Miami's Mike McDaniel on unique coaching, bond w/ players, lessons from losses & AFC East

FOLLOW THE PIVOT PODCAST: MERCH | https://pivotpodcast.com YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/thepivotpodcast INSTAGRAM | https://instagram.com/thepivot TWITTER | https://twitter.com/thepivot TIKTOK | https://tiktok.com/@thepivot FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/thepivotpodcast FOLLOW HAPPY DAD: https://www.instagram.com/happydad FIND HAPPY DAD: https://www.happydad.com/find Prior to kicking off the NFL season, Coach McDaniel found some time for us to sit with him and talk about life lessons, football and what's ahead. A man who had a dream from a young age and passion for football took his dream and parlayed it into a head coaching job in the National Football League and has created something special with his team in South Florida. A Yale graduate, making him an unique candidate and person for being a head coach in the NFL but also makes him stand out and be someone who captivates people and his players with such a different coaching style and his young age also generates a lot of buzz but all factors that McDaniel said he embraces. The conversation and wisdom in his words is something players latch onto but also his academic analyzation of Xs and Os is something that makes Miami a team with an aggressive offense and team that problem solves to only get better each week. With the Miami Dolphins projected to be one of the top teams in the AFC, McDaniel talks about how he welcomes the competition and says if you can't play against the best then what's the purpose in the long run. In a tough division with the Bills, Jets and Patriots, McDaniel says it's a title up for grabs and any team can win and focusing on the present and each day is a chance to be the best. Fascinated by his coaching style and relationship with players, the guys dive into what has shaped McDaniel and his coaching approach and what is the mindset into each day, each game and with different players. Talking about life Pivots, McDaniel further expounds on his time away from the NFL because of his alcohol related issues and how losing something you love is painful but carrying that pain of the loss is something that motivates you everyday to be the best you and make the most of every opportunity. He also talks about becoming a father has been one of the most moving and powerful experiences that keeps him going each day and wanting to be the best him. Tap in every Tuesday at 12p Eastern for our premiere episode of the Pivot. Special football drops on Friday afternoons at 3:30 p.m. We are your one-stop platform for all your sports and entertainment content. Stay tuned for updates on upcoming Pivot special episodes and check out our clips channel for behind the scenes moments and extra content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends. Like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest, or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an ultra. Because it's not just a superior light beer, it's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 0:30Channing Crowder?

  I flipped my drawers already this morning after that goddamn training camp thing. I had to flip my drawers over.

• 0:37Channing Crowder?

  Why did you put them on the air conditioner when you was doing your show? I did, so that's what I did. So I got to the room, I put my drawers and I shove them in the vent, and I turned the air conditioner on high, high fan, and it dried them out. And then I flip them over and put them on because... Like a new pair of drawers, huh? It's a new pair of drawers, because the outside of the drawers ain't touching nothing but cotton. They got jeans on it. They got jeans, that ain't bad. The inside of it was in, was in the motherfucking sewer system.

• 1:04Channing Crowder?

  Man, that's so funny. I ain't, I didn't know that nobody flipped their drawers till I saw you mess with y'all. I thought everybody flipped their drawers. I just put a new pair on. If I gotta flip them. That's expensive. I got drawers at the house that I done rubbed the ass out of.

• 1:27Channing Crowder?

  The whole ass is a hole. What?

• 1:32Channing Crowder?

  There he is!

• 1:33Speaker 02

  You guys are Mr. Plugs for me?

• 1:34Channing Crowder?

  Yeah, man. This is fire, dawg!

• 1:37Speaker 02

  How's it going? Man, it's my pleasure.

• 1:39Channing Crowder?

  What's happening with your brother? How you doing? Good to see you, man. Yes, sir.

• 1:43Speaker 02

  It's my pleasure. You right there, Coach? You got that big boy on. Oof, you know? It was a statement piece. Yes, it is. No, there's a funny story behind that. So, uh, I was talking to the team last year, um, about like, we had a, it was like OTA 5 or something. And I was like, you know, this practice, I knew we have something here because of the guys, like, the, the team that I inherited was a shell of what they were playing at the time. And so I made a bold statement, and they didn't know who they were messing with, right? So that, I said like, alright, I'm gonna go to the, the jewelry store and make an irresponsible decision.

• 2:28Speaker 02

  I'm gonna spend way more money than I would ever spend on anything. And it makes me the dumbest person in America. If, you know, I get fired next year. Right. I'm out of gas. This is totally irresponsible. It's a solid investment. Um, if it, if it is what I think it is, right? And so they just thought I was just talking shit. I went to the watch store and they threw like a special edition one of 25 at me. And I was like, okay, it's fate. So that's how I got the watch. Right. Uh, and it says 246 on it, which is the time that I got hired. And it's a great investment as long as I'm right.

• 3:10Speaker 02

  So it represents that, represents a lot of things, but that's why we're on the time. And it is loud.

• 3:15Ryan Clark?

  Nah, I mean, it's definitely loud.

• 3:17Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 3:17Ryan Clark?

  And you aren't necessarily loud, but in the way that you speak, uh, let's just say it rings, uh, it's, it's rings volumes throughout the sports world.

• 3:27Speaker 02

  Hold up.

• 3:52Ryan Clark?

  This is Chan. He got his Miami Dolphin colors on for you, Coach.

• 3:55Speaker 02

  No, no, this would be important for you guys to introduce yourselves. I have no idea who you are.

• 3:58Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, this is, this is Freddie T. That's Freddie T. I tell, I tell him, RC. I tell him. I'm more so introducing ourselves to the people, Coach.

• 4:07Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 4:08Ryan Clark?

  Hopefully you know who we are.

• 4:09Speaker 02

  Are you kidding me? Like, when Ann told me about this deal, I was like, I have to do it. This is literally the only moment that isn't scheduled out. And it's honestly my honor, like, you guys have no idea what you're stepping into. Just a straight up fanboy. There's elements in your guys' career that shape what I'm doing now. So like, um, on a door that I have going out to the practice field is fast, physical, elite technique. And you develop that mantra over, that's something that I wanted the team to look like. And one of the first exposures was 2012.

