Read the full transcript from Head Coach Mike McDaniel's press conference on September 10, 2025.
Q: Could you please share what you know from medical professionals regarding timetables for OL James Daniels and OL Austin Jackson? Could James' absence extend well beyond the four weeks and is Austin available to play moving forward?
"It was a tough determination with the four weeks, so that's kind of in the 'ish' realm with where he's at. As far as Austin (Jackson), I'm preparing for this game against the New England Patriots like Larry (Borom) is going to start. I can't in good conscience make a determination on Austin as of yet, just based on the human being and how he works and a bunch of things along those lines. But I'd say Larry is what I'm planning to do and I will adjust if needed."
Q: Would you go with OL Kion Smith or would you consider OL Daniel Brunskill as well?
"We consider all things. I am confident in Kion (Smith), I thought he did a good job. One of the more difficult things is to come in the game and replace the starter, I thought he did a good job with that. I feel confident the several different directions we can go."
Q: With OL Austin Jackson, has something long term been ruled out in terms of a broken toe or something serious that would sideline him long term?
"I don't think anything is broken. But in terms of the determination of how exactly long it'll be, we're not there yet, which is why I can't rule out this week. I'm again, anticipating Larry (Borom) is going to start, but I'll adjust."
Q: With the OL Cole Strange addition, any motivation being an intel on this week's opponent or was it solely based on the player?
"I wouldn't play with a player's livelihood that way and take him off someone else's practice squad, that's not my style. He's here because of his own merit, and we're excited to have him."
Q: What makes him such a good player?
"I think all the way back to when he was coming out of college, he had a lot of things – he has a lot of skill set that we utilize in terms of quickness and his ability to press on an angle and block people. So that connectivity from where he was at coming out, along with the tape that he's put on since he's been in the NFL, that whole process, I've kind of had tabs on him throughout his journey, so I'm excited to finally get to work with him."
Q: When you were looking back at the film with the players and were going over everything from Sunday, how did it feel versus what you saw Sunday and maybe their reactions, too?
"I probably would have been more convicted on my initial interpretations; it was a very frustrating process because it was maddening the things that we were doing or weren't doing, so to speak. At the same time, it was not an individual, or a unit, or a position group, or a particular phase; it was a very consistent theme, which makes you feel like you have something to directly address today and moving forward, but that doesn't make it any easier. The biggest thing is I don't envy anybody that's covering, or any fan, or anybody that is Dolphins, because you're still living in a place that – I mean, that was embarrassing, as I said. Today, we have an opportunity. It's the starting process with the players of doing something about it. In that, I think the players have been very focused based on how they've conducted themselves, and we'll see how we improve upon the stuff that happened Week 1. You either learn from it and it becomes a reason for success, or you fall victim of it for a second game in a row, and that's what we have the decision to make each and every day. Where does that lead? We'll see with our work, but I think the message has been loud and clear."
Q: To that extent, I know you're not a yeller or a screamer. What have you done to drive home the point to the players, "This won't be tolerated again. This is unacceptable?"
"I think the biggest thing is, initially, as a coach and a leader, I have to teach. What levels of anger does that bring out of me? Well, it's about intent. Were you unprepared with a controllable? Were you unprepared for the game based upon assignment? That triggers me. So when that did happen – it wasn't the major thing, but when it did happen, yeah, I was pissed because you are taking down everyone when you aren't on your job responsibilities. However, it was, to me, something more than that. It was kind of the reason that a lot of guys had confidence going into the game was because of our preparation and how hard we work and what we work at. So when you don't display those on Sunday, it's frustrating, but I try to figure out why and communicate with that directly. Then on top of that, you let people know that no one gives an anything about any of your problems. No one cares if you have a sack, or you give up a pressure and a receiver doesn't execute a route, or the quarterback doesn't hit the right read, or the playcaller made the wrong call. It doesn't matter. What you have to do is control the controllables; we need individuals to play as one and that's the focus. We're not playing tennis, we're playing football. We have to execute consistent techniques and fundamentals so that guys who are in a position to make a play can make a play based upon their teammates execution. All of that being said, direct communication is kind of what I rely on, and we are trying to work on the things that we failed on, because there's only one way to go from that output and that's what we're focused on today about."
