Ben Volin ranks the Miami Dolphins LAST in the AFC East - says McDaniel's seat is scorching hot - video Dailymotion

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Ben Volin of the Boston Globe questions whether running it back this season with a similar roster will lead to different results and details what he believes the teams ceiling will be under Mike McDaniel.

Transcript

00:00Let's look at the Dolphins here for a second.

00:02Mike McDaniel on the hot seat, like the hot, hot seat.

00:07I would think it's scorching hot right now.

00:10The Dolphins are an organization.

00:12Steven Ross is an owner that has not been afraid to fire the coach in season.

00:17Joe Philbin, Tony Sperano immediately come to mind.

00:20There probably may have been others as well.

00:23I think Mike McDaniel and Chris Greer, frankly, are fortunate.

00:27We're a little lucky to survive the offseason.

00:30I think there was a case to be made that the team had kind of run its course after three years

00:35and that McDaniel's message was kind of falling flat in the locker room.

00:40We'll see if running it back this year with a lot of the same guys, they can have different results.

00:47Obviously, I think Tua's health is going to be a huge part of it.

00:50They've got to keep him healthy for 17 games or close to it.

00:54And obviously, that's been the big struggle for him.

00:57But, yeah, I've got to think that if – I mean, kind of all the analysts and people you talk to around the league,

01:05right now Miami is just putting out bad vibes and is not an organization that people have a lot of faith,

01:10is going in the right direction heading into 2025.

01:13So I think Mike McDaniel has a lot of work to do to kind of, you know, stem the flow of where this thing is headed

01:22and get some positive momentum again for the Dolphins.

01:24And, Ben, last year, Tua goes down, which he's only played one season, one full season since he's been in the NFL.

01:31And then we have Tyler Huntley, and then we have Boyle, and we have Skylar Thompson,

01:36and you could tell they couldn't run the offense.

01:38They were averaging like 12 points a game when Tua was out.

01:42Where is our quarterback room now?

01:43Because you knew the situation you had.

01:45You go into the offseason.

01:47We sign Zach Wilson, and we draft Quinn Ewers.

01:49Did Chris Greer do any justice to Mike McDaniel with this quarterback room we have now?

01:58Well, I'll say this.

01:59I think Chris Greer is kind of putting his job on the line with his choices at backup quarterback.

02:06In selecting Zach Wilson, that's a big move for the Dolphins, backup quarterback,

02:13because, as you all know, Tua misses games almost every year.

02:16It seems like the Dolphins targeted Zach Wilson.

02:19That was the guy that they wanted to be their backup.

02:22He's got talent.

02:23I mean, you can see it, like, in warm-ups and sometimes with his plays.

02:28Zach Wilson's got a live arm.

02:29He's got some good athleticism.

02:31He's got talent, but he's obviously not really been able to put it together in two spots so far.

02:37Two teams have kind of given up on him.

02:41It wasn't much of a market for Zach Wilson.

02:44You know, I can't sit here and tell you it's a bad decision.

02:47Maybe the light bulb clicks on for him and, you know, he's a good spot starter for the Dolphins this year.

02:53But I got to think that if he doesn't pan out, that's a big strike against Chris Greer when, you know,

02:59weighing whether to keep him for another year as general manager.

03:02When you know that the backup quarterback is a huge position on the Dolphins and you didn't go out and get someone that's a little more certain than Zach Wilson is right now.

03:12Hey, Ben, even if everything, I'm taking the most optimistic approach here to the Dolphins season.

03:17Everything works out in terms of injuries, right?

03:19Like Jalen Phillips, Bradley Chubb, stay healthy.

03:22The Dolphins offensive line looks improved.

03:25Tua plays 17 games.

03:27This team, healthy, at their best.

03:31Your gut feeling, can they, even, again, all those things are true.

03:35Can they compete with the best teams in the AFC, the Ravens, the Chiefs, all those teams?

03:41Well, I think best case scenario, the Dolphins, yeah, like Tua has a great bounce back season.

03:49Tyreek Hill goes for 1,500, like all that again.

03:52I think 11-6, a spot in the playoffs, a top 10 offense, all that's on the table.

03:58But I still think that's the feeling.

04:00I mean, same as it was the last couple of years.

04:02I just, you know, Mike McDaniel's teams have not been very tough in December and January.

04:09They've not been able to beat good teams.

04:12So, you know, that's a lot that they've got to prove they can overcome.

04:16And I just don't see them, this iteration of the team, you know, getting over those humps.

04:21So, yeah, best case scenario, they're a playoff team.

04:24But that is asking for a lot to go right this year.

04:27Very early seedings in the AFC East, according to Ben Volan at the Boston Globe.

04:32Seed the AFC East.

04:35I'm going one Buffalo Bills.

04:38That's probably the easiest one.

04:40I'm going to go two Patriots.

04:44I think the Patriots will make a jump to eight or nine wins.

