The Miami Dolphins will face off against the 7-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Leading the way for Miami will be rookie seventh-round quarterback Quinn Ewers, who will be making his second career start.
Last week, Ewers went 20-for-30 for 260 passing yards and two interceptions. He started the game off strong for Miami as he led the Dolphins to a 14-10 lead against Cincinnati in the second quarter. During that stretch he was 9-for-11 for 105 passing yards before struggling in the second half. Head coach Mike McDaniel saw enough during his first start to continue to start the rookie for this upcoming contest.
Mike McDaniel Shares His True Feelings
When the Dolphins made the initial move to bench quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in favor of Ewers, McDaniel cited that he believed it gave the team the best chance to win. After the Dolphins’ first game with Ewers under center, McDaniel doubled down on his initial statement, as he said “I don’t play Monopoly with people’s careers… when I say someone gives us the best chance to win, I mean it.”
After a week of practice, McDaniel noted improvement Ewers has shown with the team as he said, “ownership and command has had an uptick.” According to Miami’s head coach, Ewers has forced the offense to repeat plays during walk-throughs when it wasn’t up to his standard. The former Texas Longhorn is used to playing winning football as he led his college team to a 33-10 record and made a bowl game in every season at Texas. Now, he’ll aim for similar results at the highest level.
Another Dolphins coach who had positive words to say about Ewers was senior pass game coordinator Bobby Slowik, who said “Ewers doesn’t yet have Tua’s anticipatory skills, but if Ewers gets the ball out later than Tua, it arrives at the same time.” When asked about Slowik’s comments, Ewers said “It’s definitely true,” and added “Throughout the week, we’ve even changed up some of the footwork that Tua would do to how it would time up with my footwork, with my anticipation.”
Dolphins vs Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will arrive in Miami after losing six out of their last seven games; however, they still find themselves firmly in the race for the NFC South. After losing last week to the Panthers, they will need help to make the postseason, but a win against the Dolphins would keep them alive.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins will aim to avoid double-digit losses for the first time since 2019. Unfortunately for Miami, they may be without some key pieces. Pro-Bowl alternate Minkah Fitzpatrick has officially been ruled out with a calf injury, and center Aaron Brewer has been deemed a game-time decision after missing two days of practice. On the other hand, Tampa Bay will be without All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs, which should provide a friendly matchup for Bradley Chubb, Chop Robinson or Zach Sieler. Sieler is the hottest Dolphins player, as he’s registered 4.5 sacks over the past three games.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel Shares True Feelings on Quinn Ewers appeared first on Heavy Sports.