Mike McDaniel’s explanation of what went wrong for the Dolphins in Week 1 loss to Colts is troublesome in more ways than one
What the heck just happened to the Dolphins in Week 1?
Yikes!
This isn’t exactly how you draw it up when you’re talking about starting a season off on the right foot amid plenty of pressure to win. Yet, the Miami Dolphins and head coach Mike McDaniel find themselves fresh off a disastrous 33-8 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1.
What went wrong? McDaniel took to the podium and addressed the media to do his best to explain how and why Miami stumbled so hard out of the blocks. But his explanation is troublesome, particularly for a head coach who is operating under the microscope.
Mike McDaniel’s explanation of Week 1 disaster is troublesome in more ways than one
“I think there was a lot of preparation for Week 1, and I don’t think it looked it. What does that mean? That means that guys let Week 1 and the bells and whistles of the season starting get the best of them. My job is to prevent that — did my best (but) not good enough,” said McDaniel. “The way we lost probably is an overall better way to learn an absolute lesson that never changes. If you ever let the game or desire to achieve be bigger than the nuts of bolts of execution and not dropping people in protection, not over-running tackles…then you are going to have those results.”
Nothing McDaniel says is wrong. It’s bad enough that things went awry on Sunday in his manner. But everything McDaniel says is something that this football team should not be enduring in Week 1 of his fourth year as the head coach of the team. There were familiar problems for Miami in all phases — procedural issues, a lack of rhythm offensively, and a team that did not win enough early downs to prosper defensively. Veteran wide receiver Tyreek Hill was visibly frustrated on the sideline within the first quarter of the contest after a public rift at the end of the year last year.
That’s the real concern. McDaniel’s Dolphins should not be continuing to find out that you can’t allow the moment to be bigger than the execution. As he says, that responsibility falls ultimately on McDaniel’s plate.
And owner Stephen Ross is likely contemplating McDaniel’s seat at the table altogether after a disappointing 2024 campaign — a season that necessitated the formal statement by Ross once the season’s 17th game came to a close. The familiarity of the chaos Miami operated with on Sunday is alarming. And the Dolphins will now be charged with fixing it in short order, with contests against the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills looming in the next 11 days.
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