Talk Is Cheap About The Culture Change

Originally posted on Dolphins Talk | By Ryan VanHoover | Last updated Jun 15, 2025 11:47 AM ET

The Miami Dolphins last year were different, and I could see it in the preseason, and it carried over into the regular season. Then the team got into a funk early in the season, especially when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went down with a concussion, but they were in a funk even with him in the first game and a half.

People talked about how players were buying into the team, and players were routinely late for team meetings, which head coach Mike McDaniel didn’t deny after the season, and realized that fines weren’t getting the message to those players. Duh, these guys are making 7 to 8-figure salaries, so a 4-figure fine is pocket change to them. Then there were players like wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who quit on the team in the regular season finale. The coaches and players were all trying to deny everything, but then Bradley Chubb this week said the players were lying last year and put their toe in the water, but didn’t fully commit to giving their best effort.

This might just be an example of how things go wrong when you entitle your players, like McDaniel has done since he has been the coach. Things are great when you’re winning and getting off to a great start, as seen in 2022 and 2023, which helped make the playoffs.

However, last year, the Dolphins got off to a bad start and couldn’t recover. Maybe McDaniel felt the veterans would control things in the locker room, but it’s the head coach who must set the standard.

It’s interesting how teams have a disciplinarian, like the Dolphins did with Brian Flores, and the team feels he’s too tough, so they get rid of him for a more easy-going guy like McDaniel. The thing is, Flores always had the pulse of his team, and as tough as he was, the team didn’t quit. The team started 1-7 in 2021 and finished 9-8, which reflects him.

McDaniel is at a crossroads year, and he knows it as he is on the hot seat and things must change. The Dolphins got rid of a lot of veterans and brought in younger players this offseason, which, frankly, I feel the team needed to do, but the team must be more focused and responsible for how they go about their business. McDaniel has laid down rules and expectations.

That’s fine and dandy, but it’s June, not August. The pads aren’t on. The team isn’t going full speed or game planning. The real test will come when the grind starts in training camp, and that’s going to be one of the things that will be under the microscope: whether McDaniel has a team together or is going their own way. I would say going their own way.

I could be wrong, and McDaniel could change, but if this team gets off to a bad start, then the season will get away from them, and McDaniel will be gone. It’s time for McDaniel to stop talking about the culture change and show it. I’m not buying all the talk because it’s easy to do that. Actions speak louder than words, and we must see this team in action to truly see if things have changed.

This article first appeared on Dolphins Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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