ESPN NFL analyst has never been one to mince words, and he minced none of them Monday in his comments about the Miami Dolphins and head coach Mike McDaniel.
The Dolphins were decimated by the Indianapolis Colts 33-8 on Sunday, squashing what little enthusiasm existed for the team heading into the 2025 NFL season. Two seasons removed from a playoff berth and coming off an 8-9 finish last year, the pressure is on McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to turn the franchise around.
To say that no one seems impressed by the direction of the franchise would be an understatement. On Monday’s episode of ESPN’s Get Up, Ryan followed up a clip of McDaniel explaining what happened in the loss with some harsh words about him and his squad.
🎥 Rex Ryan on Mike McDaniel: “McGenius guy or whatever the hell he is, nerd boy. Their team has no respect for their coach, they play like that… they’re soft, every part of their football team.” (@GetUpESPN) #PhinsUp pic.twitter.com/FOJZN1mQLr
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) September 8, 2025
“What the hell’s he talking about? You know, maybe he’s on a different level, McGenius Guy, whatever the hell he is, nerd boy. But anyway, their team has no respect for the coach. They play like that. They’re like, ‘C’mon man, get us a dang guy in here.’ Where’s the physicality of this team?
“They’re soft… every part of their football team.”
Ryan’s biggest complaint was that McDaniel didn’t dare to bench Tagovailoa, who was responsible for three turnovers in the lopsided loss (a running theme for the quarterback). And with things continuing to trend in the wrong direction, that call will get louder unless things turn around in a hurry.
Of course, if McDaniel wants to change Ryan’s tune even faster, he could hire him as an assistant. Lord knows Rex would listen…