That actually wasn't the first step. First, the Dolphins' organization itself had to believe. That took some doing, because the organization was close to pulling the plug on 2024 when McDaniel jammed on the brakes.
"I may or may not have thrown an adult temper tantrum," McDaniel said.
McDaniel could smile about it now -- now that the Dolphins had just manhandled the New England Patriots 34-15 Sunday for their third straight victory. Back then, back at 2-6, the Dolphins were on the brink of trading defensive tackle Calais Campbell to Baltimore for a fifth-round draft choice, NFL.com reported Sunday.
Don't look at that as getting compensation for a 38-year-old player. McDaniel didn't. His focus was "what one individual does for an entire team." Or, to put it another way, what the absence of that same individual would mean, because Campbell is a team captain and arguably MVP. That's who you ship out for a low draft pick?
Today, the Dolphins are 5-6 and inching within clawing distance of the final wild-card spot in the AFC. Inching within relevance. Inching within making a statement that is the exact opposite of the statement sellers make at the trading deadline.
What Sunday's win did was make what comes next matter. Thanksgiving night, the Dolphins will be at Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers. It's the trifecta of Dolphins bugaboos: road game, good opponent, frigid weather.
Tagovailoa never would have said that had it not been for the Dolphins' most-complete, most-efficient win of the season. This is what the 2024 Miami Dolphins were supposed to look like starting in September. There were long, grind-it-out drives. There were lightning strikes. There were two touchdown catches by running back De'Von Achane and a team-high nine receptions by tight end Jonnu Smith. And that was just on offense. Defense? Miami's D throttled the Patriots to such an extent that the only drama by the start of the fourth quarter was whether Anthony Weaver's crew would be rewarded with a shutout.
Never has this team looked more prepared for a trip to Lambeau than now.
"Real football weather," said receiver Jaylen Waddle, who snapped out of a season-long drought with eight receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown on only nine targets.
"Jaylen had opportunities and made the most of his opportunities," Tagovailoa said, which wasn't entirely accurate. After scoring on a 23-yard catch for his second TD of the season, Waddle failed to do his Waddle dance. He said the dance "got out of hand." It's not retired, he said. It just "needs a break."
It was that kind of upbeat day at Hard Rock Stadium, a day that didn't feel quite like any other so far. Nobody was suggesting printing up playoff tickets, but at least the idea of eventually punching a playoff ticket wasn't automatic disqualification from the real world.
"We still have a long way to go," said defensive tackle Zach Sieler, who had four tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. "Now we're 5-6. ... We're not out of the hole."
The only prescription in Sieler's eyes is playing with the same urgency they used to escape from 2-6. You could say the "real" season starts now. After Green Bay come two games against the Jets, a visit by San Francisco and trips to Houston and Cleveland. Count as many wins as you like from your couch. Just know every one has the potential to trip up a team.
Calais Campbell grateful to be consulted on possible trade
As for the best trade that the Dolphins did not make this season, Campbell talked about that postgame, expressing gratitude that the organization included him in the conversation.
"They didn't have to say anything to me at all," Campbell said. "It was a conversation about what we think of this team and where we are. We felt like we had a good shot to fight and get back into the fight.
"Everything that has happened so far, based off the conversation we had, (has happened) the way we thought it would. With a big game on Thanksgiving in the primetime slot to get back to .500 and have a shot to put us back into the playoff position.
"All that matters is staying in the moment and playing good technical football to put us in a position to win football games."
Campbell may say that's "all" that matters, but McDaniel has a slightly different view. McDaniel explained that general manager Chris Grier has to be concerned with both the long- and short-term interest of the team.
"My job is to speak on behalf of what's the best thing for the 2024 Dolphins, and I'm just fortunate to work in an organization where myself and the GM can just be transparent and work together," McDaniel said.
Yes, but ... what happened?
"He didn't want to see any more adult temper tantrums."