Mike McDaniel left an immediate impression on the NFL world when he was introduced as head coach of the Dolphins. He seemed to have a genuinely fun attitude and a demeanor that made him appear happy to be there.
It's a refreshing temperament in a league full of coaches who seem to fancy themselves as generals or "leaders of men" rather than managers of some of the best athletes in the world. McDaniel appears to understand better than most what football is: a game.
That understanding has translated into a collection of memorable mic'd-up moments on the sideline: he has frequently teased players after good plays and lifted them up after bad ones. Understanding context and treating players like people is the mark of a good leader, and McDaniel seems to do that.
He has become beloved for his deadpan delivery, his love of Tua Tagovailoa, and his playfulness with his opponents. All of that came to a head at the end of November after the Dolphins' game against the Texans, when got to see and hear just how funny McDaniel is.
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Here's a look at some of McDaniel's best mic'd-up moments this season.
Mike McDaniel's funniest moments
5. 'That was sick'
McDaniel gave fullback Alec Ingold some Grade A feedback on the sideline after a run.
McDaniel told him, "That was cool what you did. When that first guy tried to tackle you, and you didn't let him tackle you? That was sick."
He then walked away with a fist bump.
4. McDaniel gets pumped for a defensive stop
Sometimes, the best moments are the little ones.
After the Dolphins recorded a big third-down sack against the Texans, McDaniel simply couldn't contain himself.
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"There we f—ing go!" he exclaimed. "Wow! Hell, yeah! Hell, yeah! Aye! Aye!"
Who cares about playing it cool on the sidelines? If your defense makes a huge play, give it credit. It deserves it.
3. 'CLOCK! CLOCK! CLOCK! Nice.'
In the heat of the moment, how will you respond?
For McDaniel, that's easy. With the Dolphins needing to get to the line for a spike, he repeatedly screamed at his offense, "CLOCK. CLOCK. CLOCK. CLOCK." When the spike was finally made, he responded with a simple "Nice." It was an incredible gear shift.
2. McDaniel praises Tua Tagovailoa — to himself
Internal monologues are really interesting, and McDaniel seemed to forget, if only for a moment, that he was on the mic. That led to a really cool moment after talking to his quarterback.
As he was walked away from a conversation, McDaniel muttered to himself into his clipboard: "He is such a f—ing savant. Just how he talks through stuff like . . . "
McDaniel did pull his headset down to say it, so he could have been communicating with someone, but it was such an earnest reaction to the conversation, it's impossible to not find it endearing.
1. McDaniel mocks Tua
One of the best things you can do if you're close to someone is to give them a reality check every once in a while.
When McDaniel was standing on the sideline with Tagovailoa, he gave the clip that made his mic'd-up semi-famous.
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"Last night I couldn't sleep," he said with a chuckle. "So I was thinking about when you randomly hit me up that you were YouTubing me? So I YouTubed you and saw this Trent Dilfer thing showing all this high school s— from you? And bro, your technique was trash," he said. "It was cool, though, because you see little elements of, like, your swag. But you were stressed out. You were all, you know."
Tagovailoa only took one thing from that: "You heard him, I got swag," which McDaniel referred to as a "dangerous indicator" that that isn't truly the case.
Just before this clip, McDaniel was muttering into his clipboard that Georgia was the best team in the SEC, with Alabama product Tagovailoa in earshot. Just because.
It isn't easy to imagine a lot of coaches interacting with players this way, though the number is growing. His closeness and genuine affection for the players seems infectious, and it could be part of why the Dolphins love playing for him (and are 8-4 this year).
Honorable mentions
McDaniel wasn't mic'd up for these moments, but there have been a few other instances of him being himself on the sideline and drawing attention.
'I f—d up'
Accountability is a trait that a lot of people in positions of authority seem to lack.
So when the Dolphins were forced to take a timeout against the 49ers last week and Tagovailoa seemingly started to explain himself on the sideline, McDaniel responding "No, I f—d up" drew NFL Twitter's attention. Admitting a mistake is such a small thing, but it goes a long way with the person to whom you're admitting it.
Rare words from a HC. You don’t hear that much in the moment. pic.twitter.com/49O5xXEd6H
— chris long (@JOEL9ONE) December 4, 2022
'Stop it'
Another funny moment came against the Bears earlier in November, when Chicago quarterback Justin Fields ran out of bounds on the Dolphins' sideline.
McDaniel got in Fields' ear and said, "Stop it" to him, which got a laugh out of Fields. After the game, McDaniel explained his frustration.
"I just wanted him to stop . . . scrambling," he told reporters. "And it was pretty irritating because he didn't listen. At all. He didn't take the coaching."
Mike McDaniel is HILARIOUS 😂😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/U8dWXHDW6V
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) November 8, 2022
The Dolphins are one of the NFL's biggest surprises this season, and McDaniel appears to be a big reason why. He might have some words for Chargers QB Justin Herbert in prime time Sunday if Herbert does what he's capable of. But he'll certainly have some for Tagovailoa and his team. That's a big part of what makes him so fun.