Entering their Week 11 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, one of the biggest storylines for the Miami Dolphins is the potential return of De’Von Achane. So it stands to reason that a reporter would ask Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel about how big of a workload the rookie running back might be able to handle as he returns from a knee injury.
And while that is exactly what ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe did, McDaniel saw the question as a thinly veiled attempt at gathering information for ulterior purposes.
“What kind of money do you have in fantasy football?” McDaniel replied. “That seems strategic.”
The infamously quirky McDaniel proceeded to artfully dodge the question, stating that while Achane had a strong desire to play on Sunday, his workload would be dependent on his performance and not his words. The 40-year-old head coach went on to share that he didn’t want to publicly put a number on the amount of carries he hoped to get the Texas A&M product, as there are a variety of factors that could change that.
https://twitter.com/CameronWolfe/status/1724876965700661682
While it’s unclear whether Wolfe was actually trying to pry information for fantasy football purposes — his social media post sharing the exchange implies he may have been — it’s a totally fair question that’s also relevant to the Dolphins’ upcoming game. And even if the question was strictly related to fantasy football, the reality is that a part of a reporter’s job is to be a conduit for the fans. And there are certainly many members of Wolfe’s audience wondering very question he asked.
Similarly, McDaniel’s response was also fair. While it may have lacked the information Wolfe was looking for, the head coach did a good job of explaining the factors involved and why he was hesitant to set a firm expectation.
All things considered, this was an entertaining exchange featuring one of the NFL’s most media-friendly head coaches.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.