I’ve been a Miami Dolphins fan since I was about 6 years old. I am now 28 years old. I have never seen them win a playoff game. In fact, I have never even seen them come close. They have been blown out each time they’ve been in the playoffs in my life. The Dolphins currently own the longest streak of seasons without a playoff win, with an impressive 23 seasons and counting. It’s unimaginable incompetence to get even remotely close to going that long without a playoff win. What is even more frustrating is how often the team has had talent on it. This iteration of the Dolphins was finally supposed to break the streak and become a foundation to change the course of the franchise. Instead, it’s the most disappointing start to a season I have ever seen, with no light at the end of the tunnel. When I use the term fool’s gold, I refer to two major culprits. Head Coach Mike McDaniel, and General Manager Chris Grier. I’d like to focus on McDaniel for now.
Mike McDaniel, touted as an innovative offense genius, has been completely figured out by opposing defenses dating back to the latter half of the previous season. The Dolphins currently sit last in the NFL in points scored, a statement that should be impossible given the litany of excellent weapons on offense like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane, and even Jonnu Smith. All offseason, McDaniel spoke about having the personnel to counter the counter, being able to effectively expose what defenses have done to thwart his offense. Evidently, that was all lip service. Up to this point, four weeks into the season, the offense has remained almost identical to the previous two years. With all the fancy ball handling, and timing-based routes, that if they’re disrupted at all can lead to ugly interceptions or broken plays, running outside runs on third/fourth and short that never work, and a refusal to commit to the run.
The most infuriating part of this is that McDaniel continues to try and run his offense with back-up QBs. That’s right, Mike McDaniel is trying to run his offense, that is specifically tailored to Tua Tagovailoa, with Skylar Thompson (who shouldn’t be on an NFL roster) and Tyler Huntley (who joined the team two weeks ago). It’s a display of arrogance and malpractice that I have never seen; and it indicates to me that McDaniel doesn’t think the scheme is an issue, and that it can overcome any talent deficiency at QB and/or that it can be mastered within two weeks by a QB you just brought off the street.
If that’s what McDaniel thinks, then why can’t they win any games without Tua? It’s arrogance in the face of overwhelming evidence that this offense wasn’t working nearly as well with Tua on the field, and it flat out doesn’t work with him off the field. How do you not simplify the offense, lean on the run game, and scheme better touches for your premier weapons? Other than tunnel screens that defenses see coming, because it’s all you’ve run for three years when Tua was out. McDaniel has been figured out completely, he has no answers. At least, he’s not willing to employ any answers.
This is all time stubbornness and coaching hubris, the type of stubbornness that should get you let go. He has shown no growth in his time with Miami. Repeating the same mistakes, such as: not getting play calls in on time, wasting time outs due to the latter, or because players can’t get lined up in time due to the many motions and shifts, abandoning the run constantly, calling outside runs on short distances or WR sweeps on those same situations, stubbornly keeping your scheme unchanged with a back up QB in; having three years of tape on Skylar Thompson and deciding he can be an NFL QB, let alone your primary back up to one of the most injury prone QBs in football.
Mike McDaniel needs to be let go, he sold the Dolphins a pretty scheme with all the bells and whistles, the big plays and all the fun motions and alignments. But when you look under the hood, it’s an incredibly fragile offensive system designed to limit the weaknesses of its QB that is disrupted constantly, has no counterpunch when defenses disrupt it, and can apparently only be operated by one specific QB and no one else. A QB who has missed 19 games and counting before his fifth season has concluded. It’s unacceptable, and the Dolphins need to move on. It’s clear now that Mike McDaniel is Fool’s Gold.
Leave A Comment