Mike McDaniel – December 30, 2024
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Monday, December 30, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(On the QB Tua Tagovailoa thing, there’s one thing I was going to ask you for clarity on that confused me. I know you said that it was determined that he would be at risk of much more significant injury if he had played yesterday. Wouldn’t that risk still exist if he plays as early as next Sunday or a potential playoff game?) – “It’s all about time and I think what was tricky is we were basing all of our timelines with this particular unique injury to Tua (Tagovailoa) and how his body would respond to that based upon the week previous. So then with really the change in momentum or trajectory of it getting better, I think it was about the timing of when the game was relative to his recovery process from the last week which was a different timeline than the week previous. So where does that leave us? Firmly in the unknown. Just because, all right, you have this one sample size of time that would lend you to believe one thing and then a second sample size which is very converse, so then what does that mean for this week? Well, honestly, I don’t really know. There was a lot of optimism last week in my mind based upon the previous experience. So this week, I know one thing, Snoop (Tyler Huntley) will get more reps than Tua this week as we go through the week and have to be prepared for both guys to play because I don’t really know exactly what it’s going to look like this next Sunday. So that’s really the optimism, we’re kind of in a gray area now because of just how his body did not cooperate with my agenda.”
(To follow up on the preparation aspect of that, do you come up with two different game plans depending on the quarterback or did you see enough from QB Tyler Huntley this week that you said, either way, it’ll work?) – “Well, it does depend on your quarterbacks, their skill sets and their conviction in certain things. That was a much different formula at the beginning of the year. I would say then I think the things that Tua (Tagovailoa) is good at and some of the concepts that he really likes, those are the concepts and things that Snoop (Tyler Huntley) has been working on the most. So overall, there’s certain things that each individual really likes. Typically, besides zone read running, now at this point in the season, there’s a lot of overlap with what they like, what they’re good at and what they can execute. Fortunately, at this stage of the season, it will look a lot more similar with the different nuances to each guy’s game that’s subtle, but it won’t be a completely different ‘throw the playbook out’ type scenario just because of the growth and what Snoop’s been able to put together this season.”
(Who has the final say in whether QB Tua Tagovailoa plays? Who had the final say last week? Who will have the final say this week?) – “Well, I think with injuries it’s pretty cut and dry – 100 times out of 100, if someone’s not medically cleared to play, I don’t trump card that. I suppose, on game day, I guess by the letter of the law you could say it’s my final say. My final say is to choose to listen to the medical professionals with their expertise and knowing the pros and cons and that’s the only thing responsible to do with players. And then realistically, those conversations, Chris (Grier) and I get debriefed and sometimes more than other times depending on the injury in question, but that with our medical team and the doctors that are experts in the field, but to play for the Miami Dolphins, you have to have medical clearance to do so and when doctors tell you that a player is not safe to play football, we don’t ever deviate off of that. That would be extremely irresponsible on my part.”
(And the doctors told you that Saturday, that he was not able to play?) – “You get updates all week and you’re trying to figure out what it’s going to look like. Saturday, it looked bleak, but officially with zero ambiguity on Sunday morning, we knew. But that was based upon Saturday information that, ‘all right, it’s going to have to really take a turn,’ and when we saw it didn’t, it didn’t.”
(Is T Terron Armstead out for the season?) – “No. He’s going to see what he can do and we’ll approach the week with the mindset of getting Patrick (Paul) ready to start but allowing Terron (Armstead) to see if he can get himself ready to play and be live for both scenarios. I love multiple scenarios if you can’t tell.”
(How about WR Jaylen Waddle?) – “He had a good week. I think if the circumstances would have been different – it was kind of a recipe for disaster on the playing surface relative to his injury – we’d be begging for not only a reaggravation but probably early in the game. So I feel optimistic about him, but we’ll progress that day-by-day.”
(And then Antony Walker Jr.?) – “Right now it seems more week-to-week so I wouldn’t totally expect but wouldn’t rule out this week.”
(With QB Tua Tagovailoa it got worse because he said on Thursday it didn’t seem to be a big deal and Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith said it was December football. It got worse after Thursday’s practice?) – “Relative to a projected timeline based upon the previous week, I would say that it didn’t improve as we were kind of forecasting. Not necessarily worse, just you’re expecting things to progress and sometimes the body could care less about your expectations. It wasn’t like he took a shot or got hit in practice or anything like that. We just had some I think reasonable expectations based upon the week previous and it didn’t really work out that way.”
(Can you be specific on when he got injured and when he got aggravated – Houston and San Francisco?) – “Specifically, Houston he took a shot outside the pocket and then San Franciso the QB hit around the 50-yard line.”
(Can you say what specific thing he would be at risk of if he were to play and be injured more severely. I know you said he was at risk of something significant. Did doctors say he could get a broken hip? He could get something that would be career-threatening if he were to play before it’s fully healed?) – “It was not safe at all based upon a litany of things that his body was vulnerable to as well as his inability to avoid and move within the pocket, the risk of just leaving him really unprotected is the way that I would say both on impact and the ability to avoid impact.”
