Not that this should be a shocker for a franchise that has been perpetually stuck in 7-9 purgatory, but the Miami Dolphins are coming apart at the seams.
This according to the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero.
In a detailed blog post, Salguero chronicles the many internal issues going on with the Fins, starting with right tackle Jonathan Martin flipping out and abruptly walking out on the team earlier this week.
Salguero also points out the sudden emergence of Executive Vice President of Football Administration Dawn Aponte as a prominent force in shaping head coach Joe Philbin's public image.
Aponte was brought in to help general manager Jeff Ireland manage the salary cap. But apparently the two had a falling out, and now Aponte has drifted towards Philbin and his been shadowing him ever since.
Aponte shadows Philbin during television interviews, radio interviews and press conferences. During one recent taping of Philbin's coaches' show, she stopped the taping to straighten the coach's tie.The second-year coach meets with Aponte before every press conference and accepts advice on what to say to the media. Can you ever imagine Don Shula doing this? Aponte's typical advice is for Philbin to say as little as possible even though the mission statement from team owner Stephen Ross, Philbin's and Aponte's boss, was to have the Dolphins become a more transparent and fan-friendly organization after the Parcells departure.
Aponte befriended inexperienced coach and is trying to guide him. Except, she has never coached/won anything/proven anything.
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) October 31, 2013
Salguero also points out the team's stringent rules on keeping things in-house, this despite the fact that owner Stephen Ross promised more transparency before this season started.
There's the way the Dolphins handled Mike Pouncey wearing a Free Hernandez hat and wishing to apologize for it. The team thought it would be better to not have him do that, hoping it would magically make things better.
Now Pouncey has been subpoenaed, and the Fins are still mum.
Then there's the bizarre incident with Martin, who reportedly threw a tray of lunch and walked out after some teammates pulled a prank on him.
The Dolphins are refusing to address the situation, which seems to be more serious than just a case of an angry player.
And recently, players have been privately complaining about offensive coordinator Mike Sherman's play calling in recent weeks.
Likewise, Barry Jackson, another Herald sports columnist, points out the same dysfunctions that have plagued the team during their 4-game losing streak.
A four-game losing streak. A frustrated star player (Mike Wallace) again seeking the ear of the offensive coordinator to voice those frustrations. Other players privately questioning some of the team's personnel/lineup decisions. Players complaining about Mike Sherman's play-calling and the direction of the team's offense.
All in all, the team is a dumpster fire. That is, it's been a dumpster fire. Now it just seems like the fire is starting to blaze out of control.
FINS UP!
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