Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Opening statement) – “I might be more fired up about this press conference than any press conference ever. You guys want to know why? Because of reps, okay? This is my second year and Friday of Week 1 press conference – it’s a phenomenal time for us to be teammates because here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to talk about injuries. And then like, nothing’s happened this year – we’re basing it off last year, but it’s this year’s season – so whatever you guys have in store for writing articles, I can’t wait to help write them and I have no idea what it’s going to be about so let’s go.”
(I begin with T Terron Armstead. He hasn’t practiced in over three weeks. He’s got three injuries. So if you think rationally, it would seem unlikely he would play Sunday. However, here is the magic question. Are you ready to confirm that he is out Sunday or would you prefer for gamesmanship reasons to wait until we get the injury report in three hours and 52 minutes?) – “Here’s what I will say, especially I’m sure you guys have talked to Terron. I know his expectation has been the entire time to play Week 1. And if he has the final say, if Chris Grier and the boys decided to fire me and make him the head coach today, he’ll definitely be playing. However, I want to take a look at him this afternoon and really kind of make a concrete decision for Sunday. So I think by today, we’ll have an answer for Sunday. And literally the only reason there’s even a debate is because it’s my job to protect players from themselves, and it’s my job with the aid of all sorts of well-intentioned, very well-schooled individuals, is that we do what’s best for the Dolphins for the entirety of the season. So going through that process, making sure that there continues to not be setbacks, more that we’re trying to do something for the long-haul, and we’ll assess it today and see where that leaves us.”
(So he won’t be practicing?) – “Depending on the timing – and I don’t comb the time that you guys are out there – you may or may not see him, depending on the timing of it. But we’re going to put him through some stuff to see where he’s at so we can take care of both sides of the coin there.”
(“Some stuff” meaning physical activity, but not practice is what you’re saying or actually practice?) – “To be determined on practice in terms of the later stage of it, kind of assessing stuff that is football related. I won’t be putting him through back handsprings. It will be just to kind of see the state of the union, but we’ll assess.”
(There’s not many guys like S Derwin James in the league. How difficult is it to prepare for a defense that has a chess piece like that?) – “It’s a problem that NFL teams generally have some game-changing players on them, on offense or defense. So it’s rare you go a week without having an issue that if you don’t prepare for, will bite you hard. With this particular player, it’s even more unique because of the versatility, the amount of places that the coaches teach him and that he can learn. He’s all over the place and when you are dealing with some unknowns in terms of it’s Week 1, so you don’t really know – I haven’t been in the in the Chargers building all offseason so you don’t know what they have in store but you know he’s a featured player. So every person on the offense needs to know where he’s at and his playmaking ability. So it’s one of the challenges of the NFL process. It’s not completely foreign, but because he’s a unique, special player, it is a different sort of formula than a lot of the better players in the league present.”
(When you see the preparation for Week 1 and the T Terron Armstead situation looming, guys like T Kion Smith who’s one of your undrafted guys who made the team this year, have you seen a progression from training camp – his performance to now preparing for Week 1 – and what’s your thoughts on his progression?) – “Absolutely I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that one of the great things about having that 90-man roster that was – speaking of all the hard decisions and the depth – is that there’s not a player on the team that didn’t develop. Because if they didn’t develop, they literally wouldn’t be here because we had so many options. So we are seeing better versions within our scheme of each and every player, when you really look at it from that perspective. Kion (Smith) is a guy that I’ve highlighted a ton within the whole team because he’s really, really gravitated to the particular coaching and it’s clicked for him in terms of what we’re asking him to do. So what does that mean? He’s really tried difficult techniques fully committed and that’s a hard thing for offensive linemen to do because when you’re trying different techniques and it doesn’t work, everybody knows about it. And so he’s really attacked that process and because he’s attacked it that way, he’s gotten significantly better this year. He’s a great guy to highlight amongst a lot of people that are going along the same journey. And that’s what happens when you have detailed coaching that’s committed from their position coaches to anybody that’s discussing football with them. And then you have guys that are not trying to get through it; they’re trying to be their best versions. So he’s a cool one, like a lot of the guys.”
(What about your confidence in T Kendall Lamm if he has to go in for T Terron Armstead?) – “Kendall (Lamm) is a great example of a guy that has found a place on a team that had been through some trials in his career. Last year he made an impact so early in the room, about how he goes about his business. He uses every slight that’s happened to him to his advantage, not disadvantage. And he’s a core piece of the locker room at this point, which says a lot. So my confidence is high, just because I see better than I hear and he’s shown me as consistent, really, as anybody of what I can expect, what his teammates can expect from him, and that’s a guy that there’s nothing more important to him than what he needs to deliver on for himself and his teammates. So any time he’s on the field, I get excited for him because he’s been down the rigors of the NFL journey for a player that’s not a lottery pick, so to speak, and he’s coming out a better version than he went in.”
