Miami Dolphins Mike McDaniel thinks a better division is better for playoffs

The AFC East is going to be a beast next year and if Aaron Rodgers goes to New York, the division is wide open. Miami Dolphins Mike McDaniel doesn’t seem to care.

Former Dolphins beat writer, Antwan Staley, now covers the Jets and was at McDaniel’s press conference during the owner’s meetings today. Staley asked him about Rodgers joining the AFC East and how he feels about the state of the division.

McDaniel told Staley that a better division makes your team better. McDaniel explained that while it makes it tougher to make the playoffs if you are capable of doing that, it makes you better as a team and more prepared.

McDaniel is correct in this assessment. A team could win their division, like the Titans, Colts, and Jaguars have done over the years but in most cases, they lose in round one and are bounced. There is a difference between playing very good football teams all year and being ready for the post-season as opposed to simply playing weak schedules and skating in.

There are of course, exceptions to that. The Patriots won Super Bowls after sleepwalking through the AFC East for more than a decade and had no problems winning…insert your own “they cheated” jokes here.

Regardless, McDaniel is still correct in that playing teams that are good makes you better as a whole and this year could see the AFC East with three top quarterbacks and Mac Jones. Miami will enter the 2023 season as having the 2nd hardest schedule in the league so Miami is going to have plenty of chances to prove him correct.