MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It’s rarely a good thing when an NFL head coach gets asked by reporters about his private conversations with his boss.
But that’s where we are with the Miami Dolphins and Mike McDaniel.
After losses in six of their last seven games, there’s growing speculation that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross’ patience with McDaniel and his staff might be growing thin. We’ve suggested Ross demand a trade deadline fire sale if the Dolphins lose their next game.
Is Miami Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross Losing Patience?
So what did Ross say to McDaniel after Miami’s gutting 28-27 loss to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday?
McDaniel answered by first revealing what he told Ross.
“He’s like every fan and coach: My knee jerk is to apologize for the result, regardless of how the game and my position within it go,” McDaniel said. “He knows the people that he’s hired, that he really believes in, and so he’s very supportive. And that was very similar to what last night was.
“I think he’s also supremely competitive,” McDaniel continued. “He doesn’t like to lose. But we’re definitely aligned in that. It’s the process and evaluating that. And sometimes results are fleeting, and they fall in different arenas.
“He tries to do everything in his power to facilitate success, so he’s disappointed, obviously, when we don’t have it. We just communicate about the factualities that I know without looking at the tape. He’s very consistent in making sure that he knows that tough times don’t last. Tough people do.
“It was good to see him after the game, but I struggle with all parties involved after losses. Just trying to lead by example. No loss feels like it doesn’t start with me.”
Mike McDaniel on his conversation with Stephen Ross after the Dolphins’ latest loss pic.twitter.com/I1RAATBAW1
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) October 28, 2024
It’s good for McDaniel, obviously, that Ross still has his back after this season with the highest expectations has gone off the rails.
But to keep that support, the results need to change. The Dolphins, after a 2-5 start, are a very long shot to return to the playoffs for the third straight year.
They need a win in the worst way, and with a trip to Orchard Park up next, that seems highly unlikely. The early betting line has Miami as a touchdown road underdog against the Buffalo Bills.
Any Reasons for Optimism With Miami Dolphins?
But if the defense can get back on track after a disastrous second half on Sunday, the Dolphins might actually have something.
The offense has moved the ball far better the last three weeks, and with Tua Tagovailoa back at quarterback, Miami set a season-high in points (27) and touchdowns (3) in Week 8.
“You can feel it on the field,” said Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold. “It’s the weirdest feeling and you sound kind of insane when you feel that way because of the results. But when we’re moving, we’re operating, you know, there are times in games where we had 10 points. There are times when we have 27.
“Something’s in the air and I can’t put my finger on it. But it’s improvement. It’s development. You watch our tape from Week 2 to last week and there are guys that have made mistakes, have fixed it and corrected and improved on it. And you can feel that. You get a sense of this organization, this team coming together through a 2-5 start that nobody thought was gonna happen. And you sound crazy talking about when you’re 2-5.
“But the only way is through. The only way is to continue on this process. The only way through is to continue to trust and build on what we believe have been lessons, not scar. That’s a Mike McDaniel-ism, but it’s something that is really true and it hits the nail on the head for a lot of reasons.”
Added safety Jordan Poyer: “I know a lot of y’all probably got hit in the mouth before in life. Like what do you? What do you do? Do you just fold and just kind of tuck away or you keep moving? People say X, Y, Z about X, Y, Z, what are you gonna do about it?
“So, that’s my mindset and I know that’s the team’s mindset. Let’s just continue to work, continue to grind. Yeah, we’re not in the place where we wanna be but we got opportunities in front of us and so why not?”