Mike McDaniel – August 29, 2023
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Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Why the trade with CB Noah Igbinoghene to Dallas? Did he need a new start or was this to get a new body in here? What was the thinking there?) – “That was something that we definitely weren’t chasing; we were approached with. There was some interest there. Really, regardless, it wasn’t planned. It wasn’t a situation where we were really exploring the idea of not having him on the roster. But when given the opportunity and our specific team with our specific needs, we thought it was both a win for us. I’m so happy for and really proud of Noah because everybody wants to be a first-round draft pick. As a 20-year-old, that sounds cool, but there’s a burden with that. What you’ve seen is a guy grow as a player and as a person. I think being able to be 23 years old and go to a place with a fresh start, specifically with a guy that I’ve worked with in Dan Quinn and just knowing his coaching mentality, I think it’s a good fit for them. I think it’s a good fit for us. That’s how deals are done.”
(DB Keion Crossen and TE Eric Saubert going to injured reserve. I just want to get clarification, does that end their season without the possibility to return?) – “Those are things that you kind of figure out as the week progresses because of the multiple implications within the roster. But it was in both of those players’ interests, with regard to their injury, to go ahead and do that. Later in the week, I think it’s Wednesday night or Thursday, we settled the designated for return players with the accompanied movements.”
(We thought you had to wait until…) – “I can’t remember. Again, why are we even here? The Chris Grier show is tomorrow. (laughter) I stay in my lane. And honestly, I told you guys it’s the worst part of the year. Yeah, I short-changed that. There’s a lot of people that we’re all very close to that our journey together may or may not have ended. So, excuse me if my timelines are a little foggy.”
(I wanted to ask you about trading away OL Dan Feeney. What went into that decision and as of now, who is the backup center to OL Connor Williams?) – “That was another situation, we had a couple that kind of came to us. I think me from a human being standpoint, in this situation as well, knowing Chris Morgan, the offensive line coach, I kind of knew that it was an opportunity that would be good for him and good for us with the return compensation. In terms of the backup center, you guys always sit here and tell me, what’s the big deal about OTAs? Do you remember there was a center every play? (laughter) The first guy’s up to be working on that and who have been training since OTAs and got invaluable reps throughout will be Liam Eichenberg and Lester Cotton. We have a good core of players in the interior and adversity is an opportunity, so remember that next OTAs.”
(You know about, obviously, the long winding road in your career. Do you impart any of that on these guys when they’re let go and talk to them about that stuff?) – “When it’s appropriate, I think it does come up, for sure. Just because they get beat over the head with, ‘Adversity is an opportunity,’ and that’s where it comes from for me, is living experience of those things. I think to be an effective coach, you have to embark on each individual player’s journey, and when you do that, it’s very easy to understand. The first time that I ever got let go with the Houston Texans, viscerally, I’ll never forget, I had been on a team my whole life, and then I remember walking out of Reliant Stadium like, ‘Wow, who am I?’ And that identity, although a player’s experience is different than a coach’s, I think there’s a commonality in that, which is why it’s very emotional and very, very difficult for me in these times because I know exactly what that is. You wake up – I mean, you are embarking on an invested journey that your mind is goal-oriented to be on the 53 (-man roster) for the Miami Dolphins, and then boom. Now what? I don’t wish that on anybody. It’s uncharted territory. The unknown is like one of the greatest sources of stress – it’s science. It’s been studied. And it is a feeling that I don’t wish on anyone. However, I do feel like there are certain times that it’s very, very appropriate to share that with guys, because you can see it on people’s faces, ‘I didn’t even see this coming,’ or ‘What do I do now?’ It’s brutal. So it comes up, I think that’s an important part. It’s not about living exactly in someone’s shoes; it’s being able to connect experiences that might render residual feelings that are similar. So again, I mean it, this is brutal. There’s more than 53 deserving people to be on this football team, but there’s only 53 spots. I pressed upon the locker room today, like part of your grieving of your brethren that isn’t here is doing right by them because they sure wish they were.”
(As it stands, I believe you only have three safeties on the 53-man roster, and S Brandon Jones really hasn’t practiced much. Are you comfortable with that? With the post-cut down day kind of roster shelf thing with IR, do you anticipate adding another safety?) – “I think it would be safe to say that you don’t feel completely safe with too little safeties. There’s a lot of ways now that your roster can be set up with regard to, since the COVID year, the 16-player practice squad and the flexibility and things of that nature. So there’s some depth issues that will be solidified by some practice squad members, maybe some active activity. I mean, shoot, tune in for the Chris Grier show tomorrow. Who knows what you’ll find out? (laughter)”
(How stressful is it from the organization standpoint when you make a move today, and you’re hoping that you can get a guy through waivers, or you’re hoping that a guy will be available tomorrow or down the line?) – “You can’t make moves under any sort of assumption. Either way, you have to be very, very calculated and knowing that you’re taking a risk, and that’s inherent in all of it. It’s bittersweet, because you’d love to have additional players, specifically the guys that you’ve been with that know your system and you’re invested with. However, teammates, the organization itself, you can’t spend too much time getting down for someone’s dream to be realized. So it’s conflicting. It is measured and calculated, but it comes with inherent risk. I’m very much the optimist, but I just flip the role in these situations. I kind of turn to a pessimist with regard to just very ready for that to happen. That’s a real thing. Players aren’t really a secret that much.”
