You Have To Love That Mike McDaniel Yells "BOOM, MOTHAFUCKA!" When Tyreek Hill And Jaylen Waddle Haul In Go Routes At Practice
I need Mike McDaniel content like I need oxygen. Every time we hear more about the Miami Dolphins head coach, he gets even cooler. I don't know how anyone possibly finds this dude to be corny, a lame-ass nerd or whatever other label he gets tagged with. McDaniel is, by all accounts, a schematic wizard and is about the most authentic coaching personality in all of sports. Also happens to be hilarious.
Doesn't hurt one's confidence to have perhaps the fastest wide receiver tandem in NFL history in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Apparently, even with Jalen Ramsey joining the Dolphins' secondary, Miami is still having plenty of success ripping off explosive plays on deep balls from Tua Tagovailoa.
We desperately need a mic'd up situation in training camp so that we can hear McDaniel unleash a "BOOM MOTHAFUCKA!!!!!" in all its glory. I'd want this more in an actual game situation against an opponent but we can start small.
I love how everyone wants to talk shit about Tua and how mid his arm strength/talent is when there's so much data to literally prove he's among the elite downfield passers in the NFL.
Has Tua underthrown the ball at times? Yes! But would you rather have that, or would you rather have a cannon-armed guy who overshoots his target and leaves no room for either a completion or a defensive pass interference penalty? Rhetorical question. Ask Jimmy Garoppolo about all that. His entire career has been defined by that overthrow of Emmanuel Sanders in the Super Bowl. Kyle Shanahan barely trusted him to go deep at all thereafter. McDaniel had a front-row seat to that, too, as a member of the 49ers coaching staff.
And McDaniel isn't some egotistical weirdo who doesn't play to his players' strengths. Yes he has a system, but it's tailored to what Tua and the rest of the skill players do best. In other words, he ain't giving Tua the launch codes unless he can deliver the goods. And deliver Tua has.
McDaniel's play design prowess is actually more celebrated for what he does in the run game. The Dolphins' o-line was battered by injuries last year and couldn't get a steady rushing attack going. If that unit can be healthier and jell better in 2023, as long as Tua stays healthy, the offense should be even more explosive overall.
Improved offensive balance will make it easier to set up those downfield shots of play-action, too. It'd be great to see improvement in the trenches. That should come organically in McDaniel's second year at the helm. Zone blocking can be admittedly tricky for the uninitiated at first. Between system continuity and the pure speed of Raheem Mostert and rookie Devon Achane in the backfield, all the elements are there for Miami's ground game to take a big jump.
Tyreek mentioned how McDaniel's energy is contagious and keeps the players bought in and pushing through even when the grind of practice wears on them. Creating that type of culture is as important as anything. McDaniel might have the best plays drawn up ever. If he can't lead men, the whole operation falls apart. Seems like everyone in Miami is sold on McDaniel being the coach there for a long time.