Mike McDaniel looks on during a Miami Dolphins game.
Mike McDaniel is ready for the full Buffalo experience.
Ahead of his team’s key matchup against the Buffalo Bills, the Miami Dolphins head coach delivered a message that he’s ready for whatever Mother Nature has to offer. The Dolphins already beat the Bills once this year in trying weather conditions, and Saturday’s game could take place under even more extreme conditions as the Buffalo area is expected to be hit with a major snowstorm.
McDaniel Trolls Bills With T-Shirt
When the Bills traveled to Miami for a September 25 matchup, the Dolphins won thanks in part to some home cooking. The game was played in sweltering heat, with the heat index topping nearing 100 degrees while the Bills sideline — which unlike Miami’s side has no shade — topped triple digits during the game.
Several Bills players went down with heat-related injuries, and after the game quarterback Josh Allen said the conditions were trying.
“Yes, it was warm. Breathing was tough sometimes,” Allen said after the game, via Syracuse.com. “Cramps are going to happen in this heat. You can do your best to prepare for it all week, drink as much water and Gatorade and this and that, but it’s different when you’re in game time and your adrenaline starts going.”
While the Bills had difficulty handling the heat in Miami, the Dolphins have come under fire for the measures they took to stay warm. As SI.com’s Madison Williams reported, the Dolphins brought heaters for their sideline when they traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers, even though the temperature was 55 degrees.
McDaniel took the opportunity to poke fun at his team’s critics and troll the Bills. At practice on Wednesday, he wore a t-shirt that read “I wish it were colder” in an apparent dig at Buffalo’s complaints over the last game.
Mike McDaniel’s vibe at practice:
-Pants rolled up
-Wearing a “I wish it were colder” t-shirt
-Bumping YG
Legend 🤣 @brgridiron
(via @nickysmokess)
Dolphins Ready for Buffalo Weather
It appears that McDaniel will get his wish. The forecast calls for heavy snow in Buffalo, with lake-effect bands that could dump up to nine inches of snow.
NEW: 9+ inches of snow is expected in Buffalo by Saturday night for Dolphins-Bills, the National Weather Service says.
McDaniel said the Dolphins can’t worry too much about the weather.
“To me, you just decide if you’re going to let it factor in or not and then you adjust as best you can,” the Dolphins coach said, via the Sporting News. “There’s certain things that become harder when there’s moisture or it hits a certain level of frigidness, but the good news is there’s not different atmospheres on both sidelines. It is the same field, the same elements so you just decide mentally how much you’re going to let it affect you.”
The Bills have already seen a major impact from the weather this season, being forced to move a home game against the Cleveland Browns to Detroit when Buffalo’s southern suburbs — where the Bills’ stadium is located — were hit with up to seven feet of snow.
Saturday’s game could have major implications for both teams. The Bills have taken a two-game lead in the AFC East, and a win would all but clinch the division. The Dolphins are in danger of falling out of the playoff picture with a loss.