Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa shrugged off comments made by DeShon Elliott about the team’s mental toughness. Dolphins defenders weren’t as forgiving.
In a podcast appearance, Elliott — who spent 2023 with Miami and is now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers — said the Dolphins were “soft as [expletive]” and mostly made up of “not mentally tough individuals.”
“Honestly man, if you want to call somebody out, go ahead and do that and drop names, but other than that, it’s whatever makes your boat float, whatever allows you to have a good night of sleep,” Dolphins safety Jevón Holland told reporters Wednesday. “But if you’re not naming nobody, you’re not calling nobody out, then all the rest of the comments are just empty. You’re just talking at that point.”
Just got out of locker. Several Dolphins irked about Elliott comment. Kohou, who is a very tough guy: “He’s not here for a reason. I don’t know why he would go on a podcast and say anything crazy like that. If that’s how he feels, he could have went on the podcast and said what… https://t.co/IKMlJ2C8ks
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) November 13, 2024
Exactly who was soft?
— Nik Needham (@FOETYY) November 13, 2024
While Elliott’s criticisms were more pointed, he wasn’t the first to make that kind of statement. His replacement in the starting lineup, Jordan Poyer, gave a similar review of the Dolphins just a few months after joining the team in the offseason.
“Playing against this team over the past few years, you kind of get a sense of, ‘OK, if you get on top of this team, they might fold,’” the former Buffalo Bills safety told reporters in July. “This is just being honest, so what is that that happens in those moments where we get hit in the mouth?”
Elliott spent one season with the Dolphins after beginning his career with the Baltimore Ravens.
