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NFL Analyst Pinpoints Biggest Reason for Mike McDaniel's Firing

Miami is moving on from its former coach.

Kyle Koster

Miami has moved on from Mike McDaniel
Miami has moved on from Mike McDaniel / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Mike McDaniel has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. It's not an entirely unexpected move for the organization to make but letting a few days pass between the end of the season and the announcement added an element of surprise.

McDaniel went 35-33 in his four years with the Dolphins, leading the team to two very brief playoff appearances. Not long ago he was being celebrated as one of the most innovative offensive minds in the games. And now he's out of a job, though he should have no shortage of opportunities available—at least as a coordinator.

So what went wrong?

Well, the answer is pretty obvious.

"We're here because [the Dolphins] drafted Tua Tagovailoa," Ryan Clark surmised on Thursday's First Take.

"You brought in Mike McDaniel, someone who would empower [Tua] and put him in the best place to succeed and now you're having people saying he's not a leader of men," Clark continued. "When the only reason Tua Tagovailoa became who he became was because of him. And now that Tua Tagovailoa is no longer a starting caliber quarterback because the injuries have taken their toll and because physically he can no longer do it at a high level, that's why Mike McDaniel is out. Not because he's not a good leader of men, not because he's not a good football coach. But because he was tied to a quarterback that can no longer do it."

Clark ended all of this by saying he believes the Dolphins are making the right decision. And if they are, in fact, going for a gut rehab, then it makes sense to make a clean break.

Reasonable minds may disagree but if McDaniels fate was actually tied to Tua's production then there's not a lot he could have done differently in order to keep his job. If there's a bright side it's that both dismissed coach and rebuilding team could end up in better situations after the split. And as for Tua, well, who knows what comes next.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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