The NFL's narrative changes as quickly as the winter winds blow through the league's Northeast stadiums.
But it's not Mother Nature who dictates these narrative changes, it's the quarterback.
Over the past two seasons, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has garnered praise as a talented and creative offensive mind who doesn't necessarily follow the traditional NFL head coaching formula.
In his first year on the job, McDaniel led the 2022 Dolphins to their first playoff appearance since 2016 and second time since 2009. Last season, he led the Dolphins to an 11-6 record and once again made the playoffs. He was widely considered one of the brightest young players in the game.
The common thread behind the success of the past two seasons is that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has played well and stayed healthy. Tagovailoa started 13 games in 2022, going 8-5, and started all 17 games last season.
Then, in Week 2 against the Bills, Tagovailoa suffered his fourth concussion and is out indefinitely. His backup, Skyler Thompson, suffered a rib injury in Week 3 against Seattle, and recently signed Tyler Huntley became the Dolphins' starting pitcher.
Huntley failed to throw for 100 yards in last week's game against the Titans, leaving the Dolphins at 1-3 and in last place in the AFC East heading into Sunday's game against New England.
McDaniel and the Dolphins management deserve criticism for not retaining backup Mike White, who has proven to be a reliable No. 2. The Dolphins chose to save money by not retaining White, who signed with the Bills, and now they're under fire. that.
This quarterback turmoil led to intense scrutiny of McDaniel, who was quickly unseated as a darling among NFL coaches. The Miami turmoil highlights just this about NFL coaches. Without a good quarterback, they don't have a chance.
Even the Dolphins' top receiver tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle hasn't been able to revive the offense from its slump.
Look at what happened to Brian Daboll and the Giants a year ago. Daboll will no longer be named NFL Coach of the Year in 2022, and his job security has been called into question with starter Daniel Jones sitting out this season and undrafted free agent Tommy “Catlets” DeVito starting. .
Look at Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. With starting quarterback Joe Burrow healthy, the Bengals went 10-7 in 2021 and reached the Super Bowl, then went 12-4 in 2022 and advanced to the AFC title game.
Tua Tagovailoa concussion aftermath
And with Burrow missing the final seven games of last year, the Bengals fell to 9-8 and missed the playoffs. Suddenly, Taylor's abilities as a head coach were being questioned in some circles.
Jets coach Robert Saleh didn't have a capable starting quarterback for his first three seasons, and the poor performance showed. Part of the blame was on him, as he was part of selecting Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft.
Saleh now has Aaron Rodgers and we'll really see his talent as a head coach.
What kind of head coach was Bill Belichick after Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay? He went 29-38 in four seasons without a GOAT before parting ways with New England, making him one of the greatest coaches of all time. prevented damage to its reputation.
I believe McDaniel is the same great head coach we believed in when Tagovailoa was healthy and has a unique, unconventional approach to that madness.
Here's hoping McDaniel gets his quarterback back to salvage the Dolphins' season. Without a quarterback, any coach is just another coach waiting to be fired.