• 4:50Speaker 02

  In Pittsburgh, in those throwback. So ugly. But so like intimidating. Like it was like a crew of bad dudes. And we showed up and there's one play in particular. And just so you know, I'm not bullshitting, okay? It was tight will me six. Remember that call? Mm-hmm. And you were a quarter safety, Ryan. At about 12 yards. And we had full flow with Darryl Young, our fullback, who was a former linebacker. And he was a thumper and he'd always bring it to people. And we've been working on our combinations all week.

• 5:34Speaker 02

  We'd practice against Jim Hazlitt's version of the defense. So. And we go full flow. We catch tight will me six. You're playing a quarter of the field. And you trigger with zero hesitation. And short neck D Y in the C gap on the line of scrimmage. And it was like, what, what just happened? We just got a premier look, full flow run versus two shell. The dude didn't cheat it. And then kamikaze around the C gap. That play style hangs with you. And then there's other players, right?

• 6:16Speaker 02

  Then I knew you as Freddie with the gold fronts.

• 6:22Speaker 02

  Now, now you're corporate, I mean, but.

• 6:26Speaker 02

  There's a phrase that I use with running backs. Because one of the, one of the tough things from the college to pro transition. You know, you're so used to just being able to run around people. And like in the National Football League where pursuit is, like you're doing the entire defensive favor if as you try to make somebody miss, you break down, right, then it's tattoo, ear hole, fumble, all that stuff. So you had a natural way of what I call slashing. Like you were a one foot cutter that would find edges of defenders

• 7:09Speaker 02

  that would keep yourself away from pursuit.

• 7:12Channing Crowder?

  Yep.

• 7:13Speaker 02

  Slash running is something that literally all the running backs that we have on roster, you know, working with Chris, that's what we look for. And then my man right here, can we get some stories about your mouthpiece?

• 7:29Speaker 02

  Cause it's legendary.

• 7:32Ryan Clark?

  He talk cash money, Coach.

• 7:34Speaker 02

  Your lore still is around. I remember right at the beginning of my career, cause when did you come out?

• 7:43Channing Crowder?

  Five.

• 7:44Speaker 02

  So my first year in coaching was oh five. You were a mic that could thump, but for some reason you or somebody around you was always getting personal fouls.

• 7:56Speaker 02

  You know, taunted, like, you know what I mean? And like, there's just some legends out there.

• 8:01Ryan Clark?

  Yes, sir. That ain't changed, no. We've, we've almost been canceled as a podcast three or four times.

• 8:08Speaker 02

  Bro.

• 8:09Ryan Clark?

  Based off of Channing, just speaking his mind.

• 8:11Channing Crowder?

  I will say, Coach is the Channing of coaching. Cause Coach, you say whatever the hell pops in your mind, too.

• 8:16Speaker 02

  I mean, if you're not close to being canceled, you're not even trying, right?

• 8:21Ryan Clark?

  So I want to hear a story and see how true this story is. Your Denver Broncos, I guess, tenure and a love connection was made because you were trying to be sneaky and get double autographs from the same guy.

• 8:36Speaker 02

  Yeah, I was that guy.

• 8:37Ryan Clark?

  Right?

• 8:38Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 8:38Ryan Clark?

  And you lost your Charlotte Hornets hat.

• 8:39Speaker 02

  Right.

• 8:40Ryan Clark?

  They said it was a fire hat, though, Coach.

• 8:41Speaker 02

  Yeah, no.

• 8:42Ryan Clark?

  You can't just put it down.

• 8:43Speaker 02

  It was like right in Grandma, Grandma Ma Larry Johnson days. And it was a, I mean, it was loud. It was a teal with purple rim. And yeah, I thought it was too noticeable, so Robert Del Pino was the guy. It was my passion then. You know, I was riding at seven o'clock in the morning, riding my bike solo. To training camp and getting before, from dorms to breakfast and then to breakfast to, at that time it was two days and dudes getting taped and, you know, it's funny how life can,

• 9:26Speaker 02

  you can get these curveballs or these opportunities that you, that are so fortunate when you're just chasing your passion. I was just trying to get autographs. Trying to, and I, I didn't want to be that guy who's like, I already got you today. I had more cards to get signed, you know?

• 9:41Channing Crowder?

  Right.

• 9:42Speaker 02

  I see that as a, as an advantage because I come from such humble beginnings that, you know, if I do it the right way, you never lose that perspective. It, it's easy to get caught in life, just the ups and downs of the little stuff and how far that has come is never lost to me when I'm, when I'm executing my, my job now.

• 10:08Fred Taylor?

  Yeah, we figured we'll just call this Johnny Manziel Day. We didn't do any research.

• 10:13Speaker 02

  Oh, yeah?

• 10:13Fred Taylor?

  Zero research and we definitely didn't watch any film.

• 10:16Channing Crowder?

  Oh, zero?

• 10:16Fred Taylor?

  Zero.

• 10:17Speaker 02

  Dude, I was there. I was there too. I was there. I was there and I was getting the reports of zero. That's, that is real.

• 10:26Channing Crowder?

  How do you go to the GM, coach, and say, hey, man, look, Johnny don't know nothing. He ain't look at no film.

• 10:31Speaker 02

  I tried to stay in my lane at that time. It was kind of a hairy situation. You know, it's up in the air, whether or not there was congruence of thought in that draft selection, let's say. So we knew what it was and at that time it was more like, see, you know? Yeah, that was a wild, that was a wild time there.

• 10:51Channing Crowder?

  And Coach, what about your path? Because they just talk about the coaching trees and the Kyle Shanahan stuff and where you came from. And the paths of everybody's so different. We had Sean McVay on, who I know is a good friend of yours. And y'all's paths are so different than what we're used to with those old 75-year-old head coaches and they call y'all young gurus. How, how are guys like you able to be in the position you are now? What's your path here?

• 11:15Speaker 02

  Forward thinkers that have nothing to do with us.

