Mike McDaniel puts positive spin on Dolphins long night in Philadelphia
During his Monday press conference, the head coach of the league’s highest-scoring team answered questions regarding his team’s 14-point setback to the reigning NFC champions. The first-place Miami Dolphins were in Philadelphia on Sunday night and when it was all said and done, Mike McDaniel’s club was not ready for prime time.
From a slew of penalties to the lack of a running game. The reasons were many for the team’s 31-17 loss to the Eagles. Now it’s a day later and a rematch with the New England Patriots this Sunday is the team’s top priority.
Still, what can a team take from a performance that resulted in a season-low 244 total yards, 17 points, and one offensive touchdown?
“You can learn everything,” explained McDaniel. “It was a very important thing. I kind of knew that going into the game it was going to be that type of atmosphere and I think that’s very important for our team being on the younger side to experience. Those are critical. You have to feel what it’s like to play such a good team on the road. Your margin for error is so small, and it’s an important building block along your progression for the season, you know.”
How many times have you heard the words “good loss” or “bad loss?” Can any defeat really be a good thing for any team? Well…
“If you’re going to lose games, you want it to be against a really good team, and you want it to hurt,” added McDaniel. “The collection of coaches and players in the locker room right now are hurting because they feel like they left some plays on the field for sure. You know, losses, if approached the right way, if you’re not pointing fingers and you’re looking internally, can be a good thing too. So that’s what we’ll be determined to make this moving forward, starting with tomorrow.”
A year ago, the Dolphins were a streaky team for many reasons. A 3-0 start was followed by a three-game losing streak. Five consecutive wins were followed by five straight losses before a season-ending win over the Jets. This year, the team bounced back after the Week 4 loss at Buffalo with a victory over the Giants. It’s very important that the Dolphins rebound at home against the Patriots on Sunday.