DAVIE – Chris McCain remained at his locker for about an hour after his first NFL game, still with red eyes from happy tears, still wearing his entire uniform except for the helmet and cleats.
It had been nearly a year since he played a real game.
And McCain, a Miami Dolphins rookie linebacker, didn't want the feeling to end.
For the Dolphins to get where they want to go this season, rookies are going to have to play a big role, and McCain answered the call in Week 1 by helping Miami pull off a 33-20 win over the New England Patriots. On Monday, the Dolphins (1-0) began switching gears and getting ready for a trip to Buffalo (1-0) this weekend.
"After watching the tape and looking at it closely in all three phases, I think there was obviously a lot of good things," Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said Monday afternoon.
There were no shortage of players who stood out Sunday. Knowshon Moreno rushed for 134 yards in his Miami debut, Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdowns and Cameron Wake wreaked plenty of havoc on the outside of the defense. But McCain might have been one of the more unlikely stars, given that he was undrafted and his stock damaged when California kicked him off the team early last season.
He had a punt block to set up Miami's first touchdown, sacked Tom Brady for a 9-yard loss later in the game and was one of the happier guys in an ecstatic locker room when the day was over.
"The people, they know who they are who doubted me," McCain said. "Now they see who I am and who we are as a team."
The Dolphins — who had 13 rookies on the Week 1 roster, tying a team record — figured McCain was, at worst, a low-risk, high-reward possibility when they brought him in. He's been impressive ever since, and some around the team needed little time in training camp to think that McCain was an overlooked talent.
With Miami's linebacker corps already ailing because of injuries, the Dolphins needed him Sunday.
"Yeah, he made an impact in the game," Philbin said.