• 11:20Speaker 02

  Mike Shanahan, Kyle Shanahan, giving us an opportunity like when we're as hungry as all get out. And the good thing about it is, is if you're in power in those situations, we all knew what time it was. We had something to prove. Like when you're a young coach, like, don't get it twisted, since I got into coaching at 22, I know exactly what people are thinking the second they see me when they don't know me. And that's how young guys feel. And so then you better be on your, on your stuff. And, you know, I learned early that the game of coaching is not hard.

• 12:01Speaker 02

  I look at players, and it's something we talk about as an organization and we do with the Dolphins all the time, is like, dude, you've worked your whole life and you have this window, this window that can, that is an opportunity that is finite. How precious, how sacred that is. And really, in that window, all players want is someone that can help them be better. So, the vision of Mike Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan connecting the dots, you know, it was a risk on them. We were getting called in the paper, the fun bunch and kind of like, and, and people were hating on Kyle, saying he just hired his friends.

• 12:46Speaker 02

  And he wasn't the nicest to all of us, so I wouldn't call us friends. No, we're very close, but like, it was that. And then, knowing that, okay, players just want tools to be successful. And they'll listen to anything and everything if it can really help. You know, I think it was very, very impactful for all of us involved drafting Robert Griffin and him having run and shoot type offense. And then, having a skillset like that, doing zone read and figuring it all out on our own, like as a coaching staff. That planted the seed for how

• 13:29Speaker 02

  We're all from the same system, but it's all, it all looks a little different. We got into it under the assumption that there's no absolutes. And that you are problem solving to maximize your players. And you don't hold back or, or resist how far you need to go to get that done.

• 13:48Ryan Clark?

  Channing mentioned guru, right? And I think that's something that's thrown around a little too often now in sports, because coaches are getting younger. And they expect that if you can earn this job at a young age, you have to have this exceptional level of intelligence. But you truly do. Ivy league, educated, wrote your thesis.

• 14:10Speaker 02

  I knew I loved this guy.

• 14:13Ryan Clark?

  You wrote your thesis on ball.

• 14:14Speaker 02

  I did.

• 14:14Ryan Clark?

  You know, and- What, what, what, zero research? He was joking. Come on, man.

• 14:19Fred Taylor?

  You said curveball.

• 14:20Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, he wasn't, he wasn't talking about me. Okay. But so, and so, Coach, and you write all 32 teams that you want any entry level job. So this was truly what you wanted to do. And I love the fact that you mentioned Kyle as well. Because until the Miami Dolphins, every NFL job you'd ever had, Kyle was a part of that staff. But you spent two years, or you spent some time away from the NFL, Coach. Can you tell me a little bit about what you learned about yourself in that time away? And also coaching in the UFL?

• 14:52Speaker 02

  Well, it's kind of like a life philosophy. What, what I learned, there's a relatableness that I have for players from the moment that I got let go. In most players' journeys, that is, whoa, your identity is wrapped up in this deal. It's weird when you go on a come up of being on a team. And then you go, you do transition from team to team. But you realize that like, that is a big part of your own identity from within. And much like, so I'm so sensitive about players retiring. Cause all of a sudden, bam. I was so hurt.

• 15:35Speaker 02

  And I was so mad that the situation got to where it got. That I had something to do with not being in the NFL at the time. That I knew that it was like, okay. This has to be a competitive advantage moving forward. I have to look that look myself in the mirror and not run from it. And like eat it day in, day out, so that when I get back in, whether it's like staying a little later, grinding a little concept, thinking through different ways to try to communicate a thought to somebody.

• 16:18Speaker 02

  I needed to use those days away and never forget them. Never forget them so that perspective can be had. When, you know, you're in NFL and you're in a three game losing streak. You know how that is, you go to work every day, right? And then you fail for 21 days. That's a long time. But how bad is that? Well, I had the opportunity to have some perspective. I better hold on to that. I better make that purposeful. The past is something you can't control. But in my opinion, through the present,

• 17:02Speaker 02

  you can determine what the past was. So you at least can take back control over something that, you know, you feel like you don't have any. I didn't want that to be the story. So, okay, I'm going to make that one of the things that is a big part of how we operate and what we do.

• 17:21Fred Taylor?

  During that time you were away with the Cali Redwoods, I believe, 2009 and 10. And knowing that one day you would get back in the NFL. Is that the moment that you developed the mindset? And this is a quote from coach, from D'Amico Ryan's. He said, he learned from you how to be the first one in the building, whether it's 3 a.m., you know, attacking the run game, attacking the pass game, and just being a consummate head coach or a consummate coach on the staff where all the other guys learn from. Is that the time you?

• 17:52Speaker 02

  Yeah, you know, I've always known that I was behind the eight ball for a majority of my life with like things that, you know, I didn't, I wasn't around my dad. I. Came from whatever. I had high aspirations. So I was always learning stuff like I wasn't one of the guys on the football team. Didn't learn how to be a dependable teammate until I was a junior in high school. Same thing in college. So learning, there's always been a humility like for me where it's not that I'm right

• 18:34Speaker 02

  or wrong or have the right answer, but I damn sure can learn some shit. And learning what it means to you, truly means to you because it's taken away, can be the greatest gift. It just so happened that one of the reasons I was let go in Houston was because I was late a couple of times. Well, part of me doing right by that was a non-negotiable, okay, I'm a morning guy now. And that made me feel better about the journey because, okay, I learned from it. And then, you know, that becomes infectious where then all of a sudden, I'd always been

• 19:19Speaker 02

  a person that when I wake up, I'm like zero to 60. My friends would always get annoyed with me in college because they'd be like, dude, relax, I'm just being fun, you know? And it was really easy because I was, you know, those 800 plus days were in the back of my mind and it's just kind of the way I operate now.

• 19:37Channing Crowder?

