Coach Mike McDaniel had an accident
head coach of orlando pirate
In addition to featuring plenty of Mike McDaniel, Tua Tagovailoa, and Tyreek Hill, the third episode of the Miami Dolphins’ in-season “Hard Knocks” series also featured a significant amount of screen time devoted to linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who took over a starting role following Jaelan Phillips’ season-ending Achilles injury.
From this vantage point, we rank the top 10 moments as follows:
10. The Breeds Competition with Daniel, Tua, and
Again, there was a ton of practice film with McDaniel miked up in this episode. One of the best bits was when the coach broke down Tua’s throwing mechanics for team CEO Tom Garfinkel, drawing comparisons to future Hall of Famer Drew Brees—a comparison that has been made of Tua far too often.
9. THE CHIEFS CONFERENCE
The postgame conversation between Tyreek Hill and his former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was particularly memorable because of the statement from Hill: “Without you being part of my journey, I wouldn’t be here right now.” Postgame conversations often lead to some great moments (see Raheem Mostert and Aaron Rodgers in Episode 2).
8. TUA is a “PSYCHOTIC” song
During the practice sequences, we witness Jalen Ramsey intercept the ball in the end zone, Tua becoming agitated, McDaniel advising Tua to direct his feelings appropriately, and Tua subsequently putting on a practice session so strong that McDaniel remarks, “He’s going to get 450 because he’s psychotic right now.”
7. BRAND-NEW VETERANS
As was the case with Jason Pierre-Paul, “Hard Knocks” is usually fantastic for giving a behind-the-scenes look anytime a veteran joins a new squad. The narration by Liev Schreiber—who has an amazing voice, by the way—pointing out that JPP was given the preferred seat in the outside linebackers room while Cameron Goode, a second-year player, had to move made me adore the scene even though it was quite low-key overall. Then we learned that Pierre-Paul goes by JPP or just PP, as he revealed to Raekwon Davis on the practice field.
6. RAHEEM’S TOP THREE AND CHRISTMAS
Michael Bublé music was played at the start of the program, and it was again at the end when Tua asked running back Raheem Mostert what the three best Christmas movies were. “Home Alone,” “Elf,” and “A Christmas Story” were all created by Mostert.
5. A RETURN TO WASHINGTON
It goes without saying that McDaniel’s first game as head coach in Washington was spoken about. As Dolphins fans should already be aware, he was a member of a fantastic coaching staff in Washington ten years ago that featured current head coaches Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, and Kyle Shanahan. A video of a much younger McDaniel conversing with one of his players during his time in Washington was presented. That was a long time after McDaniel had teased his players by saying, “You’ll be paying attention to where we play this week.” Order, with the commanders in view. Do you understand?
4. NOT THE 8-3 OF LAST YEAR
The Dolphins’ 8-3 record this year and everyone’s commitment to ensuring a far stronger finish this time around were the most frequently mentioned themes throughout the show. “We’ll be able to remedy the demons of last year,” McDaniel tells his team near the beginning of the episode. In his postgame address, McDaniel remarked, “This is a lot different than after 8-3 last year,” following the Dolphins’ 45-15 victory over Washington, which moved them to 9-3 after they had previously been at 8-4 in 2022.
3. METCALF AND TYREEK
It’s great that Tyreek Hill, the wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, was suggested by wide receivers coach Wes Welker to locate a sponsor to contribute funds for an offseason race between him and wide receiver D.K. Metcalf. Naturally, this occurred after Metcalf, who took Hill’s place, scored a touchdown against Dallas last Thursday at a pace of 22.23 mph, which was the fastest speed ever recorded in a game this season, according to NextGen Stats. Later, during practice, Hill admitted to his teammates that he was no longer able to reach his rookie speed of 23 mph. By the way, Mostert’s 23.09 mph record from 2020, when he was still with the 49ers, was surpassed by Metcalf’s pace.
