MIAMI DOLPHINS HEAD COACH MIKE MCDANIEL

Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, January 4, 2026

Q. How'd you feel coming out of the game first half as far as your team, got back into the game and then the way Quinn played?

MM: Yeah, so our expectations as a team were to, we were trying to go win the game in the first half. I feel like the game felt the way we anticipated. We knew it was going to be -- we were going against a good opponent and we were going to have to make some plays, you know? It was a one-score game, 10-17. Realistically, out the half, we drove down the length of the field and that interception and then the consequential drive down for a touchdown kind of appeared to break the team's back. I think Quinn did a good job growing in this game. There were some plays that in the first half that he was able to make and avoided some sacks and I think there was the fourth and one that I thought he made a real good throw to Cedrick Wilson. He'll learn from some of the second half stuff that ended up transpiring, but overall, he did a good job growing. For this team and this game, you can't really say anything was quite good enough. He'll have some very frustrating moments to learn from seeing that the offseason will start tomorrow.

Q. Team-wise when you had that stretch of second halves, got it done, could have gotten over that last week and then here again it comes back to haunt you one more time.

MM: Yeah, each game is unique to its own. This game I didn't feel like specifically the -- it didn't feel on the field like the Pittsburgh and the Cincinnati game, however, it kind of played out that way.

I have a strong motivation to take the offseason to kind of figure out what we can do from a controllable standpoint, from a schematic standpoint, how we operate because that's -- the game's won in the second half. When things don't fall in your favor, you have to be able to adjust.

I look back all the way to my second game here against the Ravens. We were down 28-7 at halftime and a lot of your wins in the course of a season for playoff teams, which is the nonnegotiable only expectation to be in that mix, you have to win games where things aren't ideal in the third quarter, so we got to figure that out. That will be led by me for sure.

Q. So you've talked about all season you have a lot of young players. Rookies and some second-year guys who played a lot of downs and then with the core veterans you have, do you think this is a team that can -- this team turns it around in a year? Do you think you have the capability with the guys you have in that locker room?

MM: I think I've learned a lot about the players on this team. You get the most information when you have a team that goes through trials and tribulations and for this team, that started early in the season and so I do have a tremendous amount of silver lining with regard to who is going to have to change the results moving forward. There's a lot of young players that learned the lessons of the National Football League the hard way. When you start 1-6 and your season's left for dead and then you breathe life back into it, for all the young guys that we're going to be relying upon moving forward, the guys that are on their rookie contracts, it was an incredible learning experience. That's probably the silver lining, the only takeaway that I can take away. Moving forward, you have the opportunity to be surrounded by guys that don't blink in adversity. That's a huge part of this game.

Unfortunately it's going to be hard for me to really focus on silver linings right now, but your point is very much real, that you can't supplement stuff, situations like this. No one wants to go home while other people are playing. You have to rest on the frustration, look it in the eye, and make sure you use it to your advantage moving forward and nothing else.

Q. Are you expecting to be back next season? Have you received any assurance?

MM: The conversations all stay consistent with -- the conversations that I have with ownership I won't opine on, but I think I'm operating the same exact way that I always have, which is no one's entitled to anything. I take the job serious and so I will aggressively attack the job tomorrow and like every day that I have the job. I think it's supremely important to not minimize your responsibility and what people need from you. I think realistically I understand the question and appreciate it but I'm going to keep my conversations with ownership to myself and ownership.

Q. When you look at the time that you've spent here with the Dolphins and you think about the highs and the lows, what stands out the most?

MM: You know, I think that might be a great question for tomorrow. We just finished a game that the whole locker room and coaching staff really wanted to finish the season on a different note. Regardless, even if you know your season's coming to an end, there's this team, which will never be the exact same team again, you're kind of mourning that and I feel that it would be doing a disservice to your question and to the team if I really elaborated and reflected right now. You can save that one this your hip pocket for tomorrow.

Q. What was your message to players in that locker room? A lot of them may not play here again.

MM: It was very much similar to that where I try to focus on the game directly after the game and refrain from doing a disservice to the reflection itself and I'll see them tomorrow. We'll have a team meeting. I saved all the conversation for this particular game, one that we had a lot of vigor to come out of halftime with the ball and go even the score and we drove down and fell up short and the wheels fell off. So that was mostly my focus. I don't trivialize what your saying and the reality that is the NFL and everyone can't be together. So we'll have clarity with that tomorrow and I'll reserve that for tomorrow's conversations.

Q. How would you assess the totality of three starts for Quinn Ewers at quarterback?

MM: I thought he -- the major thing with Quinn, the expectation isn't to be the final product. The expectation is to go play the game, be able to lead the troops and make some plays while you do that, each start growing. I thought he did a great job each and every start adding to the lessons learned while on the sidelines and then while under center. I thought he did a good job competing, made some plays that are difficult to make. Like I said before, maybe the game's a little different if that fourth and one we end up being in the box score and we get a touchdown. I thought he made a really good play on that. So I was pleased, not looking at the tape, but in-game, the game is definitely not too big for him. He's a competitor that guys play for.

