McDaniel ignores ex-player calling Dolphins 'soft'

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he isn’t concerned about a former player’s comments about his team’s mental toughness.

On an appearance on the “Punch Line Podcast,” Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott said he was looking forward to playing the Baltimore Ravens this week because the team he played on last year — the Dolphins — was “soft as f—.”

Elliott was part of a Miami team that went 11-6 last season, but the Dolphins lost 56-20 to the Ravens late in the season in a game that would have sealed an AFC East title if they’d won.

Speaking on the podcast, which is hosted by Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, Elliott called out the “majority” of last year’s Dolphins team.

“There were some guys who were tough, but the majority of the [Dolphins] were not mentally tough individuals,” Elliott said. “So to be on a [Steelers] team with a full team of mentally tough guys going against a mentally tough team … this is going to be fun.”

McDaniel was asked Wednesday about Elliott’s comments and declined to directly address them, instead opting to focus on this year’s team.

“I am supremely only concerned with the 2024 Dolphins, for sure,” McDaniel said. “Our team played a tough-fought game the past three weeks and ended up finding a way to win this past week. That’s not the easiest thing to do.

“I just worry about this year’s team. He said it on a podcast? Cool podcast.”

The Dolphins recently snapped a three-game losing streak with a 23-15 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10. Miami (3-6) is 2.5 games behind the Denver Broncos for the final AFC wild-card spot.

The Steelers are 7-2 and a half-game ahead of the Ravens for the AFC North lead.