The Miami Dolphins are one of eight teams that hired a new head coach in the weeks following the finish to the 2021 regular season with the Saints left as the lone team without one.
New Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has been spoken of highly by his former players and a portion of the fanbase seems to be quite enthralled with him if social media is any sign of their feelings.
With that, it’s important to look at how the hiring is being viewed from a national media level. Just how well did Miami do with this move?
In an ESPN insider article, Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano graded the hires around the league, and the McDaniel hire earned a “B+” from both writers.
Here’s what they had to say:
“This might be the most intriguing hire of the cycle. Trying a different approach with a smart, young coach can pay off, despite the inherent risks. His personality is known as quirky, to be sure, but players can respond to that. They just want to be put in the best positions to succeed. Let’s see whether he can handle that.” – Fowler
“Going to stick with my policy of withholding ‘A’ grades for any hire who doesn’t have prior head-coach experience, because honestly we have no idea if these guys can do this job until we see it. But I’ve never heard anything about McDaniel that makes me doubt his capabilities. Hence the ‘.'” – Graziano
There’s a lot of optimism around the McDaniel hire, and that’s understandable considering how much time he’s worked with Kyle Shanahan, who’s been pretty successful. However, there’s also some risk involved in bringing in a first-time head coach who’s never called plays before.
It will be very interesting to see who McDaniel brings in to form his offensive staff. That could ease the minds of some who have concerns.
