Mike McDaniel's tenure with the Miami Dolphins began swimmingly. He led the AFC East to its first postseason in six tries, jolting some life into quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the team's attack in the process.
After going 8-9 and missing the playoffs last season, McDaniel stared up at a magnifying glass. A 33-8 road loss to the Indianapolis Colts to start this campaign has many wondering if he's really the right guy for the job. His comments after the defeat — to historically average-at-best passer Daniel Jones, by the way — shouldn't inspire much confidence in Dolphins fans.
“I would say the good news and the positive is I don’t see how it could be worse,” McDaniel said. “And I also believe in the coaches and players to get it fixed because it’s just a shame. You work behind the scenes for months on end, and you don’t show any of it — it’s frustrating. But that can be a good thing and that’s what I saw from the positive. Also you could tell as frustrating as it was, the team didn’t splinter and the effort still remained.
“There’s things there, but overall — I’m not trying to paint a glossy … I’ll call it what it is. It was embarrassing and not anything that paying fans sign up for.”
Mike McDaniel is saying the loud part loud
With McDaniel referring to how much his team prepared for the matchup, the result speaks volumes. Some believe he's overdoing it with his play-calling and doesn't have a full handle on the team's discipline. Then there's the issue of his lack of success against winning teams.
And, of course, the fact that the Dolphins haven't won a playoff game since 2000 — the longest current drought in the league — hangs over his head.
If Sunday was truly rock bottom for Miami, like McDaniel said, that doesn't make it any easier. With the Buffalo Bills in their division, it's hard to believe the Dolphins will have much of a say for the grouping's crown. Justin Fields and the New York Jets also look to be much improved, based on their Week 1 performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“No part of their team had any confidence, had any swag to them, and I think (McDaniel) reflected that," former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said on Sunday. "In those moments as a head coach, you have to stand up and you have to be the beacon for them going forward. It just felt a little blah, and his interview afterwards felt like how they played today.”
At first, McDaniel's time in charge of the Dolphins had people believing he was the next wunderkind. It appears his message and scheme have grown stale. If he can't right the ship, the Dolphins will have someone else under the headset next year.