Mike McDaniel Praises Dolphins Captains for Removing Ping-Pong Table from Locker Room

The captains of the Miami Dolphins recently removed a Ping-Pong table from the team's locker room, and head coach Mike McDaniel praised the decision to part with something that had been a distraction for the team.

According to ProFootballTalk's Michael David Smith, McDaniel said:

"Tyreek and the captains decided that they wanted to take a step forward with all their opponent prep with regard to the team and with their preparation with our game plans in general. So he made the move to take the Ping-Pong tables out of the locker room. That, to me, is leadership. To me, leadership is acting, not talking. There's a bunch of different examples from those guys and that's why they're captains. That's why we rely on them. Because it's about solving problems, not complaining about them. They collectively as a group of players wanted more time investment during the week on their jobs for Sunday. So instead of just saying it, they did something about it and that's the whole reason that I really have a lot of love for those guys."

The Dolphins added the Ping-Pong table to the locker room earlier this year. Players previously said that the addition of the table encouraged competition and brought members of the team closer together.

However, the Dolphins have lost their last two games and enter Week 6 with a 3-2 record, and perhaps removing the Ping-Pong table will help the team refocus.

The Dolphins have also had to play without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the past two weeks, so that's likely played a bigger role in the two losses than locker room table tennis.

Miami will face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Tagovailoa has been ruled out and rookie Skylar Thompson is expected to start, McDaniel said Wednesday.