This is an interesting development. 2024 NFL Owners Meeting: Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel considered giving up play-calling duties Despite Mike McDaniel’s record-setting offense, Miami’s head coach told reporters he considered giving up play-calling duties this offseason. #FinsUp By Josh Houtz@houtz Mar 25, 2024, 2:00pm EDT 6 Comments / 6 New Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel met with the media at the 2024 NFL Owners Meeting earlier today and discussed various topics, including free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and QB1 Tua Tagovailoa’s inevitable contract extension. But one thing that really stood out to me — just a dad scrolling Twitter from home — and the beat writers in attendance was coach McDaniel admitting he’s considered giving up playcalling duties. Here’s what Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said when asked whether or not he considered giving up play-calling duties this season. (Note: Full quote will be added when the Miami Dolphins release it later today) This interests me because at the end of the 2023 NFL season, I brought up this question on an episode of Another Dolphins Podcast, and my conclusion was still unclear. At the time, I wondered if a first-time head coach AND play-caller had too much on their plate doing both. I wasn’t sure if McDaniel giving up play-calling duties would help get plays into the quarterback faster or, at the time, prevent Miami from abandoning the run late in games. Not to mention, I wasn’t entirely sure who would be a better fit. Offensive coordinator Frank Smith has never officially called plays. QB coach Darrell Bevell called plays during the Seattle Seahawks' golden days, but wouldn’t it be weird for a head coach to give the playcalling duties to a position coach even if they have experience? And then there’s the one question I really couldn’t answer: how much of a difference would it truly make? McDaniel then went into year two and seemed to learn from most of his past mistakes. Yes, there were still times when I wish they would’ve run the football more. But the numbers don’t lie, and the numbers say that the Dolphins had a top-5 offense in most statistical categories a season ago. Miami finished first in offensive yards per game (401.3), sixth in rushing yards (135.8), and first in yards per carry (5.1). Additionally, McDaniel’s offense averaged 29.2 points per game, the most in the NFL. I guess all of this is my way of saying kudos to McDaniel for truly evaluating all areas of the team from top to bottom at the season’s end. He often talks about self-reflection and what he and the players can do better, but sometimes you wonder if those are just words. They are not, and it is clear that McDaniel will never put his ego before the team. Which, let’s be honest, is not something we could have said about some of the coaches who came before. What are your thoughts on Mike McDaniel’s comments? Do you think he should give up play-calling duties? Is there one specific area of his play-calling that you’d like to see him improve on this offseason? Who do you think would take over for McDaniel if he were to let someone else call the plays? Frank Smith? Darrell Bevell? Wes Welker? Tyreek Hill? Let us know in the comments section below! https://www.thephinsider.com/2024/3...idered-giving-up-play-calling-duties-2024-nfl
Zero chance McDaniel gave any thought into this. He had the number one offense in the NFL. Of course he is going to have to learn how to make better in game adjustments. That just comes with experience.
Yeah, he should give up those duties if he's smart. He has never called plays before coming to Miami and is not very good at it. He is great at scheming, but not a great gameday playcaller. Let the guys in the box handle it.
I believe that’s due to an inordinate amount of missed games by starters which causes lack of continuity in a timing based west coast style offense
The rushing stats are somewhat misleading, skewed as they are towards the early part of the season. Yards and carries dropped closer to the end of the season, especially in the games they lost down the stretch and the playoff game. Miami ran the ball 15 times vs the Chiefs’ 32 attempts in a game where the passing game suffered due to the conditions, so he is still going away from the running game when he needs it most. If he does it primarily because of the play of his OL, then he should be kicking Grier in the proverbial nuts for some beasts up front.
I think it’s not only the OL why he goes away from the running game, he‘s getting to pumped up having Tyreek and Waddle and goes into a Madden mode. When it works you see games like the one we had against Denver but I think he should tone it down a notch it will be interesting to see what happens next season, when he has even more speed to work with and how that carries into late season and the playoffs.
What????? Hit, I think you made that statement out of the emotional burn of the season’s ending rather than out of facts. The 2023 Miami Dolphins were ranked… 1st in Total Offense; 401.3 yards per game Tied 1st in Offensive TD’s; 61 (SF) 1st in Passing Offense; 265.5 yards per game. 6th in Rushing Offense; 135.8 yards per game. (Ravens were 1 at 156.5) 2nd in Scoring Offense with 29.2 points per game. (Dallas was 1 at 29.9) 2nd in Red Zone offense at 65.5% 7th in 3rd Down Offense at 42.1% (Buffalo was 1 at 48%) To say McDaniel isn’t a very good play caller…the body of the Dolphins offense says otherwise.
I'd suggest that it's probably a better indicator of McDaniel's coaching ability that when we (and our opponents) were healthy, we had a dominant run game. The health of the OL definitely had an impact on how well we ran the ball late in the season. We also lost Wilson, Jr. and Achane for a long stretch. Heck, Chris Brooks showed up big in a game and also immediately was injured. It might sound like an excuse, but missing half of your OL, most of your RB room, and having the rest play while hurt is going to result in a drop in production.
I would agree with you here. The one play I despise is the bubble screen. Are there teams that execute it to perfection? Yep, there are and when they do against us it infuriates me but it just seems to me when we call that play, it fails more often than not…going back to the days of Gase. With the talent and speed we have in the backfield with Mostert and Achane, there’s no reason we should be in 3rd and long situations that often.
Screens on 3rd and long weren't a problem. It was on 3rd and short and they would toss a pitch four yards backwards. That was probably the most frustrating aspect of McDaniel's playcalling for me last year.
Yep. He clearly didn't trust the oline to win on run plays for short yards. I also think he overthinks and gets too cute in those situations. He doesn't trust the oline to win, but instead of calling something that may get a few yards for the first, he tries to trick the defense and take it to the house. A disciplined defense, like the ones we faced at the end of the year and the playoffs, is too smart for that. The good thing is McD seems to learn from his previous mistakes. Granted we only have one year to go by, but from year 1 to year 2 he really cleaned up a lot of stuff. Hopefully that trend continues from year 2 to year 3.
