MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel’s dedication to the power of positivity isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing to do.
McDaniel’s sunny demeanor stands in stark contrast to his gruff predecessor, Brian Flores, who during his last two years in Miami likely caused actual trauma within his most important player.
Miami Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel Is Coach Sunshine
Tua Tagovailoa’s recent comments on the Dan Le Batard Show again shined a light on just how toxic things were in Miami late in Flores’ three seasons as Dolphins coach.
“[When] you have a terrible person that’s telling you things that you don’t want to hear or that you probably shouldn’t be hearing, you’re gonna start to believe that about yourself,” Tagovailoa said.
As we discuss in the latest episode of the PFN Miami Dolphins Podcast, the dynamic could hardly be more different under McDaniel, and it’s not just Tagovailoa who has noticed.
Free agents want to play for him, not just because he’s one of the league’s great offensive minds, but he’s also one of the league’s most upbeat personalities.
Just ask Calais Campbell and Jordan Poyer, who this offseason both agreed to play for McDaniel for a discount.
Said Campbell: “He is unique, to say the least. He definitely is just very positive, just happy to be here, every day you could tell. Energy is contagious, so it kind of rubs off and we all kind of get happy to be here.”
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Added Poyer: “I feel like as a coach it’s part of your responsibility to build your players up and to give them confidence to be able to go out there on the football field. Not all coaches are like that, but at the same time, there are ways to get your message across to guys, grown men essentially, without having to be negative.
“I think that positivity goes a long way, that confidence goes a long way when someone believes in you.”
On Monday, we asked McDaniel why he embraces the glass-half-full mindset in an industry that for far too long was motivated by fear and negative reinforcement.
“It makes sense given the current climate of the trials and tribulations of players in the modern era,” McDaniel said. “… There’s a lot of negative in the world and a lot of people telling you when you do stuff wrong. For me, to really maximize someone, I think it’s beneficial for someone to be showing them a vision of their greatest self.
“Quite honestly, it’s something that I’ve drawn [from] my life, and I know if my mother didn’t pitch to me that I was worth something, I don’t know where I’d be. For me, that’s the way that I approach it. I don’t think there’s any absolute way to do anything, but for me to reach players, it’s what’s made sense in my journey. I just stick to myself and what makes sense for me to do my job as I see it for them.”