Tag: Frank Smith

Mike McDaniel: I’d give up play-calling duties if I thought it’d help

Mike McDaniel says he’d give up play calling “in a heartbeat” if he thought someone else would help the Dolphins win.

The Miami Dolphins offense has been stuck in neutral early in the 2024 season. After leading the league in offensive yardage and racking up the second most points a year ago, the Dolphins are dead last in scoring through the first three weeks.

While a concussion suffered by Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa forced the team to rely on Skylar Thompson and Mike Boyle in a 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, questionable decisions made by head coach Mike McDaniel seemingly exacerbated Miami’s struggles.

But even though McDaniel says his preparation needs to improve if the Dolphins hope to get back on track, he doesn’t think it’d be helpful if he handed play-calling duties over to offensive coordinator Frank Smith.

“I take the responsibility super serious and every time that I’m calling a game, it’s based upon doing the best for the team,” McDaniel said Tuesday. “I wouldn’t hesitate to change that procedure — because it is my call — I would change it in a heartbeat if I thought somebody else gave the team a better chance to win.”

Evidently, McDaniel doesn’t feel as though it has reached that point.

It’s not the first time the subject has been raised. After the Dolphins failed to reach 20 points in three straight losses — two in the regular season and one in the playoffs — to end their 2023 season, McDaniel didn’t rule out making a change.

“I think the way I look at it is nothing is off the table ever, just because to just say well that’s the way we’ve done it, that’s not a good enough reason to me,” McDaniel said in January. “I think we failed to reach our goals this season. Play calling wouldn’t live outside that. We’ll see based upon what we do with this season.”

Two months later, he told reporters that reached a conclusion: he’d still be calling the plays for the Dolphins offense in 2024.

“I’ve thought about it long and hard,” McDaniel said. “I think from a play-calling perspective, for now in the spring, I’m going to call plays. And I plan on doing it in the fall. But we’ll always adjust, if necessary.”

At the top of the list of head-scratching decisions made by McDaniel in September was the Dolphins’ lack of commitment to the ground game against a Seahawks defense that allowed 185 rushing yards in the week prior.

By halftime, Miami had already asked Thompson to drop back to pass more than twice as many times as he handed the ball off. Rookie Jaylen Wright took two carries for 17 yards in the first half and then didn’t get another touch.

https://twitter.com/finscentral/status/1838320132038262817/

Through three games, the Dolphins have turned the ball over on downs nine times — four more than any other team — and they’ve successfully converted just one fourth down. They’ve turned only two of their eight red zone trips into touchdowns, the worst rate in the NFL.

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Dolphins TE Jonnu Smith is a ‘galvanizer’ in more ways than one

Jonnu Smith signed with Miami on a two-year, $8.4 million contract this offseason, and he showed glimpses of what he could do Saturday.

More than seven years ago, Frank Smith got his first taste of what tight end Jonnu Smith could do on the football field.

Frank Smith was part of the coaching staff that worked with the former Florida International player at the 2017 Senior Bowl, and it was immediately clear that Jonnu Smith was meant to play in the NFL.

“You could just see when he was coming out of FIU, certain things were new to him, but he was just a guy who got football. He got it fast,” Smith said earlier this week. “To watch him and see how his career has gone has been awesome … you knew this guy is going to be a good pro, and he’s going to have a long career.”

Now, the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator gets to use his talents over the course of a full season. Smith signed with Miami on a two-year, $8.4 million contract this offseason, and he made his debut in the Dolphins offense on Saturday.

The former Titans, Patriots and Falcons player made his first catch in aqua against the Commanders. He ended the night with four catches for 23 yards, including a jet sweep touch pass play that showed glimpses of how he could be used throughout the season.

While Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel wouldn’t own up to any pre-planned packages for the multi-faceted player, he did say Saturday was a step forward in getting Smith comfortable in the offense.

“It was important for us to get him some burn that way so he could be comfortable like we know him to be and for him to be his best self,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “Jonnu is an example of, I think there’s multiple players offensively for us that can serve different roles at different times, which from a schematic standpoint, you’re able to present different problems in varied personnel groups and feature different skill sets that makes your offense more multiple.”

Outside of what Smith’s talents provide to the Dolphins offensive game plan, his personality and physicality make him a valuable asset for Miami, McDaniel said. The head coach mentioned Smith’s physicality, while Smith praised the tight end’s willingness to play a blocking role in a play-action offense.

And it doesn’t hurt that he’s invigorating the sideline.

“I think his second touch during the last preseason game was cool for multiple reasons,” McDaniel said. “If you look back on it, seeing some of his teammates on the sidelines and what energy he brings to the game, how connected the team is at this stage. I think we’ve been a very close team the last couple years, and I think we’re much further along in those relationships, and so that’s exciting for us. I think he is a galvanizer, and I think (on) the sidelines you can see how that is.”

