No NFL figure seems more aware that football is indeed a game, and how everything is supposed to be in good fun, than Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.
Fans at SoFi Stadium saw an excellent example of McDaniel’s mischievous streak during Miami’s Week 1 matchup with the Chargers. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who calls color commentary on the Chargers’ radio broadcasts, recalled McDaniel’s attempt to prank the opposing sideline on his podcast, Move the Sticks.
As Jeremiah explained, the SoFi Stadium scoreboard shows both teams’ coaches on its video screen during replay challenges. Aware he was on camera for everyone to see, McDaniel pulled aside his headset microphone and explicitly shouted out the words, “Run the ball the next five plays!”
"RUN THE BALL THE NEXT FIVE PLAYS!"
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2023
Mike McDaniel has to be the funniest coach in the league. 😂 (via @DisruptTheMedia, @MoveTheSticks) pic.twitter.com/DOQYMy0uVp
Did the Chargers’ sideline try to read McDaniel’s lips and figure they might have been tipped to the Dolphins’ next five play calls? Was the Miami coach implying that an opponent might be trying to steal signals from the scoreboard? Or was McDaniel just having fun knowing an NFL coach is frequently on camera?
Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports
Maybe McDaniel’s trolling attempt to deceive worked, as the Chargers played as if they were geared to stop the run.
Miami only generated 70 yards rushing in its 36-34 win over Los Angeles. But the Dolphins’ passing attack lit up the Chargers’ defense, racking up 466 yards and averaging 10.4 yards per completion. Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw three touchdown passes, two of which were caught by wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Hill notched 215 yards on 11 catches.
The Dolphins face the Patriots in Week 2, with kickoff scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.
