Fixing the Fins
Names come and go but results prove elusive.
ORLANDO — When you run out of people to blame eventually all the fingers get pointed at you.
That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned in my decade covering the Miami Dolphins, which has mostly been an era of struggles that usually features a side of blame shifting, and concludes with a round of firings.
The new regime blames the old one. The old regime’s players get run out of town for new guys, or as Dolphins vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum likes to call it, “they graduate.”
And we rinse wash and repeat the process over and over again.
Or at least that’s been the case for this past decade of the Dolphins, which have made the Dave Wannstedt era seem pleasant.
Free-agent signings will patch holes created by the outgoing regimes disappointing draftees. The new draft class will represent hope, and hopefully progress. And when they don’t we’ll repeat the process all over again, and again, and again.
Safety Michael Thomas signed a two-year contract with the New York Giants, which means the Miami Dolphins have lost one of their top special-teams players as well as a top backup from scrimmage.
Thomas was a specialteams captain the past two years for Miami. The fiveyear veteran from Stanford had a career-best 85 tackles in 2015 while recording 13 starts at safety.
Last season Thomas, regarded among the league’s top special-teams performers, had 27 tackles and two starts.
The affable Thomas also became well known the past two seasons as one of the Dolphins who regularly took a knee during the national anthem to protest social injustices.
Thomas, who traveled to Washington, D.C. with a contingent of NFL players late in the season to address the national anthem topic, was also serving an internship this offseason with Rep. Sheila Jackson (D-Tx) in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Thomas will be reunited with defensive backs coach Lou Anarumo, who was fired by the Dolphins after last season and hired by the Giants in January.
Thomas’ departure means the Dolphins lose yet another player who had been with the team for three or more years, including defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, wide receiver Jarvis Landry, center Mike Pouncey and running back Damien Williams.
The Dolphins’ safety contingent is led by starters Reshad Jones, a Pro Bowl selection, and T.J. McDonald. Among the backup options are youngsters Trae Elston and Maurice Smith, a pair of second-year players.
Thomas ends his Dolphins career with 191 tackles and one interception, that being a dramatic game-winner in the end zone against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in 2013. Thomas’ big play, which occurred on Dec. 16, came with two seconds left and secured a Miami 24-20 victory that kept the Dolphins’ playoff hopes alive.
Suh signs 1-year deal
Ndamukong’s Suh’s next stop will take the former Miami Dolphins defender to Los Angeles.
Suh, who earned $60 million over the past three seasons in Miami, has reportedly decided to sign a one-year, $14 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams, where he’ll be the third Pro Bowl talent added to that defense this offseason.
The Rams have already traded for cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, and now they add Suh, who turned 31 in January.
After being released by the Dolphins as part of the franchise’s roster purge this offseason, Suh drew interest from the Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints. The Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets also showed interest, but Suh likely picked the Rams because of the potential havoc he could cause playing next to fellow Pro Bowl defensive tackle Aaron Donald in the Rams’ 3-4 scheme.
Suh, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, has recorded 51 1⁄2 sacks in his career.
Last year Suh contributed 48 tackles, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles while playing on an injured knee for the final two months of the season.
The Rams were looking to add depth to their pass rush and run defense after trading defensive end Robert Quinn to the Dolphins for a fourth-round pick and a swap of sixth round selections, and linebacker Alec Ogletree to the New York Giants.
Releasing Suh created $17 million in cap space for the Dolphins, but Miami can’t use it until after June 1 because of Suh’s designated as a June 1 release, which means the Dolphins can split up his $9.1 million in dead money over the next two seasons.
Despite adding Suh as the top free agent the franchise has signed in a decade, Miami’s defensive line struggled the past three seasons, especially when it came to stopping the run.
Suh’s departure means the Dolphins are handing over the interior of the defensive line to three young defense tackles — Jordan Phillips, Davon Godchaux and Vincent Taylor.