  And Coach, the first time I met you, we were in the 72 club. It was Steven Ross, Dan Marino, Nat Moore, yourself, a bunch of other people. First time I ever shook your hand, you were the closest person to my age. I'm 40 and you're a young dude. But being in Miami, one of the questions were was your age and that everybody's used to this old gray haired guy. When I met you, I'm like, you gonna have the shoes on, you gonna have the Supreme ones on during the game, you gonna have the watch that can buy a house on. What was it like?

• 20:14Channing Crowder?

  But what is it like fighting against age when you're obviously good enough, you're obviously knowledgeable enough, you're obviously football savvy enough to run an organization, but everything is that he's young, he's too young, he's too young.

• 20:30Speaker 02

  Soundbite, I love that shit. That's been the story of my entire existence. I don't fit any mold. And so, but what's nice about that, I love talking to an O lineman. Now, people know who I am, but like during my, I was on seven different teams, this is my seventh, six previous, and the, you know, the last handful, I've been working with offensive line. So, the first time that they don't know who I am, and I come up and tell them something, they're like.

• 21:08Speaker 02

  But the reason why I love it is because when players learn from me, listen to me, when, when I'm able to do my job, I know without a doubt, it's because I've earned it. And realistically, it's kind of perfect because like, should I be entitled to people assuming I'm worth their attention, their investment? You know, it's like, I personally love it because it keeps it grounded to what it should be. Again, players, they have this one, this one op. If I'm not the best person for the job, kick rocks, Mike Daniel. Like, you know what I mean? Like, who am I?

• 21:53Speaker 02

  So like, being young, it is, I'm very aware of it, but it fits within the like, like the true organic way I think I should be. I think every day I should earn the post. Sometimes you just learn life lessons.

• 22:11Speaker 02

  And it's always after the fact and then you're stuck with regret. Like, man, if I only knew. I don't want that for any player for the Miami Dolphins. None of our coaching staff does. So while trying to earn it every day, I'm really pushing them to max out stuff that will be totally sensical to them. But you know how it is, you just think it's gonna last forever or you're always gonna be on good teams. And like, I don't wish that on anyone. You know, Dan Marino talks about it all the time. I don't wish in year two, you, ah, didn't get them.

• 22:50Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends. Like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an ultra. Because it's not just a superior light beer. It's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser-Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 23:20Speaker 02

  Oh, I'll be back.

• 23:22Ryan Clark?

  It's not guaranteed.

• 23:24Speaker 02

  And I think some of those challenges, like I really enjoy. I enjoy the fact that I'm not trying to be anything like anybody else. I think players see right through that.

• 23:38Ryan Clark?

  Coach, do you, when the O lineman would look at you, like what you're talking about, did you tell him that you won the pound for pound strongest man at college? Or did you, did you get 39 pull-ups?

• 23:48Speaker 02

  So I'm an extreme dude, okay? So like, no one even, like, besides people that were around me in college, like, no one's like, even believes me because I overtrained in college. I wasn't that good and I tried to make myself, you know, I was like 185. And I was, you know, lifting six days a week, working out six days a week and doing two days half the time. And I got pound for pound the strongest. And then when I stopped and I started coaching, I literally stopped working out. So.

• 24:26Ryan Clark?

  Just done?

• 24:26Speaker 02

  Done. So like, I'm a completely, like, I'm just an extreme person. Like, I was like, yeah. No one cares if I can lap pole down, you know, 70% of what I could do in college. They care about if I have a tape prepared for a meeting.

• 24:44Ryan Clark?

  Yeah.

• 24:45Speaker 02

  So then, I'm a little extreme with that. I probably should work out.

• 24:48Ryan Clark?

  So my question is this, Coach. You know, you talk about the offensive line. And I do think that the game has progressed to the point now where we've had enough coaches that don't necessarily look the part of player. Because that's not your job. Your job isn't to get out there and do it. You were in a coaching staff room that had Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, and Kyle Shanahan. Someone like yourself, who is intelligent, who is a young guy, is now sitting in the room with what we now know were the young guys. Right? To have that sort of room, and you start to work with Coach Forrester on the offensive line and go learn that, and that's just such a different way

• 25:32Ryan Clark?

  to look at ball. Like, I see ball from the back end, no matter when I watch it. If I go to a practice, I always stand behind the safety. Because that's where I see it. What was it like being in that room with those guys and realizing that sort of competitive friendship and relationship you can have with them to work to be your best? And why did you make the decision to start working with the offensive line?

• 25:55Speaker 02

  Been a career changer, probably one of the best things I've ever done. And it was, again, goes back to learning. So often, people think that you're supposed to know the right answer to stuff and get so bent out of shape if they don't or they fail. And, you know, I'd just been out the league. And I'll never forget, it was so wild going back, working with Kyle Shanahan again. And I was his right-hand dude in Houston. And then there's these two other guys that have all this knowledge on the pass game. And so it's that time out of the NFL, that fear of that ever happening again.

• 26:40Speaker 02

  So you go in, early is the earliest, and make that a habit. But I was also like, these dudes are talking, and they know a lot. You know, might know more than me. I don't know. I'm not trying to get in that pissy match right now. But like, then we go to the run game portion of the cut-ups. And it's a dialogue between Kyle and Forster.

• 27:04Speaker 02

  And I'm like, hmm. I mean, this coaching thing is pretty wild. We jump around. What if I took this opportunity to be in the O-line room? Because, you know, I knew from the onset, watching another tape, I knew Kyle Shanahan was, I was so fortunate to be around him because he was head of the game. So he was just like putting out the best offense from a schematic standpoint, in my opinion, and I was in-house. How can I be the guy for him? Well, if I know what that O-line coach knows, those other guys don't know that, I might have some job security in this thing.

• 27:50Speaker 02

  Again, it goes back to not, instead of shaming yourself owning it, but then making sure that that was, that path was a positive, not a negative. And it changed literally everything. You know, it's cool because the whole game of football, all of offense now, can come down in its simplest form, in my mind, to what's very natural for receivers and DBs, a route tree. If you have a widened departure stem, well, you better have every angle cut at the top. Otherwise, corners can overplay the route, right? So you have to have- Play by the release.

