Mike McDaniel, the coach of the Dolphins, is unabashedly authentic. Additionally

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is unapologetically himself. And that’s no joke

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Barely 24 hours had passed since the Miami Dolphins arrived home from last weekend’s game in Germany. Mike McDaniel was getting settled behind the lectern for a pre-bye week media session and someone pointed out he looked more tired than usual.

McDaniel needed only a couple seconds to reply.

“It was the one day I didn’t put on mascara,” he said.

This was peak McDaniel. Quick with a quip, always entertaining.

Make no mistake: The coach of the AFC East-leading Dolphins is serious about a lot of things — his wife and daughter, winning, the health and welfare of his players, his sobriety. He’s also a viral moment waiting to happen, someone who sprinted away from a cameraman after a halftime interview, told his quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that his high school technique was trash, and offered up profane analysis during a faux interview to be part of the “ManningCast” on Monday night football.

“I think people respond best to authenticity, to know that nothing that you say or do is fabricated,” McDaniel said. “So, I just try to stay true to my personality and I feel like that’s owed to people. You have to give yourself, if you’re in a leadership role where you’re serving other people. You have to give people yourself and so I just try to pride myself on that and hold nothing back because I feel like that’s what people deserve.”

He might hold a little bit back; such is the nature of football coaching, where at least some mystery is required.

But not much.

McDaniel can be called a lot of things; boring is not one of them. It seems the only time he has been quieted in his 21 months with the Dolphins was the opening few seconds of his introductory news conference, when the microphone he was trying to speak into wasn’t turned on. The mics have been open ever since, the cameras always rolling, awaiting the next moment.

“He’s unapologetically himself,” Dolphins long snapper Blake Ferguson said. “And I think that’s why guys buy into what he’s selling. That’s why we’ve been able to have the success that we’ve had, because he’s just himself. He’s quirky. He knows how smart he is. And he makes himself relatable. He’s been through a lot of adversity in his life. He’s able to channel that into a passionate coach who cares about his players. But he sees the world in such a unique way that he just says whatever he’s thinking.”