Dan Orlovsky left in awe of Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel days before the ‘vital’ Chiefs game in Germany

The ESPN analyst was impressed by Mike McDaniel and his leadership style.

Dan Orlovsky left in awe of Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel days before the ‘vital’ Chiefs game in Germany

Mike McDaniel and Dan Orlovsky. (via AP/ESPN Images)

The Miami Dolphins will take on the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend in the NFL’s International game scheduled to be held in Germany. This game is important for two reasons, the first being that both the teams have a 6-2 record and have played very good football so far into the season, and the second being, Tyreek Hill. The wideout will play against his former NFL team and he will be looking to beat them.

Ahead of the hottest game on the NFL calendar, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky sat down and spoke with Mike McDaniel, the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. The analyst was impressed with the manner in which he conducted himself and his knowledge of the game. The analyst praised McDaniel:

Going into it I knew he was really smart...but walking out of it...more impressed with him and his understanding as a coach and his responsibilities...I don't know if I've ever heard a coach talk the way he talks.
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Dan was left in awe as Mike McDaniel’s approach to the game, how he understands the role that he plays and the impact it has on his players, and his obsession with his job is rare to witness. These were all elements that baffled Dan Orlovsky:

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To hear him talk about the responsibility he feels, embraces about coaching, and the obsession about it, and the appreciation for it, and how he understands how much his role is connected to everybody that he comes across within the organization.

Dan Orlovsky wishes the NFL had more head coaches like Mike McDaniel

The analyst knew that Mike McDaniel was definitely special and he is a talented individual. But he had never had the chance to sit with him and get to know him on this level, it showed Dan that McDaniel is so much more than what fans and the media make him out to be. His passion for the game and his ability to understand and break down his own obligations towards the organization, towards his players, and towards his staff are things he has never heard any other coach talk about.

Dan Orlovsky Mike McDaniel
Mike McDaniel and Dan Orlovsky. (via Lapresse/ ESPN Images)

Orlovsky went on to add: 

It's rare in the NFL to hear a coach like this and it should be celebrated because out of all the coaches I've come across, I don't know if I've ever heard a guy talk about the role of coaching in the NFL the way that Mike McDaniel has.

Orlovsky pointed out Mike McDaniel's ability to draw up a playbook that caters to the strengths of Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill. He knows what his players are good at and he takes advantage of that. In the offseason, Mike had attached a camera on his quarterback's helmet in order to get a better understanding of what his QB sees when the ball is snapped to him. This enabled him to get a better idea of Tua's style of play and how he analyzes the entire field.

This is just one instance where Mike McDaniel’s brilliance can be seen and the coach would have definitely come used these inputs to help Tua improve his game. These are small things that make a big difference, one does not see every NFL coach doing this, only a handful of them understand the profound impact that can be made by such initiatives and Mike McDaniel is definitely one of them.

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