MIKE MCDANIEL has sparked fears he could axe starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The Miami Dolphins head coach saw his team fall to a crushing 33-8 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts in the opening week of the NFL season.
Tua Tagovailoa had a tough game for the Miami Dolphins[/caption]
Head coach Mike McDaniel warned he ‘has to get better’[/caption]
Following the game, Tagovailoa was subjected to a swipe by Colts cornerback Xavien Howard after claiming the quarterback goes into “panic mode” if his first read is covered.
McDaniel, who has led the Dolphins since 2022, was asked about those comments.
And the 42-year-old gave a damning assessment of Tagovailoa, who was the fifth overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft.
As quoted by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, he said: “I saw quarterback play that was less than to be desired, which Tua absolutely knows.
“He’s the franchise quarterback…
“I also know he’s very much like most quarterbacks where you are putting a lot of work into something and your first time doing it for four quarters in months, you are not at your best.
“I don’t want to make the same mistakes twice.
“He and everyone else has to get better.”
On the pressure of his job McDaniel said: “I don’t see this job void of pressure.
“I don’t see entitlement in this job, but I think the most important thing is that I worry about doing my job.”
Those remarks saw ESPN analyst Rex Ryan label McDaniel “nerd boy”.
He blasted: “What the hell’s he talking about? You know, maybe he’s on a different level, McGenius Guy, whatever the hell he is. Nerd boy.
Tagovailoa managed one late touchdown in the opening game, although that came when the score was already 30-0 in the fourth quarter.
But out of 23 passing attempts, 14 were completed for 114 yards with two interceptions.
His understudy, Zach Wilson, completed five of his eight pass attempts for 32 yards.
Meanwhile, Colts quarterback Daniel Jones had an impressive debut.
Jones registered 22 completed passes out of 29 for 272 yards and a touchdown.
The Dolphins face the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 2 and will be hoping to put in a much better performance than last time out.
Like the Dolphins, the Patriots are also winless after losing 20-13 to the Las Vegas Raiders after a third-quarter disaster which saw them drop ten points without reply.
