Mike McDaniel is failing the Miami Dolphins and these 3 areas are proof

It's not easy to become a head coach in the NFL, and it is far less likely that anyone who does make it becomes successful. There are great coaches, and there are good coaches. Right now, Mike McDaniel is neither.

The Miami Dolphins are a complete mess and McDaniel is far from blameless. In fact, he is probably the one who should be blamed the most. It was easy to see through the glaring mistakes when the Dolphins were putting points on the board and were winning, but when Miami fails, his errors are much harder to overlook.

Perhaps McDaniel's biggest problem is that he isn't growing as a head coach. He is making the same mistakes he made in Year 1 and Year 3. On Monday night, his game plan should have been adjusted, but instead, it is becoming quite clear that without Tua Tagovailoa, McDaniel is an average head coach who isn't a good play-caller. Here are three reasons why:

3. Miami's pre-snap motion needs to stop until Tua Tagovailoa is back.

Let's be real here, McDaniel doesn't have Tua behind center, and his backup quarterbacks can't make the same reads. During Monday's loss, the Dolphins were consistently flagged for illegal procedure because players were not set after going in motion.

Normally, that might be on the player, but with backup quarterbacks who don't see these types of shifts often or lack experience with them, they are not allowing the players the time to get set and that is leading to penalties. McDaniel should know this and adjust his play-calling to give a quarterback like Tyler Huntley a better chance to succeed. Instead, McDaniel believes that it can be handled and still gives the offense the edge that it needs. It has produced one touchdown in three games.

2. Mike McDaniel isn't strong at evaluating needs

I don't mind saying this, McDaniel added Odell Beckham Jr. because he is a "fanboy." There was no reason to add OBJ when he was already hurt and needing to have surgery during the offseason. McDaniel championed for him, but why? Probably because he is OBJ. The Dolphins added one player from the initial waiver wire after final cuts, Grant DuBose. Why? Because his friend Matt LaFleur had good things to say about him.

On the sideline, McDaniel is laughing it up with his players, he is cracking jokes and carrying on conversations with them. He is aloof and clearly that's his personality, but you don't see other coaches doing that with their players during games. Not Andy Reid, not John Harbaugh, and not Sean McDermott or any other coach. They get into their players for making mistakes, McDaniel doesn't say a word. They are not being held accountable for their play and actions.

The Dolphins receivers are not good and also missing. Does anyone else catch passes other than Jaylen Waddle and Hill? Why does McDaniel continue to use Julian Hill withJonnu Smith on the roster and where was Malik Washington or anyone that isn't named Dee Eskridge?

1. The lack of discipline is the most glaring problem for the Dolphins

From pre-snap penalties to running the right routes or missing a blocking assignment, the Dolphins lack drive and fight and that is because McDaniel doesn't demand it from them. When Calais Campbell was asked why he chose the Dolphins, he said because he had heard Miami's practices were easy.

The Dolphins play soft on the field and that is because they practice that way. This isn't new information, but McDaniel has done nothing to change it. Against the Titans the team hit a new low and it might just be the loss that spirals the team into the proverbial abyss.

The problem for McDaniel is he can't instill discipline now. His precedent has been set and he can't change it and turn into a coach the players will listen to. He has lost that opportunity and if he continues to fail, he will lose the team as well.