I said on social media on Sunday night that I had noticed questions about whether Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was “hot” or not going into the 2024 NFL season on a number of NFL programs and podcasts. There were differing views; some believed he was, while others did not. The justifications they offered for why he was under investigation and would lose his job in South Florida essentially fell into two categories: failing to qualify for the postseason and failing to win a postseason game, though I suppose the former would also apply.
Last year, Miami lost to Buffalo at home on national television after blowing a three-game lead to win the division. In the playoffs, Miami lost to Kansas City on the road; losing to the SB champions doesn’t bother me. A loss to BUF is unacceptable.
For McD, this will be an intriguing year. He started both years off strong but faded in the latter part. It should come as no surprise that this closely resembles the play of his starting quarterback.
Ultimately it comes down to Tua taking that next level but (and here I go again…) it comes down to team health (I’m hoping the more times I bring this up, the better chance my words will somehow through subliminal quantum mechanics maybe, reach the eyes of Grier and filter down to the team). The OL regs MUST be there down the stretch, playing at a dominant or at least dictating level. Next (and somewhat of a logical segue into my next point), Tua must hold onto the ball longer when necessary. This should be done when initial reads aren’t there but also by design, to mess up the defense even more. They will be even more on their heels if they don’t know the pass is coming quick or (relatively) later. More importantly it will give Tua the confidence to stand up and deliver against the tougher teams down the stretch. That and team health will take Tua and the team to the next level.
