Miami’s McDaniel to Tua: ‘My job is to coach you to get all of that greatness out of you’
After flirting with Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson before last October’s NFL trade deadline, the Dolphins are all in on Tua Tagovailoa.
That was determined weeks ago but was reinforced Tuesday when the Dolphins released audio of new coach Mike Daniel’s conversation with the young quarterback.
“I just had to get on with you real quick,” McDaniel told Tagovailoa in a conversation posted on the team’s social media account. “We’re going to have an extensive professional relationship my man. One thing I know about you is you have the ambition to be great. My job is to coach you to get all of that greatness out of you.
“It’s going to be fun, man. It’s going to be work. But I know you’re not afraid of that. So this is an awesome day for me. I’m damn sure going to make sure when you look back on this day, you are going to be like, ‘Damn, this is one of the best days of my career too.’ I will earn that from you too, OK?”
McDaniel then paused to tell Tagovailoa that the conversation was being recorded and publicized by the Dolphins. Tagovailoa’s voice is never heard on the tape.
“There is a camera on us,” McDaniel said. “Since you can’t hear him, he’s telling me how excited he is and there’s no other coach he would rather play for in the entire world. Which I thought was nice, because this is the first time I’ve really talked to him.”
McDaniel laughed, then continued talking to Tagovailoa.
“I’m elated, bro,” McDaniel said. “It is an unbelievable opportunity for me that I do not plan on wasting in the slightest. I promise you that. I’m all in. You’re going to get the best out of me that you can possibly get. There’s only one way to do anything great. And there’s no shortcuts.
“Let’s go do something that’s worth doing. It’s on, bro. If you don’t have eyeblack at home, you better go get some eyeblack. Because we’re going.
“It’s going to be outstanding dude. I’m happy for you. I’m happy for myself. I think Dolphins fans should be happy as well.”
McDaniel is expected to do more to maximize Tagovailoa’s skills than the previous regime, including improving the Dolphins’ running game in tandem with general manager Chris Grier.
The Dolphins averaged just 3.4 yards per carry last season, 31st in the league. McDaniel’s run game schemes were effective and drew praise during his five years with the 49ers.
In San Francisco, McDaniel and play-caller/head coach Kyle Shanahan had success with designed quarterback rollouts last season, a strength of Tagovailoa that was utilized some by the Dolphins but arguably not enough.
The 49ers called screens 12.2 percent of the time, compared with 8.3 percent of the time for the Dolphins, per Pro Football Focus’ Ryan Smith. More screens could further maximize use of Tagovailoa’s weapons, a cast that is expected to be augmented around receiver Jaylen Waddle.
The Dolphins haven’t had a top 10 offense since 1995, the NFL’s longest ongoing drought.
Meanwhile, owner Stephen Ross said: “I’m very excited to have Mike as our new coach. It’s clear he is an outside of the box thinker and takes a different approach to problem solving. He’s a leader, innovator and a collaborator.”
Grier said: “We are excited about the addition of Mike McDaniel as our next head coach. He is a smart, innovative football mind, but he is much more than that. He excels in developing people, consistently bringing out the best in his players.
“We talked to a lot around the league in conducting this search and each one praised Mike for his football intelligence, creativity and for who he is as a person and as leader. We believe in him and are excited for the future of the Miami Dolphins with Mike leading the way.”
The Dolphins are expected to introduce McDaniel in a news conference later this week.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR INTERVIEW
According to the Athletic, Falcons quarterbacks coach Charles London will interview for the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator job.
London, 46, joined the Falcons before last season. Earlier in his career, he was the running backs coach for the Texans (2014-17) and Bears (2018-2020), was an offensive assistant with the Titans, was a scout for the Eagles and was running backs coach and Penn State and alma mater Duke, where he played running back.
This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 12:19 PM.