(No second thoughts about playing QB Tua Tagovailoa against San Francisco?) – “No, he was medically cleared and I think there is inherent risk every time you play. So that’s why you have to be very concrete with your medical team and very communicative with Tua. But no, I think it would be safe to say that I don’t foresee ever as a head coach retroactively saying that I regret playing someone because that insinuates that you’re bending that threshold of both safety for individual players and you have to account for other players specifically when you’re talking about the quarterback position and how they involve everyone. But no, he was cleared to play and sometimes in football you’re dealing with a sore wrist and you play in a game and the first play of the game you get hit on the wrist. It’s more happenstance than anything.”
(Late second quarter or early third where RB De’Von Achane did not carry the ball, did Associate Head Coach/Running Backs Eric Studesville or Achane tell you he was dinged up or did you just want to see your other guys?) – “I think really with De’Von’s involvement with our offense there was no change with our standard mode or really how we operate normally. It was very similar to the game before. The difference was we had a string of three- and four-play drives so you’re trying to get the opportunities and you’re putting Raheem (Mostert) out there to do a run play and the situations changes so you do a pass play, so Raheem is out there for that run play but also that pass play. Those opportunities that you try to give that we’ve had success getting fresh legs out there and Raheem deserving of opportunities to go and make a play with the ball and then you punt. And so then happens on a couple of successive series and then it seems like he was taken out. It was no different than our normal operating procedure. The difference being that normally – we kind of major in sustained drives and we had a collection of them that we were unable to sustain the drive.”
(I know you said it’s not the exact same hip injury that QB Tua Tagovailoa had at Alabama, but the hip is the hip and it’s the second seems to be major injury to the same area. Does that at all play into the diagnosis and moving ahead is there more caution because of that?) – “Your question is absolutely fair because your question is the same that immediately that I posed to the medical staff and then understanding that they’re unrelated and there’s no causation involved in it. It’s a fair question, but they are unrelated in terms of really the nature of that injury versus this. But it’s a fair question because it’s quite natural, hence, it was my first question.”
(WR Tyreek Hill endured a lot criticism for his drops against the Niners. What can you say about the way he responded yesterday?) – “I think that’s sports. It epitomizes what I see this whole game, is not avoiding any sort of failure whether it’s in this situation that receivers, that their world, it’s very obvious a lot of the times when there’s shortcomings in a particular game for a particular player. But it’s not about whether or not you ever have something bad happen or a bad play or something that you want to have back; it’s about doing something about it and what I saw during the practice week as I fielded some questions in the press conferences about his approach and he aggressively attacked the problem and was very focused on that. And I thought that translated to I think nine-of-nine on targets to receptions. Those are the things that I really appreciate about the game of football that are I think the nuts and bolts of really, how do you define success within an individual player’s game. It’s how do you grow from the inevitable mistake or shortcoming? You attack it and do it in a bold manner and he created his confidence and got over that San Francisco game during our practice week and I thought it was very fitting that the game played out that way and he was able to be his best when his best was required.
(The Chiefs, it all appears they’re not going to be playing anybody of significance, or I should say any of their top players. What are your feelings towards weighing that when you’re absolutely obligated to your team first but then you’re playing in a game that could impact other teams? Do you have any thought son that?) – “First and foremost, it’s a very clear message to the team that we’ve been afforded the opportunity to kind of execute upon which when you dig a hole within the season that you have to get yourself out of and then you’re faced with the reality of yeah, you need to take care of business and you need some help; you learn quickly that any time spent on the help is not benefitting the desired goal. So in terms of playing, not playing, whatever; I’ll let them handle that. I do know that through the experience of in my career in the National Football League, especially Week 17, if you are a betting man that is just checking boxes based upon lineups, you’re going to lose money. So I don’t really know what’s going to happen in that game and I will care about that the second our game is over. But to me the most important thing is really leaning into the lessons of this season and an overall lesson that is absolutely paramount for success of football teams, is to focus on the right things and nothing matters about a game in a different stadium – maybe in a different time zone, I don’t know – if we don’t find a way to beat the Jets. So everything will be about the Jets. You have to operate and if you operate exclusively that way, I’m not sure how yesterday plays out against the Cleveland Browns, if our team wasn’t focused on the Cleveland Browns all week. And the scenarios and stuff, you just know that you still have the ability to play in the postseason, so you take care of your end of the bargain and then see what happens. But what I know is not on the table for our team, is disbursed focus that leads to an end result where the Jets beat the Dolphins; then who cares what happens in that game or if I’m playing quarterback? Doesn’t matter and that’s the way we’ll approach it, and fortunately we’ve had that formula for a couple weeks now.”
(K Jason Sanders has been on a incredible roll here. He’s kicked you into the playoffs basically the last two years. Can you quantify how it feels to go into a big game with him on such a roll? He’s done it before. Does that affect play calling? Confidence?) – “Yeah, that’s what you’re looking for in a kicker, is that – there are supremely talented kickers. There’s a plethora. There’s probably more than a handful of guys that aren’t on a team right now that will have winning kicks next season; it’s finding the types of people and the working relationship he has with Jake (Bailey) and being able to have guys that the moment’s not too big for them and I think specifically when you’re talking about someone that his job is to get points, I think that it’s a huge asset. It’s one of the reasons why he’s a firm Dolphin, is because he has proven time and time again since he’s been the kicker for the team that I’m the head coach of, that he comes through and the moment isn’t too big for him and that’s clearly not an easy thing. It’s very impressive what he’s been able to put together, not only this year but since I’ve been here with the end-of-the-season situations that you mentioned.”
