This is the Miami Dolphins style of offense fans have been waiting for
By Brian Miller
Miami Dolphins fans got their first real look at what Mike McDaniel is bringing with him to Miami and they should be thrilled about the future.
Forget for a minute about the running game. Yes, it was bad but over time it should get better. Forget about the missed opportunities by Tua Tagovailoa, that too should clean up after a few more games in the system. What Miami fans have wanted to see out of their offense, is aggressive play.
When I say aggressive, I don’t mean the physicality of the offensive line or a bruising block by the fullback. By aggressive, I mean cutthroat football.
We can talk about the 4th and 7 pass until we are blue in the face. It was brilliant and the only thing that would have made it a horrible call would have been a pick-6. It wasn’t, instead, it was six.
No, what I am talking about came throughout the game but more importantly at the end of the game.
For years, maybe even a decade or more, Dolphins fans have endured the atrocious play calling from coordinators that are dictated to them by head coaches who don’t have a killer instinct. Mike McDaniel, in his first game showed signs that he is has that quality.
Consider that the Dolphins were up 20-7 in the 4th quarter. They just recovered a New England fumble with 4:55 left in the game. If history has taught us anything, the Patriots should have gotten the ball back as Miami would run the ball to kill the clock. Not McDaniel.
His first play from scrimmage was a 12-yard pass to Jaylen Waddle. He followed that with a one-yard run and then another pass that fell incomplete. On the next play with 3:21 left in the game, Tua hit Chase Edmonds on a sort pass that netted 15 yards.
McDaniel called three run plays in a row that took the game to the 2:00 minute mark. When play resumed, Tagovailoa again threw instead of draining the clock. Miami only ran three more plays. A run by Mostert that saw a NE penalty and then two consecutive kneel downs.
Next. Sunday recap: 4 in a row over NE for Tua. dark
I can’t remember the last time Miami was so aggressive late in a game with a lead that couldn’t be overcome. This is the kind of aggressive offensive play calling that I have wanted for years. While other teams will run a score up on the Dolphins, Miami rarely returns the favor when they can but McDaniel seems to be built differently.
Calling pass plays late in the game could have just been a situational practice to see how Tua would react or it could very well be a sign of what he intends to call as the team’s head coach. Whatever it was, I liked it.