My Worst Fears Of McDaniel Are Realized

My Worst Fears Of McDaniel Are Realized

When the Miami Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores after the 2021 season and hired Mike McDaniel to replace him, I had reservations about the hire because McDaniel was the opposite of Flores.

Flores was a total disciplinarian, all over the team on everything, while McDaniel was a players’ coach, empowering his players. I felt that change could work right away, but could change something and eventually sink this team. 

Turns out I was right, and I didn’t want to be. 

McDaniel brought a fresh offensive plan to the team, which the team needed. As much as I loved Flores, one criticism was the constant switching of offensive coordinators. McDaniel had a plan with his zone blocking scheme and speed to rely on big plays.

The Dolphins in 2022 and 2023 were the most exciting offense in the league, especially in the passing game, and led the team to the playoffs in back-to-back years, but resulted in no playoff wins and no division title. 

Then, in 2024, teams caught up with McDaniel’s offense, and he didn’t adjust. Yes, he lost his starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, for games with a concussion and then hip injuries, but this offense was a shell of itself before the injuries. Anybody watching the team could see it. McDaniel has been stubborn in not committing to the running game consistently and keeps relying on his passing game.  

His teams are also very undisciplined, and it starts with him. He calls the offensive plays, and there have been many instances of him not getting the plays in fast enough, to the point where the team must burn timeouts or take a delay-of-game penalty.

His teams have many pre-snap penalties or live-ball fouls at the line of scrimmage. This is something the Dolphins did well under Flores, as they were a well-disciplined team and were penalized the fewest in the league during his tenure. 

McDaniel’s lack of leadership of players has also caused the team to go south as players come late to meetings, as it has been well documented, especially when the team was losing last year, and it doesn’t seem to have stopped. McDaniel could fine players, but that doesn’t work nowadays with the money players are earning. McDaniel should have nipped this in the bud right away, that this wouldn’t be tolerated. Flores did that, but again, they are the complete opposite.  

McDaniel also lacks in-game adjustments to what opponents are doing. This is something Flores was great at with his coaching staff. McDaniel is clueless and downright arrogant with his plan. 

McDaniel’s team folds when adversity hits, and he looks to have lost the locker room. That is something Flores never let happen. Flores always had the pulse of his team, and he never lost the locker room. Think about it: in 2021, the Dolphins started 1-7 and finished 9-8, just missing the playoffs. People want to point to that, thinking the Dolphins can turn things around. Well, that’s not happening, and if it does, it will be the shock of the NFL, honestly.