Often in the NFL, when results don’t go a team’s way, the main criticism tends to fall on either the head coach or the quarterback. That’s exactly the situation Mike McDaniel is currently facing with his Miami Dolphins. Following the team’s sixth loss of the season, McDaniel once again confirmed Tua Tagovailoa as the starter, relegating both Quinn Ewers and Zach Wilson to the bench.
While the continued support for Tagovailoa limits his two fellow quarterbacks to minimal playing time in the short term, the battle for the backup job remains wide open. McDaniel expects his entire QB room to stay fully prepared so that, if called upon, they can compete at a high level without missing a beat.
“I’m looking to avoid a back and forth and would like to solidify that. But I think competition raises everyone … They will compete and hopefully it will remain, but I’m not opposed to doing anything that’ll help us beat an opponent,” McDaniel said Wednesday, as quoted by Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.
Given the delicate situation Miami is currently going through in the league, none of the team’s quarterbacks have any guarantees of holding onto their spot for long. Each of them will need to give their best to meet the expectations of head coach Mike McDaniel.
Tua retains the trust
Despite the recent skid and public drama, the Miami Dolphins organization and Mike McDaniel are banking on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to right the ship and lead the team back into contention. The franchise’s investment in Tua remains firm, trusting that his proven accuracy and command of the offense are the keys to overcoming the current adversity.
For the Dolphins to make a legitimate run this season, they need their former first-round pick to silence the critics and deliver a high-level, consistent performance starting immediately.
In search of a Playoff miracle
With a dismal 1-6 start through the first seven weeks of the season, the Miami Dolphins now find themselves needing nothing short of a miracle to sneak into the AFC Wild Card picture. The math is brutal, and after securing just one victory so far, the margin for error has vanished.
To have any realistic hope, Miami must embark on an improbable, near-perfect run through the remainder of its schedule, requiring both exceptional play and significant help from other teams. The season has officially reached ‘do-or-die’ territory for the South Beach franchise.