Can Mike McDaniel right the Miami Dolphins ship?
Welcome to the Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel. You are boarding a ship that has been going in circles without a clear captain to lead them out of the fog. Failures have clouded every head coach that has made it where you are right now.
Those failures have vast arrays of endless frustrations not only for the Miami Dolphins organization but their fans as well.
How can Coach McDaniel right the ship? Easy. Do something that all other failed coaches never could – surround yourself with experience. Although Coach McDaniel might be a first time Head Coach, that doesn’t mean he needs to hire first time coordinators or assistants. Look to break the mold and yell out from the top of your lungs that I need help and I’m going to look for NFL experience to determine how my coaching staff would like.
Who should be the next Dolphins defensive coordinator?
On the defensive side of the ball, yes, you could retain Josh Boyer (-Miami Dolphins current Defensive Coordinator). It could potentially keep the playbook the same, but is the same really that good? I mean it wasn’t until the Dolphins decided to break out the Zero blitz formation against the Baltimore Ravens that they started making an impact. More importantly, was that decision made by former Head Coach Brian Flores or Josh Boyer?
Vic Fangio is out there, literally a free agent as he was dismissed from his Head Coaching position for the Denver Broncos. If Vic is out there you bring him in. There are some storylines you follow, that some coaches are not meant to coach, they have a gift, and that is to be a coordinator – this pretty much sums up Vic Fangio. It also resembles a similar methodology, as Coach McDaniel might be learning from his former colleague Sean McVay, when McVay was hired to be the coach of the Los Angeles Rams, he was labeled as an offensive mastermind. McVay hired Wade Philips (one time former Head Coach, but specialized on Defensive Coordinator) to basically own that side of the ball. This would be an amazing “get” for the Miami Dolphins.
Fangio’s defense is scary good and if you look at what he created in Denver and more importantly in Chicago (last time he was a defensive coordinator) you can’t help but potentially be excited. Fangio led the Chicago Bears to have the lowest points per game his first season and the next it was a slight drop to 3rd. In Denver his defense was the 5th best in total statistics this past season – where Miami with Josh Boyer and Brian Flores were outside of the top 10. To make it relatively easy, Vic Fangio has implemented a top 10 defense in Chicago and Denver, Miami hasn’t been a top 10 Defense since Jimmy Johnson days.
Should the Dolphins take from the 49ers?
On the other side of the ball, I think Coach McDaniel looks to poach someone he has worked with for a while, in both Atlanta and San Francisco; which is Running Back Coach Robert Turner Jr. I know that Turner has never called play before or has ever been an offensive coordinator, but let’s lay down some facts. Turner has over 20 years of experience, and Tuner is literally responsible for overseeing 3 of the top 9 rushing season in the NFL since 1970 – let that marinate for a second.
Coach McDaniel learned from Kyle Shanahan, where they don’t exploit you with a passing game, but they learn to exploit your weakness in the run game. Coach Turner would help develop the weakest areas of the Miami Dolphins into something that the fans haven’t seen since Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown were on the team.
In total, if Coach McDaniel hires both of these coordinators, they would bring over 40+ years of actual NFL experience, to a brand new Head Coach. That type of mentorship is priceless. Coach McDaniel, you are the captain now, help the Miami Dolphins escape the fog that has been hovering over this team and point them in the right direction, by hiring these two individuals, Miami Dolphins fans might start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.