04:48I think that'll be enough.

04:50I'm going three New York Jets.

04:52And the reason I hesitated for number two, I actually think the Jets could be number two this year.

04:57I like what the Jets are building right now.

05:01They've got three first-round picks on their offensive line.

05:05You know, Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor are their quarterbacks.

05:07So, obviously, very much a run-first offense.

05:10You know, deep stable of running backs.

05:12They've got a very talented defense.

05:14They locked up Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson.

05:17I like that Aaron Glenn is operating very quietly with no hoopla whatsoever.

05:25The Jets, you know, after the last few years, I think they want no drama, no attention.

05:30No one's paying attention to the Jets.

05:32No one has any expectations for them.

05:34They play defense, run the ball, and don't make too many dumb mistakes.

05:38I could see the Jets being like a seven- or eight-win team and just being a team that no one wants to play this year.

05:43And then fourth, I'm going to the Dolphins.

05:45I just think this thing's about to implode.

05:47And, you know, it seems like McDaniels lost the locker room.

05:52Who is the player who admitted that the team was, like, lying last year when they said they were all in

05:57and they weren't really giving their best effort?

05:59I mean, that's not a good sign for the coach and his grip on the locker room.

06:03So I think the Dolphins are probably going to implode this year.

06:08And it's probably not going to be a fun season down in Miami.

06:10Hey, Ben, and this is a big – I just thought of it because you said – you talked about McDaniel.

06:15This is a bigger question.

06:16You know, I know we have a couple minutes left.

06:18Like, that player-coach thing, because I have this conversation a lot where, like, Dan Cam was a butt-white.

06:23Bill Belichick was a butt-white.

06:25Bill Parcells was a butt-white.

06:27Like, Nick Saban, I played for him.

06:29Like, he didn't want to be your friend.

06:30Do your damn job.

06:32Then there's those nicer coaches.

06:33Like, can you think of one of those nicer player-friendly –

06:37hey, fellas, you take over the locker room.

06:40We'll do the planning, and this will work out.

06:42People always bring up Pete Carroll.

06:44I don't think Pete Carroll was like that.

06:45I think Pete Carroll was energetic with the media.

06:48But I think Pete Carroll was still an almost, quote-unquote, do-your-job guy.

06:52Can you think of any of those nice, pleasant player coaches that have worked out and been successful?

06:57I mean, I think Dan Campbell kind of qualifies as that.

07:01His players love him.

07:03And, you know, it's not because he's like – you know, it's because he's kind of a meathead a little bit.

07:07But the players love Dan Campbell.

07:09And I see some of that in Mike Vrabel, too.

07:11I mean, Vrabel jumps in the middle of the ring when he's, you know, in the middle of offensive line,

07:16defensive line drills and throws on the blocking pad and gets into it with the guys.

07:20And, you know, I just think players respect a coach who they know has their back.

07:27And whether you're a hard-ass or whether, you know, you're a soft coach, like, do you have the players' backs?

07:33And Belichick, you know, mostly did.

07:35Sometimes he didn't.

07:37But so, you know, with Mike McDaniel, I just think discipline has been the big problem with the Dolphins.

07:45And I think that shows itself in those cold-weather games and in those games against a really tough opponent.

07:50So I don't know if it's about, you know, having a ping-pong table in the locker room just as much as McDaniel

07:56maybe doesn't have a solid grip on the discipline of the team.

08:00He's got to get rid of the hoodie.

08:02He's doing this thing every year where he wears the hoodie in the 100-degree training camp heat

08:07and on the sideline, you know, he's standing outside, he's wearing a hoodie.

08:10It hasn't worked.

08:11This reminds me of Al Golden with the tie.

08:14You know, at some point, lose the tie.

08:15It's not working.

08:16It's not working.

08:17You're cutesy with it.

08:18It's not working.

08:19He needs to go out there looking like Dan Campbell.

08:22Mike McDaniel needs to have, you know, like the shorts that just grip onto the thighs

08:28and then, you know, like whatever, a T-shirt or something over that.

08:32He's got to get rid of the capri pants and the hoodies during 100-degree training camp.

08:38But, Hawk, you'll have to gain 120 pounds of muscle.

08:41No, just get shorter, like smaller shorts.

08:44Shop in the Husky section.

08:46Do they still have a Husky section?

08:49All right.

08:51Ben Volan, read his work in the Boston Globe.

08:53I'm on Twitter, and we'll talk to you throughout the football season.

08:58It's fun to have it back.

08:59Thank you, as always, Ben.

09:02Always a pleasure, boys.

09:04There you go.

09:04Ben Volan from the Boston Globe.

09:06You'll find it.

09:16Let's do that.

09:16You're right.

09:17Let's do that.

09:18I'll do that.

09:19Let's do it.

09:20Bring it on.

09:21Watch out.

Ben Volin ranks the Miami Dolphins LAST in the AFC East - says McDaniel's seat is scorching hot

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