Mike McDaniel downplays being front and center of 49ers matchup

For the first time since 2017, Mike McDaniel will roam the sidelines of Levi’s Stadium as a member of a team other than the San Francisco 49ers.

The first-year Miami Dolphins head coach admitted on Monday that while he understands the media’s desire to build up him facing his former employer, he’s not treating the 49ers any differently than any other opponent.

“I will do everything in my power to make it another game,” McDaniel told reporters. “…I really stray away from making anything about me. I just don’t believe in it. …But in terms of this week, it will be odd for a second, for sure, to be in a different locker room, or pulling up on the bus in a weird area, or being on a different sideline for a second, I’m assuming — just odd as in abnormal. But after that, my obligation is to serve each and every player and coach and try to get the best out of them. Nowhere in that equation has anything to do with my past history and travels, so that’s why I don’t — when I say it’s not about me, I really, really mean it.”

McDaniel spent five seasons on the 49ers staff, working his way up from run-game coordinator to offensive coordinator. San Francisco had the No. 7 overall offense in McDaniel’s lone year as OC, ranking seventh in rushing offense and 13th in scoring.

The 39-year-old said he has “a very high opinion of the 49ers franchise and players, coaches, staff members,” which is exactly why he’s tried to change the narrative of Sunday’s game to be about the players and not about student vs. teacher matchup with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.