https://www.reddit.com/r/miamidolphins/comments/1hke9hx/postgame_locker_room_speech_does_this_look_like_a/And no, this doesn't look like a coach who's getting fired. I was critical of McDaniel earlier in the season when Tua was injured, but I've been impressed with how McDaniel has handled the adversity this year. He hasn't lost the team, they are still fighting. I do see some changes in the game plan that weren't evident earlier in the year like for instance the use of Jonnu Smith in short yardage and goal line which I think has a been a highlight for the year. I do think it's time to start taking some more shots over the top of defenses again and we almost had Tyreek get one deep this week. I'm more than happy to stay the course with McDaniel and Grier for that matter, but I do hope they start putting more emphasis on players in the trenches, size, strength and football IQ and a little less emphasis on speed and agility. Also conditioning and strength training might be an area for improvement with so many injuries popping up on this team every year. A team is a made up of a lot of different abilities and I do see some hope for the future with some young talent, but I also think there's something to be said for building a team that's built to win playoff games and not just regular season wins.
If this sounds like I'm starting to talk about next year a bit early, sorry but I think this year's narrative has already been written. Miami may very well win their last 2 games of the season, but it seems pretty unlikely all the rest of what they would need to make the playoffs would happen and if it does, looks like we'd be heading to Buffalo for a wild card game and I don't like our chances there either. The team can be focused on the remaining games, but I'm already starting to consider the future.
I think the end of the video when Ross chips in to say "there's one more game ball" and tosses it to McD pretty much said it all. It must give him a lot of confidence to have Ross in his corner.
There are many positives, but McD is still a work in progress. It looks like he's finally worked out how to utilize a TE in his offense. Last Sunday was the first time I saw him lose his cool at a player during a game, yelling out at Sanders after he sent a kickoff wide and gifted the 49ers a generous field position (which they used to generate a TD scoring drive), so maybe there's a little mongrel when necessary there/to come?
I still think he needs to give up the playcalling duties. He's got to instill more discipline to get rid of the silly penalties that prevent us going forward.
It also wouldn't hurt if Tua managed to keep in shape, and Tyreek manages to stay out of trouble this offseason.