Defining time is amateur hour for Dolphins

We’ve reached the amateurhour portion of the Adam Gase era. Maybe it passes. Maybe someone passes with it when everything plays out. Maybe everyone in this era passes and Dolphins owner Steve Ross starts anew again, depending how this full season plays out.

But when Gase oddly and publicly backed safety Reshad Jones for quitting 10 plays into Sunday’s win against the Jets, it suggested more is amiss in this franchise than just one player going rogue. It said Gase was pointing the loud finger of blame at defensive coordinator Matt Burke.

It said Gase’s top assistant wasn’t communicating properly with a star player. It also said Gase didn’t know what was going on between that star player and the assistant he’s ceded half the team to during a week of groundbreaking and locker-room changing decisions involving the defense.

The decisions short-term worked, too. Rookie Minkah Fitzpatrick replaced the veteran Jones in certain defenses and nothing failed on the field. The defense didn’t surrender a touchdown and had four interceptions of Jets rookie Sam Darnold. All good, right?

But the defining topic of the game has become Jones refusing to play. Quitting on teammates is considered the most unforgivable sports sin. Or so it seemed until the fallout from it kept falling.

Gase met with Jones on Sunday night and said all is good and he’s now, “on the same page,” with the player who refused to play. Huh?