Dan Campbell Proving That Changing Miami Dolphins' Culture Is Not a 1-Week Job

The Miami Dolphins didn't become a mediocre team without an identity in one week; it's a mentality that was instilled in the team over the span of Joe Philbin's four-year run as the head coach.

Likewise, the Dolphins won't suddenly shed the shackles of mediocrity or forge an identity overnight either; it's going to take a commitment to creating a new mindset in order to change the culture of the franchise.

That's not lost on interim head coach Dan Campbell, who has continued to test the toughness and competitiveness of his team in his third full week on the job.

He's clearly having an effect, as evidenced in the Dolphins' 38-10 curb-stomping of the Tennessee Titans in Week 6, but he doesn't want his team to get comfortable, and he's not settling, either.

All those Oklahoma drills and all the preaching about changing the mentality of the team, it wasn't just for show. These are the things we should come to expect from the Dolphins for the remainder of the 2015 season, or throughout the Campbell era, whichever lasts longer.

In fact, to avoid further complacency from the players, Campbell has even ramped up the intensity of practices by including "what appeared to be a rugby scrum," according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. "Campbell put young players in the middle of the circle and instructed them to fight their way out."

Campbell's place as the head coach may not have been a calculated decision, but he is exactly the right person for the job at exactly the right time. The Dolphins needed someone who could bring the fight out of this team. Campbell appears to be doing just that.

"It's fun. They were just messing around with each other," Campbell said of the scrum. "When you have the young guys in the middle and they have to find a way to get outside the circle, it kind of gets everybody fired up a little bit. It just created a little bit of energy."

By pushing these guys to the limit week after week with physical practices, he's not just sending a message that he wants his team to be much more physical; he's creating a more physical team. 

Too physical?

"Yeah, there's no such thing as that," he said. "I don't see that, I don't see how that's even possible."

This is exactly what the Dolphins need. Who cares if it's rubbing some other teams the wrong way? Don Shula didn't become one of the greatest coaches of all time by cozying up to every team he faced. 

Campbell may not be the next Shula, but in the span of just three weeks he's already proved he won't be the next Philbin. He proved that with how he handled defensive end Olivier Vernon's fine from the NFL for his late hit of Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota in Sunday's game.

Philbin might have sat Vernon down for a lecture. Campbell went onto the practice field and had what was described as a "heart-to-heart" with Vernon.

"I just told him that I know he's not a dirty player," Campbell said. "I know who he is and I saw the play. I saw both of them. He's playing football. He's trying to get to the quarterback."

They may not have been playing dirty, but they were certainly playing mean in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Dolphins reached the quarterback six sacks on the game, including four by defensive end Cameron Wake, and held the Titans to just 63 rushing yards, the first time all season in which the Dolphins have not given up more than 120 rushing yards.

They also earned 180 rushing yards of their own, the first time they've picked up more than 120 rushing yards in a game. With pressure on just six of quarterback Ryan Tannehill's 32 dropbacks (18.8 percent), it was also the first time all season in which he was under pressure on less than 32 percent of pass plays in a game, according to Pro Football Focus. 

The Dolphins are finally showing the level of aggression and toughness they're capable of showing on a weekly basis. Why would Campbell stop now? 

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.