Q: After the last game Colts CB Xavien Howard said, "Once we take away Tua's first read, I feel like it's panic mode after that." What did you see in that area of going through progressions?
"I think I saw quarterback play that was less than to be desired which Tua (Tagovailoa) absolutely knows, but he's the captain and the franchise quarterback and everybody kind of fell victim to something similar. I also know that he's very, very much like most quarterbacks, to be honest, where you're putting a lot of work into something and your first time doing it for a collective four quarters in months, you're not at your best. My biggest thing is I don't want to make the same mistakes twice. I don't want to have things happen for no reason or in vain. You make them purposeful by improving upon the things that you failed at and then making sure that your teammates do the same. So he's comfortable with that in terms of we need to be better collectively. He and everybody else needs to be better for us to get done what we want to get done."
Q: What percentage of time approximately should the ball go to the first read in this offense when things are going well?
"It depends on the game plan, whether or not the opponent did anything that they've done before. A lot of times play calls, you can by happenstance call something for one coverage or defense and then you get a different one but you're able to hit the first read. I would say we try to be intentional and there's a good amount of time, maybe half the time, that you're expecting No. 1 to be open, but the key is not to make No. 1 get the ball. The key is to play within the timing, the fundamentals, within the orchestrated pocket and deliver a deal so you can have all of our players participate in the end game. It can vary each and every game, but the biggest thing is that you're still playing fast and you're going through the progressions, not getting hung up on anything and delivering stuff as I know he's capable of."
Q: QB Tua Tagovailoa is second in the league when it comes to three-turnover games since 2020. Just what's the key to fixing that?
"Yeah, we need to have less of those with absolute certainty. I think one of the top indicators of success or failure in this league is turnover differential and if you're minus-three, you're probably not going to win and why do we do this; we do it to win, not anything else. I think there's a lot of things that go into that. I think it was a unique circumstance this past game, which every game is unique, but this one in particular where I think part of that is absolutely on him, part of it is on his eligibles and part of it is on the playcaller and how even you are with run and pass. So obviously I couldn't do the last one this past game and as the situation was, I also could've on the plays he threw an interception, I could have called a run play that play, too. We all have to be accountable and aggressively so if we want things to change."
Q: Regarding WR Tyreek Hill, his estranged wife made some abuse allegations. Are you aware of that? Are players aware of it? Do you think it could potentially be a distraction to the team?
"I'm aware of it. The organization is. We've been in communication with the NFL and we're going to let the process play out. As far as our team's focus, it is 100% on the Patriots and that's what it should be – a division opponent and on the heels of an undesirable outing. We're firmly there."
Q: I know you guys were kind of chasing the scoreboard a little in that first game because the turnovers and everything, but from a defensive standpoint with guys like LB Chop Robinson, LB Bradley Chubb, LB Jaelan Phillips and LB Matthew Judon – did you guys get to maybe the snap split you guys were looking for? I think they were all somewhere between 30 and 40. Is that the rotation you're hoping for or did the results of the game kind of affect?
"It was close to kind of where we'd forecast and what we kind of talked to them about. We think one of our strengths is in that particular room and a rotation allows for fresher bodies and we were hoping for productivity as a result. We've got some good stuff to build on, but our expectation is that over the course of the season, that type of ratio could play dividends. It always can change as you progress in the season, but yeah, that was close to our starting point as we try to utilize strength in numbers and waves of players going who are all very, very good players."
Q: Do you expect to have TE Darren Waller this week?
"I expect to not know what to expect until later in the week. Like I told you, he's working at this one and as long as everything goes, we'll have a chance, but we may get to the point and recognize that the risk is too great for the rest of the season, so in that case we will have to do what's best for the team. So I wouldn't say that I'm not expecting or expecting; I'm kind of open-minded to how each and every day progresses."
Q: What do you think this game means to LB Matthew Judon, against a former team and what was your assessment of his first game as a Dolphin?
