Championship weekend may shed light on Miami Dolphins HC search
By George Keim
I love watching the Miami Dolphins play football, but I also really like all that goes on during the offseason. What I don’t like though is not having a head coach.
The Miami Dolphins twitterverse is quite an interesting place. I probably spend more time there than I should. It’s particularly wild right now with all the speculation about who is going to be the next head coach of the Dolphins. “It’s this guy, it’s that guy, I have a source that says it’s another guy.” I’m lucky enough that I get to put my thoughts not just on twitter but also in a written format here on Phinphanatic so I thought I’d jump into the “speculation pool”.
For the record I have ZERO sources, I’d sure like some so if anyone reading this is an insider, please reach out and dm me @gkeim13 on twitter!
The Dolphins fired former head coach Brian Flores on Monday, January 10th following their decisive win over the New England Patriots the previous day. Many thought that owner Stephen Ross and GM Chris Grier must have had a formulated plan in place and would thus act upon it quickly. Seventeen days later and we still don’t have a coach. To be fair though, of the nine current openings only one has been filled at this point with reports saying that the Denver Broncos are finalizing a deal to make the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett their next head coach.
Many different outlets are reporting that Buffalo’s offensive coordinator and former Dolphins offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is the front runner for Miami’s top spot. I like Daboll and he would be the selection if I were in charge but I don’t think that’s the way the Dolphins are leaning. If he was, he’d already be in the building.
Again, let me say this again because I know there are people out there who like to play “gotcha”. I have no information to back up my belief, I’m only using some deductive reasoning.
It is my opinion that this is a two person race. Mike McDaniel the offensive coordinator in San Francisco or Jim Harbaugh, head coach at the University of Michigan.
Jim Harbaugh – Stephen Ross is a “Michigan Man” and has come out and publicly said that he will not be the person who takes Harbaugh from the university. I truly believe him when he says that, but, and there’s always a but, if Harbaugh is truly set on returning to the NFL coaching ranks then Miami would have to be the spot. Ross was unsuccessful in luring Harbaugh here in the past and if he’s as fond of him as many believe then he won’t let him get away a second time. Harbaugh may have made his intentions known already and Ross is simply waiting for Michigan to get their ducks in a row first. If my scenario is true, it’s just another in a growing list of missteps by Ross. He OWNS the Miami Dolphins not the University of Michigan. If Harbaugh is truly who he covets then he should make it happen. Time is ticking and assistant coaches will start becoming unavailable to fill coaching staffs. So Mr. Ross, if Jim Harbaugh is the guy then in the words of Larry the Cable Guy “Git R Done.”
Mike McDaniel – McDaniel is another candidate that many in the media are saying is the guy. The timing would seem to at least help support this thought as the San Francisco 49ers are still in the middle of a playoff run. The 49ers will take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in the NFC Championship game. If McDaniel is the guy then we will know very early on Monday morning as he will either be announced as the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins or the Miami Dolphins will continue to be silent on that front, and that will all be based on the outcome of the Rams and 49ers game.
For what it’s worth, of all the candidates out there Brian Daboll would be my choice. He’s familiar with our starting quarterback, he’s shown that he can play a role in developing a quarterback (see Josh Allen’s progression) and he may have the ability to put a better surround staff around him. The next few days will shed some light on this situation, if this search goes into the weekend then I may just be on to something.