During Miami's 13-6 preseason win over the Washington Commanders on Saturday night, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross joined the CBS broadcast and verbalized the lofty expectations for his club.
"Right now, we have a great roster and I think everybody has great expectations," Ross said, via the team's official transcript. "But hey, it's the old injury bug. You got to make sure that that doesn't happen like last year. I think without that and we stay healthy, I think we're certainly a contender for the Super Bowl."
Ross said those expectations are one reason he shelled out cash to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle this offseason.
"Well, I want to win this year, and I want to win next year, as well," he said. "But you've got to start early, and I think having those players and signing them to long-term contracts and knowing the nucleus of the team, I think that's important. They are stars -- Tyreek was just voted the No. 1 player in the league. With Waddle and Tua and some of the important young guys, retaining them -- that's what you want to do. You want to retain as many of your draft choices that really pan out. That's a challenge though in these times."
The Dolphins made the playoffs each of the past two seasons but have yet to snap the long streak of postseason futility, which has stretched to 24 years sans a playoff victory. It's been 40 years since Dan Marino led Miami to a Super Bowl game and 50 since Don Shula hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the Dolphins.
Head coach Mike McDaniel, who has made wiping out the 24-year playoff struggles a focal point of his offseason, loves his owner making the expectations clear.
"Absolutely. I think from a team perspective, a lot of times people hesitate to talk about goals in case you don't achieve them," McDaniel said when asked about Ross' comments. "I don't really operate that way. There's a lot of steps before that, so I don't think necessarily it's on our guys' minds right now because our goals are creating our standard and then winning the next game, and then you try to do the vision, and then you try to win the conference, and you try to win the Super Bowl.
"But I like the building and including the owner, having the mindset of let's be bold, don't be afraid of anything. We're going to compete. I think that brings out the best in people. I'm excited that he -- I think that means he believes in the program, right? But we've got a preseason game that follows three practices, and then we've got to get ready for the Jacksonville Jaguars after that. So that's what we'll be concerned with, but we're building to be our best selves and that will take tomorrow and then the next day to do."
The Dolphins certainly boast the skill level to compete for a Super Bowl, but a lot must go right to reach those heights, including a defense decimated last year staying healthy.
The fact is that every club should enter the season believing they can reach a Super Bowl. It's the mentality players and coaches must take to perform in an unforgiving sport. Why put in all those hours and take all those beatings if the goal isn't the ultimate prize? The reality, however, is that only a select few are true contenders to lift a Lombardi Trophy in February.
