Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, coordinators and linebacker Bradley Chubb met with the media Thursday as the team faces off against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, Dec. 17. Check out the top quotes from their media availabilities.
HEAD COACH MIKE McDANIEL
(On the difference between his team now and when they played Buffalo in Week 3)
"Your team is a steadily evolving organism, so to speak. That was Game 3 of the season and I think a lot of people were, in that moment, trying to prove that we were worthy of some of the better teams in the league to compete against. I think we find ourselves in a situation – any time you lose games in a row in an NFL regular season, there's something that you feel like you have to go out and prove, just in general. But there are some different players on the field. The bottom line is none of it matters because it's about preparing each day for one game that all of the games before and all of the games after are pretty much irrelevant. So on that day, who wants to strain the most, who wants to compete the most and then who does their job and relies on their teammates. That generally is the team that wins. So whether we won or lost that game, it wouldn't really factor into this upcoming one, I don't think."
(On where he gets his positivity from)
"There are certain things that I think I've been fortunate to be influenced by a lot of people. I also have a strong desire to do this job the right way, which I think is for the right reasons, which is to coach. So most of the stuff philosophically that I kind of do is reverse engineered. So what's the desired outcome? Well, what am I really doing? And fixating on that probably in a super extreme way leads you to kind of think about things without looking at it like, 'alright, well I'm mimicking something.' I also grew up invested in football. But I didn't really have a male role model. So I was kind of piecing together things as you go. A lot of failures. I think that combination of reverse engineering and then kind of approaching things without any sort of guide, you combine that with ambition and you just come up with your own formula that sticks to and never wavers from 'am I making people better or worse.' So that's something that is exhausting in general, just because when you're not following a roadmap, it lends to a lot of double-checking and second-guessing within yourself to make sure. But I think over time, you kind of realize it's a lot simpler than people make it. Players, coaches, they want you to care. And if they see that you can help them achieve their dreams, they will listen to anyone that looks like anything and sounds or behaves whatever. The primary importance is are you adding value to those you work with? And as a head coach, that means everybody. So that's where it starts and ends for me – problem solving in that direction. And then like I said, I was fortunate to see a lot of different coaches do a lot of different things, but never have I ever mimicked someone not out of intent, just because of learned behavior. I just try to do things for the right reasons. Sometimes that works out. Sometimes it doesn't. But I think going at it at an exhaustive pace over time, you'll end with the best results because again, people are counting on you to try to make them better. So that's all I really worry about."
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR FRANK SMITH
(On T Eric Fisher)
"Yeah, I mean, (he's a) true pro. His preparation is obviously top notch. We have all the confidence in what he's done as far as preparation and working on his fundamentals. So he's done an excellent job. You can see why he's played at such a high level. It's because of the detail to his preparation and his execution and how he takes the sense of urgency that everything matters. I think that's ultimately, when you're looking at a guy with his experience, that's why he's been so successful because he maximizes every opportunity and doesn't waste a moment."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JOSH BOYER
(On what DT Zach Sieler and DT Christian Wilkins bring to the defense)
"Yeah, I would say, and you look at it, they probably both went from – Christian probably went from like 60 to about 80 percent and that's a high percentage for a defensive tackle. And I would say Sieler's has greatly increased from probably a year ago. Both of those guys are very productive. They do a lot of good things for us in the run game. They do a lot of good things in the pass game. I think it's a testament to both of them, their physical condition, because not only are you capable of playing them that many plays; you could see them playing plays late in the game and they're running 20 yards down the field to finish on plays. As long as they can sustain at a high level, we're comfortable playing them, and obviously, they're productive. So it's a win-win. But again, it's a testament to those guys. And the work that they put in, the recovery process that they go through. Both of them have played through injuries this season, both physically and mentally tough. And all the while, they're playing with high effort every play that they're out there, so we've been very fortunate with those guys and they've been very productive for us this year."
SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DANNY CROSSMAN
(On Buffalo running back and returner Nyheim Hines)
"He's an outstanding player. (He's) really special with the ball in his hands and has been since he's been in the National Football League. They're an outstanding team. They've done a great job building that team, offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. Obviously, to be able to go at the trade deadline and get a guy of that caliber to go along with what they've done and how they've built the team on offense and defense, it shows that on all three phases, they're an outstanding club."
LB BRADLEY CHUBB
(On what stands out to him about LB Jaelan Phillips)
"Relentless. Just relentless. He's got all the physical traits. Everything physical you could think of, he has and the thing that separates him is how he runs to the ball 30 yards down the field and how he reacts just to the different adversity that goes throughout the game and he never wavers. Always the same player, always the same guy so that's what's going to make him great."
