Mike McDaniel makes statement change for some of his Dolphins team meetings

The fact that the Miami Dolphins have not won a playoff game in 24 years is not something that head coach Mike McDaniel wants his team to forget. He wants them to embrace it,. fight through it, play meaningful football and win games in December and January. If they can do that then just maybe they can play for all the marbles in the Super Bowl in February.

On what was supposed to be the last day of the Miami Dolphins mandatory minicamp, McDaniel spent approximately 45 minutes with reporters, taking part of it to discuss how the narrative has to change and that the mindset is something that must be corrected. One big change he has made for team meetings has a lot of people talking.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is ready for Miami to make noise in the playoffs

The Dolphins will not assemble as a full unit for another seven weeks, when training camp for the 2024 season officially begins. However, McDaniel wants everyone to remember that the Dolphins have the longest drought between playoff wins in the entire National Football League.

Miami has not won a playoff game since they last won on Dec. 30, 2000 against the Indianapolis Colts. Since then, they have lost six playoff games and have not come close to sniffing the Super Bowl. Essentially, the Dolphins fold like a cheap table come playoff time. With Detroit winning two playoff games last season, against the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dolphins have the sole distinction of having the most time between playoff victories.

To drive the point home, McDaniel and his staff are meeting at 24 minutes after the hour. He does not want the staff to forget what the team is fighting for and that they have to emphasize the fact that the Dolphins have to play better all season long.

Miami has a recent history of phoning it in during games in the months of December and January. The 24 is a constant reminder of how futile the Dolphins have been in the postseason. This was once again the case in the Wild Card Round loss to the Chiefs this past winter.

"What can we learn from all of this? And how do we adjust what we do now to hedge our bet then? And little things you take, whether it's a game or we need to finish the season better, so you get what you emphasize. Well, why not find ways to emphasize finishing in everything you do obsess about? Why not have you know, for half the offseason, you know you're trying to have staff meetings at different times during the day. And I had every staff meeting, I put like 7:24, or 3:24, or 5:24, like the number 24."

- Mike McDaniel

McDaniel said that he expects the players to hear all about this drought once the postseason arrives too. His players can either change it or keep it. The ball is in their court and that is what they are fighting for every day in practice. McDaniel said that they want to "empower guys to know what's coming, to understand it, to not run from it."

"That's not what you want said about your team. ‘OK, you can't finish or you can't do that’. You don't want to hear that. (But) let's go attack it. 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.”"

- Mike McDaniel