Dolphins' 2023 improvement has to start with Mike McDaniel

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, who had a successful rookie season last year, must figure out a way to be even better in 2023. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

By Chris Perkins | cperkins@sunsentinel.com | South Florida Sun Sentinel

PUBLISHED: July 15, 2023 at 9:15 a.m. | UPDATED: July 24, 2023 at 10:38 a.m.

With the 2023 NFL season fast approaching, the South Florida Sun Sentinel takes a look at 10 storylines to watch for in a 10-part series ahead of the Miami Dolphins’ first day of training camp, which is set for July 26.

When we last saw Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel in a game, he seemed to be suffering from a classic case of rookie-itis. It was the Dolphins’ 34-31 wild-card round playoff loss at Buffalo, and a communication error proved costly.

Unfortunately, that was season-long trend.

“We had some operational issues kind of plague us throughout the season,” left tackle Terron Armstead said after the loss.

“It showed its face again. That’s most likely going to be one of our biggest points of emphasis in the offseason.”

We’ll get insight into that process in training camp, joint practices and preseason games, all of which begin in late July.

But one requirement for the Dolphins to get where they want to go this season, which is, at the very least, winning a playoff game, is McDaniel improving as a coach.

For starters, McDaniel faces a brutal lineup of opposing coaches in the season’s opening two months. You could argue he was outcoached a few times late last season starting with the San Francisco and Los Angeles Chargers losses.

But the bigger picture is one of the biggest keys to the Dolphins making a Super Bowl run in the next couple of years is McDaniel making big strides.

There are lots of areas for improvement. Communication/chain of command. Clock management. Use of challenges. Reducing penalties, especially pre-snap penalties. McDaniel, who was a rookie play-caller as well as a rookie head coach last season, led a team that was tied for third in the league in penalties (111) and fifth in penalty yards (881).

There’s also better play-calling. One of the hallmarks of McDaniel’s innovative offense is lots of pre-snap motion that confuses the defense. That worked well.

However, McDaniel’s offense, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa playing the best of his career, ground to a halt in December beginning with those 49ers (33-17) and Chargers (23-17) losses.

San Francisco and Los Angeles made defensive adjustments, and the Dolphins couldn’t counter those adjustments.

To his credit, McDaniel acknowledges he’s got to be better in many areas.

You’ll recall that costly delay of game penalty in the Dolphins’ playoff loss at the Bills that resulted from a communication breakdown. McDaniel thought it was first-and-10 from the Dolphins’ 48-yard line with 2:28 left. He had first-down personnel on the field. In reality it was fourth-and-1, so they had to change personnel, while out of timeouts. They got flagged, eventually faced a fourth-and-6 after the penalty, and then rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson threw an incomplete pass to tight end Mike Gesicki. Game over.

“We had as many pre-snap penalties, I think we led the league in them offensively,” McDaniel said. “So obviously there is a lot of work to do that we’re all excited about rectifying. Clock management is just another layer of things that I’ve already begun the process of — call the play faster.”

McDaniel has also mentioned part of his job is dealing with turmoil. If the Dolphins don’t get off to a fast start McDaniel might be facing turmoil in September. Forget the quarterback matchups, look at the coaching matchups.

McDaniel, if there was such a thing as a coaching betting line, could be the underdog in each of the first nine games.

In the opener, Dolphins vs. Chargers, it’s the rematch of McDaniel vs. Chargers coach Brandon Staley. It was Staley’s defense that held McDaniel’s offense to one touchdown last year (wide receiver Tyreek Hill scored on a 57-yard fumble return).

Then it’s Dolphins at New England, which means McDaniel against Bill Belichick, who most consider to be the greatest coach of all time. McDaniel was 1-1 against the Patriots last season, but lost on the road in December.

After that, it’s Dolphins vs. Denver, which means McDaniel vs. Sean Payton, a Super Bowl winner.

Then it’s the Dolphins at Buffalo, which means McDaniel vs. Sean McDermott, who is 2-1 against McDaniel, including two victories in the Dolphins’ last five games last season.

After that, it’s Dolphins vs. New York Giants, which means McDaniel against Brian Daboll, last season’s Coach of the Year.

There’s a break of sorts with Carolina’s Frank Reich before the trio of Philadelphia’s Nick Sirianni, Belichick and Kansas City’s Andy Reid (in Germany).

McDaniel has assembled the type of coaching staff that should make his life a bit easier. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell are both highly respected around the league.

But ultimately it’s on McDaniel to be better, and make things run more smoothly.

We’ll see if McDaniel can iron out the wrinkles that made the final few weeks of the 2022 season, a stretch in which the Dolphins lost six of their final seven games, such a bumpy ride.