McDaniel adds former Pro Bowlers to coaching staff. Why that matters to Dolphins players

The personalities of Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and his predecessor, Brian Flores, couldn’t be more different.

McDaniel uses humor, warmth, encouragement and a measured tone to speak with players. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said McDaniel is one of the most optimistic people he has ever met.

Flores could be cold, stern and intimidating and instilled fear at times, according to players.

But besides that and the difference in their expertise — McDaniel’s specialty is offense, Flores defense — there’s another difference that has emerged, one reflected in the coaching staffs they have constructed.

This Dolphins staff has a handful of coaches who had exceptional NFL careers. Flores’ staff didn’t have any.

And while no player publicly has criticized the former staff, several Dolphins have said that playing experience has been a clear positive with this staff.

The receivers are now coached by five-time Pro Bowler and three-time NFL reception leader Wes Welker, who replaced Josh Grizzard, who had no NFL playing experience. McDaniel brought along Welker from San Francisco, where he coached 49ers receivers.

“It’s a different approach because he actually played and he had success in this league,” receiver Jaylen Waddle said of Welker. “You really take into consideration what he’s telling you because he did it before. It just makes it hit home a little better.”

The new cornerbacks coach, two-time first-team All-Pro Sam Madison, replaced Charles Burks, who didn’t play in the NFL but was well respected by players and left the Dolphins by choice to take a job with Cincinnati.

And Madison is being assisted by former Dolphins first-team All-Pro Patrick Surtain.

“With Sam and Pat, it’s a different level of respect,” cornerback Noah Igbonighene said.

Safety Eric Rowe cites one benefit of having three new defensive back coaches who had very good NFL careers: Madison, Surtain and safeties coach Steve Gregory, who had a longer and better NFL career than predecessor Gerald Alexander, who was let go by McDaniel and defensive coordinator Josh Boyer:

“Sam, Pat and Steve all played number of years in the league,” Rowe said. “All were great at it. They’re very relatable when it comes to different situations that happen on the field. Maybe you’re playing man and you lost your leverage but are still tight on coverage. Pat will be, ‘I know you lost your leverage, but you still have him covered.’ They’re very relatable.”

The new outside linebackers coach, Tyrone McKenzie, had an 19-game NFL career; predecessor Rob Leonard did not play in the league.

“He can teach from experience,” linebacker Jaelan Phillips said of McKenzie. “Sometimes that’s a lot more useful because he knows what we’re going through and the techniques that have to be used to be successful. Having a coach that played in the league is really invaluable.”

Neither last season’s offensive coordinators (George Godsey and Eric Studesville) nor this one (Frank Smith) played in the NFL. Godsey has landed in Baltimore, coaching tight ends, while Studesville was retained by McDaniel as running backs coach.

New tight ends coach John Embree played briefly in the league. Boyer, the defensive coordinator for Flores last year and McDaniel this year, never played in the NFL.

The only position coach that had NFL experience on Flores’ staff — but not on McDaniel’s staff — was the quarterback coach.

Ex-quarterbacks coach Charlie Frye was 7-16 in 23 NFL starts; new QB coach Darrell Bevell had a good career at Wisconsin but never made an NFL team.

So the difference is that this staff has a few players who starred on Sundays, while Flores’ staff had none.

McDaniel and Kyle Shanahan helped develop Welker as a coach with the 49ers.

“This will be my fourth year being in this offense,” Welker said. “It is way different than my first. I felt like a terrible coach in my first year. Now I’m very comfortable with the offense. I know exactly the clip I have to show the guys whenever they screw something up or knowing what the issue is on certain plays and trying to show them and put them in a good position to be successful.”

Among the things that McDaniel has taught Welker and other young coaches: how to make coaching tapes that depict how a play is installed and how it can work.

Those coaching tapes are “good,” Waddle said. “If you mess up, he shows you a play that gets the same look from the defense — kind of how it’s supposed to be. So he paints that picture in your mind so the next time you go out there, you know what to expect and how you’re going to treat it.”

Former star players might not have liked being admonished during their playing careers.

But the former Pro Bowlers on this staff don’t shy away from criticism.

“He’s not going to sugarcoat nothing,” Waddle said of Welker. “He’s going to tell you if that was a bad play, that’s a bad play. That’s all you can ask for from a coach, honestly, is to give his true opinion.”

NEWS NOTE

Waddle (quad), Chase Edmonds (groin) and Myles Gaskin (neck) practiced fully Thursday, after being limited on Wednesday.

But defensive tackle Raekwon Davis (knee) was added to the injury report; he was limited Thursday.

Nik Needham (quad), Andrew Van Ginkel (appendix removed), Salvon Ahmed (heel), Tanner Conner (knee) and Alec Ingold (hamstring) remained limited during practice on Thursday.