There is no doubt that Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is a very different dude. While he’s not the youngest coach in the NFL by the numbers, he feels like a breath of fresh air in a normally stuffy career path.
Mike McDaniel nailed Rich Eisen’s coaching cliche challenge
McDaniel is having so much fun.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
McDaniel is willing to have fun, and he doesn’t like talking in tired coaching metaphors. That’s why it was stunning over the weekend when he busted out several in row in a statement full of football cliches, until we learned the reason behind it. McDaniel engaged in a ruse with Rich Eisen to spoof the entire event.
McDaniel appeared on the Rich Eisen Show on Feb. 25 when the host discussed his love of NFL coaching cliches. It was at this point that McDaniel made a promise: Not only would he use them all the next time he took the podium, but he’d work them all into one statement.
So, in Indianapolis when McDaniel was asked about whether he’s had a meaningful conversation is disgruntled cornerback Xavien Howard, the moment had arrived.
“First of all, every conversation I have is meaningful, okay. I’m excited to coach the guy, but let’s not forget, it is what it is. You know, honestly, me personally, I don’t have a crystal ball. But really, the only guys I can talk about are the guys who are here today.”
It was at this moment that Eisen left the press scrum and climbed to the podium to give McDaniel a high five on a job well done.
Look, you can get huffy about this if you want and say that turning the question into a joke wasn’t professional — but what did you expect to learn? McDaniel isn’t got to sit there and offer illuminating insight into a tenuous situation with one of the Dolphins best players. So, by making fun of it all helped show that we all take the NFL a little too seriously.
Football should be fun, and we’re going to see very quickly that McDaniel is about being a great football mind, but he also isn’t going to be boring like other guys who have his job title. This is going to keep being one of the big things to watch all season long.
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