Mike McDaniel hasn’t been capable of finding the solutions.
He hasn’t discovered the solutions to what defenses are doing to his offense, he hasn’t discovered the solutions for why his protection permits 28 factors per recreation on the highway and 16 factors per recreation at dwelling, and he hasn’t discovered the solutions to his crew’s five-game shedding streak heading into Sunday’s finale in opposition to the New York Jets and growing old quarterback Joe Flacco.
Here’s hoping McDaniel, the Dolphins’ rookie head coach, can discover solutions to those issues Sunday, and proceed discovering the solutions to related issues subsequent season.
One reality is rising concerning the Dolphins this 12 months — a big a part of what we’ve witnessed throughout the disastrous second half of the Dolphins’ season is the educational curve of a rookie head coach.
Actually, McDaniel’s studying curve is a big a part of what we witnessed throughout the first a part of the season, too. The distinction is the Dolphins had been successful whereas taking part in inferior opponents.
Look, it’s nice that McDaniel is completely different, that he cracks jokes incessantly, that he believes in optimistic reinforcement as an alternative of cursing and tearing down, that he shook up the normal locker room seating chart (offensive line sits on this space as a bunch, defensive strains sits on this space as a bunch, and so forth) and has gamers from all models mixing and mingling and attending to know one another. That’s all refreshing.
However, none of that helps you win video games.
Talent helps you win video games. Coaching helps you win video games. Good well being helps you win video games. And to a lesser extent, a combination of intangibles corresponding to luck and emotion helps you win video games.
McDaniel should discover a manner to enhance on every of the primary three subsequent season.
As for bettering the teaching, the point of interest for this objective, this begins on the high with McDaniel. He should be higher Sunday, the ultimate common season recreation of his rookie 12 months with playoffs hopes on the road, and he particularly should be higher subsequent season.
To a big extent, it seems McDaniel’s artistic offense devolved right into a easy pattern of passing to vast receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle late this season. That turns into predictable and one-dimensional, and simpler to cease by issues corresponding to dropping your linebackers deeper or difficult the receivers on the line of scrimmage to disrupt the timing of the passing recreation. Ask San Francisco, the Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo, Green Bay and New England. They all succeeded in opposition to a beforehand troublesome Dolphins passing recreation.
A veteran coach has a number of methods to deal with such issues (extra run recreation, diversify the passing recreation, and many others…); a rookie coach struggles with such issues.
Defensively, the Dolphins haven’t made the massive performs the previous few weeks that they made earlier within the season. That’s additionally an enormous downside. And whereas it may not be McDaniel’s fault, it’s his duty. Again, a (good) veteran coach finds different methods to be efficient whereas a rookie coach struggles.
Perhaps subsequent season’s defensive enchancment comes by a training change, that means defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, and maybe others, will get changed.
Whatever. It’s on McDaniel to get it proper.
Those are the on-field worries for McDaniel.
Off the sphere, McDaniel has to have the ability to squeeze another victory out of his crew, which has been in a funk for the previous few weeks. Whether this comes all the way down to concrete issues corresponding to fundamentals/technique or summary issues corresponding to motivation, McDaniel should discover a option to get this crew to carry out higher. That’s his job.
As for bettering the expertise, that’s not solely on McDaniel. General supervisor Chris Grier and others additionally come into play on that one.
But know this: The Dolphins are 2-5 in opposition to groups higher than .500, and 6-3 in opposition to groups .500 or worse. That tells a narrative whether or not it’s expertise, teaching, or a mix of each.
The Dolphins went 2-4 in opposition to groups with a successful file in video games quarterback Tua Tagovailoa began, together with an 0-3 mark in December.
I’m within the minority that thinks the Dolphins are just about taking part in to their expertise stage, that the offense has under-achieved and the protection isn’t essentially talent-rich. For essentially the most half, I consider the previous saying, “You are who your record says you are.” But that’s one other dialogue for an additional day.
The speedy difficulty is McDaniel discovering a option to scratch out another victory this 12 months, and at the very least 10 victories subsequent 12 months.
It’s robust being a head coach. Issues you didn’t need to cope with as a coordinator all of the sudden turn into your concern, and generally main issues. Press conferences. Injuries. The entrance workplace. Fans. Optics. You’re not free to do or say what you need, as you might as an assistant coach. Your phrases matter. Your look issues. Your demeanor issues. Everyone feedback in your actions and judges you whether or not they’re on social media or nationwide TV.
It generally is a robust steadiness to keep up, and generally it’s overwhelming.
McDaniel will probably be higher at dealing with all of those conditions subsequent 12 months. But proper now, as a rookie head coach, it’s his 12 months to be taught.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com