The Questions Surrounding Mike McDaniel’s Second Bye Week
Sep 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel on the field after defeating the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
This bye week has come at just the right time for the Dolphins, and not just because of the long flight back from Deutschland. Miami has lost two out of their last three and instead of having a comfortable division lead, they now lead the Bills, a team who has drowned the fish ten out of their last eleven meetings, by just one game.They limped into the bye week and that is not ideal, but it’s much better than limping on your way out.
In Mike McDaniel’s first season as a head coach his squad was 7-3 before the bye week and 2-6 after the bye, including the Wild Card loss to the Bills. This season, they are in an eerily similar record situation, but a better QB siituation. They have a healthy Tua, who spent his offseason bulking up, learning the art of falling from jui jitsu, and undergoing an arm transformation second only to the Winter Soldier. As McDaniel navigates his second bye week as a coach, and hopes to exit it better than his last try, there are three questions he must answer.
How does he keep the offense from getting off schedule?
McDaniel is a creative genius and his use of pre snap motion is already being poached in this copycat league, but his playcalling needs to be improved if this offense is going to be able to sustain drives in the second half of the season. His first and second down calls often get the team off schedule and they end up in third and long far too often.
His career was built on designing an effective running game and yet he often abandons his bread and butter and puts the offense in less than favorable down and distances. If this team is going to improve their post bye success from a year ago, the play creating genius needs to improve his play calling.
Is this team prepared for the stretch run battle?
Last year’s second half swoon sent Miami to Buffalo for a playoff game that was only close because there is a good Josh Allen who plays at an MVP caliber and there is a bad Josh Allen who coughs up the football at a comically high rate. Bad Josh Allen showed up that day and kept the Dolphins in the game.
This year, for this squad to finish strong and hit the playoffs with some momentum, Mike is going to have to show that he can keep his team focused and prepared for a whole season. The NFL season is a war of attrition and last year the Dolphins lost it. Can Mike lead them through that war this year with more success? We will find out soon.
Can the offense show up on the road?
At home Miami is a historically great offense and on the road they look like Brian Ferentz is coordinating and calling plays. They have averaged just over 43 points at home, while barely cracking 22 on the road. The offense needs to show up on the road in a few big games this second half to avoid having to be on the road in the playoffs.
On the road McDaniel has struggled to get his play calls in quick enough to have time for all the pre snap motion. This continuously costs the team silly delay of game penalties or forces them to waste timeouts. This has to change and whether it’s being a more decisive play caller or learning how to stick with what is working instead of trying to outsmart the room, Mike needs to better prepare himself and his offense on the road.
This team has big goals and coming out of the bye week with a division lead is never something to be disappointed about. But if they can’t stay on schedule, embrace the challenge of playing at for 17 games, and figure out how to score points on the road there is a chance this season ends much like last year. But, there is also a chance McDaniel is a better coach this year than he was last year. The post bye week results will tell us that story.
So Mike, hit that vape, work the plan, and go get the first Dolphins playoff win since you were in high school.
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