Dolphins finally unveil a bit of their new-look offense — and it wasn’t just Tua-to-Tyreek
Mike McDaniel is the coach who’s supposed to, in this age of spread offenses and air raid-inspired passing attacks, make running the ball fun. He did it as the offensive coordinators for the San Francisco 49ers, where he turned Deebo Samuel into an All-Pro wide receiver by essentially making him a part-time running back, and it’s the promise he’s bringing to the Miami Dolphins now as their new coach.
On Saturday, there were finally signs of what the Dolphins might do in his debut season.
After running for just 86 yards total in its first two preseason games, Miami exploded for 203 in its preseason finale at Hard Rock Stadium, averaging 5.8 yards per carry to blow out the Philadelphia Eagles, 48-10.
“The preseason is really all about fine tuning things, especially the last game,” running back Raheem Mostert said. “I know the run game hasn’t been there these previous two games, but you’ve got to sit back, and you’ve got to watch the film each week and critique yourself.”
Mostert, who’s still less than a year removed from major knee surgery, made his debut as a Dolphin in Miami Gardens and ran for 29 yards on two carries, including a 26-yard run on the Dolphins’ second drive. Myles Gaskin ran for 39 yards on six carries and fellow running back Salvon Ahmed added 30 on four. Even running back Gerrid Doaks piled up 67 yards on 11 carries in the second half.
Sure, the Eagles didn’t play a single starter, but Miami hadn’t given its fans much of a tangible reason to believe in McDaniel’s vaunted rushing attack before this weekend. Now it has.
“We were more assignment sound, meaning everyone got blocked that was supposed to be blocked. We had a hat on a hat every time,” offensive lineman Austin Jackson said. “That’s a great start.”
Although Philadelphia kept its starters on the bench, the Dolphins played most of theirs, including everyone on offense but running back Chase Edmonds, fullback Alec Ingold, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and tackle Terron Armstead.
Tyreek Hill’s debut, deservedly, stole most headlines after he beat a double team and hauled in a 51-yard grab from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on his first ever play for Miami. Mostert’s, however, was a big deal, too, and quietly exhilarating, it its own right.
On Hill’s catch, the star wide receiver hit 21.72 mph — the fastest top speed clocked by anyone so far in the preseason. Only a few minutes later, Mostert came close, hitting 21.44 mph on his 26-yard run.
The chunk play was a full display of how McDaniel blends beautiful finesse with old-school fundamentals. The call was a counter, with all five offensive linemen shoving to their left and Mostert quickly cutting to the left once he got the ball. He followed tight end Cethan Carter, who lined up as a tight end and cut down and picked up Eagles defensive end Tarron Jackson as he ran free from the left end, and got to the corner while wide receiver Trent Sherfield and tight end Durham Smythe sealed the edge.
As much as he likes to scheme up creative runs with pulling blockers and pre-snap motion, McDaniel still mostly just wants everyone to block the guy they’re supposed to.
“Any time you run the ball with sustained success, it takes a group of individuals working together,” McDaniel told WFOR-TV at halftime. “There’s a lot of work that goes into that, and I was proud of the guys to be able to reap some of those rewards.”
Added Jackson: “He’s a certified blocker. ... He does a great job of teaching the system that he has in place.”
A year ago, the Dolphins had the second worst rushing attack in the league, averaging 3.5 yards per carry.
It won’t be hard for them to be better this year and their preseason finale provided the most promising signs yet.
Said Mostert: “Guys were scratching the surface.”
This story was originally published August 28, 2022 at 8:00 AM.
