Miami Dolphins what they said: Week 7 Colts game review, Week 8 Cardinals game preparation

Kevin Nogle began writing FanPosts on The Phinsider in 2009 before being added as a contributing author in 2010. He became the managing editor of the site in July 2011. He is a lifelong Dolphins fan and tries to always maintain a level-headed approach to covering the team.

Dolphins at Cardinals: Team Connections - The Phinsider

Last week, we introduced a new post here on The Phinsider, collecting the comments from the coaches and the players as they prepared for their Week 7 game against the Indianapolis Colts. It seemed to be well received, so we will add a follow-up to that post with a look at what was said after the game. This post will take a look at the comments from the media availability immediately after the end of the game as well as comments from the team’s Monday press conferences.

Included in this wrap up is head coach Mike McDaniel, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, tight end Jonnu Smith, defensive lineman Zach Sieler, and running back De’Von Achane.

2-4 Record

Achane on perspective of being 2-4: “All of our loses have been one possession games. It’s not like we are going and getting blown out. It’s not like the team is hurting us. We are beating ourselves. We had two turnovers today. We had a lot of penalties as well. We just have to correct the little things. We get a rhythm and then we get penalties.”

Sieler on perspective of being 2-4: “We talked about this when we were 1-2 or 1-3. We’ve been 1-7 out of eight. We’re in double digit games and there is enough time to come back. It’s a long season. Everyone is counting things out. It doesn’t matter. We’re 2-4. There is a lot that could happen. There is a lot of ball left to play.”

Tagovailoa on being 2-4 and if the team needs to go 8-3 or 7-4 to have a chance at the playoffs: I don’t think in any of the records, what if this, what if that – focus on this week. Focus on getting a win and hoping to build off of that.”

Frustration

Sieler on the team’s frustration level: “It’s things we need to make sure we are correct on the little things. Our fits, our security or whatever the play entails. You’re one piece of 11. Do your job and don’t try to do too much. Everyone falls victim to that. You try to make a big play and then things can happen. Let’s do our jobs, focus on that, be right on every play. When you do that, that’s when you do that, that’s when you win games.”

Confidence moving forward

Smith on turning around the season: “I’m extremely confident. It’s just a few mistakes here and there. The Colts didn’t beat us. The Dolphins beat us today. Don’t get me wrong, all respect to them that came out here and did enough to win. But from us, for our perspective, I feel like the Dolphins beat us today.”

Quarterback play during Colts game

McDaniel on Tyler Huntley’s play against the Colts and if there was any update on his injury status: “I don’t have an update. He’s a tough dude. Coming off the field, he was trying to say he was going to be good. When the paid professionals that are on our medical team talk to him about the things that he’d have to do, and put him through some strength testing stuff, I think he wasn’t. I don’t really know the extent of it, but I know it was going to take a lot to keep him out. I thought he did a good job with command. I thought he gave the offense a chance to win. I will have to look at the tape. There were a couple things that I thought were there that maybe we didn’t execute, but it’s short sighted to place blame on any one individual. But I think he had us in a position to win this, which is all you can ask for. And I thought he made a couple plays that were report, both with his throws and with his feet. So, he’s continued his progression, which was good.”

Quarterback Tim Boyle on his entering the game and his preparation during the week: “Most of the time, the backup quarterbacks don’t really get any reps during the week. Snoop (Tyler Huntley) took the good majority of them. Being pros, making sure you are getting mental reps. Coach (Darrell) Bevell will make sure that we all have enough good reps with drill work, but from the bulk of the work standpoint, not a lot of reps.”

Boyle on his mindset when entering the game: “You’ve got to go in and step in and not skip a beat. I think Snoop (Tyler Huntley) did a really good job the first half and beginning of the third quarter. He was playing a really good game, and it’s unfortunate what happened to him. I hope he’s okay. I haven’t seen him yet, but you have to step in and run the offense like nothing happened. We did a good job driving the ball, we just got to hang on to the ball in certain situations, and we got to tighten up the end of the game situation.”

Running game against Colts

Achane on the run game: “We ran the ball great. All of the backs had great running games today. When we do these runs and get penalties, it puts us in a bad spot.”

Building Chemistry

Smith on feeling more comfortable with the team: “I feel the more time you get with your guys, the more time you have to build your chemistry. We’re even trying to get together during the bye week, and it was big for us. We haven’t had plenty of reps together since he came in, so we were trying to take advantage of all the opportunities we can. We are trying to build a tighter chemistry so that when we get out here on Sundays, we’re on the same page.”

