Mike McDaniel makes reference to NFC head coach regarding his hopes for the 2025 season during NFL owners' meetings
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni experienced quite the rollercoaster of emotions – and pressure – over the last three seasons. From a questionable penalty in Super Bowl LVII that led to a walk off loss to a late season collapse and an early playoff exit in 2023, life moved fast for the Eagles' head […]
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni experienced quite the rollercoaster of emotions – and pressure – over the last three seasons. From a questionable penalty in Super Bowl LVII that led to a walk off loss to a late season collapse and an early playoff exit in 2023, life moved fast for the Eagles' head man.
Many called for his job, and he just managed to hold onto it. That faith by the Eagles' front office was rewarded in 2024, as Philadelphia rolled through the playoffs on the way to a 40-22 shellacking of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is hoping to be in that same seat Sirianni blasted off from last year. At least that's the message he conveyed to the media on Monday morning at the NFL owners' meetings in Palm Beach.
McDaniel's trajectory is, in one sense, kind of similar to that of Sirianni recently. While the Dolphins didn't reach the Super Bowl in 2023, they were one win (most notably the collapse against Tennessee) from winning the AFC East and locking up the 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. Of course, their collapse where they lost 3 of 4 games down the stretch relegated them to the wild card round and sub-zero temperatures in Kansas City, with a 26-7 loss ensuing.
From there, they fell off in a big way in 2024, going 8-9 and missing the playoff in the final week after the Broncos beat the Chiefs and the Dolphins waived the white flag in a 32-20 loss to the hapless Jets. It was one that got people talking about whether McDaniel was in over his head, whether a change is warranted. Ultimately, McDaniel got a quick backing from owner Stephen Ross, sending him and general manager Chris Grier into a crucial fourth season together in South Florida.
Now, can the Dolphins make that jump back up after a significant drop off that got people talking? That's obviously the track that McDaniel is referencing with the Sirianni mention.
It will take answering a lot of questions for that to have a chance. Can Miami protect and keep Tua Tagovailoa healthy? If that isn't a yes, nothing else matters. Miami will go nowhere.
Can they get the deep passing game back on track even with Tua under center? They need to. They found ways to do just enough on offense in 2024 to tread water, but that won't cut it if they want to take a step forward in 2025.
Are they tough enough on the inside? That applies to both sides of the line of scrimmage, with questions still remaining at guard and defensive tackle (multiple spots) through the main wave of free agency. Miami's inability to run was a major problem as to why they struggled to move the ball with the passing game bottled. If teams are going to cover up over the top on Miami, the Dolphins have to be able to punish them on the ground.
If Miami can answer these questions in the affirmative, then they have a chance to look a lot more like the 2023 team that looked, at least for big chunk of the season, like a contender.
If not, well, then the temperature of that seat might not be one that McDaniel will want to sit on for long.
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