The Dolphins fell to 0-2 on Sunday following a home loss to the Patriots. Miami’s performance on offense in particular was an improvement compared to Week 1, but questions continue to linger about changes being made in the organization. 
Shortly before Week 2, a report indicated head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier are in danger of being fired before the season ends. After the loss, McDaniel was asked about his stance regarding his job security. As one would expect, he denied having concern on the subject.
“If I worry about my job security, I won’t be doing my job,” McDaniel said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). “I’ve never felt entitled to this position. It’s important for me to spend all of my waking hours worrying about how to do my job. I won’t spend one moment thinking about [job security].”
Coaches known to be on the hot seat often provide remarks along those lines, so McDaniel’s comments are certainly understandable. Still, a slow start against the Patriots resulted in a 12-0 deficit early yesterday. The Dolphins managed to take the lead, but their final two possessions resulted in a Tua Tagovailoa interception and a turnover on downs following a Tagovailoa sack. That helped lead to the Dolphins’ first home loss against New England since 2019, a game which was preceded by a blowout loss against the Colts.
Concussions and other injuries have been a long-running area of concern for Tagovailoa during his NFL career. When healthy during the early portion of McDaniel’s tenure as head coach, he and the team managed to find a degree of success. The Dolphins reached the postseason in 2022 and again the following year, indicating a breakthrough could be coming. After an underwhelming showing last season and a poor start to the current campaign, though, calls have increased for a change on the sidelines and/or in the front office.
The Dolphins have lost 10 of their last 16 games in which Tagovailoa has started dating back to when he was on the field last season. That regression has been coupled with issues being aired out by a number of veterans, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Relations with McDaniel were acknowledged to be a factor in this offseason’s Jalen Ramsey trade. The Dolphins’ secondary is a point of concern, especially given the injuries suffered in at the cornerback spot so far. Miami’s offense has generally not met expectations since the start of last season, however.
Should the Dolphins continue to struggle through the fall, pressure will no doubt continue to increase on McDaniel and Grier. Whether of not owner Stephen Ross considers a change midway through the campaign – and how (if at all) McDaniel alters his approach in response – will make for an interesting storyline.
Dolphins punt return TD immediately followed by Patriots kickoff return TD. Not a good sign when you’re starting a 3-game stretch within the AFC East.
Thursday vs the Bills will be a bloodbath.
Give McDaniel a real QB and I think he would be fine. Tua isnt the answer.
Now fix the defense. The GM’s failures are really showing this year.
Yeah, I don’t think Tua is the sort of quarterback to carry a team on his back to success, but fielding a bad offensive line and a horrendous cornerback group is enough to drag down anyone.
Unfortunately, what will likely happen is they’ll replace the coach first. But this definitely seems more like a roster issue than coaching issue. Their D has not looked good at all and can’t stop anybody (and def looks worse without Ramsey). Their O has been pretty bad, which is crazy with the weapons they have.
I agree that outside of 2023, Tua hasn’t shown he’s the QB to lead this team to success. But I think roster construction is what’s doing this team in. You would think they would have overhauled their O-line with Tua’s concussion issues.
When has the GM ever put together a wining roster? Benn there around 9 years.
They messed up when started to pay the wrong players, the Trey Lance trade set them up in a great position but they blew it
Tua is good enough, even if he’s not elite. Even though I wouldn’t ask him to put a cape on with regularity, I wouldn’t blame him for the lack of success. The fact of the matter is that the defense hasn’t ever really been good enough, and it seems, from the outside, that the cohesion in the locker room has been bad. I don’t know who is mostly responsible for that-if it comes from the top or if it’s a player issue-but if I have to find reasons that Miami has struggled, Tua is not at the top of my list, or close to it.
Tua is damaged goods. Too many concussions. If the NFL had any real principles about player health, Tua would not be allowed on the field. The man will die young or end up in a wheelchair drooling soon. Or start running people over like many other NFL victims of CTE. Argh.
Ever since that traffic arrest…
Think the article from a week ago or thereabouts brought a good point concerning quality of players.
The defense is atrocious, last year and this, hoping to contend with a high cost QB and WR has never been the path to playoff superiority.
Defense wins, good ‘front 7 and better DBs.
Therein who shops for these players? The GM, one would think with input from scouts, that’s who to ask about job security.
His job security is as crisp as his attire.
