Latest news with #McDaniel
NBC Sports
15-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
2025 Miami Dolphins Fantasy Preview: Make or break for Tua Tagovailoa
The Dolphins gave us more of the same in 2024. They were dynamite when Tua Tagovailoa was healthy and a disaster when their quarterback was out of the lineup. Business as usual. Despite the spreadsheets going brrr, the design of the offense was vastly different, creating jaw-dropping risks for fantasy managers in 2025. 2024 Miami Dolphins Stats (Rank) Points per game: 20.3 (22nd) Total yards per game: 325.4 (18th) Plays per game: 63.6 (9th) Dropbacks per game: 42 (9th) Dropback EPA per play: 0.09 (15th) Rush attempts per game: 26.4 (19th) Rush EPA per play: -0.25 (31st) Tua on the hot seat The Dolphins played two games with Tua to start the year before he suffered a concussion that landed him on injured reserve. That sent Miami scrambling and left them with Tyler Huntley at quarterback. The move, in turn, forced them into a check-down scheme for the ages. Their team aDOT of 6.7 was the third-lowest of the last decade. Head coach and offensive mastermind Mike McDaniel schemed up easy throws for his backups and kept that philosophy in place even when Tua was active in the second half of the season. This resulted in career receiving numbers for Jonnu Smith and De'Von Achane, but the wide receivers were left hanging. Injuries were also an issue on the other side of the ball, but Miami's defense held on and finished the regular season ranked eighth in EPA per play. We're probably discussing at least a playoff loss for the Phins if McDaniel knew how to get more out of his backup quarterbacks. Instead, McDaniel is on the hot seat and Tua's career is on the ropes. Passing Game It's hard to stress this enough, but Tua was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league last year. Tagovailoa ranked: EPA per play - 7th Completion percent over expected - 8th Adjusted completion rate - 2nd Huntley, on the other hand, couldn't match that production. He ranked: EPA per play - 37th Completion percent over expected - 12th Adjusted completion rate - 12th Huntley showed some ability to execute what was asked of him, but, at the end of the day, his efficiency was putrid. That's to say nothing of a single dreadful start made by Skylar Thompson and a few comically futile snaps from Tom Boyle. As expected, all of the Miami players experienced drastic splits with and without Tua. Will Tagovailoa play a full season this year? Who knows. He's undoubtedly more prone to concussions and likely to spend longer on the bench when that does happen than the average passer. In redraft—where you can cut players at will—his availability is not an issue. The 2024 passing yardage leader is free money as the QB22. The risk becomes much more tangible in Best Ball drafts where you are stuck with him for the entire season. Moving to his receivers, Miami simply gave up on their explosive passing game last year, leaving both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle out to dry. Hill's falloff from 3.72 yards per route to 1.75 is one of the most dramatic falloffs of the past decade. If Hill's woes were exclusively related to his wrist injury or the design of the Miami offense, he could easily bounce back as a WR1 in 2025. He started to pick up the slack at the end of the season with two 100-yard games over the final five weeks. On the other hand, if he simply lost a step as the league's premier speed receiver, his days as an elite fantasy asset are over. Waddle experienced a similar dropoff in efficiency—cratering from 2.5 YPRR to 1.5—but he's five years younger than Hill. You wouldn't expect him to be past his prime already, though that's not entirely impossible. Waddle is going at a discount compared to his 2024 ADP, but drafters are far more confident in him rebounding compared to Hill. He has fallen 24 spots versus last year while Hill is down 20 spots. Given the value of early-round picks, that's a massive discount for Hill and only a modest markdown for Waddle. Hill offers a better ceiling outcome and comes at a better price relative to his 2024 cost. If you want to gamble on this offense, he's your man. Miami only had one other relevant pass-catcher last