Former 49ers offensive coordinator and new Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel will certainly aim to make his own mark while leading an NFL team. However, there will be aspects of Miami’s offense that look similar to what the 49ers’ offense did with McDaniel in San Francisco.
Exhibit A is utilizing a fullback more than virtually every team in the NFL. New Dolphins FB Alec Ingold is getting a crash course in playing the role 49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk occupies in San Francisco, so McDaniel is having Ingold turn directly to the source.
“I watch (Juszcyzk) every day,” Ingold said Tuesday in a press conference. “He’s like the best teach tape you can possibly get. In every single cut-up we have, it’s straight teach tape. You get 30 plays of Juice going and blocking exactly how he was supposed to. It’s great film to watch and I’m learning on the fly as fast as I possibly can. Yeah, you’ve got the best highlight reel you can possibly ask for for a fullback.”
Ingold has played in 41 games during his three-year NFL career, but his usage could more than double in McDaniel’s offense. His career-high in percentage of snaps played was last year when he played 23 percent of the snaps for Las Vegas. Juszczyk’s career-low in San Francisco was 41 percent in 2017. He was on the field for 56 percent of the offensive snaps last year.
Whether Ingold will be able to execute the Juszczyk role remains to be seen, but the 49ers will get an up-close look at him when the Dolphins visit Levi’s Stadium in Week 13.
Given Juszczyk’s importance to the 49ers’ offense, Ingold’s performance could play a significant role in just how well McDaniel fares in his first head-coaching venture.
