Mike McDaniel knows he gave too much to his players in his first three years as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and with his seat starting to heat up, it's time for a change. may have come.
In one brutally honest final media interaction before the offseason gets into full swing, McDaniel seemed to acknowledge that the players may have taken advantage of his laissez-faire approach.
“I can fine people until they're blue in the face. I can take their money and I can yell at them,” McDaniel said. told reporters. “But until they understand some of the reasons why we are in this situation. [this] The position is controllable and [have]With absolute certainty, nothing else will be tolerated. You need to clean up what you can control. That way, we have a chance to succeed together. ”
The Dolphins are having their worst season since McDaniel took over as coach, going 8-9 and missing the playoffs for the first time in three years.
McDaniel seems to think his players have been acting a little rough with him and that he may need to punish them with more iron fists.
He pointed out that the problem is not a team-wide problem, but one that belongs to a specific player group.
“Certain specific individuals…I don't think they were fined across the board…There are a lot of players who weren't fined before. I think there are different ways to do it,” McDaniel said. “It was not enough for us as a team to continue to raise issues and issue fines, so we will not continue to shift all the blame onto even the smallest individual who was a multi-offender.
“I'm going to adjust my processes and make sure the whole team knows if something is done that isn't in the best interest of winning a football game.”
McDaniel saw things take a bit of a turn for the worse this season, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sidelined for an extended period with a concussion and missing the final two games with a hip injury.
After Tyreek Hill's Week 18 loss to the Jets, he told reporters he was quitting, seemingly setting the stage for him to request a trade from Miami.
However, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said Tuesday that Hill did not request a trade for him.
The Dolphins need Tagovailoa to stay healthy, but whether Hill makes big plays on the field for Miami could help determine the team's offseason plans.
McDaniel received a four-year contract extension before this season, which will keep him coaching through the 2028 season.
