The Miami Dolphins did not make the playoffs in 2024. Miami made it the year prior, though they lost in the first round. However, injuries to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played a part in derailing head coach Mike McDaniel’s team.
Questions around McDaniel’s future with the Dolphins surfaced near the end of the season. However, the team elected to keep him around. There is some logic to the move, as many consider McDaniel one of the brighter offensive minds in the league.
Dolphins Have Found Success in Mike McDaniel Era
As mentioned, Miami missed out on postseason football in 2024. But they have had some tangible success under McDaniel. Especially on the offensive side of the ball.
In 2023, the Dolphins finished the regular season averaging more than 400 total yards of offense per game. They were the only team in the NFL to do so that season. They also ended the season with more passing yards and passing yards per game than any other team.
These numbers were an improvement over an impressive showing in 2022. Miami finished sixth in total yards per game that year. They also finished sixth in passing yards and fourth in passing yards per game.
Unfortunately, this has not turned into prolonged postseason success. Miami has made the playoffs twice under McDaniel. However, the Dolphins lost in the Wild Card round both times. Their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023, especially, was rather lopsided.
The Dolphins pride themselves on their offensive might. McDaniel has helped shape Miami’s offense into one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. However, he has gone on record in naming two defensive masterminds who do give him some fits before a game.
Dolphins’ McDaniel Names Pair of Defensive Masterminds Who Kept Him Awake at Night
McDaniel joined ESPN’s Kevin Clark for an interview on Friday. The Dolphins head coach dropped two names — former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and current Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon.
“Bill Belichick was a beast. I’m not sure if he gets the appropriate credit for the defensive mind and application uniformity, unpredictability, and outside-of-the-box problem solving. The last time we played against them in 2023, he just had this odd idea of a defensive gameplan of guys in positionless football just standing in the areas we usually like to throw. Like, what?” McDaniel said of Belichick, who is the current football coach at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
As for Gannon, McDaniels keyed in on one player in particular. The Dolphins head coach mentioned how the Cardinals use safety Budda Baker. He discussed how this usage makes Arizona’s defense much more daunting.
“(Baker) is a kamikaze. There’s guys all over the place, lots of blitzing, a lot of shell coverage…you just commend (Baker) because like, ‘How are you this fearless?’ He’s playing as if he’s the biggest player on the field. They do a great job complementing each other where they’ve kind of built this unique system that isn’t off any particular format that I’ve seen in the NFL,” McDaniel said.
Belichick, as mentioned, is out of the NFL. However, McDaniel still has to contend with Gannon for the foreseeable future. It will certainly be interesting to see how his offense lines up against the Cardinals’ defense the next time they meet.