One player quitting the team during training camp isn't a big deal; it's almost expected.
Two players quitting is an oddity.
But the Miami Dolphins have had four (!) players quit on the team in the first week of training camp, which begs the question: What the heck is going on there?
"I wish I could tell you," coach Tony Sparano said when asked. "It might be me! I told you I'm not for everybody."
Fullback Matt Quillen was the latest to leave Monday, likely because of a shoulder problem. The other three players who left -- T SirVincent Rogers (sweet name!), S Ethan Kilmer, and TE end Jared Bronson -- weren't necessarily expected to make the team, like Quillen.
Sparano knows that training camp can separate the wheat from the chaff.
"What these guys are doing out here is really hard, and if your heart
isn't into what we're doing, with the heat, the contact, the intensity,
it doesn't take long to figure out this isn't for you," Sparano said.
The Dolphins undoubtedly have embraced a no-nonsense image since the Big Tuna arrived. This is a franchise that either doesn't get injured (or doesn't report injuries).
All of the players quitting in one week (Bronson just didn't show up) is almost surely happenstance, but this sounds like a story the team could actually embrace. The four players who quit clearly didn't have what it takes to be Miami Dolphins.
By Week One, the team still left standing might feel as if they are a band of like-minded survivors. Which is pretty much the whole idea behind training camp in the first place.
Why do Miami Dolphins keep quitting?
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on August 10, 2009 3:08 PM ET
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18 Comments
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"This is a franchise that either doesn't get injured or doesn't report injuries."
Justin Smiley? Greg Camarillo? Matt Roth?
A lot of exclamation points there...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rd7j-aSqFU
Easy with the exclamation marks Rosenthal.
(Top of the muffin...TO YOU!!!)
Sparano knows that training camp can separates the wheat from the chaff.
They also felt that to embrace the conventional lame duck status in this particular climate would just be another dose of training camp as usual, something they campaigned against and will always oppose."
They used a sports analogy to explain their decision: "We know when to pass the ball."
Did anyone edit this piece?
because of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RahX6f-47yE
separating the men from the boys will insure that the Fins are serious about keeping the division!!! GO FINS 2009!!!
Rosenthal if the players who quit were first of even second team players it would be reasonable to raise your question. However the players who quit would most likely not have made the team. Which begs the question; Have you ever been in Miami during mid August? Unless your in great shape and have a good chance of making the Miami Dolphins it's reasonable to quit.
SirVincent probly wants to go back in the can with Prince Albert.
6-10 at best next season.
Must be Mangini's fault!
Rosenthal, you are a goon.
@ DanRooney --
The AFC East has a tougher out-of-division schedule this year, and MIA especially since they have to play all the AFC 2008 division winners, too. But this is a more solid team than last year's - far fewer question marks than the Bills or the Jets. It's not unreasonable to forecast both them and NE in the playoffs. For a 6-10 finish, they'd need a bunch of injuries to critical players.
DanRooney says:
August 10, 2009 4:28 PM
6-10 at best next season.
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MaineMan says:
August 10, 2009 5:51 PM
@ DanRooney --
The AFC East has a tougher out-of-division schedule this year, and MIA especially since they have to play all the AFC 2008 division winners, too. But this is a more solid team than last year's - far fewer question marks than the Bills or the Jets. It's not unreasonable to forecast both them and NE in the playoffs. For a 6-10 finish, they'd need a bunch of injuries to critical players.
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MaineMan is right; 6-10 is likely an underestimate.
I'd go with 7-9.
Jets, Miami and Buffalo 9-7 (if possible, but likely)
Brady goes down again week 4 and his backup comes in and Pats finish 12-4, but lose in playoffs to the Chargers.
This says one of two things.
Either Parcells, Ireland and Sparano made poor choices in signing these guys in the first place , which is unlikely or;
Parcells has Sparano and team work these guys to death as examples of how tough their camp is. It's not old-school. It's plain stupid.
Parcells is a man who needs to get out of running any day-to-day operations involving players. Sparano needs to quit calling him "Daddy".
Players get "messages" from the coaching staff. If they make it quite clear that you have no chance then a player may very well pack it in and get on with his life. Parcells is the kind of guy who enjoys tormenting the scrubs. He did this way back in his NYG days. More 'schoolyard bully' than actual tough guy.
I think this is merely a direct result of the south Florida heat. These players already know that making the team is going to take a miracle, and then they leave the A/C and step out into that stifling heat to run around and get beat down by the heat. If I were one of these players, I would most likely pack it in as well. I don't think this is a result of the coaching staff as much as a result of the environment. I am sure coach Sparano and his staff really put these guys through the rigors, as they should, but I am fairly certain that it is no tougher than what any other team is expecting during their camp. The south Florida climate is just a much harsher one than most of these bubble players are willing to subject themselves to.