Miami Dolphin’s Mike McDaniel instills confidence by being confident

Being an effective head coach requires confidence. Confidence in yourself, confidence in your process and ultimately confidence in those you surround yourself with. That is Mike McDaniel.

I’m a firm believer that having confidence and displaying it for all to see, while finding success of course, can and will instill that same feeling in the minds of those around you.

One of my favorite quotes about instilling confidence in yourself and others comes from legendary boxer Mike Tyson.

"Confidence breeds success and success breeds confidence. Confidence applied properly surpasses genius.Mike Tyson"

As early as his opening press conference upon his hiring, Mike McDaniel exhibited confidence. It was clear he’s a down to earth human who believes in the power of belief – belief in others, belief in the process and ultimately belief in his own knowledge and instincts.

Fast forward to training camp and Mike McDaniel, in the heat of the summer, had another task – to instill belief that the team could not only overcome the incredible heat of the South Florida summer sun but ultimately use it to their advantage. He often shared that “adversity is opportunity” and unrelenting heat is the time of adversity that can breed success or stifle it.

Insert a new catch phrase – “I wish it were HOTTER.”

Brought to life by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa during a media availability, “I wish it were hotter” was a common phrase throughout training camp by Head Coach Mike McDaniel that presented not so subliminal messaging to his team that they held the power over the unbearable heat.

The key here was messaging – his steadfast belief that the heat would mean nothing to them unless they let it was infectious. I mentioned that Tua wore this shirt in a media availability but he wasn’t alone – multiple players were seen wearing this shirt. Mike’s confidence was breeding confidence in those around him. Mind over matter.

This belief that the heat would not defeat them would become a major talking point leading up to, during and after the first Buffalo Bills game of the season – a game in which the field had a “feels like” of over 100 degrees and the unshaded Buffalo Bills sideline soared even higher. That game would result in the first Miami Dolphins victory over the Bills since 2018 – breaking a streak of seven straight losses.

However, that would not be all she – or in this case he – wrote.

Headed into week Week 15 of this season, again against the Buffalo Bills, weather would be a major headline yet again – but this time it wouldn’t be because of overpowering heat. With a temperature expected to be in the low 30’s, and lake effect snow set to fall all day and throughout the game, the Miami Dolphins would yet again be faced with two tough opponents – the Bills and the weather.

As he did in training camp, and early in the season, Mike McDaniel would break out his not so subliminal messaging to remind this team that they could beat both the Bills and the snow in the form of another tagline.

“I wish it were COLDER” would become a major talking point and confidence builder for his Dolphins squad that hadn’t had much success in recent years in cold weather games.

This game would be different – from play calling to execution this team looked like they belonged going up against a team many believe to be one of the best in the league. If not for a last second field goal by the Bills, the Dolphins were poised to send the game to overtime tied at 29. Most importantly, they were playing well in the cold – something many believed they couldn’t do.

The Bills may have won this one but their other opponent – the cold weather – proved to be an inferior opponent that the Dolphins proved they can compete with the best of them.

With all of that said, I think my biggest takeaway from these two taglines, and their subsequent shirts, is all about not only being confident but instilling confidence. Does he really wish it were hotter or colder? Absolutely not. However, you either beat the opponent or the opponent beats you and Mike McDaniel will not accept defeat.

This teams ability to deal with adverse weather conditions – and adversity elsewhere – starts with the confidence of their head coach. His belief that they can overcome any challenge and be the best instills confidence in those around him, including and especially the players. That buy-in from the players showcases just how strong Mike’s leadership is – something that was doubted when he was hired.

Keep leading Coach – where you go, we all go.