"That’s more of a daydream": Emmanuel Acho fires back at Dan Orlovsky for believing in Mike McDaniel despite Dolphins' 0-3 start to 2025 NFL season

Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho has disagreed with former quarterback Dan Orlovsky’s position on Miami Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel. Orlovsky passed a vote of confidence in the Dolphins coach in an X post on Saturday.

He wrote:

“I still believe in Mike McDaniel.”

Dan Orlovsky

@danorlovsky7

I still believe in Mike McDaniel

Acho fired back at Orlovsky’s position, quoting the former quarterback’s post and writing:

“Believe in him to do what, I guess is the question… believe in him to win the division? Hmm, when they blew the division with a 8-3 record while the Bills sat at 6-6, it undermined that belief.”

Emmanuel Acho

@EmmanuelAcho

Believe in him to do what, I guess is the question… believe in him to win the division? Hmm, when they blew the division with a 8-3 record while the bills sat at 6-6, it undermined that belief. Believe in him to keep the team culture together? When Reek walked off the field @

He continued:

“Believe in him to keep the team culture together? When Reek walked off the field @ the end of last season, there went that belief. I believe in him to be a phenomenal offensive coordinator, I believe in him to keep the Dolphins 9-8 or 10-7… but believe in him to give Dolphins fans what they want, playoff wins? That belief isn’t substantiated by anything. That’s more of a daydream than belief.”

The Dolphins are off to a 0-3 start in Mike McDaniel’s fourth season in charge. He has led the team to three consecutive second-place finishes in the AFC East. His job has since been a subject of speculation, with his name appearing on virtually every list of NFL coaches on hot seats.

He will be hoping to buy himself more time when he leads the Dolphins to their next game on Monday against the New York Jets. The Jets, like Miami, are also on 0-3, making them a difficult opponent, as they would also be looking to break their losing streak.

Mike McDaniel confident Darren Waller is ready to return

33-year-old tight end Darren Waller is set to return to NFL action on Monday in Miami’s game against the Jets. The tight end last played an NFL game in 2023 but is coming out of retirement to make his Miami debut on Monday.

However, Mike McDaniel is confident about his readiness, telling the media on Saturday:

“He looks ready. He feels ready. There’s going to be those game day jitters that everyone loves as a player. I’m sure he’ll be very fired up to get the first rep out of the way. Excited to have him up.”

Waller’s return gives McDaniel more options to deploy on the offense as he continues looking for the code to unlock his team’s offensive capabilities.