Mike McDaniel took an approach that ultimately led to the firing of coach Joe Philbin

When Joe Philbin was head coach of the Miami Dolphins, he thought it would be a good idea to give his players a chance to hold each other accountable. A leadership council of sorts. It failed miserably.

Mike McDaniel is doing something similar, but this time it's the players who are taking responsibility and holding other players accountable. Omar Kelly, who now covers the team for the Miami Herald, talked about the team captains.

It's an interesting article about the dynamics at play in the Miami Gardens training complex and locker room. One that the Dolphins hope will eventually lead to success on the field against good opponents and perhaps a win in the postseason. So far it hasn't worked.

Kelly talks about Jalen Ramsey giving a profanity-laced speech after an early training camp practice. Finally, he told the players that if they didn't want to play like bullies, they wouldn't win anything meaningful.

The Miami Dolphins are 1-3 in their game against the Patriots. Tua Tagovailoa was out and Tyreek Hill was yelling on the sideline. Where is the leadership? The Dolphins named 13 players team captains this year; Maybe that's a nod to Dan Marino or just an unfortunate number that the Dolphins didn't pay attention to. So far in the four weeks it seems to be an unlucky number.

The Dolphins are not more physical, they are not more disciplined, they are not aggressive and they do not appear prepared. Regardless of who the quarterback was, the team was a total disaster. When Jordan Poyer said the Bills knew the Dolphins would fold if they lost, well, they haven't led for a single second in the 2024 season.

Philbin eventually lost control of his team and, interestingly, the Council's “leaders” were all gone by the following year. It was a failure for one reason: the head coach wasn't strong enough to handle the problems. McDaniel shows he can't either.

The Dolphins players need to hold each other accountable and play more physically. The leaders in the team are the ones who set the tone, they will be the ones who dictate aspects of the game. It will be interesting to see how McDaniel inevitably deals with the players.

Through the first four weeks of the season, McDaniel appears to be on the verge of losing his team. It wasn't good and the fans were getting more and more tired. If the Dolphins lose to the Patriots on Sunday, it could be the turning point.