Some notes and thoughts on today’s unusual turn of events at Dolphins camp (and a few other items):
### Don’t believe I’ve ever heard a player accuse his coach of creating a distraction before Ryan Tannehill did that today. Philbin’s refusal to publicly name Tannehill the starter “creates a bunch of stir and a bunch of distraction in the locker-room, mostly from the outside coming in and guys having to deal with the distraction of it,” Tannehill said. “It’s not a good feeling.”
Philbin is a pleasant, decent man, but his does himself no favors with his quirkiness, verging on paranoia, in this case. Several players privately are questioning how he has handled this.
But other than Tannehill, the only player willing to express any real opinion about this on the record was Matt Moore. Asked if it has created a distraction, backup Matt Moore said: “Maybe a little bit. Absolutely nothing has changed. I’ve taken zero reps at practice.”
Moore said he also was given no indication that he might be summoned off the bench during Sunday’s game if Tannehill struggles.
But Moore admitted Philbin’s refusal to commit publicly to Tannehill “kind of caught me off guard.”
Moore said the situation is a little bit awkward “considering I’m answering questions like Cam Newton.”
### So why won't Philbin say publicly what he decided two days ago: that Tannehill will start. According to a league source, Philbin is doing this because he doesn’t want to violate his self-imposed policy of not identifying starters publicly.
But Philbin has made exceptions before, such as noting before the opening game that Daryn Colledge and Shelley Smith would start at guard. Philbin was not trying to motivate Tannehill, the source said.
### One player said Philbin did not address the quarterback situation with the team but it was obvious to everyone that Tannehill would be the starter because he took all the first-team snaps.
### Last year, Philbin called Tony Dungy because he was concerned that Dungy, on NBC, was criticizing his handling of the Dolphins’ bullying scandal. But Philbin on Wednesday voiced no complaints about Dungy’s or Jason Taylor’s criticism of his handling of the quarterback situation. (See my last post for what Dungy and Taylor said.)
“I think everybody is entitled to their opinion. They certainly can feel free to express it, and at the end of the day, I have to go to sleep and put my head on the pillow and do what I think is the right thing. I have no issues with any of that.”
### This is the latest example where Philbin’s secrecy does him more harm than good. In the past, Philbin has refused to explain the absences of players whose wife were giving birth (John Denney) or who had family illnesses, causing reporters to wonder if the players did something wrong.
Last August, when Richie Incognito did not retaliate after Houston’s Antonio Smith yanked off his helmet, Philbin was asked by reporters if he was pleased how Incognito handled himself. Philbin said at the time that it’s not for him to judge that, withholding praise of a player who deserved it in that one particular case. But in a meeting with his team, Philbin praised Incognito’s restraint.
Philbin can handle these matters any way he wants --- it’s his team --- but the approach is often counter-productive. Tannehill’s reaction today was the best example of that.
Tannehill ranks tied for 12th in the league in touchdown passes with four and has thrown just two interceptions. But he ranks 29th in passer rating (74.1), completion percentage (56.5) and last in the league in average yards per completion (five).
He’s 35th in fourth-quarter passing rating, at, 51.6. That ranks ahead of only Colin Kaepernick and Tom Brady. He’s 29th in third-down passer rating at 63.7.
### Whereas the Raiders have been in London since Monday --- six days before they play the Dolphins --- the Dolphins will not travel to England until Thursday evening.
Dolphins coach Joe Philbin decided his team would be better served by having a normal practice week and flying to London at 5 p.m. Thursday.
The team will have a light practice on Friday in London.
“We are going to jump on the plane and feed them a big meal,” Philbin said. “Hopefully, they’ll sleep, get to London and make it a normal Friday. That was the thought process.”
Philbin sought input from assistant coaches Mark Duffner and Jack Bicknell, who worked for teams (Jacksonville, Pittsburgh) that played in London last season.
“We talked to other teams, and we came to a conclusion that this was the best way for us to prepare for this game,” Philbin said.
### The Dolphins ruled out running back Knowshon Moreno (elbow) for Sunday’s game, and it would be surprising if guard Shelley Smith (knee) and center Mike Pouncey (hip) play Sunday.
Smith, defensive lineman Randy Starks (back) and tight end Charles Clay (knee) missed Wednesday’s practice. Pouncey (hip) was one of 14 players who practiced on a limited basis, with linebacker Koa Misi and Pouncey among the others.
### CBS is sending Dolphins-Raiders to only these markets (eight percent of the country): Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Ft. Myers/Naples, Tallahassee, Panama City Beach, Dothan, Ala., Albany, Ga., Reno, Nevada; Northern California and a few markets in Oregon. Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts were assigned to the game.