year—Jonnu Smith—and they just sent him packing to Pittsburgh. Smith emerged as a premier checkdown option in Miami's stunted offense. He averaged a 6.9/67/.9 receiving line over the final eight weeks of the season. Even including his slow start, only four tight ends averaged more yards per route than Jonnu (1.95) on the season. The Dolphins lured Darren Waller out of retirement to replace Smith. Waller averaged 1.55 YPRR, 9.4 PPR points per game, and had a 73.1 PFF receiving grade in his final season with the Giants in 2023. All three marks were top-15 among tight ends. He could be a viable seam-stretcher for Miami if he still has some juice in 2025, but it's hard to bet on a player who last played an (almost) full season in 2020 and has spent more time in the past year pursuing a rap career than professional football. Malik Washington's 2024 stats tell you all you need to know about Miami's WR3. He averaged .86 YPRR, good for 105th in the NFL. That put him just a handful of spots ahead of dead last among wide receivers. He wasn't bad with the ball in his hands. The rookie posted 4.7 yards after the catch per reception, placing him 38th among qualified wideouts. He simply couldn't earn a target to save his life in a crowded pass-catching room. Whether he or free agent addition Nick Westbrook-Ikhine wins the WR3 job is immaterial to fantasy managers. Running Game Miami's underwhelming passing output was surprising, but their dead-on-arrival ground game was shocking. Their -.21 EPA per play average on rush attempts ranked 315th out of 320 team-seasons over the past decade. Raheem Mostert ran for 18 touchdowns at 4.8 YPC in 2023. He found the end zone twice at 3.3 YPC last year. Achane, the team's lightning-in-a-bottle on the ground, went from 7.8 YPC—the highest market for a running back with at least 100 attempts in NFL history—to 4.5. Achane also set the record in NFL Next Gen's rush yards over expected metric at 2.87 per carry two years ago. The previous high-water mark was 1.86. He fell to -.42 RYOE per attempt in 2024, one of the worst marks in the league. While some of this can be chalked up to Achane running hotter than the sun as a rookie, a large part of his decline has to be blamed on the environment. Miami's stuff rate (carries stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage) was 29.3 percent last year, the fourth-highest mark of the past decade. Achane is a back who thrives on clear runways but doesn't have the power to turn small losses into modest gains. With the team's offensive line collapsing and the threat of a deep shot vanishing from the passing attack, Achane never had a chance to show off his home run speed last year. The good news is that he became a de facto third receiver for the Phins by leading all running backs in slot routes (120) and wide routes (58). Achane caught 78 balls for 592 yards and six scores. He led all running backs in all three categories, allowing him to finish as the PPR RB5 despite the poor rushing metrics. With Jonnu gone, his receiving role gives him an unprecedented floor. The upside for elite efficiency also gives him an immense ceiling. Jaylen Wright appears to be in line for the RB2 role with Mostert being cut early in the offseason. Like Achane, Wright's rushing metrics were underwhelming to say the least. He averaged a paltry 3.7 YPC on 68 attempts as a rookie. Miami only spent a sixth-round pick on Ollie Gordon and $1.4 million on Alexander Mattison as potential replacements for the backup job. GM Chris Grier traded a future third-round pick to move up for Wright in the fourth round last year. He isn't guaranteed the backup gig or any standalone work, but an RB51 pricetag is a minimal cost for a likely handcuff in an offense built on efficiency. 2025 Miami Dolphins Win Total DraftKings Over/Under: 7.5 Pick: Under (-105) The Dolphins are an all-or-nothing team. Either Tua stays healthy and the team excels or he misses time, McDaniel is fired, and the team looks to reset in 2026. I'd take the under on them this year, given the fragility of Tagovailoa's health and the potential for Hill to be over the Hill (pun intended). If you want to bet overs, taking a long shot like +750 to win the AFC East makes more sense than a simple win total play.
