The Miami Dolphins have been getting plenty of attention this season, as they’ve started the year out 5-2 through their first seven games with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Tyreek Hill both playing at MVP levels.
However, there’s always room for more eyeballs, and the Dolphins are getting exactly that, as they were announced as the featured team for this year’s in-season edition of “Hard Knocks.”
After the news broke, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel met with the media for his scheduled availability, and of course, he was asked about the team’s appearance on the show.
“I wouldn’t call it a team decision,” McDaniel said. “But at the same time, you guys know me well enough that I steer clear of worrying about things that we can’t control. It’s something that I conveyed to the team for the first time today, and I see some positives with this particular team, just knowing that there’s a lot of things in terms of when we do have success on the field, that people kind of are curious as to how that happens.
“I think they’ll see exactly where that comes from. I don’t think it’s a bad thing for people to see our day-in, day-out hard work. I know there’s a lot of guys on this team that will garner interest, really. I think that a platform for them to showcase who they are and really the fan base to get to know the players and coaches better, I can understand the value to the National Football League, to HBO, to NFL Films, and I can understand the value for the Miami Dolphins.”
“Hard Knocks” provides fans an opportunity to see how teams go about their business in the heat of the moment. We get to see how they deal with injuries, poor performances, incredible victories and the weekly grind of an NFL season.
McDaniel actually believes that Miami is prepared for the bright lights.
“It’s something that I think that this particular team is equipped to handle, just because the focus of really how they go about their day-in-day-out jobs,” McDaniel said. “I’m also very proud of this organization, having been in multiple. I know that this is, from the top down, a very healthy, all moving in one direction organization that I think it’s not bad for the organization to be seen as that, because it’s a cool place to work.
“We will take it for exactly what it is and make sure that we use it only to our advantage. It’s not a bad thing to – in the National Football League, the bottom line is if you’re getting done what your whole mission statement is, it’s going to be done under a spotlight. So getting used to having a weekly spotlight for this young team isn’t necessarily a bad thing either.”
McDaniel did say that the cameras haven’t started rolling just yet, but they’ll be going after the team’s trip to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany in Week 9.