Mike McDaniel September 16 Takeaways
Head coach Mike McDaniel addressed the media before the Miami Dolphins headed out to practice at the Baptist Health Training Complex on Friday.
Here were the highlights from McDaniel's press conference:
-- Right away, the Dolphins have decided to put tackle Austin Jackson on injured reserve.
-- Greg Little did a "great job" after replacing Jackson in the lineup against New England and likely will start against Baltimore. McDaniel says his teammates have plenty of confidence in him.
-- Terron Armstead will be limited in practice again Friday and will be listed as questionable for the game. McDaniel says Armstead has a high tolerance for pain. "What we don't want to do is set stuff back" for later on in the season. "If he's able to go, it will be full steam ahead with him."
-- With Jackson going on IR, there's the possibility of moves being made in the next 24 hours, and that obviously includes elevating a tackle from the practice squad, either Larnel Coleman or Kion Smith. The guess here is Coleman will be elevated.
-- Regarding Christian Wilkins and Brandon Jones, McDaniel says they're hoping for the best and preparing for the worst with each. "We're hoping it's not a big deal and we're hoping it doesn't involve Sunday." Look for both players to be listed as questionable.
-- With Connor Williams, McDaniel said he was very, very happy with his play. "I thought he did some really cool stuff."
-- Next question is about Chase Edmonds as a receiver, and McDaniel says he likes his ball skills. "He can locate the ball, he can also understand space." Also calls Edmonds a good route runner.
-- Regarding Tua and his confidence level, McDaniel says it's important to get to know his players on a personal level. Says that Tua sometimes is too hard on himself. "I want his confidence to outweigh his perfectionalism." Adds he doesn't want to lose sight of his progress.
-- After Tua's comment about sometimes not being able to see, McDaniel says it's an issue for every quarterback at some level except that most don't admit it. From this vantage point, Tua's comment was overblown and unnecessarily attacked.
-- On the issue of using a lot of motion before the snap, McDaniel points out it's low effort on offense but can cause issues on defense based on the communication that needs to happen to coordinate the plan for that particular play.
-- The last question deals with veterans who get a rest day at practice, and McDaniel explains that it's done on an individual basis and ultimately what's best for the team. Armstead, Xavien Howard and Melvin Ingram II have had those in the first two weeks of the regular season.
