The Miami Dolphins are about to hit the next phase of a new era, as they step on the field Wednesday for their first training camp session under new head coach Mike McDaniel.
McDaniel has been around for a while, working his way up the NFL ladder since his days as an intern with the Denver Broncos back in 2005, but this is his first chance to run a training camp the way he sees fit.
Speaking to the media before practice, McDaniel laid out how exactly he’d like a camp to go for his team.
“I think it’s something that there’s a common denominator with teams that I’ve been on that have been very successful,” McDaniel said. “It’s not that things don’t get hard. It’s not that there’s not adversity. It’s not that everything goes well. It’s a diligent approach to each and every day, and teammates recognizing invariably – Day 1 juiced, Day 2 juiced.
“What organically evolves within the team is that peer, I don’t want to say pressure, but more like accountability where there is gonna be some guys that don’t have the juice next Tuesday. The vision that I have for the Dolphins and the team that we’re building through the summer and into the preseason is that teammates take responsibility for the energy and when somebody’s down, the standard and demand to bring them up is very present. It’s a long process, but the good teams embrace that, and it’s pretty masochistic, but it’s fun. It’s what we do, and it wouldn’t be worth as much as it is if it wasn’t very difficult.”
This is an excellent goal from the coach. The team and the players set the standard for each other each day as they enter the building. If they can hold that intensity and competition level, Miami could be a formidable team under McDaniel’s leadership.