"Generally it's hard to – he is firmly here with the Miami Dolphins and I think his main concern is contributing to us winning football games, but I think it's natural for players that invest their time into an organization, the portion of their careers where you're out in the community, you're a part of all that. I think it's meaningful to play against those jerseys, but at the same time, I think he's focused on us and less about that individual grudge match. I think he did a pretty good job. I was very happy with his starting point. We have high expectations for that room and I have high expectations for him and he has of himself; however, I've been very proud of how he's firmly one of the guys and puts his effort on tape. He had a couple plays that he really played to the end of the whistle – one particularly in the first possession that kept him them from continuing the drive and so we're expecting and hoping for more of those things."
Q: RB Ollie Gordon II, I don't think he had a carry in the first half. How much did the scoreboard, the deficit, affect the original game plan with him?
"It affected it, for sure. Particularly, I thought he ran behind his pads in the short yardage rep that he got, and so our plan was to get him some more touches, however the kind of game complexion didn't necessarily allow for that. That happens at times, but he was ready for his opportunities. He had some stuff later in the game that he got to learn from and I'm expecting him to clean up even more parts of his game as I will ask of him each and every week as he grows his game."
Q: When you look at things that can go wrong in a game, it seems to me that there are things such as assignments and executing plays and all of that, but I also look at fire, whether a team comes out with some fire. How do you separate the two? Are you more concerned with one or the other a little bit more coming off of this game? Or did you sense that the fire was there on Sunday?
"That's a great question because that is tricky and that's one of the first things I'm trying to assess in my own kind of way. Are you passionate and convicted as a collective? Do you have belief? Are you focused on the job at hand? There's a lot of that that kind of surprised the coaching staff and I think the locker room because it did feel like guys were as motivated as any of the teams that you've been on that you'd consider super motivated. It's a very easy concept for us to understand in our daily lives; if you're thinking about one thing, you're not thinking about another. My assessment was there was a lot of well-intentioned players trying to make plays, not recognizing that while trying to make plays, they're going against where their teammates are relying upon them to be – how to address a block, how to block in relationship to the runner. A lot of things are coordinated in a collective 11 that has one result, and we always see the stuff on-ball, who makes the tackle, or who drops the ball, or who doesn't make a bad throw, but it's 11 people moving together. That's what you have to focus on and you are vulnerable; it's something that has happened a ton of times on teams I've been individually, here or there. I think it was more of a collective. There was a lot of guys trying to make plays and not playing unified but their intent was right, so they were just a little out of position in a lot of things they were doing. That's not acceptable. It's not acceptable to have trial by fire errors that amount to a 33-8 score. That's a hard lesson digest but something that you can control and that is, however not talked about, is a real thing for each and every player and every team. You have to take whatever Week 1 was and see how you improve. We know the season isn't a one-game execution. It's a series of 16 more that ultimately you get to play single-elimination football if you do those right, so we're focused on Game 2. I think that's where you have to be in this league. It's the same thing as if you start 3-0 and you're feeling yourself. It's about developing and growing in this league, because everyone is trying to do it and the people that do it the least end up in the loss column and that's a place we need to get out of."
Q: Was there anybody in the locker room, just one guy maybe, that you saw really try to take a lead in telling the guys, "This is unacceptable. We have to turn this around next week?"
"Yeah, I think there was a lot of guys. I think one thing that was probably the only positive that I could think of in the game, so much so it was the only positive and it's not a real win necessarily because I didn't even bring it up to the team on Monday, but the positive is that we didn't fray; we didn't splinter on the sidelines. There were a lot of challenges, but there were a lot of players making sure that we stayed locked in. The guys were focusing on, 'All right, well we just turned the ball over again. They're going to get a stop. They didn't get a stop and we're going to score now,' and it didn't work out. There was a lot of leadership but I don't think live speed Game 1, the collective had the answers from within that were necessary to be productive and change the outcome of the game. I didn't see it as a lack of intent, which is usually what you fear. I saw us shoot ourselves in the foot in three different phases, and they executed and we didn't. It took us out of all the things we wanted to do, and in football, you hope that it happens very rare. It does happen but you get one choice; you can either find a finger and point at people, or you can individually be accountable. I feel like our captains are leading in a great way, because none of them allow for a lack of accountability. I think we have a very motivated football team to get back to work because we have a home division game this Sunday that we're absolutely not looking past Wednesday to be prepared for."