(Can you talk about the three undrafted rookies to make the team, DT Brandon Pili, TE Julian Hill and RB Chris Brooks and what they showed you?) – “So that is the journey that is the hardest, most difficult to navigate that really exists. You go zero to 60 from college to professional, and then you get here, and you’re stacked underneath guys that have been doing it professionally in the scheme or on the stage for an extended period of time. It can look insurmountable. Especially, you have your first rookie minicamp and you’re like, ‘Man, I’m pretty good.’ And then you get to a practice with your whole team, and you’re like, ‘Whoa.’ So undrafted free agents that are able to make a 53-man roster, that in and of itself is such a monumental task that so few people can undertake, promised nothing, and really just behind the eight ball. It’s like if I went to a foreign country, could I speak fluently in a month and a half or however long? That’s tough to do. But every year, there’s certain guys that you’re really trying to find that have that mental fortitude to really accomplish something like that. Very huge accomplishment that really all the teammates really appreciate. You want to see an excited locker room? It’s seeing an undrafted rookie free agent on the 53 (man roster), because most of the time, they’re breathing a sigh of relief because if they’re even in consideration, they’ve made waves in practice and in preseason games. To see that that goal, all of their $5,000 or $10,000 signing bonus, and just really doing stuff for the right reasons and learning fast, it’s a cool process for everybody involved. A lot of respect given to those three and many other rookies that hopefully will join us.”
(Last week when we asked about Jonathan Taylor and you were trying to tell us not to read between the lines, but was there ever a point that you thought it might happen? Or is it always just something that was not attainable?) – “Honestly, I spend zero time except when I answer questions about it. When I can half see your face because your phone’s covering the rest of it. (laughter) It’s again structured that way for a reason. When things are serious enough, it comes to my plate. But when you’re very happy with the players that you’re coaching, know that they’re capable of making a ton of plays, and you have a lot of guys that you’re going with on a journey, just trying to get them better every day, I spend zero time thinking or forecasting. I’m just trigger ready if Chris (Grier) comes knocking on my door for whatever reason. But that hasn’t been a part of my life really since you’ve asked me.”
(You told us you asked WR Tyreek Hill about acquiring CB Eli Apple. If Tyreek would’ve said no, would you guys just move on and would that be the case for Jonathan Taylor, or would that be the case for any other high-profile player you might attain?) – “I think you hit the nail on the head. That’s something that is important to me. That Eli Apple example is a great one, where when you’re adding someone to the team, you want to know it’s residual effect on the team because when you’re adding a player to the team, it’s about the team. So when there’s questions that are obvious, or maybe pseudo not obvious, there are position coaches on our team, the personnel staff, the training staff, the strength staff, and our jobs are to invest in these players. And when you invest in people, you can learn a ton about them, especially when you’re not on your phone. And, in that, if there’s something that you can connect dots to, shame on me if I enter into something that might shake the locker room up in an adverse way. That’s kind of our jobs, as Chris and I look at it, to build a team, coach a team, and make sure the team is as good as it possibly can be. So things like that always factor in.”
(Earlier when we were talking about getting released from a team and that feeling of not being a part of a team, someone who went through that was here a few minutes ago, DT Zach Sieler. And now you saw him get rewarded the way he did. Can you describe your feelings about seeing him get rewarded and why he was able to overcome the way he did and be an important part of the team?) – “The absolute climax of the coaching experience. It is everything because to watch someone go to sustain what that is, that body blow to be released from a team, to battle against the human nature that is, am I good enough? The fortitude to keep pressing forward for the right reasons. The belief it takes in oneself. All of that, and to see someone come out the other side, we’re so fortunate to have Zach and we were so fortunate to be able to extend him for three years. And there’s one thing you know with guys like that. Every piece of the pie was earned and that is a testament, a living testament, that we have in house now. It is a great example of perseverance that you can always resource and point out. I brought it up the other day. I think my last team meeting with the 90-man roster, is before you go into a world where this is all or nothing, I asked Raheem Mostert how many times have you been cut? Zach Sieler, how many times you’ve been cut? And that’s everything, because you don’t go through this this world of NFL football unscathed and it’s not a coincidence that I say adversity is an opportunity every two minutes because it’s always there. But if you can control what you can control, you have a chance to be the best version of yourself and live after football with no regrets.”
