MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith’s present and potential future collide over the next few days.
He’s spending this week preparing for the Kansas City Chiefs. If the Dolphins win, it’ll be on to (likely) the Baltimore Ravens.
If they lose, he’ll have a lot more free time to prepare for the biggest job interview of his life.
Smith is one of 12 known candidates in the running to replace Frank Reich in Carolina, and while he didn’t confirm he’s going to interview virtually with Panthers owner David Tepper next week, he certainly didn’t didn’t deny it either.
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“It’s extremely humbling,” Smith said at his weekly news conference. “[There are] so many things that you wanna have as your personal goals, and you know, to be on the cusp of all that is, I mean, it’s …
“I’m truly thankful for all the people who helped me get it. Those things in the future will obviously, you know, transpire when they do. But today is about today, and we have a lot of work to do to get ready for Saturday night. And the one thing that I never take for granted is where I’m at today and what is necessary.
“So you know, those things in the future will be when they come. I have the greatest job that I could ever ask for, and I work for an organization with people that I’ve always wanted to work with. We’re just worried today about being the best we can and getting ready for Saturday.”
Carolina Panthers HC candidate Frank Smith pic.twitter.com/G1nUceCwT9
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) January 10, 2024
While Miami is associated with glitz and glamour — both on and off the field — Smith has a personality that matches his Midwestern upbringing.
“I’m like Batman. I do my best work in the shadows,” he said.
He’s a Wisconsin native who was a walk-on at Miami of Ohio. He clicked with then-RedHawks coach Terry Hoeppner, who brought him on as a grad assistant after his eligibility was up.
From there, he had a stop at Butler before Sean Payton gave him his first break in the NFL with the Saints.
But Smith has meshed best with Mike McDaniel, who named him his non-play-calling OC in Miami when he got the Dolphins job two years ago.
“We really connect at the most foundational element of what our profession is, and that’s developing, maximizing, really serving the NFL football player and their dream, to try to help solidify their goals and help them reach their best selves,” McDaniel said.
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“He sees a lot of things very, very similarly to myself. He’s instrumental here with just my day-to-day and then also connecting me to the rest of the football staff and the players. He brings it every day. He doesn’t take anything for granted.
“I’m not surprised, and he’s very deserving of the opportunity to interview, and it’s not if, but when. Whenever that does come, I know he’s going to do an outstanding job because there’s not any guessing what I see on a day-to-day basis. So I am sure there will be plenty of teams, and he’ll do a great job interviewing, and however that works out, I know that he epitomizes for me the NFL, ‘not for long.’”
So if McDaniel calls the plays, what does Smith do on Sundays?
It’s been a curiosity among the fanbase for some time.
On Wednesday, Smith solved the mystery.
“Well, when the hot dogs are out and the chips are gone …” he joked.
“It’s more like we’re actively involved in communication throughout the game. What we’re seeing with what the defense is doing, talking about play suggestions. What we’re looking at as far as the attack, how we need to adjust. Just an active communication with the whole staff as to what’s occurring, what we need to do.”
Smith added that he does suggest play calls, but more often that not, McDaniel was already on the same page.
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