McDaniel: Dolphins owner Ross 'really frustrated'

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was frustrated after the team's 27-24 loss Sunday to the Carolina Panthers.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said that he met with Ross afterward -- as he does after every game -- and that both men voiced their frustration with each other.

"He was really frustrated, just like I was," McDaniel said Monday. "We talked about the challenge ahead to get ready for the Chargers, and that was really the extent of it."

The Dolphins led 17-0 early in the second quarter before allowing Carolina to close the game with a 27-7 run. Since McDaniel was hired in 2022, the Dolphins had been 10-0 in games they led by three scores at any point.

Miami's 1-4 start is its worst since 2019. Though the team's previous two coaches, Brian Flores and Adam Gase, were fired at the end of their third seasons, Ross dismissed Joe Philbin after a 1-3 start in his fourth season, 2015, and Tony Sparano after a 4-9 start in his fourth year, 2011.

McDaniel has insisted that worrying about his job security would take his focus away from doing his actual job, which he isn't willing to do.

With the losses piling up, McDaniel said he's tired of talking about improving but recognizes that the conversations will continue until the on-field results change.

"It's frustrating because there's a lot of talking, and we need to major in doing," he said. "I don't think anybody wants to hear me talk about it as much as I don't feel like saying it, but it doesn't change the steadfast reality that is: You have to get better at things or you'll continue having the same results."