This offseason has been one of the more memorable in NFL history for a number of reasons, and the Miami Dolphins have played a pretty large hand in that.
One reason for that is the hiring of former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel to be the head coach of their franchise after surprisingly firing Brian Flores.
McDaniel has garnered a lot of attention for his electric disposition that’s been displayed in press conferences as well as his knowledge and passion for the game which have been discussed by his peers and former players.
Like many in the fanbase and national media, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington believes that McDaniel will be successful, but he also admits there’s a big question about his transition to the head coach role.
“He does also have this oddly magnetic personality,” Darlington said on the “Ari Meirov NFL Show” for Pro Football Focus. “My biggest wonder with Mike, and probably those around him, this is a guy who does like to lock himself in a room and dive into a gameplan for 15+ hours and not come out like a mad scientist kinda deal. As a head coach, you don’t necessarily have that luxury because you can’t just go turn your phone off, go in a room and expect everything in your building to stay OK. He’s insulating himself with a really good staff, an experienced staff. I think that will help, but there is a wonder.”
This question is completely fair, but it’s also a question that a number of coaches have been asked when they were making their ascension into the same role. Some panned out, and some didn’t. McDaniel will have to make that adjustment if he wants to be successful, and we know how much he wants that.
