MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Has Mike McDaniel had too much on his plate in his two seasons with the Miami Dolphins?
It’s a fair question after a second straight late-season swoon by the Dolphins in general and Miami’s offense in particular.
The human brain only has so much bandwidth, and if McDaniel is preoccupied with managing the game, it could affect his effectiveness in picking the right plays and vice versa.
McDaniel seems to be at least aware of that dynamic and suggested to reporters here that he might hand off play-calling duties to an assistant.
Will Miami Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel Change His Role in 2024?
“I think you’re always assessing things,” McDaniel said. “An important part of right after the season is to make sure that you’re not making your judgments based upon the emotion of the rollercoaster ride that you just went on.
“I think you have to critically assess by slowly evaluating everything,” he added. “The way I look at it is: Nothing is off the table, ever. To just say, ‘Well, that’s the way we’ve done it,’ that that’s not a good enough reason for me.
MORE: Dolphins Reveal Offseason Contract Plans for Tua (Sort Of)
“And, you know, I think we failed to reach our goals this season. Play-calling wouldn’t live outside that. And we’ll, we’ll see based upon what we do with this season, you know. If we utilize all the lessons learned, we’ll see what it actually means as we press forward.”
Our sense is McDaniel would need pretty compelling evidence that the Dolphins would be better off if he doesn’t call plays to make a switch.
But if he comes to that conclusion, two members of his staff make the most sense in taking over as a true offensive coordinator: Frank Smith, who officially holds that title but doesn’t call plays, and Darrell Bevell, who has 15 years of OC experience in the NFL.
Coaching Staff Changes Coming?
McDaniel wasn’t ready to discuss potential changes to his staff on Monday, but if he fires anyone, special teams coordinator Danny Crossman seems among the most likely.
There’s also always the possibility that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio decides to retire, although that would be a bit of a surprise.
“I think all things are fair right now,” McDaniel said. “We’re still kind of grieving through the process collectively as a coaching staff. Quite honestly, the main thing that I’m trying to do is make sure that I communicate with the players as they go through their exit interviews and, you know, it’s between 50 and 70 guys that I meet with.
“And then, we’ll get together as coaching staffs and kind of undress the season in a painful but productive way. And, I think that’s what all healthy staffs do really, regardless of the success or failure.”
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!