There are several ways to go about this column, but the best way is to lay it all out there.
The Miami Dolphins finished the season 8-8 for the second straight season.
As a result of this mediocrity, owner Stephen Ross decided one week ago to hand a “Christmas present” to the media by honoring the final year of Head Coach Joe Philbin.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the 49ers parted ways with the man that turned their franchise around from the dregs of awful football in Jim Harbaugh who had amassed a winning culture until the franchise took him down a peg, allegedly.
Jim Harbaugh, as a result of leaving San Francisco, has sought a safe-haven at his alma mater, Michigan.
Today, Joe Philbin had to answer to critics and media on why his starter, the NFL’s highest paid receiver, Mike Wallace was on the bench during the second half.
Philbin called it a “coaches decision” and continues to do so.
As reported yesterday by Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network, Darlington (a veteran of South Florida sports reporting) said that Mike Wallace took himself out of the game and the coach (WR coach) relayed Philbin’s message that he would not play the second half.
As a result, a rather interesting and yet telling interview ensued much like Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin did speaking on behalf of Marshawn Lynch in Seattle; this time Brandon Gibson played Wallace’s proverbial mouthpiece.
Two interesting contradictions came to a head from the Dolphins locker room interviews after the Jets game: Wallace wants to remain a Dolphin and second Wallace wanted to be targeted more than just once and when he said something, he was benched.
Except that the Darlington report refutes that notion that Wallace was benched and insinuates that he quit on his team and that his teammates were upset he left them alone to fend off the Jets who played for Rex.
Could Wallace have helped the Dolphins hold onto the lead rather than Gibson and Hartline in the 4th quarter?
Who to believe?
The bigger question becomes who’s at fault, who’s to blame, and why did this happen now?
First, Coach Philbin isn’t going to reveal a private conversation.
Hearsay of a player’s wife to be named nameless went on the air on Wqam to ruffle some feathers on the topic.
However, just by looking at differing opinions on the matter: I’ve generated three possible conclusions.
One, Wallace wanted out when Bill Lazor was hired. Wallace, for all intents and purposes didn’t like the fact that he would be more of a red zone, possession receiver type. Wallace played out the season without much complaint even when grilled by reporters when he had lackluster performances he answered honestly with assurances of getting better. During the offseason Wallace, was rumored to have been put on the trade block because of this lack of fit with the offense.
Next, Jeff Darlington, whom was one of the first to report Wallace signing with Miami in 2013, could be Wallace’s agent’s voice. He does have the players ear and can be trusted. However, Darlington is playing, if true a tricky game to usurp the Dolphins and turn Wallace into a monster in the locker room. For his reporting, while highly respectable, Darlington is fueling the continued storyline that Wallace doesn’t want to be in Miami because the offense doesn’t play to his strengths as a deep threat. Wallace, as much as he puts on a good show for coaches and reporters seems to be very homesick from his former team, the Steelers.
Lastly, something happened with Wallace in the game. He was targeted on one poorly thrown pass where he hugged the sideline and could not get position. In fact, most fans not at the game suspected something was amiss. If Joe Philbin benched him, Wallace showed minimal effort to play the game all out. Yes, he ran his routes, but it’s clear he wasn’t happy when Clay caught the TD before the half from Tannehill based on various reports.
The truth is, no one truly knows. No one knows except Wallace and the coaches and it’s now more evident that Mike Wallace’s future in Miami depend on how Joe Philbin sees this possible act of defiance.
It all depends if Joe Philbin views this act as something that will hurt the team or something the Dolphins can do to get Wallace more involved.
After all, didn’t Mike Wallace come to Miami to win or was it just to be a a deep threat? Or quite simply, was the money too difficult to pass up thus he took the deal in Miami instead of reportedly the one in Minnesota.
As for the Dolphins teammates, it’s time to put 2014 to rest and look forward to 2015 as difficult as it might be to do.
The 2015 season might have some new faces on both sides of the ball, but in the end, winning in Miami is most important.
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