• 28:36Speaker 02

  And working in the offensive line, I started to realize everything was like that. You have to take away the widened departure outroute.

• 28:45Speaker 02

  When you do, this is opened up. That's schematically what football is across the board now because I went from there. And it was such an unbelievable situation with, you know, Mike Shanahan and Chris Forster and Kyle Shanahan immersed into the run game. It gave me a different angle to work. I was- Coaching receivers and scripting run game stuff. Then I ended up going to a run game coordinator category and being able to, you know, assist the team and work with guys and utilize, you know, there's like a creative aspect, a creative outlet, that functions within like play design.

• 29:30Speaker 02

  And that enabled me to do it. It was, and I'm just so fortunate that the opportunity was there. And that I was of clear mind to jump on that and people were willing to invest in me.

• 29:45Channing Crowder?

  What's the transition? Because it's so, I can see your Terminator mask go down when you talk football at STEMS and y'all are talking about these releases. Y'all said something about Willie Seem 6 or something earlier.

• 29:56Speaker 02

  Type Willie 6.

• 29:57Channing Crowder?

  That was 11 years ago and you're rolling the safety down and stonewalling the fullback. I can see that. But from that to being a head coach, the face of an organization, bigger picture, you're hiring people now. So you're talking about Kyle Shanahan bringing in his boys. Now, literally, you have to bring in your boys. What's that transition from being the schematic, the creative, to now being really, you have to run a billion dollar organization?

• 30:25Speaker 02

  I can assure you that I don't take it lightly. And I was also fortunate that I had a lot of peers. You know, not too many people get to go through that process. I had direct peers do it in front of me. And then one of them was the, you know, worked with that dude for 14 years. And so he leaned on me for a lot. So I got to see what was in front of me. And common sense to me tells me, it wasn't about the chase to get to the position. It was, you know what would be terrible?

• 31:07Speaker 02

  Is to get the position and feel like you weren't prepared for it. I wouldn't wish that on anybody. That would be terrible. So I got to watch, I got to think, I got to develop at my own speed. So I was really fortunate for that. I've been in the league for a while. It's been 17 years. I think this is my 17th year in the league. And like for a year and a half, all of a sudden, people are like, like, recognize me? And tell me what I want to hear all the time. And it's like, what's going on, you know? There's parts of it that are all encompassing. And it can be an energy drain. But it's the most satisfying, complete job that I've ever had.

• 31:52Speaker 02

  Because every day, I've always searched for this. Like, I love the idea that today is not going through the motions. Today is about something. And every single day, like, I don't know if everybody feels this way, but as a head coach for me, I feel like it's non-negotiable for me to walk in the door and have a thirst for, because it has residuals. Executing what I feel like is a responsibility to, to the 90 players as it is now. Then it goes to 53 plus night, plus 16, plus all the football staff, plus all the coaching staff.

• 32:35Speaker 02

  That responsibility is so tremendous. I do leak energy, like, I get tired. I thought I knew what it was. It's just at a heightened level. It really reaches all the aspects that I fell in love with coaching. There are some different stuff, but like, you just have to like, come to grips with it. Listen, there's, there's some things that I know. If we lose, I suck.

• 33:03Speaker 02

  If we win, I probably get a little too much credit. Like, in this job, different than the other jobs, like, my job is literally problems. So getting your mind right about that, so that you don't resist the problems that come to you, you have as much ability to like, fix the problem or do something about it. So like, I just go to work and I'm just bobbing and weaving, like.

• 33:29Speaker 02

  I'm more tired, but it's definitely the coolest thing in my life.

• 33:32Ryan Clark?

  You inherited, not inherited, when you get the job, you have a four by one team on offense. Whether it's Waddle, Tyreek, Mostert, there's all this speed and you guys come out the gates on fire. And I kind of thought about it when you said, if we lose, I suck. I'm not good at my job. There were two different points where there were losing streaks last year to a team that was fighting for the playoffs, eventually makes it, takes Buffalo to the brink with a backup quarterback. When you're in those times, Coach, what do you use to keep yourself motivated? And also your team as the head coach last year of the Miami Dolphins?

• 34:14Speaker 02

  Our team's mantra that you can hear our players really gravitate to is adversity is opportunity. Like some of the most impactful things that have happened in my career. I vividly remember Mike Shanahan being in the tank about, we were three and six in 2012, Robert Griffin's rookie year. No thanks to you.

• 34:34Ryan Clark?

  I tell you what, Coach, I sure appreciated that throwback pass to him though.

• 34:38Speaker 02

  Okay, oh, funny story about that. So, you know, one of the things that I was able to contribute that week, we all contribute our various things, but Josh Morgan, I knew that he could throw. And so in practice, we go out there and he just layers the ball. And it's a dime. And I'm like, that's awesome. And Matt LaFleur is like, dude, he better not hang the ball up that much. And I'm like, Matt, you worry too much. And Matt LaFleur was right. You closed. One of the most impactful things though, is I remember Mike Shanahan in times that I was just in the tank,

• 35:23Speaker 02

  one like that three and six year. And him just exuding confidence and being like, wow, I don't know why I was so down. Like, he's so right. And I'm not sure if it was messaging sometimes or just how he carried himself. Bottom line was, I went into the job, I'd tell my wife this, she'd get mad at me, I'd talk about adversity, but I was like, I cannot wait for my first three games losing streak. That's what I was saying last offseason.

• 35:56Speaker 02

  Because to me, that's when people need a head coach. And if I want to be a head coach, like, cool. Two-game winning streak, three-game winning streak, high fives. But like, the true test is, can you be a part of, help facilitate, be surrounded with the right people to dig out of those inevitable adversities? And for whatever reason, I said three-game losing streak. Because I, that was just off the rip. So the first losing streak I had was three games. Like the past is only what, to me, you say in the present it is,

• 36:39Speaker 02

  or you dictate in the present that it is. This year, this offseason, has been incredible. There's a connection to me that's stronger, to me, that was developed in those three and five-game losing streaks. Because you're stripped down, and a lot of times, people show you exactly who they are. But I already knew what it was. Like, people are upset that the Dolphins are losing? Should that bother me? No.

