In hindsight, was doing Hard Knocks perhaps a mistake?

[Pappy13]

I do think it was a distraction. I'd prefer that they didn't do it. Do I think it would have changed anything? Probably not, but why take that chance? Let someone else do it. I didn't like that they were doing this when the decided to do it and now that we know the outcome of the Dolphins season I'm questioning whether that was a good decision or not. It may not have hurt, but I certainly don't think it helps.

[Sunstroke]

I don't think that Hard Knocks was anywhere near the factor in Miami's disappointing ending as it was just bad timing on injuries.

...but I'd still rather not see them on that show any more.

[Dave Gray]

I am glad they did it.  We didn't lose because we were distracted.  I learned a lot more about the team and the culture and I think it was a good look for the organization, McDaniel, free agency, etc.

We looked like a good group and I think that's a positive.

[CF DolFan]

According to Jevon Holland players who were against it in the beginning said it really was not very invasive as most cameras were in the corner and most people forgot about them. The only cameras following them were on the field or if they agreed to let them go with them.

I don't think it affected them very much, if at all.

[Spider-Dan]

Hard Knocks is never a good idea and no team should ever do it unless forced to.

I'm a Dolphins fan and I wasn't even interested, even during the win streak.  I'm still not caught up.

[Dave Gray]

I'm a Dolphins fan and I wasn't even interested, even during the win streak.  I'm still not caught up.

Not me.  I was champing at the bit each week for the content, even when we were losing.  It was like a warm blanket.  When we were on the streak...pfft...forget about it.

[Dolfanalyst]

Is it a football team trying to win a Super Bowl, or is it a bunch of players trying to produce entertainment?

When you allow something like Hard Knocks, you make the answer to that question more ambiguous than it should be.  The answer to that question should have zero ambiguity.

[Spider-Dan]

Professional sports are inherently an entertainment product, so I'd say that's a false dilemma.

[CF DolFan]

Not me.  I was champing at the bit each week for the content, even when we were losing.  It was like a warm blanket.  When we were on the streak...pfft...forget about it.

Me too as well as my DolFan friends. Wednesdays always resulted in conversations about the previous episode.

[Pappy13]

Wednesdays always resulted in conversations about the previous episode.

If we don't think the players are doing a bit of the same thing themselves, I'd say we are fooling ourselves. Anything that distracts from the task at hand in my opinion is not really something that we should be doing voluntarily. I get that it's probably not really voluntary to a certain extent.

[Dolfanalyst]

The OP here has his finger on the pulse of the downfall of the season -- a team that couldn't get down to business when need be because its culture revolved too much around fun and games.  A goofball head coach, rehearsed end zone celebrations, and an in-season entertainment production made this team far too circus-like and nowhere near enough businesslike.  When you encounter good teams that are about the business of winning and getting to the playoffs, you'll be ill-equipped to compete against them under those conditions.  It's simply too difficult to flex all the way from "fun and games" to "all business" on the fly, in the middle of a game against a good team that's bearing down against you.  This is why the team's late-season second-half performance was so staggeringly poor in comparison to its late-season first-half performance, and more generally the reason for the season's downfall entirely.  You're not going to beat good teams in the NFL with a culture of fun and games when their culture is far more serious and determined.

[CF DolFan]

If we don't think the players are doing a bit of the same thing themselves, I'd say we are fooling ourselves. Anything that distracts from the task at hand in my opinion is not really something that we should be doing voluntarily. I get that it's probably not really voluntary to a certain extent.

LOL ... I know one guy who wasn't watching. Tua had no idea they showed his hurt thumb on the broadcast and was upset to find out. According to Omar he also had no idea he led the league in fan voting the last two years. He has someone who keeps him up to date on the negative narratives so he isn't surprised on the podium but no one is telling him the positive things being said. He just kind of stays in his lane.

[Downunder Dolphan]

While I don't think it necessarily effected us, I don't think Hard Knocks really did us any favors either.

It's an unnecessary distraction that I don't think any team in playoff contention should really have to put up with at such a crucial time in the season. 

[Dolfanalyst]

https://phinphanatic.com/posts/miami-dolphins-head-coach-mike-mcdaniel-has-one-glaring-flaw-that-he-will-not-correct-01hmry9ab59d?fbclid=IwAR2i7GsGYrkQ_-XU7x7PLP2K12GwfeGHYpt4j8mE9MnquopjvRUsFWI5034_aem_AVbaaS-kyosqOWxOqkvRxVhgvgUVlHsnhBJ9jpi5rjQ3eBQ9BvBHzZ32TEkCJq5yIYc#wjqv7q03df

[CF DolFan]

I love fan articles. "end sarcasm"  Just this morning a Bills friend of mine reached out to discuss the fan fiction of trading Tua to Denver, us getting Justin Fileds etc. Tua led the league in passing, has consistently gotten better each season, and yet silly fans want to act like he's Zach Wilson. He has some weaknesses but history says he will be working on them all off season and at a minimum deserves time to prove he has plateaued to a point we cannot win it all with him.