Miami Herald: Dolphins players have turned on McDaniel

[Einstein]

…most of Miami’s leadership from last year either signed elsewhere as free agents (Calais Campbell and Jevon Holland), retired (Terron Armstead), are seeking a contract extension that feature raises (Zach Sieler and Jonnu Smith), or have gone silent (Tua Tagovailoa).

 

Nobody is saying it out loud, but it seems the players McDaniel empowered — giving full control of the locker room and the team last season — have turned on him.

 

https://amp.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/omar-kelly/article304254006.html

Another beat reporter states that McDaniels was so upset with this report that he hiked up his capri pants even higher.

[MJS]

He'll get them back if he buys a new pair of shades.

[Logic]

I've said it numerous times on this forum:

I believe that Mike McDaniel is a sharp offensive mind and probably can have a long career in this league as an offensive coordinator.

I do not believe he is a leader of men or is head coach material.

His schtick was fun and funny when the Dolphins were winning, but as things have slowly and consistently gone south, his charm has begun to wear off with players and fans, and I don't think he's long for the job. I think he's the offensive whiz kid version of Rex Ryan.

In my own mind, I operate on the assumption that Mike McDaniel will not be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins beyond 2025 or, at the latest, 2026. 

Edited April 15 by Logic

[Captain Hindsight]

I still remember the clip of Hard Knocks when the GM was telling a few guys they had made the pro bowl. The players are all high fiving and McDaniel starts talking and it was like Sgt Buzzkill killed the moment

 

Really smart guy, doesn't seem like a strong leader

 

 

[Gregg]

Maybe they will bring back Adam Gase.

 

 

[TBBills Fan]

2 minutes ago, Logic said:

I've said it numerous times on this forum:

I believe that Mike McDaniel is a sharp offensive mind and probably can have a long career in this league as an offensive coordinator.

I do not believe he is a leader of men or is head coach material.

His schtick was fun and funny when the Dolphins were winning, but as things have slowly and consistently gone south, his charm has begun to wear off with players and fans, and I don't think he's long for the job. I think he's the offensive whiz kid version of Rex Ryan.

In my own mind, I operate on the assumption that Mike McDaniel will not be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins beyond 2025 or, at the latest, 2026. 

I hope he is there the next two years! 

[Rigotz]

The only thing better than Mike McDaniel's extension through 2028 was Tua's extension through 2028.

 

Seemingly everyone knew both were a mistake ... except Stephen Ross, the bonehead owner of the Dolphins. 

 

[JP51]

4 minutes ago, Logic said:

I've said it numerous times on this forum:

I believe that Mike McDaniel is a sharp offensive mind and probably can have a long career in this league as an offensive coordinator.

I do not believe he is a leader of men or is head coach material.

His schtick was fun and funny when the Dolphins were winning, but as things have slowly and consistently gone south, his charm has begun to wear off with players and fans, and I don't think he's long for the job. I think he's the offensive whiz kid version of Rex Ryan.

In my own mind, I operate on the assumption that Mike McDaniel will not be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins beyond 2025 or, at the latest, 2026. 

and I have agreed with you several times for sure... I see in McDaniel what the players do... a coach who is not authentic... he is attempting to be a leader but he is not a natural one, he is attempting to be motivational but he is really a damp sponge.. he is super intelligent but more suited to be a co ordinator with a head coach backing him up

[947]

NFL players don't respect a nerd with no social skills who wears capri pants? Color me shocked.

[Doc]

30 minutes ago, Logic said:

I've said it numerous times on this forum:

I believe that Mike McDaniel is a sharp offensive mind and probably can have a long career in this league as an offensive coordinator.

I do not believe he is a leader of men or is head coach material.

His schtick was fun and funny when the Dolphins were winning, but as things have slowly and consistently gone south, his charm has begun to wear off with players and fans, and I don't think he's long for the job. I think he's the offensive whiz kid version of Rex Ryan.

In my own mind, I operate on the assumption that Mike McDaniel will not be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins beyond 2025 or, at the latest, 2026. 

 

I don't know.  His offenses seem to be smoke and mirrors.

[Buffalo716]

On 4/15/2025 at 3:42 PM, 947 said:

NFL players don't respect a nerd with no social skills who wears capri pants? Color me shocked.

He played division 1 football it's not like he's a pencil pusher lol

 

You need to have a lot of football talent to play division one, even walking on you need to have a lot of grit and toughness 

Edited April 17 by Buffalo716

[Logic]

1 minute ago, Doc said:

 

I don't know.  His offenses seem to be smoke and mirrors.

You may be right. 

I DO feel like the whiz kid OCs that always get touted as the most creative minds in the league tend to just put a lot of window dressing on otherwise classic/basic schemes.

Like...Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan both dress the same group of plays up to look like different things. They can run the same few basic zone run concepts -- and the passing plays that are based off of those concepts -- out of multiple different formations or personnel groupings, but at the end of the day, they're not different concepts than what a lot of other teams run. It's the window dressing and variety that they couch those concepts in that make them unique and hard to defend.

In McDaniel's case, I think it's the pre-snap shifts and cheat motions that dress up his scheme. I DO think his scheme has been easier to catch up to and stop than the other two guys I just mentioned, and he hasn't really thrown many effective counter punches as yet. He hasn't adapted.

