Dolphins players make feelings about Mike McDaniel clear amid hot-seat chatter

Chatter about Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross parting ways with head coach Mike McDaniel quieted down after McDaniel guided the club to four straight wins that improved it to 6-7. 

On Monday, ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques shared how multiple Dolphins players recently made their feelings on McDaniel quite clear ahead of the team's "Monday Night Football" game at the 7-6 Pittsburgh Steelers.

Mike McDaniel "lives and breathes football"

"You guys don't see on some of the days where he came in, especially early in the season -- I mean, you could tell the dude has not slept," Miami offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill said about McDaniel. "He's one of those hardworking guys. ...I mean, he spends every second about the game of football. He came back from bye week, he's like, 'Yeah, I did the dad stuff. I took my daughter to school,' and then he's like, 'All right, now we're back to football.' He lives and breathes football, and I think that emulates him the most."

McDaniel hinted over the summer that he understood his seat could be at least somewhat warm after he failed to guide Miami to a playoff win over his first three seasons in charge. The 2025 Dolphins then fell to 2-7 before the organization and general manager Chris Grier "mutually" agreed to part ways on Oct. 31.

Miami has since become more than just a spoiler capable of dashing the postseason hopes of other teams. The 9-5 Houston Texans ended the weekend holding the AFC's final wild-card playoff spot. As of Monday morning, the ESPN Football Power Index gave the Dolphins a 0.1 percent chance to qualify for the upcoming postseason tournament.

Nevertheless, McDaniel's players clearly haven't quit on him.

Miami players view Mike McDaniel as "a great man"

"See, there are things that [the media] gets caught up in and all the hype and the hoopla, 'Oh my God, he's the Miami Dolphins coach.' But when you cut it to the core, Mike's a great man," Dolphins offensive lineman Kendall Lamm added about McDaniel. "He just is in a position where you guys critique it all. But if I was to meet Mike on a day-to-day out in the open, I'd sit and kick the s--- with Mike. I would love to pick his brain. You can feel when it's a real, true, genuine person. And in this day and age, especially in our league, you don't see that as much. But Mike has it."

Ross reportedly could run it back with McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for another season unless the Dolphins completely collapse over the final four weeks of the ongoing campaign. On Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Miami as a three-point underdog against Pittsburgh.