Mike McDaniel knows he gave his players too much rope in his first three years as the Miami Dolphins head coach, and with his seat beginning to heat up, it might be time for a change.
In a brutally honest final media availability before the offseason kicks into high gear, McDaniel seemingly admitted that perhaps his players took advantage of his laissez-faire approach.
“I can fine people till they are blue in the face. I can take their money, I can yell at them,” McDaniel told reporters. “But until they understand that part of the reason that we are in [this] position is controllable and we have to [have], with absolute certainty, is a zero tolerance for anything else, we have to clean the controllables up and we can have a chance to have success together.”
The Dolphins are coming off their worst season since McDaniel took over as coach, going 8-9 and missing the playoffs for the first time in three years.
McDaniel seems to think that his players are running a bit wild on him, and punishment might need to be levied with more of an iron fist.
He pointed to the issue belonging more to a certain sect of players rather than a team-wide problem.
“Certain specific individuals … I don’t think it was across the board … There’s a lot of guys that had certain fines before that didn’t have any. There were some people that had multiple that, you know, I think there are different ways to counteract that,” McDaniel said. “Bring it up as a team and continuing to fine guys wasn’t enough, so I’m not going to continue to just place all of the blame on even some of the smallest individuals that were multiple offenders.
“I will adjust my process and make sure that its team-wide knowledge anytime that things are done that aren’t in the best interest of winning football games.”
McDaniel saw things go a bit sideways this season, as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion and missed an extended period, before a hip injury sidelined him for the final two games.
Tyreek Hill seemingly set the stage for asking for a trade out of Miami, saying “I’m out bro” to reporters after the Week 18 loss to the Jets.
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said Tuesday that Hill did not ask him for a trade, though.
Whether Hill is on the field making big plays for Miami could help determine the team’s offseason plans, although the Dolphins need Tagovailoa to stay healthy.
McDaniel received four-year contract extension prior to this season, making him the coach through the 2028 season.
