Ex-Dolphin blames Tua, McDaniel for throwing gasoline on ‘dumpster fire’

Amid a nightmarish 2025 season for the Miami Dolphins, one could say that no two members of the organization are receiving more flak than quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and head coach Mike McDaniel.

Tagovailoa’s sixth NFL campaign has been marred by subtle shots at his teammates and loads of interceptions, while McDaniel hasn’t done a good job leading the team, which has a 1-6 record.

A familiar face among longtime Dolphins fans has added himself to the lengthy list of those who have taken aim at McDaniel and Tagovailoa. Former Dolphin and four-time Pro Bowler Richie Incognito made some recent comments in which he blamed the two for throwing gasoline on a “dumpster fire” in Miami.

Incognito made a great point in identifying some possible hypocrisy in Tagovailoa’s postgame comments following Miami’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers earlier in the month.

Tagovailoa challenged Miami’s leadership and said that some players on the team have either skipped or shown up late to players-only meetings, but as the franchise quarterback, those issues fall partly on his shoulders from a leadership lens.

On top of the fact that Tagovailoa has perhaps made some questionable comments off the field, his play on the field has been equally problematic. In 11 starts last season, he threw seven interceptions. This season, he’s already got 10 interceptions through the Dolphins’ first seven games.

Tagovailoa is tied for the league lead in interceptions thrown and has also finished with three interceptions in back-to-back games now. Over his last pair of starts, he’s thrown just one touchdown compared to his six interceptions.

As for McDaniel, his coaching tenure has been filled with more downs than ups since the beginning of the 2024 campaign. Since that point, he has coached the Dolphins to a regular-season record of 9-15 as well as zero playoff appearances.

Incognito said that McDaniel doesn’t appear to be a “leader of men” and predicted that he will be fired soon.

The Dolphins’ season is likely already lost, but Tagovailoa and McDaniel can at least maybe help their job securities by getting back in the win column against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8. Atlanta is 3-3 on the season and boasts a 2-1 home record.