It’s really difficult not to have empathy for Mike McDaniel. On Thursday night he lost again, with the Dolphins now falling to 0-3 in a game that could have existential implications on his future as an NFL head coach. It was a familiar refrain from McDaniel’s team, where they were on the precipice of actually having a chance — only to see two boneheaded plays ruin absolutely everything.
With 10:20 left in the game, tied 21-21 the momentum had firmly shifted. The Dolphins were somehow putting things together on offense, the defense has stepped up to staunch the bleeding, and there was a palpable feeling that Miami was somehow going to do this. On 4th and 7 the Bills were forced to punt — then this happened.
Zach Sieler, a seven-year NFL veteran and captain of the Dolphins was over-eager in his desire to try and make a play, pointlessly running into the punter and getting hit with a 15-yard penalty. It’s nice he tried to make a play, but it was an unnecessary, pointless, discipline-lacking move. The Bills would go on to score a touchdown on the drive.
There was still a glimmer of hope with the Dolphins’ offense on the field — until there wasn’t. This time off an absolutely pathetic interception by Tua Tagovailoa that sealed the game for Buffalo.
The play moves quickly from the broadcast angle, but the All-22 shows that this really wasn’t a brilliant play by Terrel Bernard, but an absolutely nonsensical throw from Tua that had the linebacker staring down the pass mid-drop, breaking for it before Tagovailoa’s arm ever went into motion, and he still believed it was the right throw to make.
It was at this moment that I realized exactly who Mike McDaniel is, and why I feel so badly for him: He’s Dunder Mifflin branch manager Michael Scott — only in the NFL. An awkward, out-of-his-depth boss, who accepted this job before he was ready, and is now saddled with the task of trying to make things work in an environment where the people he relies on the most just don’t respect him.
There was no screaming when Sieler ran into the punter. No fire and brimstone when Tua threw the pick. Just a dejected coach who knew any action would be meaningless. That there was nothing he could say or do to make an impact with his players. Simply another day to clock in, try to do a good job, and not get invited out for drinks when five o’clock hit.
The big misconception about Michael Scott in The Office is that he’s a moron. His gaffes as a manager, and ham-fisted ideas often portray him as nucleus for incompetency in the office. In reality he’s simply a horrible manager who was never cut out for the job. The show establishes over its many season that Scott was a brilliant salesperson. Within two weeks of joining Dunder-Mifflin in 1992 he was so talented that he acquired half of the clients for the entire office. He was the company’s salesperson of the year in 1996 and 1997 — so effortlessly brilliant that he was the obvious choice to take over the branch when Ed Truck retired in 2001.
The problem, as Dunder-Mifflin learned, was conflating brilliance in one role with assumed success in another. Which is exactly what McDaniel now faces. It’s become clear that McDaniel is an unquestioned offensive mastermind. He remains one of the brightest playcallers and strategists in the league when it comes to maximizing quarterback performance and orchestrating a speed-heavy scheme. None of that matters though when your team is 50+ yards in penalties a game, often at crucial times, because there’s no a culture of discipline and accountability in place.
Sieler and Tagovailoa blew it in the fourth. In the third quarter Jordyn Brooks was flagged for unnecessary roughness on Josh Allen by throwing him to the ground after the whistle blew. All three are captains on this football team. If you can’t count on the leaders of your team to make good decisions, then how can the rest of your roster be expected to act when everything is on the line?
McDaniel is a quintessential lifetime offensive coordinator in the NFL. Perhaps there will be a time where he can develop an edge to try again as a head coach, but there’s no shame in staying precisely in the role where you can do the most good. We’re obsessed with the concept of upward mobility, and that you’re not getting endless promotions you’re nothing. Heck, rumors already swirled before McDaniel took the Miami job that teams would assume he wasn’t interested in being a head coach if didn’t jump from a coordinator gig soon.
It especially hurts because McDaniel seems like such a genuinely likable guy. He’s a total football nerd who loves the intellectual aspects of the game, but perhaps not the grit and toughness required to lead. He arrived in Miami wanting to be a player-friendly coach, getting the most out of his team with a gentle hand and a sharp mind, but that has failed.
There’s absolutely no doubt that if Mike McDaniel ran the Scranton office he’d let Jim goof off and prank Dwight all day, or Stanley sleep at his desk. He’d know it was happening, but be powerless to stop it. Miscast in his role, punching in every day, waiting for the guillotine to drop — that’s McDaniel’s life now. It’s impossible not to feel badly for him.