Mike McDaniel is taking an approach that eventually got coach Joe Philbin fired

During the time Joe Philbin was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, he thought it would be a good idea to allow his players to hold each other accountable. A leadership council of sorts. It failed miserably.

Mike McDaniel is doing something similar, but this time, it is the players who are stepping up and taking accountability and holding other players accountable. Omar Kelly, who now covers the team for the Miami Herald, talked about the team captains.

It's an interesting piece on the dynamics that are in play within the Miami Gardens training complex and locker room. One the Dolphins are hoping will eventually lead to success on the field against good opponents and maybe a victory in the postseason. So far, it hasn't worked.

Mike McDaniel needs to step things up as head coach of the Miami Dolphins

Kelly talks about Jalen Ramsey stepping up with a profanity-laced speech after an early training camp practice. He ended by telling the players that if they didn't want to play like bullies, then they weren't going to win anything meaningful.

The Miami Dolphins are 1-3 heading into their game against the Patriots. Tua Tagovailoa has been out and Tyreek Hill has been shouting on the sidelines. Where is the leadership? The Dolphins named 13 players team captains this year; maybe that is a nod to Dan Marino or just an unlucky number the Dolphins didn't pay attention to. So far through four weeks, it seems to be more of an unlucky number.

The Dolphins are not more physical, they are not more disciplined, they are not aggressive, and they don't look prepared. Regardless of who the quarterback has been, the team has been a total disaster. When Jordan Poyer said the Bills knew the Dolphins would give up when they were losing, well, they haven't led for a single second of the 2024 season.

Philbin eventually lost control of his team, and interestingly enough, the "leaders" of the council were all gone the following year. It was a failure for one reason: the head coach wasn't strong enough to deal with the issues. McDaniel is showing he can't either.

The Dolphins players need to hold each other accountable and they need to play more physically. The leaders on the team are the ones that will set that tone, they will be the ones that dictate aspects of the game. How McDaniel inevitably handles the players will be interesting to follow.

Through the first four weeks of the season, McDaniel seems to be on the verge of losing his team. It hasn't been good and fans have grown increasingly tired. If the Dolphins lose to the Patriots on Sunday, it may be the tipping point.