2 years ago
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It started astatine halftime with a meltdown successful the locker country arsenic their play melted down connected the field. Coach Brian Flores was aggravated astatine backmost Tua Tagovailoa’s dismal half. He said things. Tua said things back.
Anger flew. The f-word – gasp! – was traded. Tua said thing astir Flores not knowing however to speech to people. Flores said thing astir needing amended bleeping play.
That started a series of likewise heated conversations that led to proprietor Steve Ross firing Flores connected Monday.
“Communication and collaboration,” Ross said were Flores’ sins successful getting fired.
“Disrespect,” was a connection a root said Ross felt from Flores successful 1 conversation.
Flores is sandpaper unsmooth with people. No doubt. He’s excessively pugnacious successful dealing with unit and players astatine times. Some of it – clashing with information Minkah Fitzpatrick, going done 3 violative coordinators, firing media-relations unit – was needlessly callous. He, similar Adam Gase earlier him, demanded much accidental successful unit aft his archetypal twelvemonth – and General Manager Chris Grier relented.
What did Ross expect from idiosyncratic old-schooled by New England’s Bill Belichick?
But that f-bomb tirade with Tua and different anecdotes I’ve heard wouldn’t ace the Top 100 of “communication and collaboration” issues wrong the Dolphins franchise done the years. It wouldn’t ace the Top 50 conscionable involving Hall of Famers.
Don Shula’s bureau connection was truthful f-bomb large immoderate squad concern executives erstwhile went to a squad intermediary to relay their petition to code it down. “Tell them to f— off,” the legendary manager answered.
His play telephone with NFL authoritative caput Art McNally astir the erstwhile game’s referee was truthful large down his closed bureau doorway that secretaries and coaches stopped their enactment and cringe-laughed astatine the language.
And with players? Shula erstwhile berated information Lyle Blackwood truthful severely successful a crippled the seasoned was recovered crying connected the bench. Shula and Jake Scott changeable f-bombs astatine each different similar regular salutations. He cursed rookie linebacker John Offerdahl truthful roundly connected a sideline the youngster went into the coach’s bureau and said helium wouldn’t instrumentality it anymore.
“Take what?” Shula said. It was truthful commonplace, helium had nary thought what Offerdahl was talking about.
You privation a “collaboration” contented with a Dolphins quarterback? Let’s speech Dan Marino. His violative coordinator, Dave Shula, upset him truthful overmuch successful a walk-through signifier earlier a crippled that teammates had to clasp him backmost from attacking the coach.
“I’m gonna f—— termination him,” Marino said.
Another Hall of Fame manager successful Nick Saban — assemblage Hall of Fame, of people — erstwhile got into specified a large and profane shouting lucifer successful signifier with soon-to-be Hall of Fame linebacker Zach Thomas it’s legendary wrong the team.
Saban said he’d seat Thomas. Thomas said helium wasn’t immoderate assemblage kid.
“I’m a grown-ass man!” Thomas yelled astatine him.
Another NFL Hall of Fame coach, Jimmy Johnson, erstwhile held up a declaration connection from receiver Lamar Thomas’ cause successful the locker country earlier galore violative players. “I won’t adjacent hitch my a— with this,’ helium said.
Does this assistance any? Do you recognize a bully manager often is simply a lion tamer successful his regular work? This isn’t a mean workplace with mean professionals. Flores, again, had unsmooth edges helium should polish up. But does it marque you wonderment conscionable what benignant of an enactment Ross is moving erstwhile “communication and collaboration” issues — and not shot issues — led to firing the coach?
Not each Dolphins manager utilized atrocious words. Cam Cameron, for instance. He had a no-foul-language rule. He erstwhile called successful trainer Kevin O’Neill and asked him if helium really swore astatine a player. O’Neill said helium did due to the fact that the subordinate had ignored 3 requests and swore astatine him.
So putrid, 1-15 Cam Cameron is the modular now? Are the Dolphins moving an simple schoolhouse oregon a pro shot team?
Flores, again, was pugnacious to get on with. The revolving-door of an violative unit was Example A. Flores and wide manager Chris Grier could person been fired for messing up a three-year rebuilding starting with the drafting of Tua implicit Justin Herbert.
But there’s nary mode successful hellhole — oops, excuse the connection — immoderate Flores said successful “disrespect” adjacent to Ross ranks anyplace adjacent to what Shula said to squad proprietor Joe Robbie.
Shula didn’t notation to Robbie by sanction to people. He called him an anatomical orifice. He regularly welcomed squad staffers to the signifier installation with 1 proviso — they couldn’t study thing to Robbie.
Shula, too, acceptable the modular successful each sports for a manager cursing a squad owner. At the solemnisation of their 2nd Super Bowl triumph astatine the Fontainebleau Hotel connected Miami Beach, Shula waited for his wife, Dorothy, earlier starting the ceremony.
Robbie said it was clip to start. Shula said to springiness him a minute. Robbie pressed. Shula got angry.
“We’ve got 1,000 radical successful determination waiting for you!” Robbie yelled. “Let’s get up there!”
“Yell astatine maine again and I’ll sound you connected your ass!” Shula yelled back.
“Go ahead, sound maine connected my ass!” Robbie said.
Shula had a sideline determination to make. Did helium punch the owner?
“You ever rise your dependable astatine maine again successful nationalist and I’ll sound you connected your ass!” helium said.
How is that transcript accurate? Reporters were there. The back-and-forth was printed nationwide successful newspapers. The Archbishop of Miami aboriginal interceded to effort and assistance the 2 bully Catholics’ relationship.
And present a Dolphins manager is fired for “disrespect?”
Look, if Ross wanted to occurrence Flores, it’s his team. Fire him. He’s the owner. Flores is nary Hall-of-Fame manager similar Shula oregon Johnson oregon Saban. But occurrence him to amended the squad — not due to the fact that helium got into a f-bomb spat with his backmost oregon talked unsmooth with the wide manager oregon owner.
This looks similar a brushed proprietor peddling softness done the team. You privation a pugnacious owner? Robbie was asked however helium enactment up with Shula.
“I privation to win,” helium said.
Isn’t that what firing a manager should beryllium about?
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