The NFL is at one of its few quiet points of the entire calendar year, and the most exciting news for Miami Dolphins fans as of late has been the flurry of additions to the defensive coaching staff.
The relative quiet has seemingly offered Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel a chance to look back on his first year with the organization.
It sounds like he only has good things to say about the Dolphins fan base. The 39-year-old coach made it clear how much he loves the Dolphins faithful while speaking at a charity event to combat cancer.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, after being introduced by CEO Tom Garfinkel, pumps up the participants of the 5K walk/run at Dolphins Challenge Cancer with his patented enthusiasm. pic.twitter.com/1UgTrd0wZM
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) February 25, 2023
“I can’t tell you enough how inspiring this fan base is,” McDaniel said while hyping up the crowd at the event. “The support is real. Everybody in the organization, players included, feel, are motivated and try to push forward to give you guys what you very much deserve, and we will not rest until that’s the case.”
Despite the campaign ending on a somewhat down note, McDaniel’s first season with the Dolphins was definitely a success. Miami ended its playoff drought, which had been alive since the team’s last postseason appearance in the 2016 season, and the squad had some incredible moments on the field.
Though the Dolphins lost in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, they put up a serious fight against the Buffalo Bills. That fight was a good representation of how prepared McDaniel made sure his players were and how hard the players were willing to fight for him.
Perhaps the biggest reason the Dolphins lost that game was because both Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater were unable to play.
Tagovailoa’s absence was obviously the biggest hurdle to overcome. He missed the last few weeks of the season after suffering a concussion. Going forward, Tagovailoa’s health is something that McDaniel will have to worry about unless the passer can prove that he can remain healthy.
With the 2022 season in the books, all eyes are looking to the future in Miami. The Dolphins don’t have many draft picks this offseason, but McDaniel and company will certainly do whatever they can to add talent and improve the roster.
If they can do a good job on that front, there is no reason why the Dolphins can’t build off what they accomplished last season and do even more in the new campaign.
