Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier should make for a good combination
By Brian Miller
Chris Grier is not a bad general manager but he is an easy target. Mike McDaniel is an unknown in terms of a HC but together they should work well.
The Miami Dolphins made Mike McDaniel their head coach and he comes with a raw enthusiasm and solid football mind. He doesn’t come across demanding. He doesn’t appear, on the surface, to believe that he is the smartest guy in the room. He comes from a solid coaching lineage.
Grier is now on his 2nd NFL head coach although he was a big part of the Adam Gase hire. He is viewed by many fans to be a problem but he tends to do what the coaches want as best he can. He isn’t a domineering GM and that should bode well for McDaniel who will want to change the Dolphins offense.
Miami, under McDaniel should see a lot of offensive changes this off season alone. A new running game will be a focus and that should bring changes to the units personnel. Tight end is also a feature in McDaniel’s offense and that could bring some changes to how the TEs are used in the Dolphins offense but the biggest changes should come along the offensive line.
Grier is going to be tasked with finding better lineman and he and McDaniel will need to work together to make that happen. Grier knows the guys on the team right now. He knows their strengths and their weaknesses but he isn’t a coach. McDaniel needs to find a quality offensive line coach. If he can do that, the problems may get fixed or at the very least identified.
Grier’s career is going to be tied to the success and failures of McDaniel. If the Dolphins can’t get better, make the playoffs in the next couple of years, Grier will be out of a job. Many think that he should be out now but with another rookie HC, it is probably better to keep the GM that is fully aware of the roster. It cuts down on the research a new GM would have to do.
How well the two work together could help facilitate success. Many in the media have reported that Grier is easy to get along with which makes the entire Brian Flores situation more confounding. He shouldn’t have that same problem with McDaniel unless there is a different side of him we haven’t seen. Time of course, will tell.