McDaniel Takeaways Day After Dolphins-Patriots Week 2 Game

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel looks back on his team's 24-17 victory against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium

Head coach Mike McDaniel conducted his traditional day-after-the-game press conference Monday in the aftermath of the Miami Dolphins' 24-17 victory against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

Here were the highlights from McDaniel's media session:

-- There's no timetable that McDaniel knows of when it comes to Salvon Ahmed's groin injury.

-- Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is in the concussion protocol, though he did start progressing in that process Monday.

-- Linebacker Jaelan Phillips was pretty frustrated that he wasn't allowed to play, but from a medical standpoint, the Dolphins felt it wasn't worth the risk.

-- Terron Armstead was similar in that way ... in that it was a case of being cautious.

-- As one would expect, McDaniel doesn't make any predictions as to when either Phillips and Armstead will be back in action, though he says they feel optimistic.

-- Despite the overall success of the offense through two games, McDaniel points out there are a lot of areas where the Dolphins can get better and the idea is to keep getting better week after week.

-- Regarding the decision to attempt a 55-yard field goal late in the game, McDaniel said he initially was planning to go for it on fourth down but changed his mind after the botched center-QB exchange. Called it "irresponsible" to go for it after that mistake. Points to Jason Sanders' 50-yard field goal against the Jets last year that sent Miami to the playoffs as a reason for confidence he'd make the kick.

-- On the issues with snaps or center-QB exchange, McDaniel describes his level of concern as "2/60ths of the game." Basically says there's isolated incidents that unfortunately are occurring early in the season and during wins.

-- McDaniel said he didn't assume that New England would focus on stopping the Dolphins passing game but was prepared for that possibility, hence the greater reliance on the running game than in Week 1.

-- Raheem Mostert had an impressive 121-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Patriots, and McDaniel talked about his growth as a running game and how difficult he is to tackle. 

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