The Main Dolphins-Related (And Other) Takeaways from McDaniel Press Conference

Mike McDaniel conducted a 40-minutes press conference when he was officially introduced as the new offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers on Tuesday, and the former Miami Dolphins head coach had some interesting comments related to his previous job and his future.

McDaniel joined Jim Harbaugh’s staff some two-plus weeks after the Dolphins fired him after four seasons on the job.

After being let go by Miami, McDaniel was looking at several opportunities, both as an offensive coordinator and as a head coach, though he canceled interviews with the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns and accepted the Chargers job while still being a candidate for the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job.

McDaniel had the customary quips during the press conference that were commonplace during his time in Miami, but he got serious on certain topics like how injuries affected the Dolphins offense the past two years, why the emphasis on speed in Miami was unique to that situation, and his desire to become a head coach at some point.

McDANIEL PRESS CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

How he came to take the Chargers job

“I think it was a very interesting process. It was unique to my career in that there were a lot of opportunities out there, and I thought it was important to not get ahead of myself and to take each opportunity fully digest it. And I figured when I come to the place, that there would be a certain feeling attached in your gut that you'd know that, hey, I don't want to leave this place and this opportunity. It was a hectic week, for sure. You know, that first week after I left Miami, and in that process, I think it was a week and a half in that I came here, and I hadn't overthought it at all. I really just kept a clear mind at each opportunity. Had heard all the things that each organization had to say and assessed each and every option. Then got here with meeting (Chargers owner Dean) Spanos and having time with Jim and (GM Joe Hortiz), it didn't take long for me to have feet on ground to feel this is kind of what I was looking for.”

On QB Justin Herbert’s game-deciding play against the Dolphins last year when he shook off a sack attempt from Jaelan Phillips to complete a pass that set up the game-winning field goal

So I think there's probably a plethora of examples. You guys can go into Rolodex, as far as plays that he's made that you assume others can't. In those situations where you're on the sidelines and you're playing against it, it's a lonely feeling when there isn't a play call defensively that can take this guy's game away. So if you can't beat him, join him, I guess.”

Not married to the scheme he ran in Miami

"The RPO that we ran the most or really Tua's most-run play in Miami was a play that I'd never run previous that was kind of part of that process that I think is important to meshing an offense to the skill sets of their players, particularly the best players, which in this case and what every offensive coach would like is to have their best player be the quarterback because they touch the ball every play. So it's an exciting time."

What kind of voice he wants to be in the locker room

“The loudest, the loudest voice. … I think you just want to you want to add value. You want to bring stuff out of people that maybe they they are aware that they have inside of them, maybe sometimes they aren't. I like to come to work and and impact people, not off what I've done in the past or what I'm going to do in the future. I like to impact that day.”

Being a head coach again

“Absolutely my end goal of being able to bring championships to organization as a head coach, that still is in place, but I think it's super important in life to be where your feet are and kind of attack whatever challenge, this was an uncharted territory for me, where I had some options to kind of assess and evaluate. And in that process, it kind of forces you to to see where you're at and what's most important to you, and I want to be part of a hungry collective group of individuals to push forward, utilize what I have to offer and have a place get better, because I could contribute to it within that. There were jobs that … it wasn't easy, but when I was assessing this opportunity versus some potential head coaching opportunities, I think it spoke to how what this opportunity really provided me, because it wasn't that difficult once I got to meet the nucleus of the organization and put all the pieces together. So I don't think my long vision has changed, but I very much am firmly where my feet are right now, which is being the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, and being the very best at that.”

Why the Dolphins offense struggled the past two seasons after the successes of 2022 and 2023

“Football 's a humbling game, and regardless of how good you are as a coach … we really dealt with some injury issues with Tua the year previous and I think it really pulled into focus how important the quarterback is to your overall effectiveness as a coach and as a team. I think there's a lot of things that you're doing from a head coach's perspective, when you're calling plays as a play caller that has to do with your offense, defense and special teams, and I think it really narrowed my focus as an offensive coordinator, what are the things that you know I'd need in place to make sure that the the offense can continue to grow around different players and keep a competitive advantage over your opponents, your division rivals, the people in your conference, and really all the teams in the AFC. So I think there was a lot that I learned that I'm super excited to apply in this job, this opportunity, in this organization.”

How Harbaugh sold him on the job

“I think what was cool, Jim wasn't trying to sell me anything. He was excited about the prospect, if and only if it was a marriage that was consensual and not a hostage situation. So I feel like just us organically, talking about what we're looking for and what was on the horizon, I think that was the biggest selling point because I didn't feel like he was overselling me. He wanted it to be a fit, and I think recognized, he made sure to lean in for the old hardball handshake as soon as he could see that I was swoon on my own regard. So I would say the not selling authentic nature of this, of our communication was probably the biggest for me.”

How McDaniel and Harbaugh’s personalities will mesh

“I feel like (we’re) the same guy. He's just taller. No, I think that's the cool thing is like everybody else, I think we're excited for that because I think one thing we share is that Jim has never patterned himself after somebody. He's his own person. And I would say, hopefully I would be described in a similar fashion. So, who knows I might be 100% a Dockers coach. The options are unlimited, but he's already tried to get me on transition lenses, but I've held off. I'm not 50 yet.”

Building an offense around speed

“The measure of a coach, as I see it, is being able to adapt to your skill sets and lean into them. So, yeah, I think I've always appreciated speed. It's not the end-all, be-all. You’re best served if speed is probably your second-best attribute to something else. There's a lot of track guys, not a lot of fast football players. I think when you have the opportunity to get one of those guys, you jump on it (editor’s note: this is where the chance to trade for Tyreek Hill in March 2022 came into play). But I think there's a lot of different ways to really threaten defense, to expand the amount of space that they have to cover. Speed is important. I think the most important thing is to play fast. So my favorite players that I've ever had have been 4.6, 4.7 guys that play with their hair on fire. Speed is important, but it's not the end-all. And I think you adapt to what your skills are and try to try to get the best football players. Hopefully some of your football players have speed.”