Top 5 Candidates to Replace Mike McDaniel

Top 5 Candidates to Replace Mike McDaniel

If the Miami Dolphins continue to play as they did recently vs Washington and New Orleans, they won’t keep sneaking by with close wins, as their schedule is going to get tougher.

And a few losses here to end the season (and with the way they played vs Washington and New Orleans, it seems inevitable), it will become evident that Miami will be in the market for a new head coach come January.

Here is my list of the top five candidates the Dolphins should call to set up an interview after the season.

(Note: I am not including coaches who are currently employed by another team who “may” be let go, such as Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh.)

Marcus Freeman, Head Coach, Notre Dame

I believe Marcus Freeman is the hottest head coaching candidate today in both college and the NFL. He didn’t blink this offseason when jobs such as Penn St, LSU, and Florida were open, as he decided to stay at Notre Dame.

But, in a week, if a 2-loss Notre Dame team is left out of the playoffs, I wonder if he would consider a jump to the NFL, as he will see the issues he will continue to face at Notre Dame going forward. Coaching in college is hard, and with NIL, the transfer portal, and the goofy rules of the CFP Playoff, it’s tough to navigate. In the NFL, you have an equal playing field with a salary cap, contracts, and it is a level playing field.

Also, Freeman will be 40 in January and has head-coaching experience at a major college, where he has been coaching under a ton of pressure, as all previous Notre Dame coaches have. He wouldn’t be someone learning on the job to be a head coach, as he has head-coaching experience at the highest level of college football.

He is a former player who had a cup of coffee in the NFL and then worked his way up the coaching ranks to the job he has now as Notre Dame’s head coach.

He projects as a great NFL coach as he has a calm demeanor and is a leader of men. He gives off a lot of Mike Tomlin vibes as a head coach and is someone who is a clear leader and is the strong, silent type.

Being only 40, he will relate well with the modern athlete, and he is someone many expect will eventually make the jump to the NFL, so if you can get in with him now, you may have a head coach for the next decade plus.

Mike McCarthy, Former Head Coach in Green Bay and Dallas

Marcus Freeman is my top choice, but McCarthy is a close second. This is a football guy through and through. Not going to tell funny jokes at the press conference; he is probably a New Balance or Skechers sneaker guy, and he probably wears a Casio watch from 1988.

What the Miami Dolphins need right now is someone to get the ship back on course. Bring a level of professionalism back to the building and run the team like an adult.

And if you are rolling your eyes and saying you don’t want McCarthy, all I have to say is look at his career record and the results. Just look…