Miami Dolphins Chris Grier far more to blame than McDaniel
By Brian Miller
![Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, shakes hands with general manager Chris Grier and owner Stephen M. Ross Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, shakes hands with general manager Chris Grier and owner Stephen M. Ross Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fphinphanatic-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F17655201-850x560-369f2f6f2d9263570f2801b88f170aa43ead708a39a7bf75cc51754a1751d32d.jpg)
The Chris Grier conundrum. The Miami Dolphins promoted Grier to GM in 2016 and the Dolphins have been through three head coaching searches.
Grier’s ability to make trades with incredible value is well-documented but his use of draft picks has been atrocious for most of his career in the position.
As this relates to McDaniel, Ross needs another set of eyes. Firing Grier and hiring a new GM that can retain McDaniel for one more season and evaluate him would be smart. If he is set on finding a new GM, then give the GM the power to decide McDaniel’s future, not Ross.
McDaniel was given a very good roster on paper but he was also forced to retain Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Boyer as defensive coordinator. The defense played well throughout the year but was so inconsistent they couldn’t maintain leads late in games.
The decision to hire McDaniel was reportedly Grier’s and we all know the Sean Payton attempt by Ross so we know that McDaniel was not his first choice. If Grier was the one responsible for McDaniel then Grier has to go before the head coach and let the next GM figure it out. The problem? Ross’ ability to hire quality general managers is worse than his ability to identify head coaches.