Knowing his team was being watched during Wednesday’s practice, Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel found a way to outsmart the observers (whoever they were).
Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Dolphins realized that there were “people watching their” Wednesday walkthrough practice. McDaniel responded by having the team run plays featuring 12 players, which is obviously illegal as the player limit is 11.
Well played, coach McDaniel.
Earlier on Thursday morning, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that league “security is looking into the Dolphins’ practice being filmed.”
The NFL has given out serious punishments to teams who’ve been caught videotaping a team’s practice/in-game signals before. The infamous New England Patriots’ “Spygate” scandal of 2007, in which they were caught videotaping New York Jets’ defensive signals from the sidelines, surrender their 2008 first-round pick.
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The organization was also fined $250,000, and head coach Bill Belichick was handed a massive $500,000 fine. The Patriots were also penalized by the NFL for a videotaping infraction in a 2019 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The league docked a 2021 third-round selection and fined the organization $1.1 million.
In the 2010 season, the NFL fined then-Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels and the organization $50,000 each for illegally videotaping a San Francisco 49ers’ practice.
Following a perfect 3-0 start, the Dolphins are in Cincinnati to take on Joe Burrow’s Bengals on Thursday Night Football at Paycor Stadium. McDaniel has already bee widely talked about as a Coach of the Year candidate due to his success with Miami.
The Dolphins started out 1-0 by defeating the AFC East rival Patriots in Week 1, and they followed it up with a thrilling comeback win over Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. Proving the hot start was no fluke, Miami also held on for a tight 21-19 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 3.