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returning to the team and staying healthy

McDaniel on if Tagovailoa will practice this week: “Our plan is to start him practicing on Wednesday and the clearing doesn’t come until after some of the activity, but we’re obviously doing so in the hope of everything going well so that he can play Sunday, but that will be to be determined.”

McDaniel on why this is the right week to bring back Tagovailoa: “Following – specifically with concussions, but just any injury in general, just following the directive and the opinion of medical experts. I think the reason why he’s coming back now is because the medical experts have deemed it safe for him to return. So I don’t mess with timelines or try to overcook or forecast. You lean on experts for matters of the career and that’s what we’re doing here.”

McDaniel on the decision to place Tagovailoa on IR: “This will be a good one to tweet out – I feel like I’ve answered it like six times – but the medical experts deemed that he would be best served with time. And in terms of the roster and equating what that timeline looked like, it was a little unknown, and so when the brain’s health will be determined by the time, you make that decision. Each concussion is unique to its own, but that’s why you have to really rely upon people that study the brain for a living and that was the driving force.”

McDaniel on Tagovailoa’s return after his last concussion and needing to take a hit: “I think he has a better understanding of his responsibility towards to the entire organization at this point. My answer would be, ‘You don’t need that one’ this time around. And I think it’s been eye-opening, too, for him where he was at a place where he really felt comfortable attacking the nuances of the game and he’s just in a different place as far as a leader of this team and feels tremendous responsibility to do everything in his power to be on the field, so part of that is protecting yourself. I’ve got to make sure that he’s properly protected, but at the same time I can’t control everything and he has to be able to protect himself for him to – regardless of the first down conversion that he’s trying to get – for him to be on the field with his team that he needs to be smart about how he engages in contact.”

McDaniel on Tagovailoa’s mobility and if something needs to change: “It’s more about extending plays and being able to move within the pocket for that extra hitch or two. It’s not really like a quarterback run game type of thought process, but for him – I think one of the reasons why this time around he was so diligent and deliberate on excessive running and staying in shape to keep that what he feels, and I think I would agree, is a competitive advantage for his game is being able to move his body around in the best way that allows him to make the plays that he’s capable of making. I wouldn’t say that from a schematic standpoint things would alter that much. I think that comes into making sure that the protection plans are right and the hot routes that are within the concept are right and that they’re going to be good for him to get the ball out, and then him being smart and utilizing his football IQ and his acumen as the quarterback of the team and be able to protect himself with his skills as the team needs him to.”

McDaniel on what it means to have Tagovailoa back: “I think it means any time you have teammates that you grow together with, I think it feels a little off when he’s not in the mix as much and you’re not calling plays for him. So I think it’s meaningful for the whole team considering he’s been a captain every year I’ve been here but has completely – I can’t remember the number – but he’s continued to grow how many votes he gets and he’s really the – across the board, I think everyone would say that he’s the leader of this team, so I think that’s a powerful thing that his team will appreciate. But I think it’s important to state – what I just finished talking to the team about is that he’s not the savior either. There’s a lot of things that have to be looked at from an individual’s game and all three phases to get better because it’s not ‘All right, Tua is here, he’s going to fix the issues.’ Everyone has to be on board to do their part to getting results that we want.”

Dolphins Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa Addresses the Media

Tagovailoa on what the medical experts cleared: “They cleared me from my concussion that I had.”

Tagovailoa on if there is future risk after the concussion: “None of that, no.”

Tagolvailoa on how long he has been symptom-free following the concussion: “I would say for myself, I’d been symptom-free from the next day after the game.”

Tagovailoa on the frustration of being symptom free but not being able to play: “It’s been frustrating. Frustrating for sure, but I’ve tried to stay in it with meetings with the guys, trying to continue to be the leader for guys in multiple position rooms in terms of what we’re looking at, how you can make the quarterback’s job a little easier by doing this, by doing that and then also some nuances within the offense as well, trying to help everyone.”

Tagovailoa on if he feels he should have been put on IR: “What I do know is that I think the team did what was best in the interest of me knowing that I’m a competitor, and given what the doctors have told me that having a substantial amount of time to rest and recover would have been good for me, I think they did what was best in terms of protecting myself from myself.”

