After spending his first three seasons with the Raiders, fullback Alec Ingold joined the Dolphins in free agency last year. He ended up in a significant role in Miami’s offense under head coach Mike McDaniel, playing 40 percent of the unit’s snaps while also playing 30 percent of special teams snaps. He even started 14 games, which is rare for a fullback in today’s NFL. In a recent appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Ingold detailed what he likes about McDaniel as a head coach, which seems to have a lot to do with McDaniel’s positivity. “Coach McDaniel is really good at coaching the player and the jersey number — having a standard for the system, how you need to play, how you need to perform,” Ingold said. “We’ve been talking about that since the jump. This entire conversation, what makes a great coach being able to make players play to their potential — not make them, but coach them up there. I think that’s what I love about working with coach McDaniel, is you see that belief in your potential. This is how good you can be. This is the 10 best plays that you had in your career — let’s go do that over and over and over again. “So, the standard of coaching is high. The standard of expectations is high. And I think it’s an encouraging way to look at football. You’re not getting beaten down with a stick all the time. It’s definitely there. But it’s like, here’s how we can all make plays, and here’s how we can all make wins together. So I think that’s what’s really cool.” In 2022, Ingold caught 15 passes for 105 yards with a touchdown and gained 8 yards on six carries with a TD as well. Five of his six rushes resulted in a first down.
I think that McDaniel has a lot of potential. He has a lot of room to grow and learn, and has to do a much better job of calling plays on gameday, but I love his personality intelligence. If we were in a situation where our division didn't have any great teams, I'd say the odds were really high that he would gradually be allowed to get a little better every season and shine by the time he was in his 4th or 5th year. However, we all know that the pressure is high this year on the Fins in general, and on Tua in particular, and if things go a little sideways, I hope that Ross doesn't get antsy and pull the plug early on McDaniel.
I would argue that if our defense played as expected last season AND Tua did not have the multiple injuries, we would have picked up an additional 2-3 wins in the regular season and made it to the conference championships. We can expect a much better D this year, so I think Tua is now the lone variable on how far we go. Of course some of that falls on McDaniel as well, but I think he did enough in year one (and will do enough in year two) to take us to the Super Bowl.
do you take into account injuries when evaluating the team? I rewatched the bills game on the road, the one where we should of won, you know who was getting roasted in that game, Noah Igbo, Keion Crossen, Justin Bethel, Verone mckinley, and a rookie Kader. context matters.
My expectations aren't nearly thar high. I think that if everything goes well and we stay healthy, then we should be in a fight in December for the division. Fingers crossed. Win the division and we get a home playoff game, and that's huge.
That's true, injuries really did kill our secondary last year. Who knows how much of that was coaching when you're starting 4th stringers.
I agree. My expectations are sky high and maybe I'm delusional, but I think this is a super bowl roster.
LOL, well I wasn't saying that. Super Bowl seems like a real long shot. Maybe if absolutely everything goes well this season and then they add to the areas that are big weaknesses next offseason and we stay healthy both years....maybe. I don't think that this year's Fins team is a legit 13 or 14 win club though. Especially in this division.
I think they can be if everything clicks early AND Tua stays healthy. That's probably too optimistic, but that's my right as a fan, LOL.
Heck, there are 32 fanbases that are optimistic at this time of the year; we have more right than many to that optimism. Well, the Arizona fans probably aren’t too positive about the upcoming season, unless they are dreaming of Caleb Williams in a Cardinal uniform.
I'm very much a one step at a time person. The Fins barely snuck into the playoffs as a WC last year, and they had lots of holes even when fully healthy and clicking. There were only a few games vs lesser opponents where I ever really felt good and comfortable about what was happening on the field. Otherwise it was very much seat of the pants survival. And so for me it's quiet a leap to go from there to the Super Bowl. I need to see and feel that this is a team that can go out and do their thing on both sides of the ball week after week and not need a handful of big, unrepeatable plays to fall their way to make it happen. If we make those steps this year, if we truly look good on a regular basis, then maybe I can go into 2024 feeling like we can take the next step.
pretty sure playing off 20 yards on 3rd and long is not a brilliant defense call. He did it over and over again.
