On Thursday night, the NFL will kick off the 2025 season officially. On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will kick off the start of theirs. A strong start to the season would give Miami the confidence it needs out of the gate.
One of the biggest knocks on Mike McDaniel since he arrived in Miami is his inability to make in-game adjustments. After three seasons of excuses, there are none left to be made. McDaniel has to decide what kind of coach he wants to be vs the coach he needs to be, and that starts on Sunday.
If the Dolphins are going to succeed this season, McDaniel has to make the proper adjustments now or risk losing his locker room by the end of the year.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has to change the way he calls plays
The talent on offense is visible. Even the most ardent detractors can see the level of talent at every skill position. Tua Tagovailoa may not be everyone's favorite quarterback, but when he is healthy, he thrives in this system, and the system is much better with him at the controls.
What McDaniel has to do, however, is change the flow of the game. Too often, the head coach likes to go for the big plays, the splashy long touchdowns. For all the lateral plays he calls, he fails when the team is facing short-yardage situations. This is where he has to change his approach.
When the running game is working, he needs to stick with it. When running the ball inside the tackles isn't working in goal-line and third-and-short situations, he needs to figure out what will work; he has to adapt and change.
One of his biggest problems is that he has too much faith in the offensive line doing its job. We have seen time and again, McDaniel trying to physically punch the ball into the end zone or for a first down, and after failing, attempting to do it again. There are some areas where the offensive line isn't good enough.
If the Dolphins are going to be successful, they can't be one-dimensional, and this means McDaniel has to be the one to change. After the incredible 2023 season ran dry in the playoffs, NFL teams figured out how to beat Miami, and they did last season.
McDaniel has to figure out how to keep them guessing; he needs to make them adjust their game plans instead of being forced to change his.
Against the Colts, the Dolphins should have more than enough opportunities to punch in touchdowns, but it would be a disaster if the Colts figured out a way to beat him, and he couldn't adjust.