Kelly: McDaniel Justified in Defense of Offense and Tua

Mike McDaniel to Tua Tagovailoa detractors: 'Who the F cares?'

When an offense is on pace to set NFL record like the Miami Dolphins are, outsiders — and sometimes insiders — begin debating about who deserves the credit for its success.

Is it the second-year head coach/play-caller who is earning the genius label that was attached to Mike McDaniel’s name when he was hired in 2022?

Is it All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill and his cast of speed demons, who post the fastest miles per hour speeds for ball carriers each week?

Or is it the once-beleaguered quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who redeemed his reputation as a quarterback on the rise under McDaniel’s tutelage, and with Hill as his primary weapon?

Upon the suggestion that some think “many, many quarterbacks would excel” in Miami’s offense, as one report put it, McDaniel gave a passionate response that was largely in defense of his quarterback, who is viewed as a front-runner for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player honor.

“I'm about to push this podium over," McDaniel said Wednesday, interrupting the question.

"My answer to that would be who the F cares, because it is a team," McDaniel continued.

“We're working together, and I know one thing. I've coached a long time. I haven't seen people do what our guys do,” McDaniel said about the Dolphins offensive, which ranks first in just about every offensive statistic after six games, and is on pace to challenge some of the NFL's all-time yards and scoring records. “To their credit, [it’s] their ability and their commitment to their craft.

“To try to say it’s this person, or that person is kind of missing the point. It is a team working together, people working together. Myself, Tyreek Hill, Tua. [That’s] cool, but what if no one’s blocking anyone?”

Dolphins offense feeds off each other

The point McDaniel was making is that everything is connected, and it is.

“Our pre-snap penalties are down, guys are moving fast out of the huddle in practice and it’s translating over to games. Guys are knowing where to line up and stuff like that. It’s all translating over to the game,” said Hill, who is on pace to break the NFL’s single-season record and achieve his goal of becoming the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiver. “I feel like having the best offense, I feel like who wouldn’t want to be a part of that as a competitor?”

What the Dolphins have done in six games could have staying power if the team stays healthy and regains some of its top players, like offensive linemen Terron Armstead and Connor Williams and tailbacks Jeff Wilson and De'Von Achane.

Miami’s offensive line has allowed six sacks in six games. 

Only Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield has been sacked fewer times than Tagovailoa. And Dolphins have been one of the least-penalized offensive lines in the NFL this season. And they are doing it without Armstead and Williams, the team's top two offensive linemen.

Playmakers are exploiting defenses with speed

The O-line's performance gives Tagovailoa time to find open receivers, and those receivers are not only delivering big plays, but they’re also blocking for one another and the tailbacks, who are responsible for 19 of the team’s 30 touchdowns.

The Dolphins possess the NFL’s best rushing attack, and it’s by a wide margin (70.7 rushing yards a game and 2.3 yards per carry more than the NFL average for this season).

That balance keeps defenses guessing, and eases the burden on the passing game and Tagovailoa, who owns the NFL’s top passer rating (114.1) for this season.

If he finishes in that position, Tagovailoa would be the league’s leader in that quarterback ranking system for the second straight season, achieving a feat only Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning have accomplished since 2000.

That’s why this theory that Tagovailoa is a passenger, and not driver of this pace-setting offense is preposterous, and laughable.

McDaniel himself said quarterbacks don’t win football games on their own, but they certainly can lose them.

Tagovailoa's mastery of offense is key

And Tagovailoa’s mastery of McDaniel’s offense, his ability to dissect defenses quickly and look off defenders, has allowed his performance to reach new heights, a level of performance that exceeds the legend he was at the University of Alabama.

Tagovailoa’s teammates consistently give him the credit for Miami’s rise to prominence.

“He’s playing unbelievable ball right now,” said tailback Raheem Mostert, who was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Panthers on Sunday.

Mostert admitted he was surprised to win the honor because he was convinced it was going to Tagovailoa.

“He’s been doing unbelievable things,” Mostert said about Tagovailoa, who is completing a career-best 71.1 percent of his passes, and is on pace to throw for 5,315 yards and 39 touchdowns if he plays all 17 games.

That’s why Tagovailoa shouldn't be viewed as an easily replaceable entity in this offensive powerhouse.

"Our players run a lot of plays that I have a lot of history with, and it looks different," McDaniel said. "That's because of hard work and unbelievable ability. So don't try me on other players."