Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Bobby McCain accepting leadership role in the defensive backfield.
Back gets praise for helping out young players
DAVIE — Dolphins nickel cornerback Bobby McCain remembers being a rookie.
That year he soaked in all the knowledge of the veterans on the roster, and now the roles have reversed. McCain, in his fourth season, is the player the youngsters in the secondary are asking for advice.
“Me being in my fourth year, I was that young guy three years ago asking questions, wanting to know things,” McCain said. “Those young guys are all coming up to me. They want to know. They want to learn, and that’s good to have.”
Dolphins coach Adam Gase recently applauded McCain for his efforts with younger players. Gase referred to him as one of the defensive leaders.
“That’s a great compliment coming from Coach,” McCain said. “At the end of the day, we’re just here to do a job and that’s to win football games. If your role is to lead the young guys, then that’s what you have to do. If your role is to sit back and wait, you’ve just got to wait. Now that we have young guys who are coming up behind you, they know the right way to do things.”
Taking on a leadership role has been an easy adjustment for McCain. He said it’s mostly because he has embraced it.
“It’s different because you’re one of the vets in the room,” McCain said. “We’ve got a lot of great vets in the room. … It’s different but it’s a role that you have to take and you have to embrace. Now, you’ve got guys looking at you to do the right thing and you’ve got to know what you’re doing.”
McCain is the secondmost experienced player in the secondary behind safety Reshad Jones, who is beginning his ninth season and recently said he wants to finish his career in Miami.
“It’s crazy,” McCain said. “It’s a good feeling, though. Just knowing that it’s your fourth year in the league. At the end of the day, you’ve got to put the hat on and go to work each and every day.”
Safety T.J. McDonald, who is entering his second year with the Dolphins, hasn’t taken long to realize McCain’s importance.
“He’s quick,” McDonald said. “I think he had one of the fastest shuttles [at the NFL combine] coming out. His mental approach to the game pays off.”
Added Gase, “I don’t know why everybody always wants to replace Bobby, but all he does is just consistently play probably better than everybody else. 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.”
Last year, McCain had 48 tackles and two interceptions. This is an important season because he’s in the last year of his contract.
“It’s a contract year,” McCain said. “It’s no secret. Me, personally, I think just go out and play ball. If you go out and play ball, it will all end up well for you. If you win ballgames, everybody gets paid. You go out, you take your team to the playoffs, go deep in the playoffs, go to the Super Bowl, everybody wins.”
McCain played mostly at nickel back but said he is comfortable at any position. He’ll leave those decisions to the coaching staff. He just wants to be on the field helping the team in some capacity.
“It’s important,” McCain said. “I want to be in the game, as everyone does, at the end of the day. Whatever feels best for the team to win ballgames, that’s what I’m going to do.”