"Players do not respect Mike McDaniel": Emmanuel Acho urges the Dolphins to speed up HC's firing after new reports on the owner's stance

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Mike McDaniel's Miami Dolphins have made a poor start to the 2025 season after losing five of their opening six games. The Dolphins' hopes of making the playoffs further diminished as they lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 29-27 on Sunday.

Starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa told reporters after the game that the team has a leadership issue.

"We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late; guys not showing up to player-only meetings. There’s a lot that goes into that," Tagovailoa said.

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NFL fans and analysts have called for Miami to fire coach McDaniel since Tagovailoa's post-game comments went viral on Sunday, suggesting that he has lost the backing of some of his players. Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho claims that Tagovailoa's remarks give the public the impression that the Dolphins' players don't "respect" McDaniel.

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Acho argued on Monday's episode of the SpeakEasy show that the Dolphins must relieve McDaniel of his duties because it is obvious that he is no longer in control of the team's locker room.

"The reason McDaniel can't stay is because players do not respect him," Acho said. "And I know players do not respect him because if you call a player's only meeting, even if you don't respect the player, you show up because you respect the coach. You show up because you respect the organization."

The Dolphins are set to miss out on a postseason berth for the second consecutive season. However, based on current reports, it is unlikely that the team will sack McDaniel before the season ends.

NFL insider Adam Schefter claimed on Monday's "Pat McAfee Show" that the Dolphins are unlikely to fire the coach in the middle of the season.

"I don't see a coaching move being done anytime soon," Schefter said. "I don't see a head coach losing his job. Mike McDaniel has come under intense criticism, I don't see that happening soon."

This story suggests that McDaniel may be safe, but there is a possibility that the Dolphins could undergo an overhaul after the end of the 2025 season.

Mike McDaniel unhappy with Tua Tagovailoa's post-game press conference

Mike McDaniel didn't appear to mind Tua Tagovailoa's comments regarding his teammates skipping meetings on Sunday, even implying that it was an attempt to hold the players accountable.

That position seems to have changed since then, though. McDaniel stated on Monday that he did not like Tagovailoa publicly criticizing his teammates.

"Regardless of intent and what was on Tua’s mind, after a loss, as the franchise quarterback, that’s not the forum to displace that. I think he knows that now," McDaniel said. "I do, honestly believe, there’s no ill intention. But you’re talking about kind of a misrepresentation of player-orchestrated film sessions."

The Dolphins' sole win this season was against the winless New York Jets in Week 4. Many people are wondering how long McDaniel will be the coach in Miami, given the continued bad performance, and it seems that this situation has begun to cause tension in the locker room.

McDaniel has advised the players to concentrate on getting better ahead of the upcoming game against the Cleveland Browns.

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About the author

Habib Timileyin

Habib Timileyin has been an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda for 2 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English, and found himself drawn to the NFL about a decade ago.

Habib's favorite team is the Cincinnati Bengals and he particularly enjoyed their run to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season. The 2016 Super Bowl between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots is his most favorite of all time, and if given a chance to go back in time, he would love to witness the Patroits’ incredible comeback from being 28-3 down to winning 34-28.

Habib admires Tom Brady for his journey from being in a low draft position to achieving immense success in the game. His favorite coach of all time is Bill Belichick.

Habib likes to study intricate details of a story before reporting on it, and compares information among several reputable sources to ensure accuracy. When he's not writing about the NFL, Habib is likely watching Soccer, Basketball or enjoying a good movie on sports.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash

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