USA Today
12-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where LSU baseball's Kade Anderson sits in latest ESPN MLB mock draft
With days left until the 2025 MLB Draft, LSU baseball pitcher Kade Anderson climbed to the top of the latest mock draft from ESPN's Kiley McDaniel. McDaniel has the Washington Nationals selecting Anderson with the first overall pick in Sunday's draft. The left-hander was considered a lock for the first round throughout the 2025 season, but his playoff performance elevated his stock. "There is a lot of uncertainty at this pick after the firing of GM Mike Rizzo. The effect, if you believe the buzz in the industry, is that Anderson is now a little more likely to be the pick. I think it stands at about a 55% chance it will be Anderson, 35% for Ethan Holliday and 10% for Eli Willits/others," McDaniel said. Should the Nationals not take Anderson, it seems likely that the Los Angeles Angels will use their second overall selection to grab him. McDaniel has the Angels taking fellow southpaw Liam Doyle out of Tennessee. Anderson finished his second season at LSU as a national champion. He claimed the Friday starting role and finished with a 3.18 ERA and 180 strikeouts over 119 innings. In the final game of his collegiate career, Anderson used 130 pitches and got 10 strikeouts in a complete-game shutout over Coastal Carolina in the College World Series finals. LSU right-handed pitchers Anthony Eyanson and Chase Shores also earned spots on McDaniels' mock draft. Eyanson is slotted at No. 42 overall to the Tampa Bay Rays and Shores is at No. 59 to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Miami Herald
03-07-2025
- Climate
- Miami Herald
Lightning strike sends bride scrambling during photo shoot, NC photographer says
A lightning strike sent a bride scrambling during a photo shoot in North Carolina. 'Once the initial strike happened and we immediately fell to the ground, my first instinct was we got to get out of there,' Katie McDaniel, who had been posing for pictures before her upcoming wedding, told WCNC. 'I thought the tree was going to fall when the lightning struck it. I heard the cracking.' McDaniel told the TV station she thinks the lightning sent a current through the tree's roots, jolting the people in her group. The ordeal happened at Carver's Gap, near the North Carolina-Tennessee border and a roughly 65-mile drive northeast from Asheville. Photographer Brianna Pendley said skies were blue when the group of four ventured up Roan Mountain on June 27. Then it started to rain and hail, forcing everyone to seek cover, according to a Facebook post. 'Within literal milliseconds we were on the ground screaming because (lightning) had struck the tree/ground that we were under,' Pendley wrote. 'I felt the electricity in my feet and legs, and saw smoke coming from the ground so I knew it wasn't good.' After the lightning came out of the sky with 'no warning,' the dirt-covered group scurried down the mountain to safety, Pendley wrote on social media and told WSOC. 'At the bottom we ran into a bunch of people, some who said they seen the (lightning) strike where we were and heard the crying and screaming and were concerned,' the photographer wrote. 'We all ended up in the ER getting tests done and hooked to monitors.' No serious injuries were reported. Pendley said she feels 'blessed to live to tell about' the frightening moments. 'Yesterday was literally the scariest day of my life, hands down,' she wrote June 28. Pendley and McDaniel didn't immediately respond to McClatchy News' requests for comment on July 3. When thunderstorms hit, experts urge people to head inside immediately. If that's not possible, it's recommended to go to an area with lower elevation, avoid sheltering under isolated trees and get out of bodies of water, according to the National Weather Service.
