Former Dolphin Minkah Fitzpatrick speaks on fallout with Miami

[Sirspud]

I agree with this wholeheartedly. I’ve often contended that a player’s career in football is often dictated by the team he goes to and the coaches he plays for.

We’ve seen so many examples over the decades of players looking lost one place then serviceable, if not a star, elsewhere.

Like players themselves, coaches often underachieve and/or make mistakes. Sometimes they don’t see the talent in a player. Sometimes they misuse them. Sometimes they play favorites. It happens.

IMO, this kind of thing happens in football more than any of the other major sports.

Circling back to Minkah Fitzpatrick, we don’t know what the long term vision/plan was by Flores. Perhaps he chose to ‘misuse’ Fitz temporarily due to roster circumstances. Or perhaps it was deeper than that and he was trying to make a point and teach the kid something. Or maybe he really did just make a mistake. Who knows?

As a fan that championed drafting Minkah and defended him from the naysayers, I do agree with those questioning his character and ability to be a team player. I very much disagree with how he went about showing his disagreement (based upon how he explained it in the article).

These guys aren’t working at Starbucks. Entry into this business requires a draft. They don’t get to choose where they play and for whom. Not until FA, anyway. And even then, once the contract is signed, they don’t get to decide how they are utilized. They are paid to play and perform. Not to make coaching or front office decisions.

Furthermore, players of the past have endured far worse treatment yet still went out and honored their contract to the best of their ability. Doing anything else is behaving like an entitled petulant child. Which, unfortunately, has become more of the norm in recent time.

We don’t know what Flores and staff were going to do in the long term. But whatever it was, Minkah should have bought in like a team player until such time that he was a FA.

After all, it’s never the goal of any coach or franchise to misuse a player to the point of intentionally derailing their careers or getting the injured. Well, not unless your name is Al Davis anyway.......

I'm just honestly not that sure that Flores and co. really know how to use players right. I know there is a lot of optimism based on us winning a lot of games we weren't supposed to, but take away a carefree Fitzpatrick slinging the ball downfield with abandon, which he happens to be quite good at when there's no pressure to perform, and some trick plays that a team coming in under any kind of microscope wouldn't have the nerve to call, and it's not entirely a rosy picture.

 

[hoops]

I'll tell you what changed. Miami was in rebuilding mode evidenced by the Tunsil trade and Fitzpatrick wanted no part of it especially after that debacle against Baltimore.

he wanted no part of being a box safety even more where he could never live up to his full potential or draft slot for that matter and likely given his frame and how much contact that ask brings probably scraped shelf life and earnings that come with it in the process.

and I sure as hell don’t blame him.

 

[hoops]

I'm just honestly not that sure that Flores and co. really know how to use players right. I know there is a lot of optimism based on us winning a lot of games we weren't supposed to, but take away a carefree Fitzpatrick slinging the ball downfield with abandon, which he happens to be quite good at when there's no pressure to perform, and some trick plays that a team coming in under any kind of microscope wouldn't have the nerve to call, and it's not entirely a rosy picture.

they definitely miscast minkah with the ask relative to the draft slot and they are in danger of doing it again with Robert Hunt. Although a heavy rpo based offense might be able to manage that I suppose.

 

[bane]

We can say what we want and side Flores cause he is our coach. And I like Flores a lot.
But all I can think of when this is mentioned

Bobby McCain at free safety or mikah?

who would you pick if you were coaching to play free safety? Honestly?

 

[Sirspud]

I'll tell you what changed. Miami was in rebuilding mode evidenced by the Tunsil trade and Fitzpatrick wanted no part of it especially after that debacle against Baltimore.

I really can't stand that people hate when our players were unhappy after this move. The Tunsil move was being removed for days and there were headlines that the team would "revolt" if that were to happen. And I just don't understand why the heck the players wouldn't. We were never expected to compete last year but getting rid of Tunsil, pretty much our only starting caliber linemen, 100 percent guaranteed it. And the players, who had working the butts off through camp with at least the promise of some enjoyable, if likely losing in the end, football ahead.

Look at what happened afterwards. We lose by like a combined hundred points in the first two games - the worst two games in modern NFL history. Our starting RB, who was really just in a revolving door of ineffective runners, averaged 2 YPC. Our QB, who didn't even start three games, led the team in rushing. We were historically bad at running the ball. Our other young QB spent three games barely being able to get rid of the ball before a defensive linemen before being blasted. Sometimes we couldn't even block well enough to get a handoff done.

Some people on here want Ned Flanders, completely infallible saints on their team, who never complain no matter what. Myself, I kind of like guys who want to do well and want to win, and get rightfully ticked off when the team puts a dagger in its roster right before week one. I would be right there with the ticked off guys.

 

[hoops]

Bobby mccains bought in. And as a result he’s gotten paid in a way his play has never validated. Team player? Sure. And eye sore at safety. Hell marginal slot. way too much separation out of cuts in the slot and that was before the bad extension even.

one hell of a communicator though...so I’m told. Does a great job of getting everyone else in position. Too bad he’s not.

 

[kosaboy]

I really can't stand that people hate when our players were unhappy after this move. The Tunsil move was being removed for days and there were headlines that the team would "revolt" if that were to happen. And I just don't understand why the heck the players wouldn't. We were never expected to compete last year but getting rid of Tunsil, pretty much our only starting caliber linemen, 100 percent guaranteed it. And the players, who had working the butts off through camp with at least the promise of some enjoyable, if likely losing in the end, football ahead.

