It’s actually troublesome to not have empathy for Mike McDaniel. On Thursday night time he misplaced once more, with the Dolphins now falling to 0-3 in a recreation that might have existential implications on his future as an NFL head coach. It was a well-recognized chorus from McDaniel’s crew, the place they had been on the precipice of really having an opportunity — solely to see two boneheaded performs spoil completely every thing.
With 10:20 left within the recreation, tied 21-21 the momentum had firmly shifted. The Dolphins had been by some means placing issues collectively on offense, the protection has stepped as much as staunch the bleeding, and there was a palpable feeling that Miami was by some means going to do that. On 4th and seven the Payments had been pressured to punt — then this occurred.
Zach Sieler, a seven-year NFL veteran and captain of the Dolphins was over-eager in his want to attempt to make a play, pointlessly operating into the punter and getting hit with a 15-yard penalty. It’s good he tried to make a play, however it was an pointless, pointless, discipline-lacking transfer. The Payments would go on to attain a landing on the drive.
There was nonetheless a glimmer of hope with the Dolphins’ offense on the sector — till there wasn’t. This day without work a fully pathetic interception by Tua Tagovailoa that sealed the sport for Buffalo.
The play strikes shortly from the published angle, however the All-22 exhibits that this actually wasn’t a superb play by Terrel Bernard, however a fully nonsensical throw from Tua that had the linebacker staring down the cross mid-drop, breaking for it earlier than Tagovailoa’s arm ever went into movement, and he nonetheless believed it was the fitting throw to make.
It was at this second that I spotted precisely who Mike McDaniel is, and why I really feel so badly for him: He’s Dunder Mifflin department supervisor Michael Scott — solely within the NFL. An ungainly, out-of-his-depth boss, who accepted this job earlier than he was prepared, and is now saddled with the duty of making an attempt to make issues work in an surroundings the place the individuals he depends on essentially the most simply don’t respect him.
There was no screaming when Sieler bumped into the punter. No fireplace and brimstone when Tua threw the choose. Only a dejected coach who knew any motion can be meaningless. That there was nothing he may say or do to make an affect together with his gamers. Merely one other day to clock in, attempt to do job, and never get invited out for drinks when 5 o’clock hit.
The large false impression about Michael Scott in The Workplace is that he’s a moron. His gaffes as a supervisor, and ham-fisted concepts usually painting him as nucleus for incompetency within the workplace. In actuality he’s merely a horrible supervisor who was by no means minimize out for the job. The present establishes over its many season that Scott was a superb salesperson. Inside two weeks of becoming a member of Dunder-Mifflin in 1992 he was so gifted that he acquired half of the shoppers for the whole workplace. He was the corporate’s salesperson of the yr in 1996 and 1997 — so effortlessly sensible that he was the plain option to take over the department when Ed Truck retired in 2001.
The issue, as Dunder-Mifflin realized, was conflating brilliance in a single position with assumed success in one other. Which is precisely what McDaniel now faces. It’s change into clear that McDaniel is an unquestioned offensive mastermind. He stays one of many brightest playcallers and strategists within the league on the subject of maximizing quarterback efficiency and orchestrating a speed-heavy scheme. None of that issues although when your crew is 50+ yards in penalties a recreation, usually at essential occasions, as a result of there’s no a tradition of self-discipline and accountability in place.
Sieler and Tagovailoa blew it within the fourth. Within the third quarter Jordyn Brooks was flagged for pointless roughness on Josh Allen by throwing him to the bottom after the whistle blew. All three are captains on this soccer crew. In the event you can’t depend on the leaders of your crew to make good selections, then how can the remainder of your roster be anticipated to behave when every thing is on the road?
McDaniel is a quintessential lifetime offensive coordinator within the NFL. Maybe there will probably be a time the place he can develop an edge to strive once more as a head coach, however there’s no disgrace in staying exactly within the position the place you are able to do essentially the most good. We’re obsessive about the idea of upward mobility, and that you simply’re not getting countless promotions you’re nothing. Heck, rumors already swirled earlier than McDaniel took the Miami job that groups would assume he wasn’t thinking about being a head coach if didn’t leap from a coordinator gig quickly.
It particularly hurts as a result of McDaniel looks like such a genuinely likable man. He’s a complete soccer nerd who loves the mental facets of the sport, however maybe not the grit and toughness required to guide. He arrived in Miami eager to be a player-friendly coach, getting essentially the most out of his crew with a mild hand and a pointy thoughts, however that has failed.
There’s completely little doubt that if Mike McDaniel ran the Scranton workplace he’d let Jim goof off and prank Dwight all day, or Stanley sleep at his desk. He’d understand it was occurring, however be powerless to cease it. Miscast in his position, punching in each day, ready for the guillotine to drop — that’s McDaniel’s life now. It’s unimaginable to not really feel badly for him.