(I did want to follow up on T Kendall Lamm. Where is he from a technique standpoint and the principles and the things that you guys are teaching? I know he’s been through so many different systems, but you guys teach things a little bit differently.) – “So those are the guys that you learn the most about with regard to who the people are. With offensive linemen that are veterans that have been in the league, that have been coached in different ways and watching the progression here where we’re very concrete in what we’re looking for and very aware of the times that’s ‘whoa, that’s way different.’ It’s an old dog new tricks analogy. Like it is really hard for guys to be like, ‘wait, you want me to do this other thing that I would never have done ever in my career to get to this point?’ That’s a trust fall. And so when watching his progression, it shows you more than anything, the amount of deliberate fixation on certain things to watch the techniques evolve. Where he was at last year, versus this year is not even close. And he did one of the harder things that players do in this league is play in a regular season game a couple of weeks after arriving to a team. I think we kind of hedged our bet. We felt pretty confident in the person that he’d be able to have an offseason like he has and he has only exceeded expectations. I’m fired up for his opportunities whenever they arise.”
(You have interesting options when you go three or four receivers. That’s obviously with WR Braxton Berrios, WR Cedrick Wilson Jr., WR Erik Ezukanma and WR River Cracraft. How much time have you and Wide Receivers Coach Wes Welker and Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith talked about snap allocation among those four and how tough a call is it in terms of playing time, to give each of those four reps when you go three or four wide receiver sets?) – “When you have capable players that have different skill sets, you have to make decisions, or educated guesses, or formation decisions earlier in the week, so that you can kind of steer people in a certain direction on what to focus on. The more talent you have, that’s never a bad problem. More skill sets, hopefully you can utilize them the best and that can be diverse. It’s something that has to be detailed early and often because of the different multiplicity and because you’re trying to involve everyone. It’s not as simple as okay, these three go out here. By and large, a lot of communication has to occur the entire week. I have to be clear with distinctions and personnels if I want three wide receivers, but a different assortment of them. Those are things that we have to work together in a fluid way. Players have to be on it and attentive during the game. It’s fun involving everybody, so it’s a good problem to have. It’s something that there’s a way to take advantage of depth at that position. So that’s what I’m excited about.”
(How would you assess S Brandon Jones’ readiness level from a physical standpoint to handle a major role on defense if he were called upon to do so?) – “Well, alright, that’s a vet right there. (laughter) First and foremost, that was our priority and assessment from this whole offseason. Because again, you’re trying to make sure that you’re coming back the best version that you possibly can, and that’s a process. So we’re very, very attentive to the physical part of that. I’m very happy with Brandon. I’m very happy with the training staff, because I think for a normal timeline purpose, he’s done everything he could and more and I feel very good about his physical ability to play within the defense. For him, it’s trying to make up the reps that are lost live. That process, in a new defense, it’s not linear. When it clicks, it clicks. Each and every day he’s been getting better and better at getting to that click spot. I’m very happy with where he’s at because he’s a big part of the team. That’s a very impactful player and I feel pretty confident, as confident as one can be in the game of football, that we’ve done right by him and the Dolphins with our progression that will continue as he gets caught up.”
(A lot has been made of the past game and their coverages from last year, but how important can the run game be?) – “I think to be what we’re all trying to be, to go after goals, to win football games in this league, they get paid too and they’re good at it. So you have to show a progression during the course of the season of getting better at both running and passing the ball. This game will be no different in that I want to see what I’ve seen in practice in the games. And that’s my litmus test. I think all plays that are called, the idea of them is for them to work. All of them. Literally every play we’re like, ‘Yeah, we hope this works.’ Some will. Some won’t. I think overall, the game will take care of itself. You kind of have to – you’re playing football against an opponent. And so what I’m hoping for is if they are fully committed to one phase or the othey – if they’re fully committed to defending pass, hopefully we can execute run plays. If they’re loading up the box, hopefully we can execute pass and vice versa. That’s always the way I look at it. And here, the value of a balanced offense is never lost in us, so we’ll never be satisfied even if things are good, if it’s just one-sided either way.”
(I saw a podcast with your childhood friend Dan Soder, talking about the many pick-sixes you score on him in Tecmo Super Bowl back in the day. Every snap you said you were pulling off Deion Sanders and picking them off. Is it safe to say that’s where you first developed your football genius and maybe your trash talk?) – “Well, genius huh? I mean, I’m not sure if I’m qualified for that. (laughter) But in terms of developing football passion – I think I got my first video game as a reward for straight A’s. And so whenever those report (cards came in) – maybe it was first grade or something. But once I got my hands on video games, that was a game changer. And the Tecmo Super Bowl, college football, all those games I spent way too much time (playing). At the time, when talking about Dan Soder, I was 4’10” in seventh grade, right? And probably didn’t have that much to talk crap about just in general in life. So video games (were) a nice outlet. Being good at Tecmo Super Bowl allowed me to lay off some steam probably on my taller, more manly looking friend. Listen, ‘Primetime.’ It’s real and it was obnoxious. And then I would get upset like, ‘Dude, you don’t want to play anymore? Like come on, man. It’s like two games. I’ll be different team.’ Then I would be the Raiders and have Bo Jackson and do the same thing. (laughter) But yeah, you live and you learn.”
(I was a Christian Okoye guy. Nigerian nightmare.) – “Yeah. Steve Atwater wouldn’t let me. I wasn’t allowed. For my fan fandom of Steve Atwater, I couldn’t be the Chiefs ever, ever.”
(But what about Bo Jackson and the Raiders?) – “Yeah, but I mean I had a poster of him. I was a Broncos fan, but he was an outlier. He did both (football and baseball). So yeah, whatever, you can cheer for the once in a century athlete.”
