Dolphins’ McDaniel addresses Ramsey, Fangio, new linebacker Long, Byron Jones comment
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that he was “elated” when the Dolphins traded for cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
McDaniel said it was a “similar situation to that of the year before with Tyreek [Hll] in terms of it kind of hits me out of nowhere.”
He said general manager Chris Grier came to his office and “he has this look, like ‘Hey, you’re going to like the news that I have’. He says, ‘Yeah, we have an opportunity.’ My immediate reaction was pretty candid and simple: ‘All right, not talking terms, not talking what it’s going to cost. That would be a cool opportunity that would be hard to replicate.’ That’s the litmus test.”
McDaniel added: “We are willing to trade draft picks. We very much value them. When presented with that opportunity, we jumped on it. To Chris Grier and [Dolphins executive] Brandon Shore, credit [to them that] they were able to get a fair deal. We are elated to add a player [of that quality].
“When players can make other players better, you’re on to something. Very excited for his ability to do that. Excited about the person and the player and the element he provides for our defense.”
Asked about managing a roster with several stars, McDaniel cracked: “I have to be a bigger star than them.”
Then he added: “Guys that have star ability, like All Pros, with big personalities, you can shy away from it or really feed into it. It’s something that can make your team better. Any player that has a star persona carries an extra burden of performance. Those players know they have to pay the piper on Sundays.
“As long as you’re a good teammate, that can only benefit [your team]. We did a deep dive on that [with Ramsey]. He’s got a magnetic personality and that’s really cool. I like we’re we are at with various [players], personalities on defense.”
McDaniel addressed other defensive topics during the AFC coach’s breakfast and the NFL owners meetings in Arizona:
▪ On his first few weeks working with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio: “Working with Vic has validated everything I thought when I made the decision to target him as defensive coordinator. I’ve spent 20 hours a week for the last several weeks meeting with the defense. He looks at things a lot like I do on the defensive side of the ball.”
McDaniel likes “his devotion to tape, his devotion to coaching, not in absolutes, but through relationships and really trying to get the best out of players in every way, shape or form. Not putting them in a box, not defining them. It’s similar to the way I’ve always looked at football.”
McDaniel said “there’s been some reputation that Vic has gone through in his career that he might be grumpy. In our office, he has been cheerful, happy go lucky go.”
▪ On adding former Tennessee Titans linebacker David Long:
“The guy is a spark plug. The guy has true instinct at the linebacker position. One of the things I told him is ‘Dude, you are an inspiration for a guy [who also isn’t very tall]. People have probably told you you’re a little undersized.”
Long is listed at 5-11.
“He has found so many different tools in his game to be successful to make him a really good player,” McDaniel said, mentioning “how he is always finding the ball, how he beats out players on his unit to the ball in pursuit, his coverage abilities, his ability to eliminate the space between him and the ball carrier, and his ability to really be a quality tackler.
“Great fit for us. Really excited to have him. He was one of those guys that always stood out [in tape evaluation] for me. I’ve been watching him for a while.”
▪ McDaniel was asked about cornerback Byron Jones’ Feb. 25 tweet, which said “Much has changed in 8 years. Today I can’t run or jump because of my injuries sustained playing this game. DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you. If you absolutely must, consult an outside doctor to learn the long-term implications.”
Jones was subsequently released. He hasn’t played since surgery last March in the ankle/Achilles area.
It was unclear if Jones, in referencing pills and injections, was talking about the Dolphins. McDaniel said he believes the Dolphins are doing things correctly in this regard.
“I’m not going to in any way, shape or form dismiss anything Byron says about his experience,” McDaniel said. “I trust him. When you are in charge of things, I haven’t heard that to be anything [said] by other players. I have been very encouraged. I have the utmost confidence in everything our training team does and has done.”
McDaniel said Jones’ comments “brings your awareness to it. I haven’t heard anything in the slightest degree [of concern from others]. Feeling good about the direction we’re going.”
This story was originally published March 27, 2023 at 11:29 AM.
