money Don't like playlist at Dolphins practice? Blame practice player of day (the guy in orange)
MIAMI GARDENS — Orange is the new deejay.
That’s according to Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, who is rewarding the practice player of the day with the honor of wearing an orange jersey the next day and, best of all, dictating the playlist for that workout.
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Tuesday, for example, we learned that linebacker Jaelan Phillips was coming off an exceptional practice because he was in orange and the playlist was heavy on Kanye West (or the artist formerly known as Kanye West).
With this honor comes serious pressure. Not only does that orange jersey stick out in a sea of white and aqua jerseys like a — well, like an orange bleeping jersey — but your playlist is subject to reviews from about 89 critics.
“No bueno,” cornerback Nik Needham said Tuesday. (OK, Needham was just referring to the first few songs on Phillips’ list, but you can bet that the first wiseguy who trots out Michael Buble´ is really in for it.)
“For me, it’s definitely a motivational thing,” linebacker Jerome Baker said. “It just brings fun to practice and into the building. Me, when I get on there, you’re going to hear a lot of Drake. Probably, honestly, the whole playlist is going to be Drake. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to do it.”
Needham, from Buena Park, Calif., hopes he’s in line.
“No one plays California music out here so I definitely want to win and play only Cali music,” he said.
The coaching staff serves as judge and jury in choosing the day’s winner.
Oh, and for what it’s worth, Needham actually did give Phillips a passing grade.
“Yeah, it was cool,” he said. “At the beginning of practice, he kept playing three songs over and over. No bueno. But then he changed it, so it was good.”
Hal Habib covers the Dolphins for The Post. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Mike McDaniel: Dolphins practice player of day gets to pick playlist
