While the results on the field were intriguing, part of the positive impression McDaniel made on the media and fans in 2022 was the byproduct of his unique personality, which led to some hilarious moments on the field and off.
From his amusing press conferences to his comical sideline reactions, McDaniel quickly became a fan favorite for his sense of humor and lighthearted approach to coaching. So let's take a trip down memory lane and relive McDaniel's most memorable and comical moments from the 2022 season, shall we?
Justin Fields had other plans for Mike McDaniel's "coaching" 😂 pic.twitter.com/mxFgpitCEd
— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2022
Mike McDaniel Asks Justin Fields to "Stop It"
This could be a first. In the history of the NFL, with all the scheming for an edge and game planning to stop another team's star player, has a coach ever tried to simply ask the opponent to stop being awesome? Mike McDaniel did this past season when he kindly asked Chicago Bears' quarterback Justin Fields to stop doing good football against his team.Spoiler alert: Justin Fields declined and finished the game with a whopping 178 yards rushing. It was a nice try, though.
“I used to go from Game day to Wednesday without showering. - Mike McDaniel pic.twitter.com/R3jG6Sb40o
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) September 19, 2022
Mike McDaniel learns to shower more
Becoming an NFL head coach for the first time is a major adjustment, especially for a coach as young as McDaniel. Part of the responsibility of being a head coach is that you need to lead by example, and for McDaniel, that meant learning to shower more because people are counting on him now.To be honest, this makes a lot of sense. Being a head coach is like going from teacher's aide to teacher — all eyes (and noses) will be on you for the majority of the day.
Previously, McDaniel was likely able to jump right out of bed with wing sauce on his chin from the previous night and coach third-string tight ends just fine. In Miami, he's tasked with saving Tua Tagovailoa's career — that will require an occasional bath.
“Bro, your technique was trash.”
— Inside the NFL (@insidetheNFL) November 29, 2022
Mike McDaniel didn’t hold back about @Tua’s high school highlights 😂 pic.twitter.com/cfiZcuYuz1
McDaniel Tells Tua He Couldn't Sleep So He "YouTubed" Him
There is a lot to unpack here, but the basics are Tua Tagovailoa's head coach told him, in the middle of a game, that he couldn't sleep one night, so he started searching for his star quarterback on YouTube, only to discover he was kinda trash in high school. To say this isn't a normal coach-player convo is underselling it, but for it to be caught on tape during a game is flat-out extraordinary.The conversation was just another sign that McDaniel's down-to-earth approach with Tua is the total opposite of what the Dolphins quarterback saw under ex-coach Brian Flores, and, along with a new playbook, a big reason Tagovailoa was so successful when healthy in 2022.
Reporter Asks McDaniel to "Kill, Kiss, Marry" His Former Coaching Associates
Why do we always have to make it weird, though? Miami's new head coach was interviewed by Josh Moser, a WSVN sports anchor, before the season, and for some reason, Moser decided it was a good idea to take McDaniel into the headspace where he was given three former coaches he had worked with and asked which one he would tongue-kiss, murder, or marry.But why, Moser?!
To McDaniel's credit, he rolled with the weirdo punches and answered. We can't even imagine how this would have gone if Moser had asked Brian Flores the same question. Maybe there would have been a "kill," but no kissing or marrying.
McDaniel Responds to Being Told He's "Sneaky Hot"
Longtime guests of The Dan LeBatard Show With Stugotz know they'll likely encounter some off-the-wall topics and questions when they make an appearance. Let's just say McDaniel learned that fact on the fly when he joined the crew this past season and was told by co-host Stugotz that his wife has declared the Dolphins' new coach "sneaky hot."In true McDaniel form, he didn't miss a beat, telling Stugotz to send his wife a "half thank you" for the maybe compliment.
