By now, everyone – or, at the very least, everyone in the AFC East – should know Mike McDaniels' deal. He's one of the more energetic, interesting coaches in the NFL, and his sound bites almost always find their way into the A-block of SportsCenter.
But there's always something just a little bit ... off? ... about McDaniels' answers about his opponents. He's not from the midwest, but he's got that Midwestern Kindness down pat. Just when you think he's being awfully complimentary, you start to also wonder if you're missing something – like there was some sort of subtle shade thrown in with the coach speak that went right over your head. Take, for instance, this latest McDaniel soundbite, where he talks about just how great the Bills are. The audacity!
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Mike McDaniels' Bills praise is definitely some weird mind game stuff
Does the AFC East go through the Buffalo Bills? pic.twitter.com/UKC27pkQXH
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) September 11, 2024
"If you want to do anything in this league, generally, you can't skip over the much-mandated step of winning your division," he said. "There's one team that's won the division in consecutive years that you could say they, by de facto, own the division until somebody takes it from them. I think it's pretty obvious. But I think it's also something that they have earned, and we would like to be in a situation where we earn the same thing. And there's one way to do that: beat your division opponents."
Who does this guy think he is?! Being nice about the Bills? When he's about to try and beat them? Something's up. It's nice to hear that the AFC East still goes through Buffalo, at least. It's not like I ever thought otherwise, but listening to another AFC East coach admit the same thing hits in just the right way.
I still think this is a weird mind game that we should be awfully cautious about – as you can tell by his overall aesthetic change since coming to Miami, McDaniels isn't the awkward new guy anymore. Miami's done him some good, and it makes me think this is all very purposeful. The wry smile at the end really blows his cover. I'm not sure if they can actually put this on a bulletin board as motivation, which is what makes it so devious. McDaniel knows what he's doing.