How Mike McDaniel is mixing the 49er offense with Miami aptitude

The Miami Dolphins defeated the New England Patriots 20-7 on Sunday in head coach Mike McDaniel’s debut in South Seashore. All eyes can be on the offense, as new receiver Tyreek Hill would mix with Jaylen Waddle and QB Tua Tagovailoa to create an offense that may hopefully lead the Dolphins into the playoffs.

Upon first return, I’d say the offense seemed easy in the appropriate locations. They completed No. 13 within the NFL in EPA per play in Week 1, and had an total success charge of 48.3%. Nevertheless, I do suppose there was some meat left on the bone, per se, when it got here to the offense on Sunday, however that’s what the movie room is for. So let’s check out the nice and unhealthy from the Dolphins offense on Sunday.

Artistic makes use of of movement and personnel to create benefits

We all know that coming from San Francisco, McDaniel would deliver a few of the Shanahan flavors to the Dolphin offense. Very like something that hits South Seashore although, McDaniel has juiced the Shanahan offense up and added taste, flavors that match the personnel that he has in Miami.

For instance, in San Francisco Jimmy Garoppolo spent most of his time below heart, 380 dropbacks of his have been from gun final yr, twenty second within the NFL per Sports activities Information Options. It was the place he was snug as a QB. Within the early returns from the Dolphins offense, Tua goes to spend so much of time from the shotgun, as a result of that’s the place he’s snug as a QB. When the Dolphins went on scoring drives, they mixed Tua’s fast launch and level guard enjoying model to get the ball to their playmakers, particularly Tyreek Hill, who noticed 12 targets on Sunday.

Hill’s utilization was additionally intriguing to me, as they put him in movement quite a bit simply to create favorable matchups within the passing recreation. Hill’s pace is like no person else within the NFL, and with that risk McDaniel is getting him the ball out of jet motions into stacks, like this early chunk completion:

The Dolphins movement Tyreek and find yourself getting he and Jaylen Waddle in a stack alignment when the ball is snapped. Hill reads the leverage of the DB who has to run throughout the formation and over one other DB to get to Hill, who breaks off the route because of the leverage. Simple chunk play. Miami goes to hit a whole lot of explosives within the passing recreation if McDaniel can proceed to make use of his personnel and movement to place the sport on straightforward mode for Hill and Waddle.

McDaniel didn’t neglect about his roots in San Francisco’s run recreation, nevertheless. The Dolphins used a whole lot of Shanahan’s exterior zone ideas with some success, comparable to this exterior zone toss, that the Shanahan tree calls 18 or 19 Zorro:

McDaniel ran this a number of instances in Miami’s first recreation, however this one stands out due to the personnel. TE Durham Smythe goes goes into movement and blocks the within of FB Alec Ingold’s block, as a substitute of the opposite method round. Ingold was in for lots of snaps within the first recreation, lined up flexed as an h again, in line as a good finish, or within the backfield as a fullback. McDaniel might not have Kyle Juszczyk at fullback, however Ingold is doing a whole lot of the identical issues.

Take a look at what the movement does to the second degree of the Patriots protection. It bumps them out, creating favorable angles for the linemen to achieve them and create a cutback lane for Chase Edmonds. McDaniel has a supercharged offense in Miami, and his utilization of movement helps the Dolphins offense create favorable alternatives for his or her talent participant room, which is extraordinarily quick.

The Unhealthy: offensive line play and predictability on offense

I really feel like these two go hand in hand, as a result of a whole lot of the issues that the Dolphins confronted on Sunday have been due to the appropriate facet of the offensive line being poor, which made their offense predictable.

Bear in mind what I mentioned about Tua being extra snug passing out of shotgun than below heart? Yeah that was very clear on Sunday. Most of Tagovailoa’s straight dropbacks on Sunday have been out of the shotgun, and he might get the ball out rapidly. Nevertheless, the inside of the offensive line was the issue for the Dolphins, numerous strain got here from over the guards. On this play, they only get beat up entrance, no blitz or simulated strain, simply New England’s guys have been higher.

Later within the recreation Miami would begin leaving their backs and tight ends within the safety or including chip assist, which is one thing you are able to do, however you don’t need to proceed to dwell in that world. With the ability to get all of your guys into the passing idea is vital to an explosive offense, and if the offensive line can’t maintain up on the inside, the Dolphins gained’t be as explosive.

It could additionally assist Miami’s offense quite a bit in the event that they have been in a position to run the ball out of shotgun. As a result of Tagovailoa is a extra gifted passer out of the gun, having the ability to present totally different appears to be like and preserve the protection guessing is vital to preserving the Dolphins offense regular. On this run play, the Dolphins pull their left guard, and Durham Smythe goes to dam the LB. Huge downside although: no person blocks Deatrich Clever Jr, the tip on the play.

Total, I feel the Dolphins had a great offensive efficiency. You possibly can see what McDaniel needs to do and the way he’s mixing the San Francisco offense base with the personnel he has. You possibly can see how Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are going for use as effectively. For Hill, it’s touching the ball nevertheless McDaniel needs to get it to him. Designed runs, display screen passes, downfield targets. You’ve the queen on the chessboard. Waddle will perform a little extra of the standard receiver stuff, however the gameplan is straightforward: get the ball of their palms and allow them to run.

Nevertheless, there was some meat left on the bone with the offense, particularly within the run recreation.

Miami runs the danger of being the 2022 model of the Bengals final yr (and this yr truthfully) if the offensive line can’t execute and if they will’t differ up their passing recreation in customary dropback conditions. Their success charge working the ball wasn’t as excessive as anticipated, and it was clear in excessive leverage conditions (comparable to once they have been backed up on their very own 5) they have been going to resort to the tempo, fast recreation passing out of the gun. If the aim is to assist Tua, one of the simplest ways to do this is take some obligations off of his plate, and Miami can do this by merely executing higher within the run recreation and blocking higher up entrance.

The offense can’t stay within the fast recreation and tempo base that the Dolphins ran final yr. A part of the rationale they went and traded for Tyreek Hill is to create extra massive performs downfield. It was clear within the first recreation that they’re nonetheless figuring out the kinks in that space, however when you’ve got two of the quickest receivers on Earth on the identical group, it raises your ground. The query turns into: how excessive is the ceiling?

For now although, it’s easy crusing in South Seashore.