ALLEN PARK, MI — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said the decision to hold joint practices with the Detroit Lions was “very intentional.”
McDaniel praised the organization, coach Dan Campbell and the talented team the Dolphins would be facing.
“I’m expecting people that have intensity to come to practice and challenge the opposing team who will have intensity,” McDaniel said before the Aug. 13 practice. “I’m very, very focused on the football and how we grow in that area, how we handle adversity in a joint (practice).”
McDaniel now will have a lot to look for when it comes to handling adversity.
Miami was dominated on both sides most of day at the Lions’ Meijer Performance Center. The Lions were better during 7-on-7s, during 11-on-11s and certainly in the two-minute drill.
The practice ended with Miami going 3-and-out, with a false start, starting on its own 30, in the two-minute drill. Then Jared Goff driving the Lions about 60 yards with four consecutive completions before a defensive holding on Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks against tight end Sam LaPorta around the 10-yard line.
The practice ended at that point and the teams had to be separated at midfield.
“I think today offensively was a very frustrating day in regards to what we wanted to do, what we said we wanted to do,” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said. “We just weren’t able to get things jump-started. So that was very frustrating today.”
Tua says Dolphins lacked ‘energy’ in practice with Lions
The defense should feel the same as Goff picked apart Miami’s secondary during red-zone and goal-line drills. At one point, the Lions scored three times on three consecutive passes.
When the opponent describes the day as “a lot of fun,” that cannot be good for the other side.
“It was a good day,” Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “That was a lot of fun.”
Surprisingly, Tagovailoa cited a lack of energy from a team that has one walk-through since its preseason opener at Chicago on Aug. 10.
“We couldn’t gain that momentum to where, OK, all we needed was one play and then jump-start the offense, whether it was move the ball, whether it was one of the third-down team periods, another team period, red zone,” he said. “It just felt like we didn’t have the energy that we’re used to when we practice and when we play against opponents.”
Tagovailoa did have some highlights, including a long pass to running back De’Von Achane down the right side to start 7-on-7s, and he hooked up with Jaylen Waddle for a nice touchdown on a bubble screen.
But Tagovailoa was sacked on the first play of 11-on-11 drills and things did not get much better from there.
“Our timing in the pass game was well off of what our pass (protection) looked like,” Tagovailoa said. “That’s just not a good recipe for success in this league and against good teams you know things like that are going to happen.”
Waddle returned after being injured Aug. 8 during the joint practice with the Bears. Waddle was hit by former University of Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson on a play in which the teams were not supposed to be tackling. Waddle dismissed suggestions that the play was dirty, saying it’s football.
“Good play by him,” Waddle said. “If you’re going to execute, that’s the kind of stuff that’s going to happen.”
But he did not dismiss the fact the Dolphins have a lot work on.
“We left a lot out there,” he said. “If we want to be the type of offense we are capable to be we can’t have that type of practices.”
Things were no better on the other field, the one in which Goff carved up the Dolphins defense.
“You got to face it head on,” Tagovailoa said. “Any of these challenges, any of these hardships you go through as a team collectively, you got to look at it head on, you got to face it … you got to learn from it.
“Then you come out the next day, and then you show your teammates.”
McDaniel will find out how his team handles adversity on Day 2 of its two days of joint practices with the Lions.
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
Saturday’s preseason game
Dolphins at Lions
1 p.m., NBC; streaming on NFL+
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tua Tagovailoa on Dolphins practice with Lions: ‘We didn’t have the energy we’re used to’
Reporting by Tom D’Angelo, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
