Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: Where Does McDaniel Rank Among Miami Coaches?

Part 2 of the post-Bengals/pre-Bucs Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From finsfan4life:

With KC losing yesterday, Fins would currently pick 11 in upcoming draft. If by chance they win final 2 games (NE game unlikely), they could easily drop to 16-18 range. How does interim GM Kelly and coach McDaniel handle "trying to win" but making sure we lose both?

Yeah, that’s always the tricky question this time of year, even though McDaniel keeps insisting the Dolphins are trying to win. I’m of the opinion that it’s never good to play to not win, even though there is value in looking at younger players. And since I don’t believe it’s a huge drop from 11 to 18, makes sense for the Dolphins to look at young players but try to win at the same time and then deal with the results.

From Tony Sasso:

What are the odds Tua on the team next year?

Hey Tony, I don’t know in terms of gambling numbers, but I would say from an overall standpoint, it’s on the lower side of 50-50. And obviously it would be close to 0 percent if it weren’t for his contract and the cap pain coming the Dolphins’ way if they do make a move away from him.

From John Flora:

Should Miami push for a salary cap amnesty clause, like the NBA has, next year? Bet Arizona would vote for it.

Hey John, push for it? Shoot, they should be knocking on every door of every person who might have a say in making that final decision. I’m sure those teams that have managed the cap well would have something to say about that if that even ever advanced to any sort of serious discussions.

From @gophins1972:

Merry Christmas! Regardless of how this season plays out, MM is the dolphins best coach since JJ, correct?

Not to me, it’s not. For all their shortcomings in certain areas, I think Nick Saban and Brian Flores would rank higher for me. You also could make a case for Tony Sparano, though maybe I’d still put MM ahead of him.

From Charles Boyd:

Alain, I always appreciate what you do, thanks! A lot of pundits were assuming McDaniel was coming back because Tua was. Now that it seems Tua may be done with the Dolphins, do you think the plan for head coach has changed as well?

Hey Charles, you’re right, it did seem like McDaniel and Tua were a package deal, but that slowly started changing after the bad start this season and it kind of came apart with the decision to bench Tua. I’m still of the belief it’s more likely than not that McDaniel will be back in 2026, but I think we have to revisit this if the Dolphins have another outing like they had against Cincinnati or, worse, two.

From Colin Crabb:

Happy Holidays to you and your family Alain. After the manor of the defeat to the Bengals, surely McDaniel is feeling the heat and if we lose the next couple of games do you want him fired?

Hey Colin, yes, McDaniel should be feeling the heat … and don’t call me Shirley (#iykyk). I do not want anyone fired, that’s not how I operate, but I do have my thoughts on the subject and I find it difficult to justify bringing back a head coach when the team seems to be going backward and not forward.

From Thomas Hudson:

Curious about receiver separation. Someone in the mailbag said something about record separation. NFL NextGen Stats only has players with more than 40, and doesn't list RBs in the list I can see. So only two Dolphins are on the list, Malik Washington, who is pretty high on the list, and Jaylen Waddle, who is not. Waddle's 2.7 yards of separation is significantly less than his 3.4 yards from last year. Do you have access to a full list that would explain what this record separation is? I understand Tua has regressed this year, but two of the WRs they have are there because they are good blockers, and no one can fill the role Hill did. Why don't we hear anyone getting on Dolphins management for messing up the backup receivers? The passing offense is built around the speed of Hill and Waddle, but they couldn't find anyone else that can fill the roles they do even a little. So the loss of Hill basically derailed the entire passing offense. Anyone that thinks that Tua is the only problem is fooling themselves.

Hey Thomas, nobody in the media thinks Tua is the only problem and there were some (raises hand) who tried to tell everyone just how much of an impact Hill always made not simply because of his production but because of the attention he drew from opposing defenses that created more room for everybody else in the passing game. Now that Hill is gone, the Dolphins’ shortcomings at wide receiver have become pretty apparent and, yes, the team deserves blame for not beefing up the wide receiver corps more, though asking somebody to fill Hill’s role (even a little) always was unrealistic.

From Dan Ford:

Joyeux Noel, Alain. Why doesn’t Mike McDaniel have 6 or 7 plays designed for a hurry-up offense that don’t require pre-snap motion and taking the play clock down to 3 seconds when they’re behind late in the game?

Hey Dan, it’s an excellent question, but also understand the Dolphins don’t use pre-snap motion nearly as much as they once did. But, yes, the hurry-up offense has left a lot to be desired, and it’s where the Dolphins would have benefit from a less-is-more approach.

More Miami Dolphins Coverage: