Mike McDaniel sends warning to Dolphins after meeting with team owner

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel revealed on Monday that he met with team owner Stephen Ross shortly after the club fell to 1-4 on the season via a 27-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday. 

McDaniel then sent a message to his players regarding the fact that it's getting late early for the Dolphins. 

Dolphins have "no time to waste" after four losses in five games

"The bottom line is you have no time to waste," McDaniel said, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. "There’s no egos that can be involved. It has to be a collective mission to correct things, and it has to be urgent with no time to waste. But the responsibility is mine to hold and bear. I have a locker room and a coaching staff that I believe in for a reason." 

In August, McDaniel acknowledged that it was "very clear that everyone is depending on me to be better every single year" after he failed to guide the Dolphins to a single playoff win over his first three seasons in charge. Since that time, Miami has notched only one victory in five tries. That win came against what is currently an 0-5 New York Jets side, and in the win the Dolphins lost dynamic wide receiver Tyreek Hill to a devastating injury. Without having Hill in the lineup, Miami squandered a 17-point lead en route to suffering a brutal loss at Carolina's Bank of America Stadium on the first Sunday of October. 

Dolphins owner is "really frustrated" over state of the team

"He was really frustrated, just like I was," McDaniel said about his meeting with Ross, according to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. 

There's a decent chance Ross won't feel any better about what the Dolphins are after they host the Los Angeles Chargers (3-2) this coming Sunday. As of Tuesday morning, ESPN BET had Miami as a 4.5-point underdog for that matchup. 

ESPN stats show that the Dolphins are averaging 278.6 yards of total offense per game (fifth-worst in the league). Only five teams are surrendering more points per contest than Miami (29). 

"It's frustrating because there's a lot of talking, and we need to major in doing," McDaniel added. "I don't think anybody wants to hear me talk about it as much as I don't feel like saying it, but it doesn't change the steadfast reality that is: You have to get better at things or you'll continue having the same results."

If the results don't quickly improve for the Dolphins, chatter suggesting McDaniel won't finish the season as Miami's head coach will only grow louder.