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Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPN
MIAMI — Coach Mike McDaniel is leaving no stone unturned as he looks to end the Miami Dolphins‘ playoff win drought.
Despite making the playoffs in each of McDaniel’s first two seasons with the team, the Dolphins have not won a postseason game since 2000 and have just six appearances since the turn of the century. Miami won 11 games last season, but it lost four of its final six — including a three-game losing streak to close the season.
McDaniel said he embraces the challenge of changing the narrative about his team’s ability to perform in the postseason, going as far as implementing the number 24 in several staff meetings throughout the offseason. Instead of reviewing practice film at noon, for example, he’d push the start time to 12:24 p.m.
“What can we learn from all of this and how do we adjust what we do now to hedge our bet? … You get what you emphasize,” McDaniel said. “Well, why not find ways to emphasize finishing in everything you do? Obsess about it. Why not have for half the offseason, you’re trying to have staff meetings at different times during the day. I had every staff meeting I put at like 7:24 or 3:24 or 5:24 — the number 24.
“To you guys, it means nothing. That’s how many years it’s been since the organization has won a playoff game. We are going to hear about that come playoff time. You think? So to me, you do that to empower guys to know what’s coming. To understand it, to not run from it. Because if you’re going to achieve success where people are predicting failure, you’re going to have to go above and beyond.”
Through McDaniel’s first two seasons, the Dolphins own a 4-10 record in December or later, including those two playoff losses.
From September through November, however, Miami owns a 16-6 record — fourth best in the NFL during that span. While identifying the reason behind their record split over the past two seasons has been a focal point this offseason, Dolphins coaches say it can’t necessarily be boiled down to one root issue.
“I mean, ultimately, you take in certain segments of the year, but then you look at the entirety, and for us, it’s making sure that we’re maximizing each week,” offensive coordinator Frank Smith said. “Because a game in November or December, losing can impact the end of the season. So it’s just making sure that what we’re doing at the end of the season, making sure that we’re setting the foundation now to make sure that we can carry things longer through the season.
“I wouldn’t say there’s really like one thing, because we did have a lot of success. But I mean, ultimately, for us, it’s just the execution.”
The Dolphins return their core offensive starters from a unit that led the NFL in yards per game last season, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. There has been turnover on the other side of the ball, however, as Miami breaks in at least four new starters and new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
As Miami looks to reach three consecutive postseasons for the first time since 2001, McDaniel said running from or ignoring negative attention doesn’t make it disappear.
He’d rather just face it.
“You know what’s going to be said to you by your friends, or some media members come next December, let’s talk about it now,” McDaniel said. “Yes, that’s not what you want said about [your team] — you don’t want [it] to be said, ‘You can’t finish. You can’t do that.’ You don’t want to hear that, but whatever. What if you heard you could? Does it change anything? Let’s go attack it and let’s go achieve something together.
“That’s the reason why I bring it up, just because I know no matter how much I tell people to not listen, it’s impossible not to hear the noise coming. There’s always going to be noise. Whatever, just address it and let’s do our jobs deliberately and with a mindfulness today that can be applied in the future.”
