Fired up: Dolphins’ McCain ready to lead emotionally
Editor’s note: This continues a series spotlighting members of the Dolphins individually. In addition to reliving highlights and lowlights of the past season for each, we’ll provide analysis and criticism, plus take a look at how each player fits — or doesn’t fit — into the team’s plans for 2018.
DAVIE — Amid scores of Dolphins draft picks who have disappointed, cornerback Bobby McCain represents a success story.
Selected 145th overall in 2015, McCain had to survive a learning curve you’d expect of any NFL rookie corner, let alone one who wasn’t a high draft pick. There were times fans, if not the team, were frustrated.
Then 2017 came along and the flashy plays McCain had been making for some time vastly outnumbered the plays he’d like to forget. Pro Football Focus ranked him the team’s fourth-best player on defense, behind Ndamukong Suh, Cameron Wake and Reshad Jones. The result: The Dolphins wisely locked up McCain for four years and $27 million, including $13 million guaranteed. He’s the highest-paid nickel corner in the league.
For their money, the Dolphins are getting more than a valuable
defender in this pass-happy league. McCain was the first of the Dolphins to admit the team’s issues during the 6-10 season went beyond talent to an area it never should go.
“We lost a bit of fire,” McCain said of the defense.
lost a bit of, ‘Your back’s against the wall, go get it.’ The year before, offense makes a turnover, boom! The ball’s in our own territory, we stop them to a field goal.”
Whatever elements of that lax attitude that may not have been apparent at the time were obvious to McCain as he viewed tapes of Miami’s 2017 games multiple times. He sounds determined to step into a leadership role to make sure it never repeats itself.
call it ‘put a hand on a helmet,’ ” McCain said of when the defense makes a big play. “Like celebrating. Having a good time. You’d see a couple of guys putting a hand on a helmet. No. We need all 11. If a guy makes a great play, we need all 11 there. We’re going to have that energy this year.”
And if anyone thinks it should be the coaching staff ’s job to keep the fire burning, they’ll get an argument from McCain.
“No,” he said. “It’s on us. At the end of the day, we’re the ones out there playing and we’re the ones that have to get it done.”
Whether McCain starts this fall or not is immaterial because he plays so many snaps per season, he’s essen- tially a 12th starter.
Although McCain has been a slot corner, the Dolphins have been moving him around and aren’t bashful about sending him to the boundary.
“I need him outside and I’m going to need him inside,” defensive backs coach Tony Oden said during OTAs. “If he’s in the game, it’s going to happen. If we don’t prac- tice that, I can’t expect him to compete and excel at an elite level if we haven’t practiced it.”
McCain says he’s game.
“I’m a corner,” McCain said. “I want to be in the game, as everyone does. Whatever we feel is best for the team, that’s what I’m going to do, whether it’s outside, inside.”
Regardless of where he lines up, his goal is to create more takeaways.
“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.”