The Miami Dolphins’ nightmare season hit a new low this Sunday. Huntington Bank Field’s camera caught Head Coach Mike McDaniel on a hot mic yelling at his starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa following an embarrassing interception. The animated gesture has since turned viral online.
McDaniel’s slapstick hand motions, slapping the air repeatedly, came after Tua’s third pick of the day in Miami’s 31-6 blowout loss to Cleveland. Many on social media erupted with wisecracks about the coach’s exaggerated movements.
Mike McDaniel Curses Out Tua Tagovailoa Before Benching Him After Brutal INT
On Sunday, McDaniel benched Tagovailoa in the fourth quarter after he completed 12 of 23 passing attempts for 100 yards with no TD. After getting destroyed by the Browns, they’re now 1-6.
You can blame Tagovailoa for this collapse because he made himself an easy target after a terrible interception from his own end zone. Whether you did or not, the head coach already did that with a cursed gesture that folks on social media found hilarious.
When the play ended, a frustrated McDaniel was caught on camera pointing at Tagovailoa to get off the field and go straight to the bench without looking around.
Wild: Mike McDaniel really told Tua to sit his ass on the bench after throwing an INT 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Hx6QwQt2mI
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 23, 2025
Rookie Quinn Ewers replaced him, signaling an obvious quarterback change for the franchise since the Hawaii native impressed neither the community nor his teacher.
The tension is quietly visible on the sideline, and no doubt it is also maintained in the locker room. And, Tyreek Hill’s season-ending injury just worsened the overall situation. But fans saw comedy where there was only chaos.
NFL Fans Roast McDaniel’s Wild Hand Gestures
The majority of the fans on the internet had zero chill. Some literally went all out reacting to the animated 42-year-old coach.
One fan wrote, “Teaching How to Slap Melons in Bedroom. This is what I do with my girl.” The comment compared McDaniel’s hand motions to something far more intimate than football coaching.
Another added, “Gotta be the funniest shit I’ve seen a coach do in my life lol.” The gesture became instant meme material—clips looped endlessly across Twitter and TikTok.
A third noted, “MD ain’t much better. He’ll be a good OC somewhere but he’s a trash HC.” The criticism cut deeper than jokes. Fans questioned whether McDaniel belongs in the big chair at all.
The fourth demanded, “Investigate this one.” He suggested something suspicious about the loss, though most fans understood it was just hyperbole born from frustration.
However, some fans go into destruction mode to slam the signal caller because of his mistakes.
One wrote, “How does he not take it back in for the pick 6 along the sideline?”
Another claimed, “Tua better not even think of asking to dance with McDaniel’s wife after that.” For the unversed, the dig referenced viral moments from previous seasons when the coach-QB relationship seemed warmer, almost brotherly.
The Dolphins are experiencing a rapid decline. When asked about regrouping with Tagovailoa, McDaniel told reporters, “Everything is on the table.”
That means anything, like benching, trading, or even cutting a player, could happen. Given the current position in the point table, neither the coach’s nor the quarterback’s place in the franchise is in any way looking safe.
