‘He’s dead ass wrong’—Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis says what needs to be said about a costly error in 24-19 loss to Patriots
The Miami Dolphins’ 24-19 loss to New England was filled with second-half errors. QB Malik Willis pulled no punches about one of them after the game.
The first half of Week 8 was so, so promising for the young Miami Dolphins. Another 10+ play touchdown drive to close the half. Another halftime lead. Generally speaking, the screws were on the New England Patriots’ offense.
But then, the second half happened. And on the road to a 24-19 loss, there were no shortage of self-inflicted wounds that fueled the loss. None were more obviously avoidable than second-year running back Ollie Gordon II’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that helped kill a third-quarter drive. But in the aftermath of the loss, we did get a glimpse of something else — quarterback Malik Willis’ leadership. Because he pulled no punches after the game about what he told Gordon II on the sideline.
Miami Dolphins QB Malik Willis pulls no punches ab0ut his sideline exchange with RB Ollie Gordon II
“Ollie is a competitor and he cares about the game a lot and I was just letting him
know that in that situation, that he’s dead ass wrong. I mean, that’s the honest truth. And it would be wrong if I didn’t tell him the truth. If I was like, “it’s okay, you were just trying to compete.” Like, no, we went from third-and-4 to like third-and-15 or 20, and we did not convert. And that was one of those stalled drives that I’m talking about.
That’s something that we can control and that is wrong. I finished it by telling him I’m on his side, I’m with him and we’re teammates and we’re in this together, and he’s going to go out and help us win this game and we’re going to fight the next play and he’s going to go back out there. But at the same time, I got to tell you that you’re dead wrong when you’re dead wrong.”
— Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis on his sideline exchange with second-year RB Ollie Gordon II
To Gordon II’s credit, he didn’t shy away from what he needed to do differently after the game, too. But for Willis, in the heat of the moment, to approach and address his young running back and call it like it is? It’s a nice glimpse into why team leadership has been enthused about Willis as a potential leader for the franchise. It doesn’t make you feel any better about the loss — just like the late 35-yard touchdown to make it 24-19 or the two sacks from EDGE Chop Robinson.
The positives are little puzzle pieces scattered throughout this loss. It’s not that they don’t exist, they just didn’t fit into the picture needed to create a win.
So take the Willis leadership for what it is. A good look for Miami’s hopeful quarterback of the future. And a nice win in the bought against accountability after team culture was a key failure in the last build of the team. It needed to be said and it’s good that the quarterback was the one who said it. You just wish it was being said after a win — not a near loss that felt like it could have been avoided.
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