Mike McDaniel is not NFL’s darling with Dolphins

Narratives within the NFL shift as quickly because the winter winds within the league’s Northeast stadiums.

But it surely’s not Mom Nature that dictates these narrative shifts, it’s the quarterbacks.

For the previous two seasons, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had drawn reward as an excellent and inventive offensive thoughts, and a coach who doesn’t all the time comply with the standard NFL head teaching playbook.

In his first season, McDaniel led the 2022 Dolphins to their first playoff berth since 2016, and solely the second since 2009. Final season, he led the Dolphins to an 11-6 document and one other playoff berth. He was broadly thought of one of many nice vivid younger minds within the sport.

The frequent denominator to these two seasons of success was quarterback Tua Tagovailoa enjoying nicely and staying wholesome. Tagovailoa began 13 video games in 2022 and went 8-5, and he began all 17 final season.

Then, in a Week 2 loss to the Payments, Tagovailoa suffered his fourth identified concussion, which has him out indefinitely. His backup, Skylar Thompson, suffered a rib harm within the Week 3 loss to Seattle, leaving lately signed Tyler Huntley because the Dolphins starter.

Huntley didn’t throw for 100 yards in final week’s loss to the Titans, leaving the Dolphins 1-3 and in final place within the AFC East coming into their sport at New England on Sunday.

McDaniel and Dolphins administration deserve criticism for not retaining backup Mike White, who proved himself to be a reliable No. 2. The Dolphins opted to avoid wasting cash by not retaining White, who signed with the Payments, and now they’re getting burned for it.

This mess at quarterback has led to some warmth being positioned on McDaniel, who has rapidly been faraway from the mantel as darling amongst NFL coaches. The Miami mess solely emphasizes this about NFL coaches: In the event that they don’t have an excellent quarterback, they don’t have an opportunity.

Not even the Dolphins’ prime receiver tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle has been capable of pull their offense from the malaise.

Have a look at what occurred with Brian Daboll and the Giants a yr in the past. Daboll went from NFL Coach of the 12 months in 2022 to having his job safety questioned, with starter Daniel Jones out for the season and undrafted free agent Tommy “Cutlets’’ DeVito beginning video games.

Have a look at Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. With beginning quarterback Joe Burrow wholesome, the Bengals went 10-7 and acquired to the Tremendous Bowl in 2021 season and went 12-4 and acquired to the AFC title sport in 2022.

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Tua Tagovailoa concussion fallout

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Then, with Burrow lacking the ultimate seven video games final yr, the Bengals sagged to 9-8 and missed the playoffs. All of a sudden, Taylor’s prowess as a head coach got here to query in some circles.

Jets coach Robert Saleh didn’t have a reliable beginning quarterback on his staff for his first three seasons, and the poor outcomes confirmed. A part of that was his fault, as a result of he was part of deciding on draft bust Zach Wilson second total in 2021.

Now Saleh has Aaron Rodgers, and we’ll really discover out his chops as a head coach.

What sort of head coach was Invoice Belichick as soon as Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay? He went 29-38 in 4 seasons with out the GOAT earlier than parting methods with New England — saving his status as the best coach of all time from changing into tarnished.

It’s my perception McDaniel is the great head coach we believed him to be when Tagovailoa was wholesome — along with his distinctive, outside-the-box strategies to his insanity.

Right here’s hoping McDaniel will get his quarterback again in time to salvage the Dolphins season. With out a quarterback, no coach is something however simply one other coach ready to be fired.