Tension Growing In Miami Dolphins Locker Room?

They won’t say it. Not publicly anyways, but the players are growing restless. It’s a read between the lines kind of thing. Why wouldn’t they be? Another close game that was mired in questionable calls and even more questionable time out usage. The players are still toeing the company line but you have to wonder how long that will actually last. Could there be some tension growing in the locker room? Maybe there should be.

Following yesterday’s game winning touchdown pass by Aaron Rodgers, linebacker Phillip Wheeler told reporters that it was 50% his fault and 50% play calling. He said that he knew Rodgers had the defense figured out that they were running man to man while doubling the slot and that left him one on one with the tight-end. He also admitted that he had not spent any time that week working on that formation defensively. Sorry Wheeler but that is a 100% coaching fault.

"“I think it was 50 percent bad coverage, 50 percent bad call,” Wheeler said. “It could go either way. I think I had OK coverage but I should’ve made a play on the ball.“I pretty much knew I was going to get the ball thrown to me, to my man. He knew we were doubling the slot, he knew what we were in. I don’t think I had practiced that all week."

Wheeler could have made a play on the ball but he tried to keep Andrew Quarless from getting behind him which in the end zone corner is really want you want rather than have the player in front of you where he is harder to defend the short pass but Wheeler is correct he shouldn’t have been put in that position to begin with and the lack of creativity on that final drive allowed Aaron Rodgers to book a more relaxing flight home.

According to the Palm Beach Post the players are not questioning some of the use of timeouts which normally means they are not going to openly discuss it. With 1:07 seconds left in the game and Cam Wake coming up big on 3rd down to sack Rodgers at their own 47, Philbin called a time out. The Packers had no timeouts left and would have to make a quick decision on their plans for 4th down and 10. The timeout gave Green Bay the opportunity to discuss their play selection on the sideline, regroup, and then complete the 4th down conversion. The Dolphins used two time outs on the drive before for hardly much of a reason. It’s a trend with Philbin.

Following the decision to throw on 2nd and 9 and then run on 3rd and 9, Chris McCain opined that he thought for sure they would throw on 3rd down. Mike Wallace thought the same. The decision gave the ball back into the hands of the Green Bay Packers.

It was only a short four weeks ago or so that the Dolphins defenders were critical internally of the play calling of DC Kevin Coyle and it appears that there will be more questions coming out of this loss. Not every close game is a good game and for players who left everything on the field, as the Dolphins defense did on Sunday, play calling can pointed out and sooner or later the players grumbling inside the locker room will begin to seep out of those closed doors.