In my previous Super Bowl series, we last discussed Stephen Ross and how his role as owner of the Miami Dolphins affects their chances of winning the Super Bowl. Now we get to the final member of the Dolphins organization who plays a role in leading this team to its ultimate goal, just like all 32 teams in this league, which is to win the Super Bowl every season.
As always, I have three reasons why Mike McDaniel is the one who can do it, and then I will come up with a reason why he can’t do it, so a slightly different structure than my recent articles in this series. So, for the final time in this series, let’s take a Deep End dive into the water about Mike McDaniel.
Innovation on Offense
Mike McDaniel, when hired by the Dolphins in 2022, was seen as an offensive guru. In fact, he has innovated with the Dolphins on the offensive side of the ball, utilizing the “cheat motion” that they run. This involves the receiver going into motion, and then, in this case, Tua snaps the ball while the receiver is still in that motion. This way, the receiver, let’s use Tyreek Hill as an example, basically gets a head start sprinting before the ball is even snapped.
But it’s not just Tyreek Hill; it’s also Jaylen Waddle, Jonnu Smith, De’Von Achane, etc. I expect McDaniel to still utilize that cheat motion offense in 2025, especially if everyone is healthy.
Authentic Leadership
McDaniel has always been a genuine leader, not someone like Brian Flores, who was more of a tyrannical leader. McDaniel does care about his players, aside from Jalen Ramsey, of course, especially after he dodged a question at the NFL Draft recently about Ramsey, saying he didn’t want to discuss him. That right there shows that the issue between McDaniel and Jalen Ramsey is a McDaniel problem, not a Ramsey problem.
Other than that, Mike has been a pretty good leader for this team, especially in his locker room speeches after wins. Just revert to how fired up he was after the win against the 49ers, and then Stephen Ross gives him a game ball right after. That tells you a lot about McDaniel’s leadership skills in the locker room, and I’m sure he has also demonstrated them on the field.
His Track Record
So far, Mike McDaniel is 28-23 in the regular season, which, for a head coach in their first three seasons going into his fourth, is not bad at all considering the circumstances McDaniel has had to overcome. Those circumstances are mostly injuries and the strength of schedule. Let me tell you, the Dolphins’ 2025 schedule, which is officially released on May 14, is a tough one. They have at home Jayden Daniels of the Commanders, the Baltimore Ravens, the Buffalo Bills, and the Los Angeles Chargers.
These are who I think are the hardest opponents on the Dolphins 2025 home schedule I have not even mentioned the Pittsburgh Steelers yet who are always good. You may think this is a con of Mike McDaniel, but I view this as an opportunity to prove himself as an elite head coach against the finest teams in the NFL. So we will see if that career record changes dramatically this season.
Why He Might Not Be a Super Bowl Coach
Mike McDaniel may not be a Super Bowl coach because of Stephen Ross’s track record with head coaches. He has gone through three head coaches since 201,2 before McDaniel was hired in 2022. McDaniel has survived three seasons with the Dolphins, but we will see if he survives a fourth. The way he survives a fourth season is, of course, by getting to the playoffs and, hopefully, with good seeding, getting that home playoff game at Hard Rock Stadium and winning a game in the playoffs for the first time since 2000. I will discuss this further for the fans in a future article, so stay tuned.
Summary of Mike McDaniel
So, what does this tell us about Mike McDaniel? It tells us that he has innovation on offense, authentic leadership, and a track record as the Dolphins’ head coach. The reason he has innovated on the offensive side of the ball is mainly because of the “cheat motion” offense, which he is the master of. His leadership qualities are evident in his care for his players, aside from Jalen Ramsey. He has a decent track record as a head coach, with a record of over 500 wins as head coach of the Dolphins, excluding the two playoff losses.
Lastly, the reason he might not be the coach of a Super Bowl championship team in South Florida is because of Stephen Ross’s ego with the head coaching position. McDaniel is a good coach, but is he the right fit for this team for their first Super Bowl since 1973? The only way is if he puts himself in Don Shula‘s shoes.
