What's with sweatshirt? Mike McDaniel explains that and what /_\ has to do with anything
MIAMI GARDENS — It was a typical June afternoon in South Florida, meaning it was a good time to be in the air conditioning.
Unless your name was Mike McDaniel.
The second day of mandatory minicamp for the Dolphins shed more light on how the new coach operates.
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Surrounded by reporters in shorts and T-shirts, McDaniel held court in … a Dolphins sweatshirt.
Sure, McDaniel said, there’s comfortable Dri-Fit merch inside. But McDaniel didn’t want to be comfortable.
“Honestly, it’s the best way that I can keep in-tune to what the players are going through because I’m not sprinting around,” McDaniel said. “At least I have an idea of how hot it is. Otherwise you’ll kind of lose sight of that and then you’ll be doing too many reps, causing soft tissue injuries and all that nonsense.”
It’s an approach players could appreciate while sprinting around in all that gear. There’s only so much relief McDaniel can logically give them. Their practices are roughly around the time of their games to acclimate them for their home-field advantage.
Mike McDaniel jots down notes in middle of the night
There’s more.
Part of the reason the Dolphins chose McDaniel is for his creative mind. Turns out that mind doesn’t take many breaks, even if his wife, Katie, wishes it did. McDaniel explains:
“My iPhone note app is my go-to. I’ll write down whatever play I’m referring to and if it’s that abstract and there’s no word for it, I usually just put some symbols. That’s my note-taking. Maybe 1 or 2 in the morning in bed when my wife is being annoyed that my screen is too bright.”
At least McDaniel is thoughtful enough to not hunt for smiley emojis.
“I’m talking about underscores,” he said. “Like old-school symbols … just create a triangle with a front slash and a back slash. … ”
Which plays involve /_\? Sorry, but we’re not at that point yet. Coaches are still in the teaching phase of the offseason. Fancy stuff comes in training camp.
“Being creative and innovative is something that I think is part of the job,” McDaniel said. “It’s natural for my brain to look at things that way to the point that I actually have to be mindful of pulling back that I don’t get bored.”
He also cautioned against taking things too far. Ultimately, it’s still a game of running, passing, blocking and tackling.
“When you’re trying to install a new system to a group of guys, the bottom line is you could have the coolest plays that ever existed but if the players don’t execute them, your plays are not cool,” McDaniel said.
Hal Habib covers the Dolphins for The Post. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Steamy Dolphins practice? Mike McDaniel still wants his sweatshirt
