there's some plays that 'Po' (Jordan Poyer) definitely has a higher expectation for himself. I think the play you just alluded to is a prime example. It's a play that he could have made to stop the bleeding, however, there were some other extraneous circumstances when you're talking about the traffic and how from a technique and fundamental standpoint, we could avoid that traffic issue with teammates. But there's some absolute plays that he could be better at; I will say I'm very happy with his play overall and what he brings to our defense. I think it's hard to measure when you're not working day-in, day-out. For example – I've never asked him this directly, but there's open locker rooms, you can ask him yourself, but I would imagine Jevón Holland would say he plays his absolute best when he's alongside Jordan Poyer. I would forecast there's multiple players that feel that way, so there's a lot of things that aren't point of attack that he's really, really doing a high-level job of. He's making plays for us from a physical standpoint each and every week and he'll improve on the stuff because he's a – there's a reason he's been in the NFL so long. I'm not sure if he was a seventh round or undrafted free agent, I just know that he wasn't expected to make the team back in 2014 in Cleveland when I coached there and he was there. He's had an unbelievable NFL career because he's a great player that is very accountable and finds ways to improve within the season which I expect him to do as well."
(Going back to the Patriots, I think you're 4-1 against them as head coach. Kind of a two-part question, what has allowed for that to happen but also, what does that mean for this week? How do you not let that be a false indicator of success going forward?) – "I'll answer the latter first, it mean's nothing for this week and I think that's important in either scenario of matchups; those are different teams, those are different times of the year. It's the NFL, and are you ready to play and does the collective group have mastered the plan to go attack? I think the biggest set up in the National Football League is praise or overindulgence into stats of former teams. It is the Miami Dolphins versus the New England Patriots on Sunday; first time that we've played against this quarterback, first time that we played this season on the heels of a two-game winning streak. What does that look like? How do we play that way? It's all about this game, and trying to – football and the sport it is, shoot, what shape is a football? It's the shape of a football, right? I don't even know what shape that is."
(Oblong.) – "Right, which is more of a description. That's not necessarily, 'oblong.' Anyway, the ball bounces weird ways. (laughter) It's unpredictive in that way and you have to embrace that by just being prepared, know that you're going to get a team that in the middle of the season, when you have this much left, it doesn't matter what people's records are. If you've been losing more than you've been winning, it's miserable – we can attest. And so you try to do everything in your power just to win. There's a lot of season left and you're trying to, for one week, get that winning feeling back so the world feels right. That's a dangerous competitor in any fashion and the team that I watch on tape plays hard, and so it would be pretty dumb to expect anything less."
(I know you've been asked this a couple times the last couple weeks, but what has DT Calais Campbell brought to the defensive line? To the defense? To the whole team? And has he been even better on the field than you anticipated when he signed?) – "I think he means a great deal to not only the defensive line room, but the entire defense as well as the entire team. It's rare for a guy to get here when he did, and then be voted, with such conviction, captain. I think the way that he operates to be a pro, I think has had a substantial impact on a lot of players that hadn't been fortunate enough to be around someone with sustained success like he's had. We played high school football against each other."
(Really?) – "Yeah. So he's longer in the tooth – tape. I mean there's nothing – man, it is so cool to watch people put film out there that is the antithesis of what people would expect. You'd expect a player every year to get to lose a little something, and he's channeled the fountain of youth that – you can put his tape this year against three years ago. How does that occur? In no way shape or form does any of that happen without extreme commitment and hard work, and you talk about a guy that comes to work every day and demands juice from his teammates. You can't go through the motions around him; first of all, he'll call you out, but then second of all, you'd feel too guilty. So he's a very powerful piece to our team and a guy that – it's been my pleasure to coach him and be around him and we're certainly glad we have him."
(How many games did you guys play against each other?) – "One, and I'm here so he didn't tackle me. I have a rib cage still, so he didn't tackle me. (laughter) But yeah, he was such a big deal because this – I must have heard about him in 1998 at first. We were in high school, but there was this guy getting a bunch of buzz – I think he was two years younger than me, and he was getting offers from 'The U' (University of Miami), which was like, 'What?' This was right before the assembly of that team that grew into the – Colorado football generally, outside of Christian McCaffery, doesn't really have that going on, so he was giant in the state of Colorado, for sure, and he's giant in the National Football League. A giant man, both in presence in and in size."
(You laid a big block on him that game though, right?) – "No, I stayed away from him. I was trying to coach here 20 years later. (laughter) And I couldn't do that if I was dead."
