After the firing of former coach Brian Flores, the Miami Dolphins are taking a different approach with leadership, and I think it’s the best move they’ve made in my lifetime. On Feb. 7, the Dolphins hired San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel to be the team’s next head coach.
I can’t say a lot of things with certainty, but one thing I know for a fact is that McDaniel will get the most out of a team whose offensive incapability has held them back from the NFL Playoffs on multiple occasions. A pre-historic offensive scheme matched with one of the best defenses, talent-wise, that the NFL has seen in a long time was a horrible match, and a waste of a generational defense.
In terms of total offense, the Dolphins haven’t finished the season as a top ten offense since 1995. In the three years of Flores’ tenure, Miami hired three different offensive coordinators, all of which had no reason to be in that position, and the results speak for themselves. In those three years, the Dolphins finished no better than No. 22 in total offense. In 2021, McDaniel’s 49ers finished the season No.7 in total offense.
What McDaniel does so well is getting his talented players the football in space. 49ers wide receiver and running back Deebo Samuel is a great example of that. Samuel, a dynamic player that can score any time he touches the ball, would get the ball from designed plays that would have him lineup in the backfield, in the slot or out wide. As I mentioned before, it’s about creativity. I don’t know if McDaniel will use their dynamic players in Lynn Bowden or Jaylen Waddle in the Deebo Samuel role, but I do know that Tua will see his game progress on the field, and mentally as well.
Tua Tagovailoa’s career with the Dolphins has been filled with disrespect towards him. In his rookie year, he would start games just to be pulled out for Ryan Fitzpatrick when the team needed a touchdown. Safe to say that doesn’t bode well for confidence. Then, in his second year, trade rumors from Week 1 to Week 9 didn’t do well for him, either. It got to the point where Tagovailoa was asked about how he was feeling, and his answer was just sad.
“I don’t feel not wanted,” said Tagovailoa with an awkward laugh.
McDaniel will be the person that takes Tua’s game to the next level for one reason: the run game. In Tagovailoa’s two years as a Dolphin, the team hasn’t rushed for more than 1,700 yards, finishing in the bottom three in 2021 and bottom ten in 2020. You can’t expect a quarterback with a lack of weapons to succeed when his team can’t run the ball. In 2021, McDaniel’s 49ers rushed for 2,166 yards, good for No.7 in the NFL.
McDaniel did something no other coach has done for Tua. Instill confidence in him.
“We’re going to have an extensive professional relationship my man. One thing I know about you is that you have the ambition to be great. My job is to coach you to get all that greatness out of you,” said McDaniel to Tagovailoa.
Now, that quote is something I firmly believe. McDaniel’s offensive scheme made it to two NFC Championships and a Super Bowl with inferior quarterback play from Jimmy Garoppolo. The Dolphins have a lot to look forward to, and as a fan, I’m “fired up” as McDaniel says.
