Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel won't second guess concussion spotter; starting QB unclear

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Mike McDaniel says it’s far too early for him to begin sorting out who his starting quarterback will be Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

But it’s not too early for him to know he wants to steer clear of the controversy surrounding how Teddy Bridgewater was knocked out of Sunday's game against the New York Jets after one play.

Bridgewater was ruled out because the NFL’s spotter watching overhead said he saw him stumble after being hit by blitzing cornerback Sauce Gardner. Bridgewater hit the side of his head on the turf, which drew the spotter’s attention.

Even though Bridgewater passed all concussion tests after the play, he was ineligible to return because of the spotter’s ruling under the NFL’s new concussion protocol. The Jets went on to defeat the Dolphins 40-17.

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But Monday afternoon, Miami stations WSVN-Channel 7 and NBC-6 posted video on social media that showed Bridgewater following the play in question — views that CBS’ cameras failed to capture during the live telecast. Bridgewater could be seen flashing two thumbs-up signs and jogging off the field — but no stumble is evident on the local stations’ tape.

“But I'm also not really in the business of grading and coaching spotters,” McDaniel said Monday. “The rules are in place for player safety, and, you know, I'm all about that. Honestly, whether he stumbled or not, the rules are the rules.”

McDaniel added that it would be “irresponsible” of him to send the NFL video as if he were trying to make a case that Bridgewater had been fine all along.

McDaniel said Bridgewater continued to show no symptoms Monday but remains in concussion protocol. At best, if Bridgewater suffers no setback, the soonest he could practice in a non-contact fashion would be Thursday.

“I'm not going to try to guess if that's going to come true or not,” said McDaniel, who would then be forced to decide whether to start a QB who had such limited practice experience the previous week.

Too early to tell on Tua Tagovailoa's return

McDaniel continued to say it’s too early to discuss a timeline for the return of No. 1 quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, whose initial injuries suffered in the Buffalo game on Sept. 25 triggered a national discussion on head injuries in football that continues today. McDaniel said the Dolphins are evaluating Tagovailoa in a “12- and 24-hour” process.

“He’s not ready to do some football stuff yet,” McDaniel said.

That potentially adds up to a start for Skylar Thompson, the 25-year-old rookie who played the entire game against the Jets except for that first snap. Reid Sinnett, recently added to the practice squad, also is a possibility, perhaps if the Dolphins decide to have three QBs active on game days.

In his NFL debut, Thompson completed 19-of-33 passes for 166 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and a 58.4 passer rating. He was sacked twice and fumbled once.

Safety Jevon Holland was among the Dolphins who said they appreciate attempts to make the game safer.

“I think the league is taking great consideration into our health,” Holland said.

Fullback Alec Ingold said he was grateful for the NFL Players Association trying to protect players “so we can play with our grandkids someday.”

Ingold added, “You’ve got to trust the people in charge.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel won't second-guess NFL concussion spotter