The Miami Dolphins are sitting at 1-6 and facing a disastrous season so far. Head coach Mike McDaniel is focused on finding answers – if he’s still allowed to.

After a humiliating 6-31 defeat to the Cleveland Browns in Week 7 of the NFL season, his Miami Dolphins are 1-6 and facing the ruins of a season that is still young but already almost meaningless for Miami in sporting terms.

“A game like this – we didn’t expect that,” said McDaniel: “We are professionals who need to do our job better. You can’t beat your opponent if you beat yourself. When something like this happens, you have to question everything with absolute certainty. No player, no coach has clean hands – starting with me.”

Self-criticism is always helpful, and it has been around for a long time, but it has not yet led to better performances this season.

Against the Browns, the offense was once again extremely weak, partly because quarterback Tua Tagovailoa fumbled the ball three times and also threw three interceptions.

Miami Dolphins: Should McDaniel continue in his role?

It therefore looks like they will miss the playoffs for the second time in a row. Although their ambitions are quite different.

It is logical that there is speculation and detailed questioning about McDaniel’s future. It is still unclear how things will continue in Miami, whether he will be allowed to make changes to get himself and the team out of this mess.

“In this league, you have to face the hard truths, and ultimately you will always be held accountable for your performance,” McDaniel admitted. “But I think it would be insulting to everyone involved if I were to think about my job right now. As long as I’m the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, this team will get everything from me.”

That includes an analysis with Tagovailoa. Because “turnovers like that hurt the entire team massively,” said McDaniel, who admitted that several things had come together, “but at least one or two of Tua’s turnovers were completely avoidable. He knows that himself, it just wasn’t good enough. We’ll watch the tape – and if necessary, adjust our style of play.”

What does that mean? “Everything is up for discussion,” emphasized McDaniel, who announced a decisive week for many players: “If someone has a lasting negative impact on the team, I have no choice but to consider another player. However, I myself also have to coach much better. We will find out in the next few days who we really are and what we are made of.”