Mike McDaniel accomplished something of a rare feat in his time as the Miami Dolphins' head coach. Usually, when a head coach is let go, there is near-universal cheering of the move. It makes sense. Coaches aren't usually fired for winning too many games. McDaniel, though, won over a particularly large portion of the Miami Dolphins fanbase with his authenticity and good nature. In fact, I consider myself a card-carrying member of the McDaniel Believers Club.
He very well may be the first head coach in team history to leave a fanbase truly divided about his departure. Alas, the tide has turned. For all those who wished to see what McDaniel was capable of with a big, strong-armed quarterback, they'll get their wish — albeit with no benefit to the Dolphins.
It's in his new post as the Los Angeles Chargers' offensive coordinator that a viral video from draft weekend is making the rounds, reminding Dolphins fans exactly what kind of coach was leading the charge for the last four years, while simultaneously exposing one of the weaknesses that doomed his tenure in South Florida.
Former Miami Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel didn't learn his lesson about small, fast playmakers
In the video, McDaniel claims to be so enamored with Mississippi State wide receiver Brenen Thompson that he will remove his shirt if Chargers GM Joe Hortiz makes his dream come true. Hortiz obliges, and the Chargers wound up selecting Thompson with their fourth-round pick, No. 105 overall.
Thompson stands 5'9" and weighs 164 pounds. He raced to a 4.26-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, a time that led all participants. Does this height, weight, speed combination sound familiar? One could say it closely resembles the dynamic duo the Dolphins employed over McDaniel's tenure — Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle — who were able to break records before being neutralized in cold-weather climates against stouter foes.
In fact, one of Jon-Eric Sullivan's initial soundbites after being named general manager seemed to allude to this concept, saying in part:
"Our division runs through Buffalo and New England and New York — cold-weather places. There's a saying in our business: fast gets slow, but big doesn't get small. So understand, we're not going to sacrifice speed and explosion and skill for a bunch of big, stiff guys, but we are going to have substance at all levels of our team."
In any case, should that problem rear its head again for McDaniel, it won't be with the Dolphins. The Chargers, who face cold-weather rivals like the Broncos and Chiefs, will need to acclimate better than Miami ever could if they wish to win a playoff game in Justin Herbert's career.
It's clear that you can send McDaniel and his Bentley across the country, but the man's need for speed will never waver. Chargers fans are surely hoping for a better result than what the Dolphins got in 2025.
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