• 37:16Speaker 02

  The hardest thing in the world is when you have no control. And so that's all people that are rooting for someone. You have no control. It's, I cannot stand watching close basketball games. Because I'm like, dude, this is miserable, man! And so, like, I understand that, and that's part of it. And I feel like, if I'd expect anything else, like, who am I to be entitled to it? So, I'm, obviously, I didn't want it to happen. But I will say that this year, there's been a tangible difference in, in our connection as a team.

• 38:00Speaker 02

  You guys get it, like, most people don't. Lose five in a row. Yeah. You know how to, you give one player a day off. A lot of times, you're not using it. There's a lot of guys that are doing stuff on that day off. Yeah. It is every day, all waking hours. Your family's not around, your friends aren't around, because you are committed to this. Build up.

• 38:26Speaker 02

  Yeah, lose. For five weeks in a row.

• 38:30Speaker 02

  I mean, that is a hot mess. But like, it's also, the players deserve, the organization deserves. And it was so cool. And they'll never forget what it was like to win a game, I think we won 11 to 6, to get in the playoffs. And all week, no one gave us a shot. And believe me, I played a lot of the narrative to the team of, like, no one gave us a shot.

• 39:05Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends, like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest, or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an Ultra. Because it's not just a superior light beer, it's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 39:35Speaker 02

  And that whole experience leads up to something that's so powerful for our team, who was new, hadn't had a Sunday night television game in, like, 20 years. Hadn't won a playoff game in '23. We're in the playoffs. And we almost pull it off. That was a testament to a complete grind of a year that was so up and down. We started on the map and, does the head coach work in IT? The quarterback's a bust. And the team is, whatever. Then, then you start to get some

• 40:21Speaker 02

  success, and you have a little notoriety, it's taken from you, then you have all this stuff go down, then you start winning again, then you go back down. And then, to come together and be that close. Now, as an organization, as a team, our goal isn't to go to the playoffs. Like, you know? So that's huge, but also, like, really what a team can do. We started.

• 40:50Speaker 02

  Our right guard at right tackle. We had two guys that had started on the offensive line all year, playing that game. One guy that was playing his position. You know, Skyler was a rookie. You know, the list of things is endless. And he still found a way. So I wouldn't take any of it back. To me, this offseason, our team has made it purposeful. And that's a beautiful thing to me.

• 41:22Fred Taylor?

  Coach, the game is the game. We had an opportunity to sit down with Mike Tumlin. A guy who absolutely loves Ryan as one of his former players.

• 41:31Speaker 02

  Dan, I'm definitely not the coolest person you've had on set.

• 41:36Fred Taylor?

  But so many responsibilities as a head coach, a lot of micromanaging. We've heard in soundbites with, you know, you and Tua. We've seen you and Jalen Ramsey at the Heat playoff game. It seems you have a genuine relationship with these guys, right? How do you, what are some of the strategies you use to develop these strong relationships? Or is it just part of who you are as a person?

• 41:59Speaker 02

  I think it goes back to empathy of I'm a coach. So inherent, my job is to serve players. And I don't take it lightly, nor do all the coaches like in our building. It's infectious. Listen, we're telling you to do something and you are going to be judged on that. It better be the right thing. And you have to build relationships, understanding that you don't know the walk of life of each individual. Like you know 10%, but like there's so much stuff that goes on.

• 42:43Speaker 02

  I don't feel entitled to, oh, you better listen to me. I better earn it. I better earn your trust. You better, you better believe that I know what I'm talking about. Henceforth, I don't really think it's a bad thing that, I mean, I've been going against it my entire life. I've never looked the part of anything. That's okay, because that just means it's on merit. And these dudes, this is their dream.

• 43:12Speaker 02

  And you have an ability to directly affect it.

• 43:15Ryan Clark?

  Right.

• 43:16Speaker 02

  And so I think it's important to set forth relationships. But it's duly important that you have to jump at the opportunity to do right by players and correct them. And I don't think that has to be weird. I don't think you have to like yell at someone or you can't get too close to them. I can know that what makes you tick so I can better respond to your behavior. But bottom line is you need me to tell you when that's some bullshit.

• 43:51Ryan Clark?

  Real talk. Coach, you have great sound bites, not just good. You know, you and Justin Fields on the sideline, that was a good one. It didn't stop him from running.

• 44:02Speaker 02

  No, it didn't.

• 44:03Ryan Clark?

  By the way.

• 44:04Speaker 02

  Terrible listener.

• 44:04Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, it was.

• 44:05Speaker 02

  Not coachable.

• 44:06Ryan Clark?

  Uncodeable, at least by the other head coach.

• 44:08Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 44:08Ryan Clark?

  For sure. You know, you've decided who you're gonna kiss, marry, or kill of your coaching friends, Sean, Kyle.

• 44:17Speaker 02

  That was my first day.

• 44:18Ryan Clark?

  You've probably grown now to know you don't have to answer every question. You are the unmatched champion of best interview in the AFC East.

• 44:28Speaker 02

  Man, that's why, that's why I got in this.

• 44:31Ryan Clark?

  That's not why you got into it.

• 44:32Speaker 02

  No.

• 44:32Ryan Clark?

  But that brings me to the point of how tough the AFC East will be this year. And no matter what you look like, you're a football dude, right? Football dudes see those challenges and get excited because that's why we got into it, right? Like, we want to play the best, we want to beat the best. And now you have an opportunity.

• 44:50Speaker 02

  You're leading right into, it's one of my many rants I've had this offseason.

• 44:54Ryan Clark?

  Well, tell us a little about your rant.

• 44:56Speaker 02

  Because in my journey in football, the best teams I've been on.

• 45:03Speaker 02

  The teams that have gone places in the playoffs, that have gone to the championship games, that have gone to the Super Bowl. Every single year, there was multiple teams in the division that were playoff teams. And they were wars. And a couple times, this last one being the exception, but before that, when I made it to the playoffs and lost, 2012 was an example. We were the only team that made the playoffs in the division. If your goal is to not just make it to the playoffs, that's perfect. The idea is you're trying to be your very best and you're pushing your team to be the best.

