McDaniel: Fins not 'adequate,' adjustments coming

MIAMI — After his staff’s 31-12 loss Monday evening to the Tennessee Titans, “every thing is on the desk” for Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, who forecasted adjustments to the NFL’s worst scoring offense by means of 4 video games.

The Dolphins scored a landing late within the fourth quarter Monday to snap a 10-quarter drought with out one, and is averaging simply 11.3 factors per recreation this season. Their 1-3 begin is their worst below Mike McDaniel, who stated the staff was “not even near adequate.”

“I’ve to have a look at the tape. There was an amazing disconnect between preparation and execution,” McDaniel stated. “So, there was a mess of contributors to it, I imagine, however I’ve to verify the tape out. Backside line is it does not matter what we’re doing behind the scenes. On the sphere that is not even near adequate, so that you simply have to return to the drafting board and assess very critically.”

Miami completed with simply 184 whole yards in opposition to the Titans, 85 of which got here on its lone landing drive of the evening. It transformed on simply 2-of-12 makes an attempt on third down, dropping it to 3-of-24 over its previous two video games.

The Dolphins additionally dedicated 10 penalties, giving them 21 over the previous two weeks.

Beginning rather than the injured Skylar Thompson and Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback Tyler Huntley accomplished 14-of-22 passes for 96 yards. It was Huntley’s first begin since signing with the staff in Week 3, and a number of other miscues with star vast receiver Tyreek Hill marred his efficiency.

Huntley was charged with a fumble on the Dolphins’ opening drive, when a dropped cross by Hill was dominated a backwards cross after a replay overview. He badly underthrew Hill on what might’ve been an 80-yard landing shortly earlier than halftime, then overthrew him for what would’ve been a 77-yard landing within the third quarter.

“, they’re nice receivers,” Huntley stated. “I am a fairly good quarterback, so I simply bought to hone into being on time with them and get extra reps on it. That is the one approach we will construct is that if we get extra reps.”

McDaniel stated the Dolphins’ playbook was “abbreviated to an extent” for Huntley, however total thought the previous Professional Bowler “did some good issues.”

Tagovailoa stays on injured reserve for no less than two extra video games, and the Dolphins have scrambled for solutions with out him. Broad receiver Jaylen Waddle stated it is as much as the staff’s playmakers to be “further open” for his or her quarterback in conditions like this, whereas fullback Alec Ingold stated the duty for the staff’s offensive struggles does not simply fall on the quarterback’s shoulders.

“It is a performance-based business. I feel each man right here has a job we’ve to execute,” Ingold stated. “The quarterback is clearly an important piece of that puzzle, however we want 10 different guys to be performing and executing. It is a performance-based enterprise that we’re all part of, so I feel it is greater than truthful and I feel that is the place you recognize we’re doing the identical factor internally. And to shrink back from that since you’re not getting the outcomes I feel is weak-minded and I feel we’ve to we’ve to assault that; we’ve to lean into this uncomfortable second to see what sort of staff we’re and what sort of human beings we’re.”

Since 1966, 403 groups have began a season with three losses of their first 4 video games; 25 of them made the playoffs that season, together with the Tremendous Bowl champion New England Patriots in 2001. Nonetheless, solely 12 of the 263 groups that began 1-4 made the postseason — so there’s some historic stress for the Dolphins once they journey to New England in Week 5.

Security Jevon Holland, who was on the Dolphins staff in 2021 that began 1-7 earlier than ending 9-8, stated the expertise a number of seasons in the past taught him learn how to method their present hunch.

“You actually simply bought to stay collectively, type of simply revert again to all of your fundamentals,” Holland stated. “That is what it’s actually about. No matter is occurring now or occurring the week earlier than, you simply must let it go and transfer on to the subsequent week. You need to have a transparent conscience and have an open dialog nearly what wants to vary or what must occur. Have an actual dialog with one another and transfer on.

“That was like a foremost message was stick collectively, belief that it is going to flip round sooner or later, and we’re simply type of on this hunch.”