Trickeration
This old clip of Mike McDaniel, Kyle Shanahan and Johnny Manziel faking out an entire stadium is porn for Dolphins fans
While Kyle Shanahan has gotten much of the credit for the San Francisco 49ers' turnaround this season (deservedly so), many believed that offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel had a huge hand in the team's success, too. The Miami Dolphins certainly did, as they hired McDaniel as their new head coach this past Sunday.
While the Dolphins clearly have a ways to go to regain their fanbase's trust, this move at least appears to be the right one. Much like his now former boss Kyle Shanahan and former co-workers Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur, McDaniel is being hailed as the next boy wonder. He's spent 15 years rising the NFL ranks, starting as a lowly intern with the Denver Broncos and then essentially following Shanahan wherever he went, including stints in Washington, Cleveland and Atlanta.
Shanahan and McDaniel spent just one season in Cleveland, Shanahan as offensive coordinator and McDaniel as wide receivers coach. Looking back, they probably should have gotten a little more credit, as the lowly Browns started the year 7-4 with Brian Hoyer as their starting quarterback. In Week 3 of that 2014 season, Shanahan, McDaniel and late first-round draft pick Johnny Manziel combined for one of the sickest trick plays you'll ever see. The play was recently shared on social media and it's got Dolphins fans all sorts of riled up for the 2022 season:
Of course, the Browns somehow got penalized for this, but it wasn't because of Manziel. Some other dope wasn't set prior to the snap, thus ruining one of the great, deceptive trick plays we've ever seen. If McDaniel can do this type of stuff with Hoyer and Manziel, the sky is the limit in Miami.
Well, maybe. It depends on your feeling of Tua Tagovailoa, who some Dolphins fans aren't ready to give up on just yet. Nor should they. If his resume is any indication, McDaniel (and Shanahan) know how to get the absolute most out of guys like Jimmy Garoppolo, Hoyer and Matt Ryan, who won an MVP with Shanahan at OC and McDaniel as an offensive assistant. We're not saying Tua is going to become Dan Marino overnight, but there's plenty of reason for Phins fans to be optimistic.