Tagovailoa on people saying he should retire: “I wasn’t paying attention to any of it. None of it.”

Tagovailoa on if his style of play will change: “Just got to be smart, that’s it. Just got to be smart. My entire time playing football, I’ve been a competitor and that is or was sort of my edge when I would run from high school, even in college I would do the same thing. But it’s a professional setting; this is the professional level, the best of the best, you just cant be doing that. So definitely got to stay more available for the team, for the organization, for our guys.”

Tagovailoa on his frustration with the process and having to answer the same questions: “Hey, I’m frustrated but this is what it is. Do I want to be known for this? No, I don’t but that’s the cards I’ve been dealt with given the history of it. So it is what it is.”

Tagovailoa on what he has learned about the process: “That it’s not good to get concussions.”

Tagovailoa on the pressure he puts on himself to come back and spark a turnaround for the team: “I don’t think for myself I put any pressure on myself coming back and having to save the team. I think what we have to do is we’ve got to look at this past game, all 11 guys on the field, were we given an opportunity with the plays that were called to score on every drive? And if we can say yes, then we can look at ourselves and see what we can do to get better moving forward.”

Tagovailoa on people worrying about him: “I appreciate your concern, I really do. I love this game and I love it to the death of me, that’s it.”

Tagovailoa on when a player should play if they have a concussion: “Man, I just think it’s based off whatever that individual feels. If you feel like you can go, you can go. This is only – I just think this is only becoming a thing just because of what ended up happening two years ago for myself within the sport. I hate that it’s happened, but we don’t look at boxers the same way. We don’t look at hockey players the same way, but I just think because of what happened in the magnitude that that had that it’s becoming more of an issue here in the league.”

Tagovailoa on the discussions he has had with head coach Mike McDaniel: “Yeah, he’s been – the conversations have been more with Mike and the medical experts. The same information that I’ve been given is the same information that he’s been given around the concussion history and then the long-term health with the brain. So outside of that, he’s been focused on the other quarterbacks and getting them right for the game plan and that game week.”

Tagovailoa on if there was any memory loss from the concussion: “I remember everything. It was just as I was getting up to leave off the field some things were spotty, but outside of that I remember the play, I remember seeing my family, I remember everything.”

Tagovailoa on if the team will bring back the deep pass and if everything will immediately look like it did before the injury: “I’ve been working my butt off as if I was getting ready to play every game for every week; looking over the gameplan, going out and working with the athletic staff to go stand in a spot and I throw it to them and continue to work the timing of my footwork and all that to stay in shape and just to get ready. I expect us to come out – whether we throw it deep or we don’t, expect us to come out and execute all of the plays that are given to us.”

Tagovailoa on the risk associated with football: “Well, how much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to go drive to work? Get into a car crash, I don’t know. Everything I think takes risk. So to answer that question, every time we all suit up, we’re all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt, whether it’s a concussion, a broken bone, anything. You get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentially could risk you spraining your ankle. There’s just risk in any and everything and I’m willing to play the odds, that’s it.”

Guardian Cap

McDaniel on running back De’Von Achane wearing a Guardian Cap: “I think you on the front end, embrace player safety with your team. So, if you are very open about, this is a tool that, if you’re comfortable for your professional career and playing football and regular season games and whatever – absolutely, if you want to do that, we support it. So, I do think that’s important to support it – allowing players to have those types of decisions to make for themselves. But I support all that. That’s why if anybody wants to wear thicker elbow pads or a thicker helmet, I have no problem with that. We support that.”

McDaniel on if Tagovailoa will wear a Guardian Cap: “That’s a great question for Tua. I think contrary to popular belief, as it’s collectively bargained, we aren’t allowed to mandate things that aren’t mandated in terms of their attire. I think in terms of his career, we just have a high priority to pass forth information and knowledge so that decisions can be made with the full breadth of information. I think that I always preach that it is the individual player’s determination if they want to do so, and so what you don’t do is skirt the information gathering process and you make sure they’re well-informed and they have access to all the available options which is supremely important to me. And then players, when they’re making choices that relate to they’re playing their careers as it’s negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement, I appreciate the individual determination for how they play. Good question for him.”

Tagovailoa on if he will wear a Guardian Cap: “Nope.”

Tagovailoa on why he will not wear a Guardian Cap: “Personal choice.”

