McDaniel has brought freshness and tremendous excitement to Miami in two seasons. The greatest offense we’ve had since 1984. And a more balanced attack than we ever had under the Shula / Marino era. The fan base is more energized than any in recent memory. Who does he think is going to come in and do better? We made the playoffs two years in a row for the first time in
22 years!
Second, switching coaches every 3-4 seasons is a sure recipe for the very results we have witnessed the past two decades. More mediocrity. More decades without playoff success. Here’s an idea. Keep a coach who is smart and brings a lot to the table, more than any since JJ, and see what he can do over the course of 5-6-7 yrs - not 3.
I'm going to be open-minded here and say that there are two sides to this issue, and neither side has been proven right or wrong YET.
The above quoted post is one side; those who think that McDaniel is an offensive genius, making Miami's offense one of the best (and most exciting to watch) in the league. He's taken the Fins to the playoffs in his first two years, but injuries really hurt the team.
On the other side are those who see a team that racks up the stats on offense against bad teams, but rarely beats the good teams. This can't all be blamed on injuries because they lost to good teams before the injuries started and lost to good teams when some of the players returned from injury. McDaniel had no experience calling plays, which is apparent when defenses disrupt what he wants to do, and he has no answer. His in-game management isn't very good either. This is a guy who had no problem with going into the season without a back-up Center. In both years, they started out great, but after the good teams figured him out, they started losing. And, in both years they somehow remained in contention for top seeds until late in the season when they choked and lost important games. Because nearly half the league makes the playoffs, getting there is not a big deal. If they had earned a higher Seed both years, that would have been impressive. However, to have the #1 and #2 Seeds within their grasp only to end up as the #6 and #7 Seeds and lose in the first round is not a sign of success, it's embarrassing.
As for switching HCs every three or four years, that's due to Ross hiring guys with little to no experience calling plays and running their side of the ball as a Coordinator.
Hopefully, this year won't have as many injuries, and should show us which side is right. If they stay mostly healthy and start beating the top teams, win the division, and win a playoff game (or three), then McDaniel should stay. However, if they continue to lose to the top teams and fail to make the playoffs or choke away a high Seed and lose in the Wild Card round again, then McDaniel needs to go. And, if the o-line is an issue again this year and keeps them from being successful, then both McDaniel and Grier need to go, since Grier says he works with the HC on personnel, and that means that neither of them see the o-line as being very important.
The season can't start soon enough IMO, because I'm getting tired of this arguing. Whether I'm right or wrong isn't important, what's important is for the Team to identify the problem, fix it, and get back to being one of the top teams again!
Time will tell but I think he has.