• 45:47Speaker 02

  So inherently, you have to play the best. So I'm fired up because I know what that means. Now, because I don't, we don't want a gift playoff spot and then get tattooed in front of like 30 million. Like, no. Like, you want to be ready. And yeah, in the division, it is strong. I could make an argument, or it wouldn't be outlandish to say any one of the teams, and I'm saying any one of them, could win the division. That's exactly what you want.

• 46:31Speaker 02

  Like, what are we trying to do? So like, if you're chasing it and there's only, you know, one team that's happy or whatever, you, bottom line is, you're never going to get around the fact that you have to, you have to play the best. And I know our division is going to be a chore.

• 46:52Speaker 02

  Outstanding.

• 46:54Ryan Clark?

  That's what you want. Coach, how do you now, when you're in front of your team, and you say that, right? You say, "We have the opportunity to play the Josh Allens, to play the Bill Belichick's." Like, those are the people we need to beat, just to earn our spot in the tournament. When you look out into your room, right? When you look out into that meeting room, do you feel you have the guys to do that?

• 47:21Speaker 02

  I 100% know that we have the people capable of doing anything and everything we want in this season, within the league, which is why it's so, it's almost like a relief, because all we have to, we don't have to worry about the Jets. We don't have to worry about the Patriots. We don't have to worry about the Bills. We have to worry about our daily investment on our craft. Like, go down the list. The formula is very simple. The greatest of what? You want to go Jordan Kobe direction?

• 48:06Speaker 02

  Steph basketball? You want to go Muhammad Ali? You want to go any sport? Okay? And that, it's not like they're talking, they're like, "I'm going to be awesome on that game over there." They're not worried about the game over there. Worry about today. And they obsess about it. And they are constantly, in a secure fashion, not satisfied with their game. Constantly. Again, last year, I'm not sure if it would have happened this offseason. But when I tell you from OTAs to now,

• 48:52Speaker 02

  the focus of the team...

• 48:56Speaker 02

  Like other good teams I've been on, has been about getting better in the real way. And that's what excites me. You can't, you don't know what's gonna happen. Injuries are a part of this game. Circumstances, things that you can't control. But I know that the guys are understanding and operating that way across the board. I look at super talented individuals and they are putting their best foot forward in the craft that they've made their lifetime objectives. Like, everyone is on one.

• 49:33Channing Crowder?

  Coach, you're intense, bro.

• 49:36Speaker 02

  Yeah?

• 49:36Channing Crowder?

  You're a well fucking thought out. Like, you go deep in this shit.

• 49:39Speaker 02

  Oh, bro.

• 49:40Channing Crowder?

  Do you bullshit? Like, what do you do for fun, man?

• 49:42Speaker 02

  Oh, yeah, no, no.

• 49:42Channing Crowder?

  Like, you walk through the grocery store and say, "If I go down to aisle seven, I can get the meat more efficient if I go to the..." Like, do you just bullshit and hang out?

• 49:50Speaker 02

  No, I do, but heavy investment. So, so here's, here's the little thing.

• 49:56Channing Crowder?

  Goddamn, coach!

• 49:57Speaker 02

  We're sitting on a gold mine right now of just layups of human interaction, okay? So what's everyone doing now? They're on their phone. Like, I bullshit all the time, but it's just simply, I just invest in conversation. I have the worst phone etiquette known to man. No one's got a hold of me, like, in the last two years. It's like, they go through my wife. I'm a pretty random guy. I like comedy and it, and so if you wanna, like, we could just go deep into this table and I would make random observations. I bullshit all the time, but...

• 50:36Channing Crowder?

  Yeah.

• 50:36Speaker 02

  Yeah, I'm a thinker. I better be thinking about some shit, you know?

• 50:41Channing Crowder?

  Sometimes you just, shit, let's ride, let's go fishing. Let's catch a bass, like, you know what I'm saying? Like, it's...

• 50:48Speaker 02

  There's an advantage to being in an industry and being in a role that you've obsessed about being in since you were five, and that's rare. My motives have been to be great.

• 51:04Speaker 02

  And I knew that I was just a different sounding, looking, whatever. So I try to have reasons for everything that I do. And then I don't feel bad about it because I know I'm gonna be wrong on some stuff. Humans are infallible. I don't, I think that's where people get messed up. Like, I'm a head coach now, I'm supposed to be right all the time. No, I'm not.

• 51:25Channing Crowder?

  Wow.

• 51:26Speaker 02

  I'm supposed to do the best thing with the available information. I mean, if cameras were on right now, I had, I had, my random off-color humor is premier.

• 51:39Channing Crowder?

  Because all your players love you. I say that much because I talk to a lot of guys down there. All your players love you. So I can see the relatability, but, bro, you are deep as hell.

• 51:48Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 51:49Channing Crowder?

  Yeah.

• 51:49Ryan Clark?

  I almost forgot. I saw it when I looked at Chan's shirt. You have to tell us what your biggest pivot in life has been. What's that, that one moment that you can always, that you can point to and say, this either changed me, this affected me, this moved me in a certain way?

• 52:06Speaker 02

  Oh, yeah, it's easy. Ah, there's two. Two pivots. I have sick basketball moves. I'm pivoting twice.

• 52:15Ryan Clark?

  Hawk said you taught him using Allen Iverson.

• 52:17Speaker 02

  I did. I did. I've always used basketball terms because I think people, the terms, like a crossover. You make someone crossover and they naturally get in a release pattern. I use drop step, too. January 4th, 2016, when I stopped drinking. That has been monumental. Again, things were happening in life and I wanted to dictate the terms. And I recognized, I mean, shoot, I had alcohol every day. But I realized that I was not addressing problems and running from them

• 53:00Speaker 02

  and hurting my wife at the time, so I stopped. And then when I stopped doing that, that control.