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De’Von Achane has ‘made substantial growth,’ says Dolphins OC

Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith likes what he’s seen from De’Von Achane so far in training camp.

De’Von Achane only got 130 touches as a rookie in 2023, but he certainly maximized those opportunities. His 7.8 yards per carry was easily the highest mark in the NFL among players with at least 20 carries and Achane added 197 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns to boot.

Earlier in the offseason, Achane warned opponents that they hadn’t seen anything yet and they “better be worried” about what was coming in 2024 and beyond. The running back looked noticeably bigger during the offseason program, but Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith says it’s a mental leap that could make Achane especially dangerous.

“You can really see a growth of his understanding of the offense, where he fits in, just overall in the run game, where he’s trying to affect his aiming points, affect the defense, working together with the linemen, how it all fits together and then in the passing game as well,” Smith told reporters Thursday. “You can tell it’s year two for him. He’s really made substantial growth and I think this camp will really be good these next couple weeks for him to continue to grow upon everything he’s done.”

It’s a crowded backfield in Miami with Raheem Mostert, the NFL’s leader in rushing touchdowns during the 2023 season, set to return as the starter. In addition to Achane, there’s fourth-round rookie Jaylen Wright and veteran Jeff Wilson Jr. who will be battling for touches in relief of Mostert.

It seems for now that Achane is doing all the right things to position himself for a more significant role in the Dolphins offense in 2024.

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Texans OC Bobby Slowik also off the table for Seahawks head coach job

According to Albert Breer at Sports Illustrated, he got a significant raise to stay.

If the Seahawks had their hearts set on hiring one of the NFL’s bright young offensive minds, their options have diminished this week. Yesterday we learned that Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson told Seattle and Washington that he’s staying in Detroit to try to win a Super Bowl.

We also learned that Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is staying in Houston. According to Albert Breer at Sports Illustrated, he got a significant raise to stay.

Slowik did brilliant work this season with C.J. Stroud, who had the best rookie season of any quarterback since Cam Newton and has a skillset that’s similar to Geno Smith’s.

It would have been interesting to see what Slowik or Johnson might have done with this Seattle offense, but the team still has choices if they want to go this route, defying the conventional wisdom that they’re looking for a defensive candidate. According to the latest reporting from ESPN, Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is a candidate to watch if they don’t end up hiring Mike Macdonald.

More Seahawks Wire stories

7 Seahawks players who could see a bigger role in 2024

8 grades for Seattle rookies from the 2023 NFL season

3 Dolphins coaches who could be promoted to OC if Frank Smith leaves

If Miami needs to find a new OC, who could get a promotion?

With just one week left in January, there are still plenty of job openings around the NFL, including two that Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith is up for – the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers.

So, while it’s not a guarantee that Smith will leave the team in the coming weeks, the Dolphins would be smart to plan for who takes over his current role if he does.

Head coach Mike McDaniel may look outside of the building, but here are a few internal candidates who might get a look:

12 elevator pitches for the Panthers’ 12 HC candidates

There are 12 known candidates for the Panthers’ HC vacancy. What’s the greatest strength that each can offer to the organization? Let’s make some pitches.

There’s quite a lot to keep track of right now if you’re involved with the Carolina Panthers, who are currently in the middle of their second head-coaching hunt in as many offseasons. So, we’ll try to simplify the search.

Let’s make a pitch for each of the 12 candidates, highlighting the greatest strength they can bring to the struggling franchise.

Dolphins OC Frank Smith has completed an interview with the Seahawks

Miami’s OC has finished his second interview for an HC gig.

The Miami Dolphins have a very talented staff of coaches, and it’s no surprise that some of them are being looked at for promotions with other teams around the league.

On Thursday, Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith completed a virtual interview with the Seattle Seahawks for their open head coach job.

This is Smith’s second interview, as he also met with the Carolina Panthers for their head coach opening.

Smith, 42, joined Miami’s staff under Mike McDaniel in 2022 after spending 2021 with the Los Angeles Chargers and three years with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders prior to that.

This past year, the NFLPA asked over 1,700 players to rate their coordinators on a scale of 1-10, and Smith received the highest grade among all coaches in his role, so whatever team ends up with him (even if it’s Miami) will be getting a smart, well-liked leader to help run their franchise.

Panthers complete virtual interview with Rams DC Raheem Morris

The Panthers announced they have completed their virtual interview with Rams DC Raheem Morris.

Head-coaching interview No. 6 is now wrapped up.

The Carolina Panthers announced on Wednesday that they have completed their virtual interview with Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. The 47-year-old is now the sixth candidate to chat with the organization about the head coach job—joining Chris Tabor, Ejiro Evero, Todd Monken, Mike Macdonald and Frank Smith.

Morris, save for a year as the defensive coordinator at Kansas State University, has been on the NFL sidelines for the past two decades. He got his start in 2002 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—where he rose up the ranks from a defensive quality control coach all the way to their head coach in 2009.

