The Miami Dolphins are now 0-2 to start the 2025 season. Both games were against opponents that Miami was expected to beat. Mike McDaniel's frustration is beginning to show, and coaching changes may be on the way.
The Dolphins didn't just lose on Sunday; they handed the New England Patriots a late-game win with the one consistency Miami excels at: making mistakes. After the game, McDaniel spoke with the media and threw some unnamed coaches and players under the bus.
"Ultimately, I look at absolutely everything falling on me. That's the responsibility of the head coach," said McDaniel. "That being said, I'm very frustrated with, basically coaches and players that did not execute communication in a very dire period of the game with the game on the line. Our communication and our substitution was not up to par. Ultimately, I hold all responsibility for all things."
Mike McDaniel's frustration after Week 2 loss could lead to coaching changes
The Dolphins played a lot better than they did in Week 1, but there is an apparent disconnect in what McDaniel wants to see on the field and what his coaches are delivering. At one point early in his press conference, the proverbial bus pulled up, and McDaniel didn't mince his words.
Last week, players held a meeting without the coaches. McDaniel praised them for doing so and taking the initiative to get out of a bad mindset. Week 1 was bad, but the frustrations are still alive and well inside the locker room. They have now reached McDaniel, who is showing the stress of keeping his job.
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When a coach begins to feel the pressure, they start to throw blame. McDaniel took responsibility for what happens on and off the field, but he couldn't keep his frustrations from coming to the surface, so naturally, he had to let it out.
Was his admonishment a thundering attempt to save his job, or was it simply a matter of his own realization that the job he loves is no longer in his control? It's probably a bit of both, but for the first time in his head coaching career, McDaniel seems resigned to the fact that his future in that position is in serious doubt.