The Miami Dolphins are in Madrid preparing to face the Washington Commanders on Sunday, with a third win in four games within reach. Players explored the city Tuesday before returning their focus to football. The Dolphins also held activities at Atlético de Madrid facilities during the international trip.
Head coach Mike McDaniel said the shared experience could strengthen the team’s cohesion. “The sport of football is 11 people playing together each and every down and that cohesion is only elevated when you share off the field experiences as well,” McDaniel said. “I think as far as the opportunity to have a player day off here versus home where everyone has their lives, it takes them different places, it’s a residual win and we feel very fortunate to have the opportunity.”
McDaniel said the Dolphins have shifted their attention back to Washington. “Now it’s back to focusing on exactly what people are here for and that’s to play a game against an opponent that’s going to be a complete handful, so we have a lot of work to do starting here,” he said.
Miami Dolphins players explore Madrid
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said this is his third international game. He used Tuesday to explore part of Madrid, including the Cathedral, and said he walked about 20,000 steps. Tagovailoa also praised the opportunity to experience the city’s food, language and people.
“This is my third international game but being able to travel internationally and visit different cultures I think is a cool thing,” Tagovailoa said. “Not just with the food, with the language, with the people as well. Yesterday I had the opportunity to go check out the city a little bit and I thought that was cool. I got to see a little bit of the Cathedral, I thought that was really cool and then checked out some spots while walking. I think I got about 20,000 steps in yesterday just walking. Nice and cool (weather), not too hot, so it was really cool.”
Outside linebacker Bradley Chubb said Atlético de Madrid’s facilities include hot tubs, cold tubs and a sauna. He also mentioned the sauna and gym available at the team hotel. The amenities have helped the Dolphins manage the long road trip, Chubb said.
“Atlético de Madrid has been amazing. They got the hot tubs, cold tubs, all those different things, sauna. The hotel we’re at has a great sauna as well and gym and all that stuff that we can use. I feel like it’s not as hard as it’s been in the past going on these long road trips. You just got to have those people that you really need and got to drop a little bread just to get them out here and keep things rolling,” Chubb said.
Miami Dolphins prepare for Washington quarterbacks
Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver discussed preparing for Washington quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Jayden Daniels. Weaver said the quarterbacks have similar skill sets and emphasized putting pressure on them while limiting their running opportunities. He also said the Dolphins must keep the Washington offense contained on the edges.
“Both have very similar skill sets. Jayden (Daniels) is obviously electric both as a thrower and a runner. Marcus (Mariota) was drafted very high for the same reasons. He has a cannon. He can make all the throws. It’s important for us to try to get back there and try to put them under distress as much as you can and then kind of limit his run exposure. They’re going to try to get him on the edges of defenses just because they have so much zone read QB-driven run game and when he does, we got to make sure everybody is doing their job and we keep them corralled,” Weaver said.
Defensive tackle Zach Sieler said the Dolphins cannot become complacent after their previous win. He said the team must correct its mistakes and maintain its focus on the Washington game. “The focus is going 1-0 this week and getting the win on Sunday,” Sieler said.
“The biggest thing is the old saying, never get too high, never get too low. And that’s exactly it. Obviously, that was a great win last week, but to focus in on what we did to keep that going, and there are still some things we did wrong. So, to make the adjustments there, and don’t do anything different – just because you won last week doesn’t mean all right, we can relax here. You don’t need to do the extra work or whatever – no. It’s just as important,” Sieler said.
Fullback Alec Ingold said the coaching staff helped the Dolphins move on from their previous game under the team’s 24-hour rule. Ingold said the players were ready to return to work after boarding the plane for Madrid. The international trip has provided distractions, but he said the team treated it as a business trip.
“I think the entire coaching staff did a great job of kind of framing that, packaging that up and allowing for us to protect that identity of ball that we created and leave it at that – to allow us to kind of grow through it, to win it. It was business as usual. It didn’t linger very often, 24-hour rule, and guys hopped on the plane, and it felt like we were ready to go to work. It was cool to see the guys respond like that for a business trip. Obviously, there are a million different distractions but that’s the same rep that we’ve kind of been working with all year. If we haven’t learned the lesson yet, we’re a little thick-headed. It’s been good for the guys; flight was awesome and glad to be here,” Ingold said.
Source: Original report