McDaniel: ‘We get what we deserve.’ Tagovailoa reacts to return. Coaching moves backfire
Reaction from Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel after a crushing 28-27 loss to Arizona that left Miami at 2-5:
▪ On blowing a 10-point second half lead: “It’s frustrating. We had every chance to win it. Collectively, we always play really hard. I thought there was [better] execution but there were critical mistakes that were tough to overcome. One of the stronger games I’ve seen by a quarterback in Kyler Murray.”
He said Dolphins players have “been all in on winning and falling short is hard for everyone. There are no silver linings in this loss. It is testing us for sure. I feel good about the human beings we have.... It still hasn’t been enough. It will be a pretty rough [Monday of film review]. We have to fix it... We get what we deserve.... It wasn’t clean enough for me. That’s the big takeaway for me.”
McDaniel said: “No team is going to give a [expletive] about our problems... No opponent the rest of the year will give a [expletive]” about Miami losing five of its first seven.
Standing at 2-5 “is rough,” McDaniel said. “But in any NFL season, you can’t take what your record is at that stage and extrapolate.”
▪ On the defensive strategy against Arizona and Murray: “You try to be effective in rush lanes. I did agree with our game plan going into it. It does put a high priority on guys that are free and have a shot at the quarterback; you have to rely on your technique and fundamentals on a guy like that. Guys were in position to make plays and there were critical ones we didn’t make.”
Miami held Arizona to 3.2 yards per carry but allowed 307 yards through the air and didn’t have a sack.
▪ On the offense playing better: “Kind of what I expected. We did a real good job on third down. It was more of our brand of football that would probably be a silver lining if we weren’t sitting at 2-5.”
▪ On the botched center/quarterback exchange that led to a safety to cut Miami’s lead to 20-12: Aaron Brewer “would say he should have taken a little steam off it. Tua says he should have caught it.”
▪ On Tagovailoa’s first game back: “He knew his teammates were going to give him a chance to play a pretty clean game. [For the most part], he got clean pockets. When he didn’t, he was decisive and kept himself out of harm’s way.”
Regarding Tagovailoa sliding feet first on his scramble, McDaniel said: “When he’s mindful and not trying to run defenders over, he’s generally able to stay pretty healthy.”
▪ He said Jevon Holland’s knee injury “didn’t seem” significant “but I would be talking ignorantly if I forecast anything. I’ll find out more” on Monday.
▪ McDaniel said he doesn’t expect Zach Sieler to be sidelined “too long” with his fractured orbital bone. McDaniel said he doesn’t know if surgery will be needed.
TAGOVAILOA REACTION
▪ Tagovailoa, who went 28 for 38 for 234 yards (97.1 passer rating) in his first game since coming off injured reserve, said the crowd reaction to him sliding was “super cool.” He said he’s “not trying to be a hero.”
▪ He said “we are too talented to not end drives with points... What can we do to get better? It takes everyone inside that locker room to get where we want to go. It felt normal coming out there.”
▪ Tagovailoa indicated the offense felt “helpless” watching the Cardinals run out the clock before their game winning field goal at the gun.
▪ n a botched snap that led to the safety, he said: “I’ve got to catch the ball.”
▪ On falling to 2-5: “There’s always time, brother. Seventeen games is a lot. Whether we’re counted out or not, we’re going to continue playing. No matter how many years ago, we started 1-7 and didn’t have half the talent” that this team has. We won seven in a row. Not going to say we’re going to do that, but anything is possible.”
During that 2021 season, the Dolphins started 1-7 and then won seven in a row and finished 9-8.
▪ In Buffalo, which has won 12 of the last 13 against Miami: “We’ve got to beat them.”
MORE REACTION
Tyreek Hill: “That [stinks], man. Every time we lose in this league it [stinks]. They were a good football team. But at the end of the day, we obviously are a better football team. We’ve just got to put it on tape as a team. Not just one player... Everybody has got to play for each other, play for your brother. At the end of the day, it’s got to mean something to you, bro. It’s got to. It’s got to.”
▪ Calais Campbell, on the Dolphins playing without several of their top defenders (Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Zach Sieler and then Holland in the second half):
“You lose players it’s tough. [Holland] is a tone setter for us. That’s a big loss.... If we keep putting the work in, eventually the tide has to turn. As long as there’s life left, we’ll fight.”
QUICK THOUGHTS
Besides injuries, what has hurt the Dolphins the most have been offseason mistakes, from not signing a skilled enough nose tackle, to botching the backup quarterback situation, to making poor decisions at safety.
But coaching personnel decisions were costly on Sunday. Among them:
1). Why was Cam Smith — and not Jalen Ramsey — covering supremely talented Marvin Harrison Jr. late during the breakout game of the receiver’s rookie season? (Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver assuredly will address that during his next media availability on Thursday.)
Harrison, who caught six passes for 111 yards and a touchdown, had a big catch against Smith on Arizona’s game-winning drive.
2). On a day that De’Von Achane ran 10 times for 97 yards, why were the Dolphins giving their most critical and final carry of the game (on their final 1st and 10 of their final possession) to Raheem Mostert, who ran 9 times for 19 yards?
Mostert has been terrific in three years with the Dolphins, but you need to ride the hot hand.
And Jaylen Wright (two carries, 18 yards) again didn’t play enough.
3). On a day that Miami again didn’t have a sack, why did the Dolphins make rookie Mo Kamara inactive after he had the only two quarterback pressures of any outside linebacker last week?
Chop Robinson had a couple of pressures, but remains without a sack through seven games of his rookie season. And though Kyler Murray can escape pressure as well as anyone, the Dolphins didn’t put enough pressure on him during the second half.
Any scout will tell you that Robinson has a much higher ceiling than Kamara. But Kamara had the more productive college career, and Weaver said last week that he deserves playing time. Instead, Quinton Bell was active and Kamara wasn’t.
▪ Two players who must play better: linebacker David Long Jr. and safety Jordan Poyer.
Poyer has one of the worst passer ratings in the league among safeties and was beaten on a big play late on Sunday.
Long entered the day rated the Dolphins’ worst defender this season, per Pro Football Focus. And he struggled again Sunday, both against the run (where he was excellent last season) and against the pass, where his metrics have been very poor since he joined the Dolphins.
This story was originally published October 27, 2024 at 4:57 PM.
