MOBILE, AL — There’s no better endorsement for San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel to become the Miami Dolphins’ next head coach than Robert Saleh’s reaction to the idea. Saleh’s New York Jets face the Dolphins twice a year, and that might be two times too many if McDaniel gets the job.
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Robert Saleh raves about Mike McDaniel’s head coaching ability
Saleh, speaking here as coach of the Senior Bowl’s National Team, couldn’t say enough complimentary things about McDaniel, his longtime friend and occasional colleague.
“Mike is phenomenal,” said Saleh, who was on staff with McDaniel before taking the Jets’ top job in 2021. “His mindset, the way he creates things, the outside-the-box thinking, his ability to communicate with people, he’s as good as they get.
“He’s been with Kyle [Shanahan] for longer than any of us have,” Saleh continued. “He’s been there since he and I were [quality control coaches], sitting across from each other with the Houston Texans back in ’06. He’s brilliant and he’s every bit deserving to be a head coach. I would not like him to come to the division. But if it happens, so be it.”
Will Flores’ accusations scare McDaniel off of Dolphins’ job?
McDaniel will meet with the Dolphins for the second time Thursday. It’ll be interesting to see if his level of interest in the job has changed after the man he would replace, Brian Flores, accused the Dolphins and the NFL in general of racial discrimination. The Dolphins deny that race had anything to do with his termination.
Flores also has accused Dolphins owner Stephen Ross of offering him $100,000 for each loss during the Dolphins’ tanking 2019 season, and for setting up an unauthorized meeting with a top quarterback target (believed to be Tom Brady) in early 2020.
Flores, appearing on multiple national morning TV programs Thursday, revealed more about the alleged bribe offer. He said that Ross also suggested Flores take a vacation during the 2019 season. His attorneys said that there is corroborating evidence that Ross made the $100K-per-loss offer.
The Dolphins have made no public comments on the ordeal aside from the statement that they released Tuesday:
“We are aware of the lawsuit through the media reports that came out this afternoon. We vehemently deny any allegations of racial discrimination and are proud of the diversity and inclusion throughout our organization. The implication that we acted in any manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is incorrect. We will be withholding further comment on the lawsuit at this time.”