Around the NFL

February 10, 2022

Mike McDaniel

New Dolphin coach should help ground game

I’m not sure that Mike McDaniel will prove to be a better coach than Brian Flores. With modest talent, Flores finished with a winning record in both of his final two seasons. But for fantasy purposes, McDaniel makes me a lot more interested in Miami’s running backs.

McDaniel has been working with Kyle Shanahan for years – in Houston, Washington, Cleveland, Atlanta and San Francisco – and there have been a lot of productive running backs on those teams. For the last five years, McDaniel has been the No. 1 coach in charge of the running game with the 49ers, freeing up Shanahan to focus on other areas. He’s only 38, but it seems like he might be one of the top half-dozen run game coaches in the league.

Miami, meanwhile, has been dreadful running the ball. Over the last three years, the Dolphins have averaged only 90 rushing yards, with 37 TDs in 49 games. The 49ers in those same three years have averaged 130 rushing yards, with 64 touchdowns. That’s 40 more yards per week and almost a yard more per carry, with almost twice as many touchdowns.

I’m not sure who’ll be their featured ball carrier. Probably somebody who isn’t even on the team right now. (Probably not Myles Gaskin, who’s built more like a third-down guy.) But I would think somebody on that team might be a top-10 rusher.

Below see the top 30 rushing offenses from the last three years (using standard fantasy scoring). All three of the San Francisco offenses are in there (meaning they put up top-10 kind of numbers). New day in Miami.

