How the Miami Dolphins Fell Apart - must read | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

How the Miami Dolphins Fell Apart - must read

LouPhinFan

LouPhinFan

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In April, in the fifth round of the NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins selected Caleb Sturgis, a kicker from Florida. He signed with the team for an annual salary of $406,000.

To the larger world, this was a routine and uneventful transaction. But in interviews with current and former NFL players, player agents and team executives familiar with the inner workings of the Dolphins, the news hit team members like a bomb.

The Dolphins already had a kicker, a five-year starter named Dan Carpenter who was well-liked by everyone and good at his job. To NFL insiders, the subtext was clear: Carpenter's $2.7 million salary was getting expensive for a kicker, and NFL teams don't take kickers in the draft unless they plan to use them.

The writing was on the wall. Carpenter was on his way out.


To Miami's team leaders, who'd grown weary of management's tendency to cast off popular veterans, the decision was a gut punch. They didn't plan to accept the move without making their displeasure known.

Seven months later, the Dolphins are a shambles. After spending a staggering $146 million on free agents in the off-season—at least $10 million more than any other NFL team—they have lost starting guard Richie Incognito, who was suspended by the team for disciplinary reasons, and starting tackle Jonathan Martin, who left the team over what he has described as a culture of harassment and bullying.

After being a trendy preseason pick to win the AFC East, the Dolphins are 4-5 and a long shot to make the playoffs. The team is the subject of an NFL investigation, and its locker-room environment is being held up as an example of the dysfunctional culture of the NFL.

Whatever the investigation reveals, people familiar with the Dolphins said these problems reflect a broader mistake of management: a temptation to undersell the importance of leadership.

"When you look at the Miami Dolphins and you look at how they jettisoned their veterans, it was all a recipe for disaster and it's no surprise they are embroiled in this controversy with Richie at the center," said Louis Riddick, the former personnel director for the Philadelphia Eagles. "You think veterans are replaceable but then players emerge as leaders that shouldn't because they say 'I might as well do it' and it's not the kind of people you want young players turning to."

Riddick put the blame squarely on Jeff Ireland, the Dolphins' general manager. "Mistakes of character are on the personnel staff exclusively," he said.
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http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303559504579196033957500994


I think this article hits the nail on the head.
 
So Caleb Sturgis is to blame for all this.. I KNEW IT!!! Damn him and Ray Stinkle ;)
 
Of all the leaders that were let go or not re-signed only Reggie Bush out performed his contract. The rest were over paid and not worth keeping. I understand what the writer is getting at and maybe Ireland shouldn't have let all of the leaders go at one time (that should be the bigger issue) but keeping a guy who is performing way under his contract is not smart either.

Ireland put himself in a no-win situation because he brought these guys in and they didn't perform to expectations. Much like Wheeler this year.
 
Crapenter cost the team wins . Crapenter kicked his way out of Miami.
 
The Patriots have cast off popular veterans throughout the Belichick era, but they've been smart enough to know that their leadership nucleus (Brady et al.) would remain intact nonetheless.

The Dolphins on the other hand cast off these veteran leaders, leaving nothing.
 
Vets really cared about the kicker? Lol
 
Nublar7 said:
Carpenter wasn't good at his job.
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Carp needed to be replaced, but the problem I have with the move is that Sturgis had a pretty brutal slump there for a while. If you're going to replace the kicker, get a better kicker, not a cheaper one.
 
Spot on.

People can focus on the specific players, but the message was spot on: constantly rotating players in and out led a leadership gap and players frustrated at management. Why should they work hard or try and come together as a unit if they are only going to be replaced? Our players are spending more time looking over their shoulder then they are looking at one another. They spent more time pissed off at management then they did pissed off at opponents.

Ive said it for years, we have to reward our veterans. The Carpenter example is why. Point blank.

We have a dysfunctional franchise. The first step to cleaning it up is recognizing it.
 
This is less about Carpenter and Sturgis and more about the message players felt like they were receiving from the FO, basically....we (Pilberland) have the power, you try that power...good bye.. Since Philbin took over Ireland/Philbin has rid this team of all of it leaders...Long, Bush, Dansby, Bess all gone. What does this say to the team? What does this say to the players? I understand making moves that they think will benefit the team on the field, but reality it hurts the overall culture of the team (what's the current biggest issue on the team :wink: ). This team lost all of it most vocal leaders and left them with only a couple of guys to fill that void. Just curious....where is this team if they resign Bush and Long and don't release Dansby and Burnett?
 
I do agree with the casting off of team leaders and veterans.

But to use Carp as an example is a bad move. Dude just outright did not get the job done. $2.7 for a non-clutch kicker is a waste.

Now, sending off Bush, Long, Dansby etc..... thats a different story.

Bush IMO we should of kept 100%, match Lions offer no issues. Jake Long and Dansby it gets a bit iffy because they are not worth the dollar value terrible ROI off those two. But at what point do you value leadership as part of ROI.
 
It's true, only the Dolphins get rid of over-paid and under-performing players. What a travesty...
 
rent this space said:
It's true, only the Dolphins get rid of over-paid and under-performing players. What a travesty...
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At what point does one value leadership as part of ROI?

Sure Dansby and Bush didn't live up to the hype or the dollar amount. But leadership as we see now, is a great part of team morale and chemistry.
 
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