Tampa Bay went 17-31 under Morris over three seasons. His best campaign came in 2010, where he led the Bucs to a 10-6 mark.

Morris, who was fired following the 2012 season, landed in Washington as a defensive backs coach for three years. He’d move on to Atlanta, where he’d get an 11-game interim head-coaching run to close out 2020.

He has spent the last three seasons heading the Rams defense.

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Dolphins OC Frank Smith listed as odds-on favorite to become next Panthers HC

Who’s the current favorite to be named the next HC of the Panthers? Here is one oddsmaker’s opinion:

So, who’s currently the favorite to become the newest head coach of the Carolina Panthers?

Bookies.com oddsmaker Adam Thompson has released a fresh set of odds for the job on Wednesday. Atop the list is Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, who leads the pack with an 18.2-percent chance.

Here’s the full rundown from Thompson:

  • Frank Smith (Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator): +450 (18.2 percent)
  • Mike Macdonald (Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator): +500 (16.7 percent)
  • Brian Callahan (Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator): +550 (15.4 percent)
  • Todd Monken (Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator): +700 (12.5 percent)
  • Ejiro Evero (Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator): +750 (11.8 percent)
  • Ben Johnson (Detroit Lions offensive coordinator): +1200 (7.7 percent)
  • Dave Canales (Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator): +1500 (6.3 percent)
  • Bobby Slowik (Houston Texans offensive coordinator):+1500 (6.3 percent)
  • Mike Vrabel (former Tennessee Titans head coach): +1750 (5.4 percent)
  • Bill Belichick (former New England Patriots head coach): +1800 (5.3 percent)
  • The Field: +600 (14.3 percent)

Smith, per an official release from last night, has completed his virtual interview with the Panthers. He is now one of five candidates to do so—joining 2023’s interim head coach and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, Evero, Monken and Macdonald.

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Could another offensive-minded coach be on the Commanders’ radar?

Will Adam Peters expand his list of coaching candidates?

The Washington Commanders have a general manager. On Tuesday, Adam Peters was introduced to the Washington media, one day after signing a five-year contract to head the franchise’s football operations.

The next step for Washington and Peters is to find a head coach.

Last week, the Commanders requested permission to speak with seven potential head coaching candidates:

  • Lions OC Ben Johnson
  • Lions DC Aaron Glenn
  • Ravens DC Mike MacDonald
  • Ravens AHC/DL coach Anthony Weaver
  • Rams DC Raheem Morris
  • Cowboys DC Dan Quinn
  • Texans OC Bobby Slowik

Most of these candidates have either interviewed with Washington or will interview this week. Peters wasn’t yet hired when the Commanders interviewed MacDonald and Weaver, although he will be if there is another round of interviews.

Some consider Johnson to be Washington’s top target. What does that mean? Nothing. While the Commanders may like Johnson, he could get another offer with more money or more power and choose that offer. Or, Peters could meet with Johnson and decide to go in another direction.

It’s a bit early to claim a favorite.

With Peters now at the head of football operations, will he expand beyond the seven initial candidates?

Frank Smith is the offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins were phenomenal on offense in 2023. However, Smith isn’t a household name because he doesn’t call plays. Head coach Mike McDaniels calls plays. But, Smith has quietly emerged in some places as a candidate. He’s scheduled at least two interviews for this cycle.

Could Peters bring the 42-year-old Smith in for an interview?

There are connections. While Smith has never worked in the same building as Peters, McDaniel worked in San Francisco for five seasons with Peters. McDaniel brought Smith to Miami in 2022.

While Smith has experience under McDaniel, Sean Payton gave him his first NFL job with the Saints back in 2010. He’s also worked for the Raiders under Jon Gruden. Payton and Gruden are highly respected offensive minds.

Ben Volin covers the NFL for The Boston Globe and is also hearing Johnson in connection to the Commanders. But he also brought up Smith’s name in a recent appearance on “The Sports Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C.

“You look at how Harris runs some of his other teams, it’s the young, analytics-based guys, and Peters is 44 and comes from the organization that everyone wants to try to emulate right now,” Volin said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy.

“I gotta think that they’re gonna look for a similar profile with their head coach. It looks like they probably want a young, good-looking offensive coach. The two names that you keep hearing are Ben Johnson, who several teams want him, and then Frank Smith, the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, who has been getting a lot of buzz – I actually heard a few weeks ago that he might be the favorite in Washington – but I think it will come down to that type of coach. It’s a new day in Washington.”

If Peters and the Commanders do prefer Johnson, MacDonald, Slowik or any of the other coaches whose teams remain in the playoffs, he can take his time. That would favor someone like Smith having the chance to interview with Washington.

Will it happen? It seems unlikely, but Peters may view things differently based on feedback he’s received from others he trusts.