USA Today
27-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
CBS assigns hot seat to Dolphins' Mike McDaniel, predicts job status
Mike McDaniel is entering a pivotal fourth season in Miami Gardens that could very well determine his job status with the Dolphins. McDaniel has led Miami to a pair of NFL playoffs berths and to a 28-23 mark over the past three regular seasons. Along the way, the 42-year-old has produced some electrifying moments. The Dolphins' playoff berth in 2022 was the franchise's first since 2016. Miami also boasted the league's top total offense, the No. 1 passing offense, the No. 2 scoring offense and the NFL's passing leader in Tua Tagovailoa (4,624 passing yards) during the 2023 season. Star receiver Tyreek Hill notched back-to-back 1,700-yard receiving seasons in 2022 and 2023. But, the Dolphins lost each of those two Wild Card appearances at the Buffalo Bills (34-31) and at the Kansas City Chiefs (26-7) to close out the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. Then, thanks in part to Tagovailoa's injury absences, the Dolphins slumped to 8-9 and missed the playoffs altogether last season. That means the heat is on McDaniel in 2025. With the fan base's—and maybe the front office's—patience beginning to wear thin, McDaniel finds himself among CBS' 2025 NFL season head coach hot seat rankings. According to CBS, McDaniel has the second-hottest seat in the NFL. Overall, the roster feels like it has plateaued, and impact pieces could still be stripped away before Week 1 rolls around, with cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith both being in the thick of trade rumors. McDaniel has produced high-flying offenses, but the inconsistent availability of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has hamstrung the franchise from reaching its full potential. As the arrow looks to be pointing down for the Dolphins, the rest of the division is getting more competitive. Buffalo remains the top dog, while New England and New York hired new head coaches this offseason and made solid moves to improve their rosters. That makes the road that much more difficult for the Dolphins in 2025, and it would not be surprising if they finish in last place. If that comes to fruition, it could result in Miami starting over across the board. - Tyler Sullivan, CBS. CBS predicted that McDaniel will ultimately be sent packing. So much of McDaniel's future seemingly lies in the health or lack thereof of Tagovailoa in 2025. If Tagovailoa can record his second full season of work, there's plenty of reasons for optimism. Tagovailoa still has Hill and Jaylen Waddle to work with alongside talented, rising dual-threat running back De'Von Achane. And, despite the fair critiques, McDaniel has shown he can concoct one of the league's most explosive offenses. Fortunes twist and turn in a hurry in the NFL, and maybe McDaniel can right the ship before it's too late. CBS' full top five head coach hot seat rankings looked like this: Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott at No. 5, Indianapolis' Shane Steichen at No. 4, Cincinnati's Zac Taylor at No. 3, McDaniel at No. 2 and the New York Giants' Brian Daboll at No. 1. Only McDermott was expected to retain his post.
Newsweek
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Dodgers Named 'Best Fit' for Orioles Closer Ahead of Trade Deadline
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to add to the bullpen next month ahead of the trade deadline. They do it every year, as contenders can never have too many elite relievers. With the National League West race as tight as it is this season and the San Francisco Giants right on their tails, the Dodgers will likely be a little more aggressive. Now, Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN have named them a logical contender for Orioles All-Star closer Felix Bautista. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: Felix Bautista #74 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 20, 2025 in New York City.... NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: Felix Bautista #74 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 20, 2025 in New York City. More"The Mountain is back from Tommy John surgery and looking like his former self," wrote McDaniel and Passan. "A dominant June -- eight innings, one hit, three walks, 12 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA -- has seen him induce more popups than line drives allowed. He has another two years before free agency, and with the Orioles planning on contending between now and then, landing him will take more than most teams are willing to give." Let's be honest here: The Dodgers are one of about three teams that won't care about giving up too many prospects. If the untouchables remain untouched, Andrew Friedman will gladly do what it takes to build the best roster. He has his eyes set on back-to-back titles. Overall this season, Bautista has a 2.70 ERA and 16 saves for the Orioles. Baltimore has been a major disappointment, and it has prevented the 30-year-old closer from racking up more saves. Pairing Bautista with Tanner Scott would give the Dodgers the best of both worlds as they would have a high-leverage reliever to deliver from both sides. This would give Dave Roberts some freedom and allow him to be flexible with his bullpen usage. "Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, Detroit, Atlanta, Arizona, Texas," wrote McDaniel and Passan. The Dodgers would have a lot of teams to outbid potentially if a trade were to happen. However, teams like the Braves and Diamondbacks may quickly drop out of the race depending upon how the next month of games go for each of them. More MLB: Blue Jays Pushed to Dump $150 Million Outfielder Ahead of Trade Deadline
