NASHVILLE (WSVN) — The Dolphins will play their first game under new head coach Dan Campbell Sunday.
The Miami Dolphins (1-3) have arrived in Nashville, Tennessee to take on the Titans. The Dolphins and their new head coach are ready for a fresh start. The team has had two weeks to plan on how to get their season back on track.
It’s Campbell’s first game as a head coach since replacing Joe Philbin. His main objective: to toughen this team up. So far, players have reacted well to their new coach.
"The tone that the head coach sets, transcends to the team and we want to kind of embody what he gives us the mindset of," said player Ryan Tannehill.
"It definitely makes you feel good that all your hard work and dedication is not going unnoticed," said Reshad Jones.
"That’s gonna allow us to build the attitude that we’re gonna win games," said Jarvis Landry. "And that’s the mindset that were gonna take to the field this Sunday."
Campbell has also said that he is determined to light a fire under the team, but he knows that there’s a lot of work to do.
"Everything just hit me at once like ‘OK, we got this, this is an issue, this is an area, we got problems here, now I got to deal with this,’ I got refocused back to what was most important and that was, one day at a time, how do I get the most out of these guys?" said Dan Campbell.
Since taking over the team, Campbell has fired defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle to the applause of many fins fans, but he says the shift in authority took a little adjusting to.
"He was essentially my boss, and for a day or two, yeah it was a little awkward. That’s just because everything is flipped," said Campbell. "Now I’m planning practices but Bill’s been great."
Campbell is no stranger to big games, he won a superbowl with the Colts as a player. But, with the Dolphins playoff hopes already in jeopardy, this Sunday’s game carries high expectations.
Fins fans have grown impatient and if a tough team doesn’t translate to a "winning" team, Campbell’s tenure could be a short one.