Q. I'm sure he still needs some evaluation, but (inaudible) with that knee?

MM: Yeah, I think we'll still got some more evaluation, but from all things, initially seems to be stable and doesn't seem to be what people would fear.

QUARTERBACK QUINN EWERS

Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, January 4, 2026

Q. First up, how you doing? Saw you were banged up there at the end. How are you feeling now?

QE: Still evaluating it. Don't have a whole lot of details right now, but we'll evaluate it when I get back. But we'll see.

Q. Ultimately was the downfall in this game but you kept the team up as long as possible and then got away from you. Evaluate the team as a whole at the end.

QE: Totally, yeah. We started well, started playing well at the start. Then coming out second half I thought we put a solid drive together there and then I tried to go make a play there into the end zone and unfortunately I ended up throwing an interception, which is one of those things you wish you could have back. Just more things to evaluate going into the off season.

Q. What were you looking for on that throw into the end zone? Were you thinking about Tahj? Because Tahj's man came off. Were you making that (inaudible).

QE: Yeah, no, I was looking at Theo and then it all goes back to I think I was trying to force it a little bit too much there. I think I could have dumped it off the Greg at the end of the day, but I think it's part of the learning process and going to continue to try to grow as a player and as a person also, but like you said, Tahj's man just fell off and I threw it right to him, so.

Q. What do you think improved over the three starts that you had?

QE: Yeah, I thought I did a good job of I think number one, responding to challenges all three weeks. It's unfortunate whenever the season doesn't end your way and how you want it to end, but I thought I did a good job of kind of rallying the guys around me and kind of continuing to fight.

Q. How do you think you should be viewed by this organization going into the offseason as a guy who should have a start at starting? Competing to start next season or...

QE: Right. No, that's a great question. I'm behind this organization. It's the team that took a chance on me and it goes all the way back to when I got drafted. They took a chance on me in the draft and then they took a chance on me the last three weeks of the season, so I got full trust in whatever decision they want to make.

Q. Quinn, according to this game today, early on, everything was going well offensively. You were throwing the ball well, running the ball well. Second half, what changed at that point?

QE: Yeah, no, I think it goes back to the interception I threw. We came out third quarter and we were -- I thought we responded really well after I forget whatever it was but we had a pretty decent distance to get the first down on the first three plays. And then we started the drive down the field. We got in a great position and I think I just tried to force a throw at the end of the day, which kind of was the turning point in the game, which is unfortunate.

Q. So in the three games you played, you feel confident that this league is not too big for you?

QE: At the end of the day, it all goes back, I think, to what I said last week and where my foundation lies. I think that helps me kind of remain in each and every moment and not look too far forward which only causes anxiety and not look too far back, which also causes I think anxiety.

When I stay in the moment and I encourage the guys, things seem to flow for sure.

Q. You got to work with a lot of young pass catchers, experienced pass catchers through this course of three starts. What do you think about the potential of those guys, whether it's Theo, Tahj?

QE: Right. Yeah, no, I think that they're all solid players and it was awesome to share the field with those guys because they came up big for me in big moments.

Q. Ultimately what do you feel like playing many this environment, this road NFL start, cold weather, just all of it?

QE: I felt great in it. I didn't feel like it was too cold out there to play football, but we're going to have to definitely take a look on responding in the second half of football games.

Q. What did you hear from Mike at the end as this season now comes to an end?

QE: Yeah, I think we were all frustrated, as we should be. It's the life of the a competitor. When you're enamored with winning and winning and it doesn't end up falling your way, you are frustrated, but I think that he was proud of the way that we continued to fight on these last three weeks after we kind of knew that we were eliminated, three or four weeks, whatever it was. I think he's proud of the way that we fought and responded through adversity.

Q. What do you think of this rookie class as a whole? A large class that came in first year in the NFL. How do you think you guys jelled?

QE: I think it goes back to how we all responded. I thought we did a great job responding when our name was called and being focused on the opportunity that we all got. It even goes to the defensive guys that got opportunities that were rookies. I thought we all had a good showing of why they should have drafted us.

Q. How would you describe this last calendar year for you mentally as well as emotionally just with the ups and downs of what this last year has meant for you?

QE: Yeah, that's a great question. Everyone says your rookie year is your longest year. It started back because I played January 10th was my last college football game and then we jump into combine training and so on and so forth. Now here we are, a full year later. Just a week less later, I guess, but it's been long, but it's been what I've wanted. I wanted an opportunity to play in the NFL. Got the opportunity when I was drafted. Proved myself to where the coaches and the front office believed that I could start in the NFL and then won a game. It's a dream come true.

