Dolphins Notebook: McDaniel Challenge, New Assistant, An Award, Scheduling Notes, More
INDIANAPOLIS — New Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has made another addition to his staff, and it's another player and somebody else with who he had a prior connection.
Ricardo Allen, who just retired after a seven-year playing career, will join the Dolphins as a special teams assistant, where he will work with special teams coordinator Danny Crossman and assistant special teams coach Brendan Farrell.
Allen spent the first six of his seven NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, where McDaniel coached before moving on to join Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers.
In his seven seasons, Allen played in two Super Bowls, though his team lost both sides, with Atlanta in the 2016 season and with the Cincinnati Bengals last season. A safety by trade, Allen played exclusively on special teams with Cincinnati in the playoffs.
Other new Dolphins assistant coaches who played in the NFL include, obviously, Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain and Wes Welker, but also safeties coach Steve Gregory and tight ends coach/assistant head coach Jon Embree.
McDANIEL'S COMBINE MOMENT
McDaniel is scheduled to conduct a press conference at the scouting combine Wednesday afternoon, and it's got a chance to feature a highlight moment.
This is the aftermath of his appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, where the host challenged McDaniel to use the following three clichés during an upcoming press conference: "I don't have a crystal ball," "It is what it is," and "I can only control what I can control." Eisen told him he could substitute the last one with, "I'm only talking about the guys that are here."
McDaniel then told Eisen he was tripling down and that he would insert all three clichés into one answer, but with this stipulation: that Eisen run to the podium to give him a high-five if he delivered.
Stay tuned.
DOLPHINS SCHEDULING NOTES
Based on the list of designated home teams for the NFL's international games for 2022, the Dolphins will be playing all their games in the U.S. next season.
Starting this season, the ninth home for four teams from one conference will be an international game, and this year that's the NFC.
The four NFC home teams for international games will be Tampa Bay in Munich, Germany; Arizona in Mexico City; Green Bay and New Orleans in London; along with the Jacksonville Jaguars' traditional game in London.
Of those teams, only the Packers are on the Dolphins schedule, but that game is scheduled for Hard Rock Stadium.
The Dolphins will play the San Francisco 49ers at Levi Stadium for their "17th game" this season after facing the New York Giants at home last year.
The Dolphins still have two shots at playing on Thanksgiving, though, because they have a road game scheduled at Detroit along with the possibility of being selected for the Thanksgiving night game.
DOLPHINS TIDBITS
-- RIP to former Dolphins tight ends coach George DeLeone, who died in Houston on Tuesday at the age of 73. DeLeone served as an assistant on Tony Sparano's from 2008-10.
-- Kudos to the Dolphins athletic training staff for winning the Ed Block NFL Athletic Training Staff of the Year award handed out by the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society.
