Miami Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel Speaks on Tough 31-17 Loss Against Philadelphia Eagles
The Miami Dolphins are hard at work getting ready to play the New England Patriots, who are coming off a victory over the Buffalo Bills; a team Miami was unable to fend off; only one day after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 31-17. Following Sunday’s defeat, head coach Mike McDaniel discussed how things may have gone more smoothly with the media.
Dolphins Road Record / Preparations for Road Games
The readiness of the team and coaching staff is crucial when they head on the road, especially when it comes to facing teams like the Bills or the Eagles. Coach McDaniel said ultimately, the planning and execution falls on him, how he got a little aggressive with things the team decides to do:
“From my perspective, there is a good amount that falls on my shoulders because you are working through what your team is and what you can and can’t do on the road. Sometimes coaches can get a little too aggressive with some of the things they decide to do. I felt that it started with me, if that was the case…It was a shame because I thought our defense gave us a definite chance to win with the way they played and made some serious physical plays that were kind of wasted.”
It also didn’t help that the Dolphins were tagged with 10 penalties in Sunday’s contest while the Eagles left the game with none. McDaniel says while it’s not good to be minus 10 in penalties, you also have to look at if there’s a pattern or not:
“You can’t just point a finger and say that it’s not fair…It’s more about looking at ourselves, the stuff that we can control, and what things we can clean up in our game.
How Injuries Impacted the Game
The Dolphins were plagued with four players getting hurt in the game. Jaylen Waddle suffered a back injury, but was able to return to play.
G Isaiah Wynn left the game with a quad injury, and is expected to miss some type. McDaniel said they’re evaluating the situation further, but did say it was more than just bump or a bruise.
However, LB David Long Jr. and S Jevon Holland did not return after suffering a helmet-to-helmet blow. Holland was seen by a specialist on-site during the game and returned to the game, but Long Jr. didn’t ever come out of the locker room.
On Monday, per the league’s concussion protocol, Holland was evaluated again and it was there that he reported his symptoms and entered the league’s concussion protocol. The amount of injuries the Dolphins suffered on Sunday shouldn’t be the excuse as to why they lost the game, McDaniel said they should’ve been capable of winning the game:
“You know, good players – the more good players you have, it definitely makes you better,” McDaniel said. “However it would be tough for me to really look at, you know- I kind of look at what we do have and was very confident going into the game- of the players that were scheduled to play a good amount of snaps, and I think it would be awesome to have players return to our team, but going without X, Y, or Z, whomever it is, wasn’t the reason that we lost. We were still capable of winning that football game if we’re playing our brand of football at its highest.”