“He’s a TOUGH guy”: Miami Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel is HYPED to see rookie Skylar Thompson start in Week 6


“He’s a TOUGH guy”: Miami Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel is HYPED to see rookie Skylar Thompson start in Week 6

Mike McDaniel is excited to see Skylar Thompson start his first game in the NFL

The Miami Dolphins have had a lot of problems in the quarterback department. With starter Tua Tagovailoa out due to a concussion and backup Teddy Bridgewater just being cleared from the concussion protocol, the team has had to turn to seventh-round draft pick Skylar Thompson. This week, the rookie will be making his first start in the NFL against the Minnesota Vikings.

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So far, Thompson has impressed many, including Head Coach Mike McDaniel. This week will be a crucial game for him as he will have to prove that he can step into the role of a backup and handle all the pressure that comes with being a quarterback in this league. The team never envisioned starting Thompson this early, he was drafted by the team to be developed for a year or two, and then they would consider giving him an opportunity.

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“We were targeting him for a long time”: Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins were eyeing Skylar Thompson throughout the draft.

Mike McDaniel and Skylar Thompson
Mike McDaniel and Skylar Thompson

Head Coach Mike McDaniel was excited about the rookie starting this week for the Dolphins. In a press conference, he had this to say, “We were really excited to draft him. That was a target of ours that we had on our mind. We didn’t have a plethora of draft selections, so it was easy to hone in on people and we were targeting him for a long time. That being said, he’s exceeded expectations.”

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Despite Teddy Bridgewater being cleared from concussion protocol, Mike McDaniel wants to give Skylar Thompson the starter’s role. He has been very impressed by what he has seen from the rookie so far. “He has lived up to expectations from his play, I didn’t know how he prepared and I didn’t know how the moments aren’t too big for him. I didn’t know that part. I kind of guessed, but what you saw on tape was a guy that was super tough. A guy that one of the things I look for a ton when you’re watching quarterbacks is what is he making decisions on? Is he seeing defends or is he looking at receivers?” McDaniel stated.

Last week, Thompson completed 19 of his 33 passes for a total of 166 yards. He did not throw any touchdowns and recorded an interception in the Dolphins’ loss to the New York Jets.

Mike McDaniel praised Thompson’s eye and how he reads defenses. “The way he saw the field, what he saw and then his toughness, because you know when you’re watching college tape that they’re throwing from pockets, that sometimes they’re muddy, sometimes they are pretty clean. You know what the pockets look like in the National Football League. They’ve got to be able to stand in there and to a degree be fearless in their own way. And you saw that and you saw how competitive he was.

The Miami Dolphins locker room is also behind Skylar Thompson. The offense is excited about him starting and having his back, “He’s got an entire football team that’s excited to play with him because of the stuff that we found out when he got here, which is that there’s nothing more important than his preparation and that when push comes to shove, if the read is telling him to make the hard play in a crucial moment, he’ll go after the hard play, he won’t take the path of least resistance.

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“That’s one of the reasons you feel so confident with him is because of his teammates who believe the same thing we do and we’ll go out there on Sunday and approach the team as a team, not a team with a rookie quarterback, just a team,McDaniel concludes.

The Minnesota Vikings have a record of 4-1 while Miami will attempt to win its first game of the season without Tua Tagovailoa starting as the quarterback. It is to be seen if Thompson can turn the fate of the Dolphins around.

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