Miami Dolphins Dennis Hickey Talks Mike Wallace
By Brian Miller
If you are one of those fans who don’t care about vertical jumps, 40 times, or shuttle speed, the NFL Combine may not be for you. One good thing however is that coaches and management members are made available to the media. Yesterday Miami Dolphins Dennis Hickey spoke to media and was obviously asked about Mike Wallace’s future with the team.
Live Feed
The Viking Age
Hickey spent time avoiding a direct answer neither confirming or denying that Wallace’s future is in jeopardy but it is becoming more apparent that Wallace will remain with the club simply because the Dolphins can’t afford to replace his 10 touchdown production of last season and his salary cap number doesn’t help all that much if he is released or traded. It sounds as though Hickey, who has spent time with Wallace, albeit over dinner, might understand the wide-outs frustrations.
"“For all of us, as the season unfolded and late in the year, we were all frustrated about how the season ended,” Hickey said, via ESPN.com. “That’s what we’re focused on now: addressing, confronting the reality of where we’re at, and how do we get to where we want to be. That’s what we spent the last five or six weeks looking at hard and talking through and working together in a collaborative fashion to try to work through that, because the goal is to be better.”"
Wallace is a very good football player who actually played better last season when he started to fight for more balls in the air and became more physical after he caught the ball. Wallace came to Miami as a one trick deep threat but has changed his game, especially last year, since arriving in Miami. Still, he isn’t being used to his maximum potential that would equal his salary.
“Obviously, through our process, we’re looking at each individual situation, with all of our players,” – Dennis Hickey
The obvious point is that Ryan Tannehill is too inaccurate on the deep ball. Whether it’s pressure or a collapsing pocket or simply under thrown balls and over thrown balls, Tannehill and Wallace have yet to connect on that deep runaway route. This year is a make or break season for Joe Philbin and his coaching staff and it will also be another year under Bill Lazor’s offensive system. The Dolphins are expecting a lot more production in year two of that system.
More from Dolphins News
- 4 offensive tackles Miami Dolphins could draft at 51
- Miami Dolphins don’t need CB help but these 5 could be available at 51
- 4 players that could replace Wilkins if Miami Dolphins don’t re-sign him
- Miami Dolphins have a starting point with Wilkins after Simmons deal
- The Miami Dolphins should not take a running back in the draft
How Wallace ties into that immediate future depends one what the team thinks ultimately. As one reader suggested earlier, Wallace should be talking to his coaching staff instead of his general manager. Unfortunately the touchdowns Wallace made this year were overshadowed by the last view fans and media had of him. Standing next to Brandon Gibson following the New York Jets game making facial expressions as Gibson spoke for him to the media. For the most part when you say Mike Wallace now, that is the impression that is left on the mind. It shouldn’t be and it shouldn’t be with the coaches either.
If Wallace is to be released or traded, let’s hope that the reasons are for something other than those antics.