‘A positive.’ Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel on Troy Aikman joining GM search
Troy Aikman had some harsh words about the Miami Dolphins’ decision-making during their Week 15 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Still, coach Mike McDaniel had nothing but positive things to say about the Hall of Fame quarterback who the Dolphins hired to consult for their general manager search.
“I’m not opposed to more information,” McDaniel said Friday, adding that ownership notified him of the former quarterback’s hiring. “Troy Aikman speaks for himself in terms of relationships he has had in the National Football League and knows a lot of things. Information is a positive to me; being able to resource that, I’m excited for that.”
This comes less than 24 hours after news broke Thursday evening that Aikman would assist in the Dolphins’ nationwide GM search. His role will be that of an advisor as he’s expected to sit-in on interviews, evaluate candidates and have a consistent dialogue with owner Stephen Ross throughout. Although interim GM Champ Kelly has done an admirable job since the Dolphins and Chris Grier mutually parted ways in late October, most notably trading edge rusher Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick, Aikman’s connections are considered to be huge asset during the GM search.
“Because of his travels with ‘Monday Night Football’ and getting exposed to different people and seeing folks at games and having interactivity, he’s been calling around to GMs over the past week here just trying to get information on ‘All right, if we’re going to capture the winning culture and also get the right person, who is that?’” NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero said during his Friday appearance on the Rich Eisen Show.
Rewind to Dec. 15, however, and you might remember that Aikman, who currently serves as ESPN’s lead NFL commentator, a position he won’t give up amid the GM search — heavily critiqued McDaniel’s lack of urgency in the fourth quarter of the Dolphins’ eventual 28-15 loss to the Steelers. The irony: the Dolphins had already hired the six-time Pro Bowler at the time.
“I’m flabbergasted by what we’ve witnessed here in this fourth quarter with the Dolphins,” Aikman said. “And now they want to call timeouts. It just is about as ridiculous a fourth quarter as I’ve seen in a long time.”
Added Aikman: “This is just a bizarre last few series. They don’t go hurry-up. Now they’re going hurry-up and calling timeouts. It’s just, it’s hard to understand exactly what the philosophy or what they’re trying to do.”
When asked if the two sides have cleared the air, McDaniel downplayed Aikman’s criticism.
“I’m not going to spend one second of this job prioritizing what my job is under some other ‘Does this work for me?’” McDaniel said. “My priority is ‘All right I’m a head coach, and I’m going to take those responsibilities, as they relate to everybody involved in the organization, seriously and focus on that. I’m not joking, lying, misleading: I don’t think about all those questions ever, and it’s a waste of my time.”
The first overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, Aikman brings nearly 40 years of knowledge to this consultant role. Aikman won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys — 1992, 1993 and 1995 — during his 12-year career. Upon his retirement after the 2000 season, he switched to the broadcast side in 2001 where he and play-by-play Joe Buck formed the longest-tenured announcer tandem in the history of the NFL.
“What they’re looking for in Miami is a scout,” Pelissero said. “They want somebody who is really going to have a vision on how you build that rooster. They have a lot of resources, they have a patient owner. From everyone I’ve talked to, this is a good job walking into it here, but they want someone whose expertise is in team-building.”
