MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tua Tagovailoa’s return from injured reserve has been the No. 1 catalyst of the Miami Dolphins’ 2024 turnaround.
But don’t sleep on Mike McDaniel’s willingness to be the heavy hand — even if he does so with empathy.
If McDaniel’s Dolphins (4-6), as the betting public expects, beat the New England Patriots Sunday, their three-game winning streak will in no small part be because McDaniel didn’t shy away from uncomfortable decisions and conversations when things were going sideways.
Miami Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel Stresses Accountability
Among McDaniel’s biggest adjustments the last two months:
- Keeping Skylar Thompson on the bench in favor of Snoop Huntley after the Dolphins’ offense looked lost when Thompson served as Tua’s replacement
- Turning Pro Bowl running back Raheem Mostert into Miami’s RB3 after two costly fumbles in the span of three weeks (he’s touched the ball six times in 18 total offensive snaps the last two games)
- Benching, and then cutting outright, captain David Long, a veteran linebacker who’s play declined significantly prior to his release
- Slashing the role of 2023 TE1 Durham Smythe, who has gone from a 71.5% participation rate to just 35.7% this year
Has Mike McDaniel sent a message by benching/cutting key players (David Long, Raheem Mostert, etc.)? pic.twitter.com/YNgCMiEO1f
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) November 20, 2024
All four of those moves look savvy in retrospect. And while McDaniel insisted none was made to send a message to what three weeks ago was an underachieving team, they probably have had that unintended consequence.
“It’s tough when Mike has to have sit-down conversations with guys in starting roles and having to maneuver through that because of the person that he is,” Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said Wednesday.
“It does sort of take a toll sometimes on the team. But if you understand reasoning and you understand you know sometimes that it could be for the betterment of the team or whatnot. Those guys are the ones having those conversations you’re just there to support your teammate in the best way you can. I think you get a better big-picture gauge of reasons as to why things like that have been happening or have happened.”
Transparency is important to McDaniel when he decides on a big change. If an established starter loses their job, he won’t leave it up to just the position coach to break the news.
McDaniel is the NFL’s most unique coach. But for all of his humor and quirkiness, he deeply appreciates how finite an NFL career is, so he doesn’t make a big move just for the shock factor.
But what he won’t do is play favorites. He’ll play the best players, regardless of pedigree or sentimentality.
Mostert and McDaniel have worked together for nearly a decade. But De’Von Achane is clearly the better player right now, and that’s why he’s on the field.
“No one is entitled to a thing,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “We’re not entitled to go out there and win based upon X, Y, or Z. You have to go earn it.
“You’re not entitled to any position in the National Football League. And if you think you are then you’re very delusional, because there are very sought-after positions, coaching and playing, and the competition is fierce. So you better be up for the challenge, or someone will be found to rise to the occasion.”