Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel revealed an interesting strategy he’s using to motivate his players ahead of the 2024 regular season.
“For half the offseason, you’re trying to have staff meetings at different times during the day, and every staff meeting, I’d put like 7:24 or 3:24 or 5:24,” McDaniel said Thursday. “The number 24.”
“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?”
The Dolphins have made the playoffs in both of McDaniel’s seasons as the head coach, but they have yet to win a game, losing to the Buffalo Bills in the 2022 season and Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 season.
In the 2022 season, Miami had a fair reason for coming up short in the playoffs. Star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was out with a concussion and backup Teddy Bridgewater was also injured, which forced seventh-round pick and then-rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson into the starting lineup.
Miami’s offense wasn’t nearly as good as it was under Tagovailoa that season, and the Bills were able to end the Dolphins’ season.
Last season, Miami lost in frigid temperatures in Kansas City, 26-7. Despite being one of the top scoring offenses in the league in the 2023 season, the Dolphins came up short when it mattered most.
So, it appears McDaniel is looking to remind his team of that so they aren’t in the same spot when the 2024 season comes to an end.
“You do that to empower guys to know what’s coming, to understand it, to not run from it,” McDaniel said. “Because, if you’re going to achieve success when people are predicting failure, you’re going to have to go above and beyond.”
It’s a pretty interesting tactic by the young head coach to motivate his team, and there’s no doubt that McDaniel has been successful since taking over prior to the 2022 season.
In two seasons as the Dolphins’ head coach, McDaniel has compiled a 20-14 regular season record, leading Miami to an impressive 11-6 mark in the 2023 season.
Last season, the Dolphins nearly won the AFC East division for the first time since the 2008 campaign, but they lost to Buffalo in their final game of the regular season which pushed them back to a wild card berth.
Hopefully, the sting from last season’s finish will help Miami play with more focus and intention in the 2024 season.
Several key offensive pieces are back on the roster such as Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane and others, but there will be some new faces on defense.
Christian Wilkins, Andrew Van Ginkel, Brandon Jones, Jerome Baker and Xavien Howard all departed this offseason, leaving Miami with some serious holes to fill.
Still, McDaniel clearly has playoff expectations for his team, and it seems like he wants it to snap its long playoff win drought.
The Dolphins open up the 2024 season on Sunday, Sept. 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
