Remember when everyone loved Mike McDaniel, that refreshing kid whom no NFL team had interviewed for their head coaching job? That same McDaniel who was shocked and surprised when the Miami Dolphins fired him. The offensive genius was supposed to make the Chargers offense the best in the NFL.
McDaniel has bragged all offseason about the quality of the quarterback he was getting with Justin Herbert. He talked about how he was going to be able to open his playbook to sections he couldn't open while with the Dolphins.
On Sunday, the Chargers kicked off the season against the lowly Cardinals, a team many believe will finish the year holding the first overall pick of next year's draft. Thanks to McDaniel's brilliant playbook, the Cardinals left L.A. with a win.
Miami Dolphins fans get a reminder that Mike McDaniel isn't a genius
McDaniel's high-powered offense produced one point more than the Dolphins did in their loss to the Raiders. Yep, the Chargers scored 14 points, losing to the Cardinals 26-14. So where was this offense that McDaniel claimed was going to be one of the best in the league?
Herbert went 17 of 27 for 209 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The Chargers ran the ball 21 times for 81 yards and a score. It was nothing like Chargers fans had believed was coming.
Dolphins fans bought into the hype when McDaniel arrived. It wore off quickly when the team started losing. At least in L.A., he isn't giving his team false hope. Chargers fans need to know that this is what McDaniel does: he hypes it up but can't deliver.
It was clear that L.A. was in trouble early. They couldn't run the ball successfully, and when that happens, McDaniel tends to lean too heavily on the passing game at the wrong time, which leaves the offense, especially the QB, exposed.
Herbert was sacked three times on Sunday, but Chargers fans can take comfort in knowing that their new OC at least got the ball called into the QB in time. The Chargers didn't have any delay-of-game penalties, a problem he had in Miami.
He did, however, watch his offense make repeated pre-snap penalties, a hint that discipline is a bit of a problem.
Dolphins fans won't get to celebrate a victory coming out of Week 1, but they won't have any regrets about losing their former head coach either.
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