In Mourning: Dolphins Coach Mike McDaniel Reacts to Patriots Firing Bill Belichick

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel held nothing back when assessing the New England Patriots' new head coach situation.

Miami Dolphins v New England Patriots / Adam Glanzman/GettyImages

Bill Belichick won't be taking his talents to South Beach this year and Mike McDaniel couldn't be happier.

The Miami Dolphins head coach addressed Belichick's ousting from the same position with the New England Patriots, which ended a 24-year reign of terror for the rest of the AFC East. McDaniel took a humorous approach to the longtime Dolphin hunter's departure ... but couldn't contain his overt joy at the idea of seeing a new face on the opposing sideline at Hard Rock Stadium this fall.

“To say that I’m somber and have been mourning the loss of Bill Belichick in the AFC East would be a flat out lie and I wouldn’t lie to you,” McDaniel joked at the NFL owners' meetings in Orlando, per video from Josh Moser of WSVN-TV. "There's not anybody more difficult from a defensive standpoint, to try and forecast what they're going to do in that next game and there's not anybody better at facilitating technique and fundamentals across the board."

Miami Dolphins v New England Patriots / Adam Glanzman/GettyImages

McDaniel has begun to flip the Miami narrative in the long-running Patriots-Dolphins rivalry, taking three of the first four get-togethers against New England. That included a sweep of last season's yearly couple, including a nationally-televised 24-17 victory in Week 2 at Gillette Stadium.

Belichick, however, routinely engaged in a different brand of Miami vice: in his near quarter-century at the helm of the Patriots, his teams posted a 27-21 record against the Dolphins, including a 25-15 mark between 2000 and 2019. That span included six sweeps in 18 years and only two Miami division titles. Tom Brady was out of the picture on both occasions, as he was sidelined in 2000 and injured in 2008.

Though Belichick will be without a headset in 2024, Dolphins fans will still be wary of his hoodies' return: as the eight-time Super Bowl champion's illustrious New England tenure placed him only 14 wins away from tying Dolphins coaching legend Don Shula for the most in NFL history.