Look at what happened afterwards. We lose by like a combined hundred points in the first two games - the worst two games in modern NFL history. Our starting RB, who was really just in a revolving door of ineffective runners, averaged 2 YPC. Our QB, who didn't even start three games, led the team in rushing. We were historically bad at running the ball. Our other young QB spent three games barely being able to get rid of the ball before a defensive linemen before being blasted. Sometimes we couldn't even block well enough to get a handoff done.

Some people on here want Ned Flanders, completely infallible saints on their team, who never complain no matter what. Myself, I kind of like guys who want to do well and want to do win, and get rightfully ticked off when the team puts a dagger in its roster right before week one. I would be right there with the ticked off guys.

Being upset is one thing, not listening to your Coach is something different. I dont understand how anyone can be ok with players just doing what they want because they are not happy. Thats not a team.

Yea the Dolphins made a bunch of changes but he was brought here to play and be professional. Its above his pay scale to worry about what management is doing, his job was to play wherever we wanted to play him. He is a player, not a coach.

 

[hoops]

This team used minkah as it’s get out of jail free card the entire time he was here.

think about it. We got no damn slot cause mccain is bad there too hey minkah that’s you. We got no second boundary after that udfa we hyped all camp long looked like ass in the preseason hey minkah step up. We got no strong safety/box safety/hybrid lb cause we mismanaged the hell out of our free agency/incumbent roster/draft assets and our off ball lb level had the range of a 2 down thumper ask and cod of an aircraft carrier hey minkah sacrifice your nfl shelf life and long term earnings capabilities in the process.

 

[Crump]

interesting thing is.. he said he learns to bait people. other than a cpuple highlight plays i didnt think he showed all that much. something to think about.....

all anyone cares about now a days is the big play. inhad no clue who Jones was when we signed him because he didnt make turnovers....

R Jones freelanced when he was healthier and he earned his name, but he also got us killed sometime...

you want to know who would be a HUGE name in 2020 if he was a current player. T Buck. his guessing lead to big plays and turnovers, but damn did he **** up ALOT thinking he was baiting the QB into something. This has the possibikty to be a route MF might take. I wouldn6 call any of the QBs in his division cerebral so it might work 6 games

is Fitz better than McCain at FS. hell yeah. Is a disciplinary coach gonna take fitz over mccain prob not.

 

[Sirspud]

interesting thing is.. he said he learns to bait people. other than a cpuple highlight plays i didnt think he showed all that much. something to think about.....

all anyone cares about now a days is the big play. inhad no clue who Jones was when we signed him because he didnt make turnovers....

R Jones freelanced when he was healthier and he earned his name, but he also got us killed sometime...

you want to know who would be a HUGE name in 2020 if he was a current player. T Buck. his guessing lead to big plays and turnovers, but damn did he **** up ALOT thinking he was baiting the QB into something. This has the possibikty to be a route MF might take. I wouldn6 call any of the QBs in his division cerebral so it might work 6 games

is Fitz better than McCain at FS. hell yeah. Is a disciplinary coach gonna take fitz over mccain prob not.

Turnovers are or can be game changing plays. I saw a bunch of solid Dolphins defenses lose a lot of games because they held their positions well but could never play the darn football, so when push came to shove QB's like Brady just threw the ball through guys like Sean Smith to make the plays needed to win a game.

 

[kingfin23]

Diva Players are just selfish. One guy can't win a game. Good we least got a 1st for him. Move on. Just anther pathetic cry baby

 

[hoops]

I have a hard time believing mccain would start for belichick more than a handful of game tapes at safety

 

[BigNastyFish]

he wanted no part of being a box safety even more where he could never live up to his full potential or draft slot for that matter and likely given his frame and how much contact that ask brings probably scraped shelf life and earnings that come with it in the process.

and I sure as hell don’t blame him.

right... a *****. (rhymes with wussy)

 

[BigNastyFish]

interesting thing is.. he said he learns to bait people. other than a cpuple highlight plays i didnt think he showed all that much. something to think about.....

all anyone cares about now a days is the big play. inhad no clue who Jones was when we signed him because he didnt make turnovers....

R Jones freelanced when he was healthier and he earned his name, but he also got us killed sometime...

you want to know who would be a HUGE name in 2020 if he was a current player. T Buck. his guessing lead to big plays and turnovers, but damn did he **** up ALOT thinking he was baiting the QB into something. This has the possibikty to be a route MF might take. I wouldn6 call any of the QBs in his division cerebral so it might work 6 games

is Fitz better than McCain at FS. hell yeah. Is a disciplinary coach gonna take fitz over mccain prob not.

punk ask literally lucked into a few "big plays" for $hitsburg -- mommy's boy toy nothing more...

 

[BigNastyFish]

they definitely miscast minkah with the ask relative to the draft slot and they are in danger of doing it again with Robert Hunt. Although a heavy rpo based offense might be able to manage that I suppose.

IMO I might just want to suggest that Hunt hasn't played a down in the NFL
as far as I remember so just STFU until the kid has a chance to prove what he can do.

:woot