Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel not fretting outside criticism over team's handling of Tua Tagovailoa

MIAMI — Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel isn't ignorant to the criticism surrounding how quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was handled following an apparent head injury against the Bills on Sept. 25; he's aware of what people's opinions are.

But he isn't wasting thought on them.

Speaking to local media Wednesday, McDaniel said any skepticism about whether he or the Dolphins were negligent in allowing Tagovailoa to play against the Cincinnati Bengals, four days after sustaining the apparent head injury against the Bills, would be «crumbling» it were coming from the people he's in service to. Anything outside the Dolphins' building, he said, is also outside of his control.

«Everything's reactionary anyway,» he said. «So if people want to (give their opinion), whatever… If I'm spending time thinking about that, let's say Monday night for five seconds — that's five seconds that I'm not thinking about all the other things that relate to the team and the upcoming game.

»I fully have way too much respect for the game, for everyone involved, for everybody that's counting on me that, I mean, I'm actually the anti-T.O. (Terrell Owens). You know, 'talk good about me, talk bad about me, just talk about me' — I'd be cool if no one talked about anything. That's how I've been operating in my whole career. But (I'm) fully expecting that they're going to have all sorts of opinions because that's the nature of the beast, that's what happens when you watch it and are fan of it for your entire life. You see it happen over and over and, nothing I guess in that avenue would really surprise me."

Tagovailoa was evaluated for a head injury during halftime of Miami's win over the Bills in Week 5, after hitting his head on the ground and stumbling on his way