The Miami Dolphins are regarded as a team that relies on speed and finesse to beat opponents, and coach Mike McDaniel is sick of hearing about it.
McDaniel took aim at the narrative on Thursday, questioning what it was that has led some to dwell on the team’s “cuteness” as a stereotype.
“To spend your time worrying about narratives, I would be a stressed-out individual,” McDaniel said, via Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. “I think it is kind of odd, though. I feel like — I haven’t checked lately — but I feel like we’re pretty good at stopping the run and running the football. That’s generally not associated with cuteness.”
To be fair, Miami’s running game is not really a power one, which helps reinforce the stereotype. He has an excellent point about the team’s defense, however. The Dolphins are coming off a tough win over the Dallas Cowboys in which they only scored one offensive touchdown and leaned on their defense to close things out. They will have another opportunity to silence critics when they face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, a team very much known for their tough, hard-nosed style.
The Dolphins might just be rounding into their own at the right time of year, but the “cute” label will not go away until they win more games like the Dallas one. Either way, there is certainly nothing about McDaniel’s attitude that would fall into the stereotype, so he’s probably right that there is more to them than their critics say.
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