ADDITIONAL DOLPHINS PLAYERS

Patrick Paul, T

(On the season's highs and lows)

"Coming back from 1-6, I think that was pretty special for us, finding our identity half way through the season. That's something we can hold our head up to. As far as low points, we just have to be able to learn from those and make them learning lessons, not things that we just let go by."

(On the offensive line)

"It's just everyone buying into what we are coached to do, and I think that was just the turning point. It's just everyone making that decision to go all in on the coaching, techniques and just what we're about, so it led to that. So, it was good to see it."

(On his performance this year)

"I don't know. I think I'm always looking for improvement. I'm very hard on myself and I always expect more, so I don't really know. I know I'm going to keep getting better and this is just a start."

(On the team's future)

"I think that with the staff that we have I hope we keep building, and we have a really young team, so with the same staff we have right now, just going to the same thing next year, and just keep learning and jelling as a team. We are going to get new pieces obviously, but with this staff I think we can do special things."

Aaron Brewer, OL

(On the second half)

"It was a close fought game. Then, we came out in the second half, we let it slip from under us. We just really repeated from what we've been dealing with all season: coming out in the second half slow, and coming out with mistakes. Making that many mistakes in this league, you're bound to get the results that happened tonight."

(On building off the offense)

"You could always build off that. This offensive line was a bunch of young dudes, new dudes rotating in, had injuries. So, we have to try to stay healthy, and this offseason, we got that relationship built, and a foundation built. We just need to continue to grow that relationship. We know each other now, so we have to build off it. There's no going backwards."

Bradley Chubb, LB

(On what happened in the second half of the game)

"I have to watch the tape. It wasn't what we wanted. It's kind of like what's been plaguing us all year, that third quarter, and, just came to life again today. You just got to learn from it, build on it. We got a whole offseason to think about all the lessons that we learned this year. Got to turn those losses into lessons and just be better from it."

(On the learning lessons)

"Like I said, the third quarter, how to start fast in the second half. How to start the season fast, how to finish the season strong. Just all the different things that we didn't do well. Playing three phases of football consistently, all those different things. It's just about looking in the mirror. Everybody, as a man, taking their mistakes, going into the offseason, working on themselves, as a man, as a player. Then coming back to work."

(On what he would advise his teammates)

"What would I advise them? Just get better from it. Watch the film, learn from your mistakes on the field, become a smarter football player situationally. Just be a better player, a better person from it. That's all you can do, just take everything from the season, positive and negative, and grow from it."

Tyrel Dodson, LB

(On problems they had in the second half)

"We've just had troubles all year in the second half and especially the third quarter. We have to figure out a way to come out of halftime faster, just creating takeaways and making the offense turn the ball over. We'll see how we can get better next year."

(On how he would put the season into words)

"I don't know. It's beautiful and ugly I guess. This is my first season losing this much and I found myself – sometimes you have to learn how to lose as well – I found myself more of a man, leading when things aren't going good, leading through adversity. I think wins and losses don't determine a positive season for me. I've learned so much this season than I ever learned in a previous season, so that's what life is all about. Learning and experiences."

(On where the franchise will go in the offseason)

"I think that's something for Mr. [Stephen] Ross and Tom [Garfinkel]. I play ball, so any coach who coaches me, any play that's called, I go out there and make plays and just try to execute my job. I don't really have an answer for that."

Jack Jones, CB

(On what he learned this season)

"I learned a lot this season, from Coach to everybody around me, the players, all the coaches, everybody. They've helped me to get to this point to where I am today, but it's night and day from when I got here to where I am today."

(On where the team will go in the offseason)

"As a player, I try not to focus on that. Personally, I try to focus on my peace and be the best at my job and then go from there. They're going to figure all that out and they're going to be the best at their job. You just have to trust in them, whatever happens in the offseason, I think it's God's plan."

(On being able to play young players)

"I think that was a good thing that these young guys got time because you have to mold them. You don't want to get a young guy and throw them in a fire. You want to get a young guy and mold him and let him prepare himself for the fire because this is the NFL. There's a lot of talent all over the field and you don't want to kill a guy's confidence. This league can do that to us. It's just about getting a guy, molding him, controlling his rep count, letting them ball out, letting them play free so he doesn't have to think too much."

Ashtyn Davis, S

(On how the game got away from Miami)

"I'm not sure. We had a little trouble in the third quarter and I'm trying to figure out why that was. We just couldn't stop the run. I myself missed a couple tackles. Leaky yardage and missed tackles."

(On the team not giving up this year)

"We hung in there. We were 1-6 and didn't lay down. A lot of belief and a lot of fight in this team. I'm proud of everything we accomplished this year. Obviously, it wasn't good enough. But, yeah, I love these guys. There are no moral victories. At the end of the day, we've got to get wins on the scoreboard and find a way to win those close games. I like that we fought, of course, but like I said, there are no moral victories at the end of the day. Wins and losses are what determine a successful organization, and we've got to find a way to get more wins."