Like most teams (except the Browns and one side for the Steelers), the Dolphins have helmet logos. New Dolphins don’t, yet.
“Maybe that’s our way of saying ‘You’ve got to earn that logo,’” coach Adam Gase told reporters on Wednesday. “That was kind of something that, talking to [equipment manager Joe] Cimino about things that maybe have been done that way in the past, and we were just kicking around some ideas of doing something a little different than we did last year. We felt like that was one of the things that kind of came up that a few of us thought was a good idea and we’ll see how it kind of goes.”
The Cowboys have done that for years, requiring rookies to earn the star. It may seem trite and hokey, but it’s an objective indicator of progress, giving young players an indication that they’ve arrived. Or, as the case may be, haven’t arrived.
Either way, the dolphin logo has suddenly gotten more scarce in Miami. And if a player can’t earn the dolphin, his career may soon be sleeping with the fishes.