Forgive Mike McDaniel if he didn’t overly have a good time his first head teaching victory or bask within the glory of defeating Bill Belichick.
He could also be a first-time head coach, however he understands from his decade and a half within the NFL that it’s at all times “what’s next?”
As the clock wound down on the Miami Dolphins’ 20-7 win over the New England Patriots, what was subsequent was discovering Belichick for a handshake. Then, what was subsequent after that was a victory speech within the locker room earlier than then discovering the phrases for the media on the press convention podium.
Almost instantly — and whilst McDaniel was drenched in two colours of Gatorade that defensive linemen Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler dumped on him within the locker room — the main target shifted to the Dolphins’ subsequent opponent, the Baltimore Ravens.
“We’ve got Game 2 next week on the road against a team that’s very hard to play at, so that will be our concern,” McDaniel stated on Sunday, displaying the place his psychological focus was as reporters appeared to attract the feelings out of him.
It’s a mindset that’s a necessity throughout this primary month of the Dolphins’ season. The Super Bowl-favorite Buffalo Bills come to Miami Gardens on Week 3, and the Dolphins observe that with journey on a brief week to Cincinnati for a Thursday night time recreation on Sept. 29 to face the reigning AFC champion Bengals.
But earlier than any of that, all of the Dolphins’ vitality must be centered on Baltimore. M&T Bank Stadium has been a home of horrors for Miami. The Dolphins have misplaced 4 consecutive highway video games towards the Ravens, final profitable in Baltimore in 1997. The final two losses, in 2016 and 2017, have been by a mixed 72 factors.
Miami, which additionally was on the incorrect facet of the embarrassing 59-10 beatdown at house within the 2019 opener, exorcised a few of its demons versus the Ravens final yr in a 22-10 Thursday night time win at Hard Rock Stadium, however it’s at all times a special story of their home.
Baltimore enters this season hungry after an 8-3 begin in 2021 was upended by six consecutive defeats to complete the yr 8-9 and out of the playoffs, after the roster was devastated by harm.
The Ravens, who topped the New York Jets 24-9 on Sunday, even have final yr’s loss in Miami on their thoughts. Quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for 3 touchdowns towards the Jets, whereas the protection, which allowed New York to maneuver down the sphere, held the Jets to 2-for-14 on third downs and compelled two turnovers.
McDaniel stated he didn’t need the locker room celebration on Sunday to be centered round him, however the workforce thought in any other case, nonetheless.
“Maybe with friends and family I’ll take 15 minutes to appreciate it, but that’s not why I’m here, is to bask or cheer,” McDaniel stated Sunday. “I’m here to help lead a team of people.”
It wasn’t Belichick’s “We’re on to Cincinnati” he as soon as famously repeated to a variety of difficult questions after a Patriots loss. McDaniel doesn’t appear to be he’ll ever be that brief with the media. But, in his personal manner, after defeating Belichick, he took a web page from him in how he dealt with his first win.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com