While it’s unlike the catastrophic storm that displaced a game earlier this season, the current Buffalo forecast this weekend calls for a solid amount of snow. That could prove problematic for the Miami Dolphins as they get set to take on the rival Buffalo Bills in a pivotal AFC East game.
The Bills, of course, are likely more than prepared for the potentially frigid, snowy conditions, having played in them every year. It’s hard to think of a better home-field advantage in the NFL in December. Being a warm-weather team from a city that’s still seeing temperatures above 80 degrees this time of year, the Dolphins … might not be.
When he was asked about how he’ll prepare his squad for the potentially chaotic Buffalo winter weather, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel acted as if he isn’t worried in the least:
McDaniel said he will personally do "zero monitoring" of the weather this weekend in Buffalo
Added that the only real way they can prepare for it is "mentally deciding if it's gonna matter or not."
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) December 14, 2022
You know, I don’t have any real faults with McDaniel’s answer. I mean, what is he supposed to say? He’s not going to open the door to let the conditions get in his team’s head as they fight to stay alive in the playoff picture. He once coached with the Browns in similarly cold Cleveland. He knows the deal.
But if McDaniel really wants the Dolphins to prepare as if the potential snow essentially isn’t even there, it starts to make me wonder if he’s ever actually experienced snow. I understand what he means — you can’t let the weather get to your head, yeah, yeah — but snow isn’t exactly something you just ignore. People from these sorts of climates definitely don’t talk about snow as McDaniel did.
Given Tua Tagovailoa’s recent struggles, this is probably one of those instances where you should think about the weather. Never mind that there are Dolphins players like Jaelan Phillips who have legitimately never played in the snow.
.@MiamiDolphins LB Jaelan Phillips on @gmfb @nflnetwork on the weather in Buffalo: "I'm actually excited. I've never played in a snow game. The weather isn't something you can control."
— Will Selva (@WillSelvaTV) December 14, 2022
That powdery mix of mostly frozen precipitation doesn’t make for ideal conditions at a football game where elite athletes have to run and tackle and block and catch all over the field. It pays to know what you’re going to expect going in rather than slipping and sliding all over the place while you’re impossibly cold once the game starts.
If McDaniel can get the Dolphins to buy into his mentality, more power to him. Let’s just say I have my doubts about his plan working.