Has Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel gone from a deep freeze in Kansas City to a hot seat in Miami? That question was posed by a viewer for Thursday’s #PFTPM, along with the question of G.M. Chris Grier is in danger, too.
These are fair questions to ask, because most coaches and General Managers are only one disastrous season away from being replaced. The tougher question is whether a season that is good but not great can spark change.
The reality for the Dolphins is the same that it is for every team, except the Packers. One person ultimately makes the big decisions. In Miami, that one person is Stephen Ross.
Ross turns 84 in May. As Jets owner Leon Hess said in 1995, in surprisingly firing Pete Carroll after one year and hiring Rich Kotite, “I’m 80 years old and I want results now.” (Kotite went 4-27 before resigning just before the 1996 regular-season finale.)
Ross has gotten a couple of playoff appearances from McDaniel, but no playoff wins. During the time Ross has owned the team, the Dolphins have never won a playoff game.
Nothing prevents Ross from deciding to make a change, if 2024 ends with another failure to win in the postseason, or to get there. It’s his decision, just like it’s his decision to not give the fans what they want when it comes to the team’s uniforms.
He’s in charge. And he’s prone to getting big ideas when it comes to potentially upgrading the team. Two years ago, he wanted to hire Sean Payton and trade for Tom Brady. (Ross was later suspended and the Dolphins lost a first-round pick for blatantly tampering with both Payton and Brady.)
If the Dolphins don’t deliver in 2024, only Ross knows what he’ll do. But he’ll be closing in on another birthday when the next season ends. And he might decide, “I’m about to be 85 years old and I want results now.”
Especially with coaches like Carroll, Bill Belichick, and Mike Vrabel available.
So are McDaniel and Grier on the hot seat? Only one person truly knows. Based on how 2024 goes, the rest of us will find out.