Turnovers

McDaniel on the turnovers the team had and if it flipped the script on what the team was doing: “Absolutely. They were tough ones. (Running back) Raheem (Mostert) has had 400-plus carries since he’s been here with us. That’s what’s tough about it. He has his fourth fumble out of those 400 touches. The timing of that was, was rough. And then Alec Ingold is a captain, because he’s one of the best players, people and really a playmaker for us a lot of times without the ball and with the ball. I thought that was unfortunate in that situation, because I think there was an opportunity for him to not be strung out sideways and have the ball. If we would have executed like I anticipated, it would have gone a different spot. But it’s also a game of accountability and at the same time, they know they can’t do that. Some players from the team didn’t know where my head was at, so they came and made sure that they were given an opportunity, and that they all still believed in them, which I already knew. So that’s why they continue to get opps (opportunities). But they can’t do that. Just like the game of accountability – it doesn’t matter. If there are good calls, it doesn’t matter. Collectively as a team, we just have to play smarter football – it’s crazy. So that starts with me. It’s always rough for me when guys that are very ball secure do have fumbles. They get picked too and things happen. I’m very frustrated because you think you emphasize things correctly, and you think you have certain things fixed, and when they’re not, it’s not going to be anybody else’s fault but me. I was definitely wrong. And you have to approach it that way. We have retooled stuff to clean up our game with the penalties and it’s still killing us. I need to figure out something better, which is what I’ll be doing starting the second this press conference ends.”

Offense’s struggles getting the ball to wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle

McDaniel on explaining the difficulties of getting Hill and Waddle involved: “Compounding. I think they were phenomenal all game. They’ve really looked at their role in an expansive way. They’ve been trying to do whatever we can to win the football game. When you run the ball 40 times, it does minimize your opportunities and then if you’re trying to take advantage of a defense over playing and doubling them and getting the ball to the tight end, then they have less opps (opportunities). I always look at that as part of my job, to find ways anyway. So, it was frustrating this game. Didn’t anticipate some of the game shaping out that way. I have to find a way, specifically when they are doing their jobs at a high level. They were very involved in the run game in blocking. And contrary to popular belief, they do play every play. They’re one of 11 in terms of not just passes. Sometimes they’re limited to requiring a lot of attention and emphasis from the defense, which gives other guys opportunities. But we have to take advantage of those opportunities, and I need to find ways to get them involved.”

McDaniel on teams taking away Hill and Waddle: “I think every team goes with that objective, because they know how good they are. I think that there have been games in the past that maybe as they reviewed the tape and where they’re at in their careers, where they’re trying to be great. They’ve acknowledged sometimes that they’ve minimized their involvement by certain things that they can do in their game. However, this game, I didn’t see that. Teams always do. So, you have to continue to problem solve. Sometimes you think that you have solved the problem, and then you find out you haven’t. That will always be the case with them. So, I can’t look at it like – I have to keep them involved. But they were very active in the game without the ball. So that was a good thing.”

Boyle on issues getting Hill and Waddle the ball: “I think defenses do a really good job of taking those guys away, and we have to be creative with the ways we get them the ball. But when you have really good players like that, the defense is game planning them too. So, a lot of the game they were, they were (inaudible) Tyreek. We see a lot of that. This defense was primarily going into the game a one high structure defense, and they played us a majority two high, and that’s to take away our guys outside. So, we took what the defense gave us, but we got to find ways to get those guys the ball, because they’re really good players.”

McDaniel on Hill’s mindset following the Colts game: “I sit probably 20 yards away from him on the plane. I think Tyreek led the charge last week on selfless football and really honing in on fundamentals and technique that I thought he had his best game so far with how he was attacking defenders from the line of scrimmage and running some routes that didn’t show up on the box score because he didn’t get the ball. I think Tyreek is a model competitor for this football team that has no problems with what’s going on in the game as long as it’s done in the name of victory. I think it’s very frustrating as a receiver to lose and to not feel like you had the moment where you could help dictate the outcome, however he is learning how much he’s a part of each and every play. I think he was frustrated and was really a good example of – was saying what a lot of guys weren’t saying but were feeling. You’re never anything but happy when you have the right competitors on your team that don’t like to lose because that helps the preparation for the whole team. His competitive edge, how he goes about his business helps dictate the terms of how everyone gets better. Frustrated as we all are for losing football games.”