Phins Must Stop all These Leaks… NOW!

The Phins weren’t exploring a Xavien Howard trade. But…

The Sun-Sentinel reported the Phins were pursuing a trade of Xavien Howard… but the Phins brass denied the report. A good article summarizing the situation is here. Was it teams calling Chris Grier or the Phins pursuing the trade? While we should believe Chris Grier and Brian Flores, Miami has denied trade rumors before only to make the trade soon after. So, we’ll never know the truth unless Howard is traded. But, even if these rumors are false, between this story and last week’s Fitzpatrick drama, the positive media attention for Miami has hit turbulence. And just as the media and fans are going back and forth about it… so are the Dolphins players.

Phins talk isn’t laser-focused on a playoff hunt as it should be. Too much is all about Miami looking to the future. Sadly, just the perception alone hurts Miami’s cause and Brian Flores’s image.

The Dolphins are in dire need of a good showing this week to turn this narrative.

Miami has been a magnet of media hate for some time…

Man, it seems like just yesterday the Phins were coming off a second blowout win and there wasn’t one dark cloud overhead. Didn’t that feel so good?!

Personally, after watching tons of tape on the Phins offense and Tua… I wouldn’t count the playoffs out just yet. More on that next article, though.

Let’s keep this Howard report firmly in our mind with the below:

I’m not saying Miami hasn’t earned some of their media scorn over the years. But, this once-proud franchise has also been a favorite punching bag. While I was very disappointed in how the transition to Tua was handled–not the transition itself so much, but the debacle of Flores telling Tua first and then the leak–this report should be all but dismissed. Not entirely, but mostly. Great Front Offices always practice due diligence. But…

Perception and reality aren’t always the same.

… The real hub-bub shouldn’t be about replacing Fitzpatrick with Tua or whether trading Howard is or isn’t a good idea.

Tua is the centerpiece of the Dolphins’ present and future. No duh, right. Starting Tua as soon as possible is in the best interest of the franchise. Most teams that spend a Top 10 pick on a quarterback start them at some point their rookie season. There’s nothing crazy about moving on from Fitzpatrick.

Also, Howard has had domestic issues and has knees that won’t hold up long term. With both Byron Jones and Howard being getting paid Top 5 salaries for a cornerback, getting a bunch of blue-chip picks as well as moving a huge contract off the table is best down the road. Remember, the NFL salary cap won’t rise as it has in year’s past. The best-case scenario is that the cap stagnates, and the best pay per head reviews even say the odds of a decline aren’t off the table.

Even the appearance of inconsistent messaging creates credibility issues

As the Dolphins head coach, Brian Flores has shown tons of character by holding to his core principles in the face of criticism. Even more than the rising success, I found his way of doing business and consistency in practicing his message the most endearing aspect of his tenure so far.

Miami moved on from Minkah Fitzpatrick because he wasn’t willing to put the team first. Bobby McCain was moved to safety because it was better for the team. Miami signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to show they were serious about winning now. Talk of the tank for Burrow was said to be disrespectful to him, his team, and the fans because everything was about winning the next game. And the Phins even won their way out of a real shot at the #1 Draft pick when it was all but in the bag.

This is why even if untrue, these leaks are chipping away at the core principles that Flores touts.

Unfair? Yup. But, NFL football is as close to war as it gets.

Some said Flores saw enough in practice to start Tua over Fitzpatrick and it was about having the best chance to make the playoffs. While I have some reservations, I can buy that. But, if that were true, then why move on from Howard if they are all about winning the next game? Why even flirt with it? Moving on from the PFF 9th best cornerback wouldn’t help this core principle?

If it was a ‘thanks, but no thanks’ call… then how was such a quick conversation found out and leaked? Who would be close enough to leak such a minor conversation?

Stop the leaks! Players are people affected by negative morale

Again, it may have been simply due diligence… but, the Howard leak and awkward move from Fitzpatrick have certainly left the locker room full alert.

In less than two weeks there have been two major leaks:

Fitzpatrick demotion was leaked
This trade rumor was leaked
A video of Tua in practice had been leaked at some point

Yes, it’s just a couple of plays from practice… but, a tightly run ship would never allow this. Was it purposeful leaked? Belichick would never go for that… with good reason. Once you open Pandora’s Box it’s hard to close it.

Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose

Because Flores stuck to his message unswervingly, the players believed, despite many unconventional moves. They respect and followed Flores and that generated this increasing success. But, players are human and trust is far easier lost than gained. You don’t think Howard is raising an eyebrow after all the trades last year and the awkwardness of the Fitz demotion? And, both players have close friends and fellow players that respect them who will raise an eyebrow as well.

Loose lips rarely happen up in New England. These leaks have been ugly… if Grier and Flores don’t fix this, it could sink the ship at some point. The Phins must prevent future leaks and take back control of the narrative for the 2020 Dolphins.

A good performance by Tua will go a long way towards getting the narrative back on track! This will be one heck of a watch this week! Go Flo, go Tua, go Phins!!!

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