A recent gathering of several former Miami Dolphins players turned into an opportunity to rip the team’s 2006 first-round draft pick, Ted Ginn.
“He’s an embarrassment and a coward,’' the great Dolphins offensive lineman Bob Kuechenberg said of Ginn, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “He’s got alligator arms. It’s sad. I don’t even know that he has the ability. I haven’t seen it.’'
Former Dolphins receiver O.J. McDuffie said he sees Ginn as a good athlete, but not a good wide receiver.
“Teddy can run, but how much of a football player is he?” McDuffie said. “You either have it or not. Teddy is not as astute a player as I thought he would be. I’ve seen him go down when nobody is around.’'
Other former Dolphins, including Mercury Morris, Jim Kiick and Mark Duper, said Ginn’s problem is mental. Morris said he’d like to talk to Ginn, and Duper said he reached out to Ginn and offered to give him some advice on how to be a professional wide receiver, but that Ginn never responded to his messages.
Ginn has disputed reports that the Dolphins’ coaching staff demoted him, saying instead that the coaches have simply given him a pep talk about getting better. If it’s true that the Dolphins’ coaches haven’t benched Ginn, then they’ve got the support of the great former Dolphins coach Don Shula, who said it’s too early to give up on Ginn, and the team should keep giving him opportunities.
“If you have a guy with that talent, you’ve got to give him every opportunity and the time and confidence to do it,” Shula said. “He’s got all the tools, but he’s got to start making those plays he’s capable of. Some of the things haven’t been his fault.’'
But while Shula thinks criticism of Ginn is misguided, most Miami fans seem to side with Shula’s former players: There aren’t many people left in Miami who have patience for Ted Ginn.