If bills spank Miami Thursday night is only going to get worst. At least tyriek had 100 yards yesterday
Does anybody not expect that to happen?
Hahaha maybe some ppl
Imagine if the GM had actually watched NCAA football instead of relying on stat lines & media hype? Miami would’ve drafted the better QB at #1 in Justin Herbert.
I’ve banged the “Tua Ain’t Him” table since Alabama but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Oh no, we were holding our breath Miami would grab the ‘local’ kid and when that pick was announced the sigh of relief moved the ocean waters.
This year just need better play from the ‘back up, with Slater out (pipkins) and a TE to step up.
Nerd Boy has no business head coaching an NFL team.
We found Rex Ryan’s burner account! lol
Prove me wrong.
How is that Tua contract holding up?
Tua over Herbert will haunt them for the mext 10-15 years
Firing Flores was a huge mistake. Turning things over to McDaniel was a huge mistake as he wasn’t ready. Putting your faith in Tua was a huge mistake.
These three decisions set this organization back a decade (or more).
Even with Flores, there were issues, let’s not forget. Even if he had stayed, Ross still wanted a tank job and tried to set up that shady Brady-Payton deal that the Dolphins ended up being unilaterally punished for, so I don’t think that the environment would have changed. Flores also had some big issues with some of the personnel, so unless you were going to turn over the whole roster, it doesn’t seem like that trend would have slowed.
I do think that Flores got screwed ultimately for wanting to do things his own way, but there still were issues with his tenure as well. The Dolphins being at best above average and at worst god awful since he left doesn’t eliminate that. I’d say that throughout this all, there have two consistencies: Grier and Ross. It’s hard to say how much negative (or positive) influence Ross has in day-to-day matters, but his handling of Flores’ refusal to tank is deeply concerning. Grier, on the other hand, is pretty easy to evaluate. Despite getting multiple high level picks in the last nine years, and having a few bright spots on the roster, he’s failed to capitalize on the team’s strengths and hasn’t built a truly complete roster over his tenure.
The Tyreek Hill behavioral drama recently sort of puts a cap on that in how it contributes to the team atmosphere. It just doesn’t seem in order or structured in Miami right now.
If Miami goes 0-3, it would be smart to restart. GM and coach.
Trade pieces.
Realistically, they are tied to Tua for another year after this, but start collecting assets to rebuild and get ahead of it.
But Id like them to keep McDaniel forever.
I’d be pretty surprised if I saw McDaniel on Miami’s sideline next year. I don’t think Grier makes it, either. The question is if they get bad enough to be fired midyear-right now, I’d say no, but I think that that depends on how long it takes them to get that first win.
This gem from Mike:
“To win games you have to win the game and not lose the game.”
There is additional context to this, but its very funny him trying to go all Yogi Berra.
Long as fans still attend and a team ‘breaks even or has a profit’ what motivates an owner to improve? Ego? Only Jerry or Mara seem to live in that arena.
Nobody will win there with no oline and defense
When they hired him I thought he reminded me of the guy in the mascot costume more than a head coach. But everyone shouted me down. He’s brilliant, he’s the next wave of head coaches, he’s an analytical genius. He’s short in a land of giants ( no intimidation), he “played” in college but has no stats recorded, he played at a football powerhouse (Yale), and he was a third stringer in high school. Players respect someone who has been there and played, not the guy who sat on his helmet for 4 years. And his lack of discipline is legendary in Miami. These 300 lbs toddlers need someone who they respect and who is willing to get in their faces. He kinda reminds me of a young Buckeye News Hawk award winner named Les Nessman.
Any WKRP reference is welcome in this dojo
MC DANIEL DID SQUANDER A LOT OF DRAFT PICKS . HE HAD A BOAT LOAD OF DRAFT PICKS WHEN THEY GOT FOR BY TRADING A LOT OF STARS. IT ALL GOT STARTED WHEN THEY GAVE A FIRST AND A THIRD FOR PRIMA DONNA TYREEK, I WOULDNT GAVE A BOX OF WORMS FOR HIM,HE IS A CLUBHOUSE DISRUPTOR.
Fix your allcaps key, madman.
He’s about to be 0-3 so….
He can always become a fashion model.
ORG- For what? Garanimals? Baby Gap? Oshkosh Bygosh? Dude is tiny.