TOP RUSHING OFFENSES, 2019-2021
Year	Offense	G	Att	Yards	Avg	TD	Pts/G
2019	Baltimore	16	596	3,296	5.5	21	28.5
2020	Baltimore	16	555	3,071	5.5	24	28.2
2020	Tennessee	16	521	2,690	5.2	26	26.6
2020	New Orleans	16	494	2,265	4.6	30	25.4
2021	Philadelphia	17	550	2,715	4.9	25	24.8
2019	San Francisco	16	498	2,305	4.6	23	23.0
2020	Cleveland	16	495	2,374	4.8	21	22.7
2021	Indianapolis	17	499	2,540	5.1	22	22.7
2021	Tennessee	17	551	2,404	4.4	23	22.3
2020	Arizona	16	479	2,237	4.7	22	22.2
2020	New England	16	502	2,346	4.7	20	22.2
2020	Minnesota	16	468	2,283	4.9	20	21.8
2019	Tennessee	16	445	2,223	5.0	21	21.8
2021	Cleveland	17	485	2,471	5.1	20	21.6
2021	New England	17	489	2,151	4.4	24	21.1
2021	Baltimore	17	517	2,479	4.8	18	20.9
2021	San Francisco	17	499	2,166	4.3	22	20.5
2019	Minnesota	16	476	2,133	4.5	19	20.5
2021	Arizona	17	496	2,076	4.2	23	20.3
2019	Dallas	16	449	2,153	4.8	18	20.2
2021	Buffalo	17	461	2,209	4.8	20	20.1
2020	Indianapolis	16	459	1,996	4.3	20	20.0
2020	LA Rams	16	473	2,018	4.3	19	19.7
2019	Indianapolis	16	471	2,130	4.5	17	19.7
2020	Las Vegas	16	457	1,916	4.2	20	19.5
2019	Seattle	16	481	2,200	4.6	15	19.4
2020	Green Bay	16	443	2,118	4.8	16	19.2
2019	Arizona	16	396	1,990	5.0	18	19.2
2020	San Francisco	16	437	1,889	4.3	19	18.9
2019	Houston	16	434	2,009	4.6	17	18.9
2019	Carolina	16	386	1,819	4.7	20	18.9
2020	Philadelphia	16	403	2,027	5.0	16	18.7
2021	Seattle	17	413	2,074	5.0	18	18.6
2019	Philadelphia	16	454	1,939	4.3	16	18.1
2019	Green Bay	16	411	1,795	4.4	18	18.0
2020	Seattle	16	411	1,971	4.8	15	17.9
2020	Carolina	16	407	1,704	4.2	19	17.8
2021	Dallas	17	473	2,119	4.5	15	17.8
2019	Buffalo	16	465	2,054	4.4	13	17.7
2021	Denver	17	455	2,025	4.5	16	17.6
2019	Cleveland	16	393	1,901	4.8	15	17.5
2021	Kansas City	17	431	1,955	4.5	16	17.1
2021	LA Chargers	17	423	1,834	4.3	18	17.1
2019	New England	16	447	1,703	3.8	17	17.0
2019	LA Rams	16	401	1,499	3.7	20	16.9
2020	Denver	16	442	1,918	4.3	13	16.9
2021	Carolina	17	455	1,842	4.0	17	16.8
2020	Washington	16	400	1,611	4.0	18	16.8
2021	Chicago	17	475	2,018	4.2	14	16.8
2020	Buffalo	16	411	1,723	4.2	16	16.8
2021	Washington	17	477	2,061	4.3	13	16.7
2019	Oakland	16	437	1,893	4.3	13	16.7
2020	Dallas	16	430	1,788	4.2	14	16.4
2021	Tampa Bay	17	385	1,672	4.3	18	16.2
2020	• Miami	16	428	1,688	3.9	15	16.2
2020	Kansas City	16	403	1,799	4.5	13	16.1
2021	New Orleans	17	510	1,991	3.9	12	15.9
2020	NY Giants	16	399	1,768	4.4	13	15.9
2021	Cincinnati	17	436	1,742	4.0	16	15.9
2019	Kansas City	16	375	1,569	4.2	16	15.8
2021	Green Bay	17	446	1,900	4.3	13	15.8
2020	Detroit	16	367	1,499	4.1	17	15.7
2020	LA Chargers	16	466	1,784	3.8	12	15.7
2020	Tampa Bay	16	369	1,519	4.1	16	15.5
2019	New Orleans	16	405	1,738	4.3	12	15.4
2021	Detroit	17	427	1,886	4.4	12	15.3
2020	Cincinnati	16	411	1,668	4.1	13	15.3
2019	Tampa Bay	16	409	1,521	3.7	15	15.1
2021	Jacksonville	17	392	1,755	4.5	13	14.9
2021	Minnesota	17	449	1,930	4.3	10	14.9
2020	Chicago	16	393	1,647	4.2	12	14.8
2021	NY Jets	17	380	1,667	4.4	14	14.7
2019	NY Giants	16	362	1,685	4.7	11	14.7
2019	Denver	16	409	1,662	4.1	11	14.5
2021	Las Vegas	17	414	1,617	3.9	14	14.5
2020	Atlanta	16	409	1,532	3.7	13	14.5
2020	NY Jets	16	406	1,683	4.1	9	13.9
2019	LA Chargers	16	366	1,453	4.0	12	13.6
2021	• Miami	17	442	1,568	3.5	12	13.5
2021	LA Rams	17	420	1,683	4.0	10	13.4
2019	Washington	16	356	1,583	4.4	9	13.3
2020	Pittsburgh	16	373	1,351	3.6	12	12.9
2019	Detroit	16	407	1,649	4.1	7	12.9
2020	Houston	16	344	1,466	4.3	10	12.9
2020	Jacksonville	16	337	1,519	4.5	9	12.9
2019	Cincinnati	16	385	1,517	3.9	9	12.9
2021	Pittsburgh	17	411	1,583	3.9	10	12.8
2021	NY Giants	17	419	1,688	4.0	8	12.8
2021	Atlanta	17	393	1,451	3.7	11	12.4
2019	Atlanta	16	362	1,361	3.8	10	12.3
2019	Chicago	16	395	1,458	3.7	8	12.1
2019	Jacksonville	16	389	1,708	4.4	3	11.8
2019	Pittsburgh	16	395	1,447	3.7	7	11.7
2021	Houston	17	420	1,422	3.4	8	11.2
2019	• Miami	16	349	1,156	3.3	10	11.0
2019	NY Jets	16	383	1,257	3.3	6	10.1

--Ian Allan

Mike McDaniel

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