Was That Mike McDaniel's Swan Song In South Florida?

As far as bad losses go, even in a vacuum, Sunday's 17-point choke job by the Miami Dolphins at the hands of the Carolina Panthers was pretty gut-wrenching.

However, with how radioactive things have gotten in Miami-Dade County these past few years, Sunday afternoon's meltdown in North Carolina is just another step on the road to Dolphins' head coach Mike McDaniel receiving his walking papers.

If this was McDaniel's swan song in South Florida, what a spectacular flame out it was.

The Dolphins held a 17-point lead midway through the second quarter and looked to be in complete control of the contest.

From that point forward, the Miami defense made Carolina running back look like the second coming of Earl Campbell, giving up over 200 yards on the ground and bouncing off of him as if he were a walking trampoline.

Conversely, the Dolphins couldn't get anything going in the running game, mustering just 19 rushing yards on the day.

The lack of physicality has become a calling card for the McDaniel regime in Miami, and it has loyal Fins fans ready to hit the eject button on the entire coaching staff.

You can hardly blame the Miami faithful for being incensed about the result, but this ire isn't anything new.

A couple of fed-up Dolphins supporters flew a banner plane that called for the jobs of both McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier, and this was a few weeks before this latest transgression.

You have to admire that kind of gumption from fans of a once-proud NFL organization that has fallen on hard times thanks to awful ownership.

I was born and raised in South Florida, I live there now, and I am a lifelong Dolphins fan, and I can tell you the apathy towards our hometown NFL team is palpable.

People are tired of supporting a losing franchise and have turned their attention towards winners like the Florida Panthers, whose management represents the antithesis of what the Dolphins have.

Walking down the street, you are far more likely to see a Panthers Stanley Cup championship shirt or hear a "Go Cats," than anything similarly Dolphins related.

If the Dolphins' brass want to win back any of that good will among South Floridians, they can start by firing McDaniel and showing that they care about results.

But hey, we'll always have 1972, right guys?