So perhaps even the "long time OC in this league" forecast is generous. Or perhaps he adapts and grows.

 

[T.E.]

12 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

He played division 1 football it's not like he's a pencil pusher lol

 

You need to have a lot of football talent to play division one

Division I-AA, but still an impressive accomplishment.

 

I think he is a sharp mind, but you can't be too much of a player's coach and also bring in guys like Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey to rule the roost as the team's veteran leadership.

Edited April 15 by T.E.

[Einstein]

5 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

He played division 1 football it's not like he's a pencil pusher lol

 

You need to have a lot of football talent to play division one

 

Eh… He was a player-coach in D1. Not a’ actual player.

 

He was a walk-on that only suited up for practice, but that was the totality of his “playing”. He is in no stat book because he never was on the field. He was labeled a “player-coach” and a “film room guru”.

[Buffalo716]

4 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

Eh… He was a player-coach in D1. Not a’ actual player.

 

He was a walk-on that only suited up for practice, but that was the totality of his “playing”. He is in no stat book because he never was on the field. He was labeled a “player-coach” and a “film room guru”.

Dude you have no idea how hard it is to walk on to a division one program 

 

If you walk on to a division one program through the walk on trial you are a division one football player 

 

You did not walk on to a division one team and make it

 

You literally have to be one of the first people in last people out coaches treat you like crap and still expect you to give 120% every single day

 

Walk-on leave practice bloody because how much physical abuse they take in a practice

Edited April 15 by Buffalo716

[Einstein]

2 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

Dude you have no idea how hard it is to walk on to a division one program 

 

If you walk on to a division one program through the walk on trial you are a division one football player 

 

You did not walk on to a division one team and make it

 

You literally have to be one of the first people in last people out coaches treat you like crap and still expect you to give 120% every single day

 

Walk-on leave practice bloody because how much physical abuse they take in a practice

 

Im aware.

 

And he “made it”, because of his acumen. Not because he was a player.

 

They did not see him as a player, use him as a player, and the articles about him on the team state that he had “no chance” to play. In fact, for the majority of his time there, he was on the JV team (and still didn’t see the field).

 

He was a coach.

[Buffalo716]

22 minutes ago, T.E. said:

Division I-AA, but still an impressive accomplishment.

 

I think he is a sharp mind, but you can't be too much of a player's coach and also bring in guys like Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey to rule the roost as the team's veteran leadership.

One double A is division 1 football... fBS or FCS now both D1

 

And walking on and making a team is very impressive.. because of how hard Walk-Ons are treated.. they have to give 120% effort every single day..  they get busted up in drills basically being a hitting dummy.. they get chewed out by coaches a lot... And they're not on scholarship 

 

And they're expected to do every single thing of scholarship player does 

 

I respect nothing more than a division 1 walk on

11 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

Im aware.

 

And he “made it”, because of his acumen. Not because he was a player.

 

They did not see him as a player, use him as a player, and the articles about him on the team state that he had “no chance” to play. In fact, for the majority of his time there, he was on the JV team (and still didn’t see the field).

 

He was a coach.

You are severely discrediting his accomplishments 

 

There was probably a 140 kids that walked on the day he did.. and they took 20

 

They didn't take him just cuz he was smart he had the practice every single day.. he had to practice against cornerbacks and special team drills and get hit

 

He wasn't sitting in the corner twiddling his thumbs 

 

FYI 95% of Walk-Ons don't have a chance of playing.. there's like 1-2 kids per tryout who could crack the actual game day roster after a couple years

 

  he absolutely was a division one football player and had to put in work

 

He also was on Yale's varsity program for 2 years as a walk on so he obviously was improving and working hard

Edited April 15 by Buffalo716

[MAGIC MAN]

Miami is close to a reset / rebuild.

[Low Positive]

I love to pile on the Fins as much as anyone, but that story is hot-take clickbait. The only facts presented are Ramsay's trade request, a few FA departures, and Tua's radio silence. But players leave in FA from every team including the Chiefs and Eagles and players have no media obligation between the end of the season and mini camp. The only thing out of the ordinary is Jalen Ramsay's trade demands, and that speaks more to Ramsay's team-hopping tendencies than anything about the Dolphins. Perhaps Mike McDaniel has lost that locker room, but Omar Kelly presents no information that could confirm or deny that. 

[Einstein]

11 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

You are severely discrediting his accomplishments 

 

Because I read up on it.

 

To quote his head coach: “He was small and he couldn’t run fast. I thought ‘he’s not going to be around here really long”. They then go into how he was used as a coach and not a player. 

 

Not sure why you’re so determined to spin history into something it wasn’t. His head coach, players on the team, etc all said he was a coach. Not a player. He did not “make the team as a walk-on” in the sense that they accepted him because he was a gifted dude who worked hard. They accepted him to coach other players!

 

11 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

There was probably a 140 kids that walked on the day he did.. and they took 20

 

Actually the head coach said 7-10 guys showed up for walk-on.

 

11 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

They didn't take him just cuz he was smart 

 

Actually they did.

 

The defensive coordinator said in an article that they didn’t really want him but he “just wouldn’t go away” so they finally let him on the team to help them prepare.

 

You can keep trying to spin this if you want but you’re just flat out wrong.