Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has been as busy as busy gets since being fired from his first head coaching job. There are currently eight head coaching vacancies around the National Football League. McDaniel is set to interview with half of them in the coming days, including an interview with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.
“Busy day for the former Dolphins HC,” NFL Network’s Pete Schrager reported. “Mike McDaniel is interviewing with the Browns at the moment for their HC position. He interviews with the Falcons for their HC position early this evening. McDaniel has coached with both franchises and was on staff with Matt Ryan in ATL.”
Mike McDaniel is interviewing with the Browns at the moment for their HC position. He interviews with the Falcons for their HC position early this evening.
McDaniel has coached with both franchises and was on staff with Matt Ryan in ATL.
The Falcons make a case for one of the most attractive destinations for a would-be head coach.
Their young defense performed at a top-five level to close out the season, their young offense is chock-full of first-round superstar-level talent, and their offensive line is consistently heralded as one of the best units in the league.
Not only is Atlanta a great spot for a head coaching candidate, but Mike McDaniel also makes a lot of sense as a potential fit.
Why Mike McDaniel Would Be Perfect In Atlanta
McDaniel has been given a bad rap. That is not to say that what transpired in Miami was not his fault; however, his offense has always performed despite the two-year playoff drought.
The biggest criticism of McDaniel was always his choice of quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa was his guy. He built the offense around his limited skill set and enjoyed a lot of early success doing it. Problems began to arise when teams around the league began to figure out the quarterback’s limitations as well.
He would not have that problem in Atlanta. Members of the front office believe that Michael Penix Jr. is a much upgraded version of Tagovailoa.
Let’s start with the obvious: they are both lefties. This feels like an irrelevant point, but McDaniel now has five years of experience building an offense for a lefty. It makes a difference.
Secondly, their calling card when they entered the league was precision and accuracy. McDaniel’s offense is all about timing, and he has proved that when his offense is on, he can turn any quarterback into an MVP candidate.
Finally, the running backs. Atlanta has the best ball carrier in the league in Bijan Robinson. McDaniel’s running back in Miami, De’Von Achane, had a very similar skill set. McDaniel used him creatively in the passing game, leading to an average of more than 500 receiving yards over the last two seasons.
If hired, his Falcons offense would look a lot like Miami’s, but with better players at every single position.
That leaves a lot to the imagination.
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