• 53:12Speaker 02

  Maybe focus on doing my job and only my job. And that's when I started getting promoted. That's when it finally took off. And then October 2nd, 2020, when my daughter was born. So we'd been married for five or six years, been together for a while. And we didn't think it was in the cards. We couldn't get pregnant. We did fertility testing on both sides. And then it pushed come to shove is actually Kyle Shanahan's wife.

• 53:54Speaker 02

  Mandy Shanahan was with my wife one day where I was at work. And she like keeled over and threw up from like menstruation pain. And Mandy was like, what is wrong with you? And she's like, oh, no, this just happens once in a while. And Mandy was like, that is not right. They went to see the specialist. I had, I was making enough money at the time. I was running game coordinator, so I could afford exploratory surgery. Turns out she had endometriosis. Got that cleared, cleared out. Then the day before we left for the Super Bowl, San Fran against Kansas City. Like wasn't even thinking, like had gone through the whole thing. And it was a big deal to me because, you know, I wanted to be a dad.

• 54:39Speaker 02

  I had, I had a lot of bone to pick in my life about to rectify that. And it wasn't the cards. And all of a sudden randomly, oh, she's pregnant. What? And I tell you what, like, everything that people say about fatherhood and being a parent. Like, yeah, I get it. And it doesn't even do it justice. I mean, it's been the most fulfilling, cool, daily thing. It doesn't even do it justice. It is everything, everything to me.

• 55:16Speaker 02

  That girl, new words, her, her, her moods, the, the things that she, I mean, they say some crazy stuff. So innocent. I just hadn't been around it. I didn't have any siblings. These little kids have, are so happy.

• 55:38Speaker 02

  With just what it is. And like, how do we lose that in our journey? Like, we shouldn't, but we should gain that back when we witness that because it's just like the beauty of like, a human being with no scars. When the world, it's okay for it just to be mom and dad, that they don't need it to be bigger. All of the insecurities and all of the things that come as we grow. It's just pure and it's so, so beautiful. I'm gonna be a psychopath.

• 56:21Speaker 02

  First of all, my wallet already has a hole in it. Second of all, these dudes that are trying to date her in her teenage years? Man, you better believe I'm gonna have the most goonie of goons on our football team.

• 56:41Speaker 02

  Show them a wife beater and flex on somebody.

• 56:45Ryan Clark?

  Well, goons, hey, I got two myself. I totally understand.

• 56:50Speaker 02

  It's crazy.

• 56:51Ryan Clark?

  It's a, it is, it is a beautiful thing to love somebody that at some point can do absolutely nothing for you. You just love them because they exist.

• 57:00Speaker 02

  What really gives us satisfaction in life is, is having like a, a true investment in something, true unconditional love. And it's, it's the most powerful thing. It's so simple. I'm gonna go up to the hotel room, she's probably gonna make me watch Sing Two for the 900th time.

• 57:25Ryan Clark?

  You gonna watch it too?

• 57:26Speaker 02

  And I'm gonna be all in.

• 57:28Ryan Clark?

  You gonna watch it?

• 57:29Speaker 02

  And you know what's funny is I always get to sit, she, she gets up and makes my wife dance to, to the songs in Sing Two. And I wanted to, the funniest thing in the world is when it's been a long day for my wife and she's tired and doesn't wanna do it, but my daughter will just like temper tantrum like, "Mom, get up, get up." And so then she'll be like dancing, but like not smiling, just like mad. That is the funniest thing in the world.

• 58:05Speaker 02

  I'm like, oh my God, this is real life. You know, it's real.

• 58:10Ryan Clark?

  You are truly a human that identifies with the problems of people. And that's what the job of head coach is. And I think, one, I'm truly fascinated by you. I just want to sit down and talk ball. And like, there's like, all of these different stories and lessons wrapped up in the ball, but eventually we do get to the ball.

• 58:30Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 58:30Ryan Clark?

  And getting to the ball, we also learn things about life. And I believe that's what human interaction should be, whether we're inside of a facility or out.

• 58:39Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 58:39Ryan Clark?

  That's, that's life. And so, Coach, we appreciate your time. Like, I know how much you have to do, man. This was, this was amazing. And, you know, if you've got some time next offseason, I'd love to sit down and do it again.

• 58:48Speaker 02

  Absolutely.

• 58:49Ryan Clark?

  Appreciate you, Coach.

• 58:50Speaker 02

  I mean, I just, I can't believe I tricked you guys into doing this.

• 58:54Ryan Clark?

  What y'all ran with?

• 58:54Speaker 02

  I made the pivot.

• 58:55Fred Taylor?

  We're, we're in your hood, man. We're down by Davy. You know, we definitely will stop in and check you out.

• 59:00Speaker 02

  Yeah?

• 59:01Fred Taylor?

  Yeah, man.

• 59:02Ryan Clark?

  Yes, sir. Hey, Coach, we appreciate you, Coach. This was amazing, man. Uh, we appreciate you sitting down.

• 59:07Fred Taylor?

  For sure.

• 59:07Ryan Clark?

  Yes, sir. My man.

• 59:10Speaker 02

  I feel guilty to keep you guys in this lane.

• 59:13Fred Taylor?

  No, Coach, we're good. We appreciate you. We're here for you.

• 59:15Speaker 02

  You guys are definitely jumping out of PJs, so who cares, man?

• 59:18Fred Taylor?

  Ah, jeez, we wish.

• 59:19Ryan Clark?

  Coach, we appreciate you, Coach.

• 59:21Fred Taylor?

  We appreciate you.

• 59:21Ryan Clark?

  Thank you, bro. Nah, that was awesome, Coach.

• 59:23Speaker 02

  Dude, I was like...

• 59:25Ryan Clark?

  You had, you had so much stuff, though. I was like, man, I'm not even gonna get to it all.

• 59:28Speaker 02

  Oh, man.

• 59:30Ryan Clark?

  That's, that's wild.

• 59:31Speaker 02

  But, but it's real, man. You guys have been a part of my journey, too.