A day after veteran safety Jordan Poyer elicited national headlines for saying that during his seven-year stint with the Buffalo Bills, he felt that the Dolphins would “fold” under pressure, Miami head coach Mike McDaniel seemed to take no offense to the statement.

“Poyer is here because of the player he is and the leader he is, and I think he recognizes the leadership opportunity that he has here,” McDaniel said. “I’m very open and upfront and aggressive with, to me, when I see realities. Realities are the past does not predict the future.

“But for Jordan Poyer to talk to his teammates, whether that’s directly and saying the same thing that he’s told all of them in the media, I think it’s important to understand where things come from. To understand that when you don’t win football games down the stretch, when you don’t win playoff games, when you don’t win Super Bowls, those things will be said.

“The challenge is understanding what it is and actually doing something about it today. So to me, it doesn’t surprise me. I think we’re in a business where it’s very cut and dry there. You’re either finding reasons for success or reason for failure, and there’s nothing in between. I talk about all that because it’s really not a big deal.”

Poyer, 33, a four-year captain for the Bills, signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins this offseason for a reported $2 million ($500,000 guaranteed). He indeed owned bragging rights over the Dolphins as the Bills won 13 out of 15 games against Miami while he had the bison on his helmet.

In 2022, the Bills handed the Dolphins a heartbreaking 34-31 Wild Card playoff loss. Last season, the Bills clinched the AFC East title when they dealt Miami a regular season-ending 21-17 loss that forced the Dolphins to play the Wild Card game in frigid Kansas City against the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs. That dismal 26-7 loss extended Miami’s streak of not winning a playoff game to 24 years.

Although Poyer has yet to clarify his comments, he was possibly attempting to motivate his new teammates when he delivered his controversial answer during his media session on Tuesday, the first day that veterans reported.

“I think just sharing the experience playing against this team over the past few years, you get a sense of, you know, if you get on top of this team, they might fold,’” Poyer said, responding to a question about sharing his wisdom over a 12-year career with his new teammates.

“There are some teams that are — this is just being honest, so what is that that happens in those moments where we get hit in the mouth? It’s like, ‘Hey, we’re good, let’s bounce back. It’s a 60-minute game. It’s a long game. I’ve been in games I’ve been up 24 points and end up losing. I’ve been in games we were down 21 points and won, so it’s continuing to just play the game.”

The Bills have won four consecutive AFC East titles and have gone 12-2 in December and January over the past two seasons. Conversely, the Dolphins have gone 4-10 in December and January under McDaniel, including 1-7 on the road.

“I told the guys I played with before that I don’t care if you give up the first down; I don’t care if you give up a touchdown; it’s the next play,” said Poyer, who has 24 career interceptions (none last season), four seasons of 100 or more tackles, and made the Pro Bowl in 2022.

“You have to keep playing. It’s a long game. That’s been instilled in me over the 12 years that I’ve played. There will be some ups and downs, so you got to handle adversity or handle what’s thrown at you. Usually, the teams that can handle those moments within a game, within a season, those are usually the teams you see in the playoffs at the end of the season.”

Poyer, who has battled various injuries, said he feels the healthiest he has been in a few years and is excited to play for a former bitter rival.

“It’s just life,” said Poyer, who played for the Browns before the Bills and was there in 2014 when McDaniel was the receivers coach. “I always have a saying. It is what it is. It ain’t what it ain’t. It feels amazing to be down here. I’ve been a fan from the other side of this team ever since I’ve been in Buffalo. Seeing this team grow on and off the field, knowing some of the players here, knowing [McDaniel], it’s just a really cool opportunity for me to come here and be the best version of myself and help this team in football games.”

“I don’t really have a reaction to it,” said seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey when asked about Poyer’s comments. “I only played him one time when I was on the Dolphins and he was on another team, so it doesn’t really do anything for me or move me in any way. Also, last year’s team is different than last year’s team in a lot of different ways, including not having him on the team. …

“This is Day One, so we’ve got to build our identity. We’ve got to go through a lot of things during this camp, a lot of growing pains, hopefully some adversity, maybe even a couple of fights and good things like that to bring us closer, so we’ll see where it leads us.”

The 2024 high school season is officially over for Miami Central 4-star safety Amari Wallace.

It’s over before it started.

Wallace participated, with the rest of his Central teammates, in a possible non-sanctioned scrimmage with another high school on Wednesday. He suffered a compound fracture to one of his legs according to a report filed by High School on SI.

He was supposed to be an early enrollee at the University of Miami and was already slated by recruiting experts to compete for one of the two starting safety positions. Now, his status for the 2025 season is unknown. According to the report, the average recovery time for a compound fracture of the leg could be as much as 15 months.

Wallace might have to take a medical redshirt his freshman season.

The situation surrounding the injury has been called into question.

High school football practice is not supposed to start in Florida until July 29. Full-contact practices are not slated to begin until Aug. 3.

Scrimmages between schools must be sanctioned by the Florida High School Athletic Association. It has not been determined if this scrimmage was sanctioned by the FHSAA.

High School on SI reached out to the principal and the coach of Miami Central, to determine the facts and circumstances of this incident. Neither party has responded.

Wallace is a recent Miami commit and selected the Hurricanes over Auburn, Louisville and Louisiana State. All verbal commitments are non-binding. Wallace was going to sign with the Hurricanes during Early National Signing Day in December.

Wallace had three interceptions as well as six passes defended and one caused fumble last season. In 2022 he helped Miami Central win the Florida 2M state championship.

The University cannot issue a statement on a player who is not yet signed to a National Letter of Intent. Miami Hurricanes On SI will monitor the situation and report the facts as they come to light.

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Hurricanes On SI. He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com. He can be followed on X @ScottSalomonNFL.

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MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel addressed the contract status of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa prior to Wednesday’s first practice.

The first question asked of McDaniel was if Tua would be taking part in all or a portion of the preseason practices as he seeks a contract extension. McDaniel said the situation is “very fluid.”

“I think its important to acknowledge Tua is in the midst of contract negotiations,” McDaniel said. “That’s important to him and the football team.

“It’s very fluid. We’re taking it day-by-day. I know today I’m expecting what we did in the spring (and) we’ll move forward for what’s best for him and us.”

McDaniel added everyone is aware of the importance of these negotiations to the Dolphins and Tua and his family.

“Everybody know he wants a contract done. Everybody is trying their best to get a deal done.”

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Tua sat out some drills in the spring to make a point about his disatisfaction. That was after a discussion and agreement between the quarterback McDaniel.

By sitting out completely, Tua would have been fined $50,000 per day. He is playing under the contract he signed after being selected fifth overall by the Dolphins in 2020. He is seeking an extension in the $55 million a year range, similar to those signed by Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence.

The question of whether Tua would show up was answered Tuesday when players said he was in the building and they expected their quarterback to be at practice.

McDaniel does not expect Tua’s contract dispute to be a distraction to the team.

“I’m very proud of the team this offseason,” McDaniel said, adding he believes the team has “matured in how we go about our business.”

“In a different way its the same challenge you face (during the season). I’m not going to forecast how long it goes on. We’ll adjust as we see fit. All those things are a distraction if you allow it to be.

“I have no concerns about distractions and we together do the best we can to put our best step forward.”

McDaniel added it is very confident in his relationship with Tua, and said the quarterback can separate business from what it happening on the football field.

Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and golf reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.