McCain: ‘I feel like I can always be better’
Despite offseason roster upheaval, Dolphins corner is optimistic.
AVENTURA — Cornerback Bobby McCain had a good season last year for the Dolphins. Random people say that. Coach Adam Gase says it.
McCain doesn’t sound like a guy who wants to hear it.
“I feel like I can always be better,” McCain said at the Dolphins Cancer Challenge annual golf tournament last week. “Everyone feels that way. We went 6-10, so clearly I didn’t do enough.”
McCain already has one area pinpointed for improvement. He wants to create more turnovers. Last season he had two interceptions. In his three-year career, he has had a hand in four takeaways (three interceptions, one forced fumble).
“Each and every year, I want more and more turnovers,” McCain said. “Turnovers, they keep you in the league and they get you paid. Turnovers and just being able to win ballgames at the end of the day. I don’t care what I have to do to win the ballgame. We need more wins.”
McCain became a bigger force as last season wore on.
“I don’t know whyeverybody always wants to replace Bobby but all he does is just consistently play probably better than everybody else,” Gase said. “He’s one of our guys that’s probably one of our top leaders that we have in our locker room. He’s a guy that we’ve counted on for two years and he just keeps getting
better.”
McCain is in a contract year after being taken in the fifth round out of Memphis, so getting paid will be an issue this year.
“I feel like I haven’t played my best ball yet,” he said.
The secondary and special teams, of which he also plays a role, have undergone change this offseason, including losing Michael Thomas, the special teams captain. This week, the Dolphins brought in Saints Dolphins coach, on Bobby McCain
free-agent safety Kenny Vaccaro, a former first-round pick, for a visit.
“I know he’s a good player,” McCain said. “He’s a big hitter. He’s a big body. He’s an athlete. He can cover, he can tackle, he can do it all pretty well. I watched a couple of Saints games, I know he had a good year this year after taking a little heat, but he’s a good player. I don’t know what all went down, how the visit went, but I know if he signs with the Dolphins, we’ll be happy to have him.”
The Dolphins have seen plenty of familiar faces go, including Jarvis Landry, Mike Pouncey and Ndamukong Suh. But it’s April, and if players can’t be optimistic in the spring, that’s a problem. So McCain is optimis- tic despite the upheaval.
“We’re going to stand strong,” McCain said. “Those guys you named, they’re really good guys. They’re good friends of mine, all of them. I hate to see them go, but unfortunately that’s the way the business is. You see guys go left and right. I know they’re going to do well in their next endeavors, and I know at the end of the day we have who we have. We’re all we’ve got at the end of the day.
“The chemistry, we’re still going to bond. We’re still close, we’re still tight.”