Miami Dolphins fans have been more glued to their news feeds and social media channels than they may have been during any game this entire season on Monday morning. Waiting and wondering if Mike McDaniel would be fired.
Earlier on Monday, Adam Schefter said that he didn't expect any coaches to lose their jobs this early in the season. A collective sigh fell across South Florida like a tropical wave off the coast of Africa.
"I don't see a head coaching move in the NFL happening any time soon," Schefter reported. "I don't see Brian Callahan, Mike McDaniel, or Aaron Glenn happening soon."
It turns out, Schefter was wrong, but not about McDaniel. At least not yet. The Titans pulled the plug on head coach Brian Callahan after they dropped to 1-5 on the season. Dolphins fans are dreaming that owner Stephen Ross would pull this lever with McDaniel and Chris Grier.
Dolphins should follow Titans' lead and fire their head coach
The fact that we are debating whether or not McDaniel is the problem in Miami makes him at least part of the problem. There is no reason for him to continue, regardless of how much Ross likes him. He isn't a good coach.
NFL coaches need to be leaders; McDaniel isn't one of them. No, this is rinse and repeat team from season to season, and fans are fed up with pouring money into a franchise that is already taking a toll on them emotionally.
The two coaches, Callahan and McDaniel, share several similarities. Both call the offensive plays, both have time management issues, and both are driving a franchise into the ground. The difference between the two? Callahan gave up play-calling and no longer has a job. Ross still believes McDaniel is his guy.
While the Titans fans can at least watch the rest of the season with a sense of joy as they look for development from their players, and of course, the hopes of finding a guy who can turn it around.
Many in the media do not expect Ross to make a similar move anytime soon. Ian Rapoport is also one of them. He believes the Dolphins want this to work despite evidence to the contrary.
"“From my understanding it would take something significant for the Miami Dolphins to move on from the head coach. They just extended a head coach that Stephen Ross really likes. And believes in. The Dolphins want this to work. And believe it will work.”"Ian Rapoport
The Titans haven't made the playoffs in the last three seasons, but they had been contenders the three previous years from 2019 to 2021. They even won a playoff game in 2019 with Mike Vrabel as the head coach. The Dolphins have made the playoffs in two of their last four seasons, but haven't won a playoff game in 25 years.
Sometimes you have to cut the cord and move on. If Ross still believes McDaniel can turn his career around and change the team's direction, there is little you can say without being derogatory, and we'd rather not go down that road.
Instead, we will just applaud the Titans executives for realizing they made a mistake now rather than later; something Dolphins fans wish would happen in Miami.