ESPN’s Dolphins writer James Walker leaving journalism

The Miami Dolphins are losing one of the most professional and fair journalists on January first when ESPN’s James Walker hangs up his pen.

A short while ago, Walker announced to his followers on Twitter that he will no longer be a journalist. Leaving the trade to work for a CPA firm. The firm handles business for pro-athletes so he won’t be too far from the sports he loves and has covered.

Walker has been covering the Dolphins for a couple of years but he has an extensive background covering a wide range of sports. Earlier this year I had the privilege of speaking with Walker for my Miami Dolphins 2017 pre-view guide. That interview is below.

On behalf of myself and this site, I want to thank Mr. Walker for being open and available to those of us in the blogging world. Where many journalists tend to shun us, James Walker was always open to talking to us about the Dolphins and other issues.

We wish him the very best of luck as he moves on his career. Thank you James.

Is there an area that you focus on more during training camp practices? Player positions, conditioning, etc…?

It’s all about performance and scheme for me. One of the beauties of training camp is the media and fans in attendance get to see a lot of things unfold before the rest of the public. Last year I could tell you in August that receiver Kenny Stills would have a breakout season based on how he consistently practiced. I also could see linebacker Kiko Alonso had his burst back, etc. Many of these things you watch in the summer are confirmed in the fall and winter. In terms of scheme, this is a time when Adam Gase and his staff will try out new wrinkles to the offense and defense. I’m always curious to see what changes stick, especially when it comes to how Miami plans to use new personnel such as tight end Julius Thomas.

What is the biggest question you have about this years Miami Dolphins team that you want to see addressed in camp?

How will this group handle success? Will they keep the grinder mentality they had last year or get big headed after making the playoffs for the first time since 2008? Something the Dolphins did very well last year that rarely happens in Miami is the team got better as the season went on. Last year’s group wasn’t the most talented but it made up for it in work ethic. That’s why when you look at the final statistics, it’s hard to figure out how the Dolphins when 10-6 last year. They were 29th in total and 24th in offense but were rarely outworked and learned how to win close games. This year’s team has more talent but must keep that same blue-collar mentality. Training camp will provide some early clues in that respect.

The Dolphins have a lot of depth issues none seem more glaring that offensive line and defensive line. Which one of those do you feel is in better shape heading into the start of practices?

I actually feel good about Miami’s defensive line. The defensive end depth is stacked with the additions of veteran William Hayes and first-round pick Charles Harris. Both will contribute in different ways behind starters Cameron Wake and Andre Branch. Defensive tackle is an area of concern after Ndamukong Suh. But the team is banking on Jordan Phillips or one of their two rookie draft picks – Vincent Taylor or Davon Godchaux – to step up.

Looking ahead to the season, does Miami have the personnel to make another playoff run?

Personnel? Yes. But as a mentioned earlier, that’s not all it takes to make the postseason. The Dolphins will have to continue winning close games and continue to be well coached. They have the fifth-toughest strength of schedule in the NFL. Last year Miami had a last-place schedule after going 6-10 in 2015. This year it is a second-place schedule that includes three combined games against the reigning Super Bowl teams in New England and Atlanta.

Ryan Tannehill is still a hot debate topic among fans and many in the media, where in your opinion is Tannehill at in his career?

I’ve been pretty hard on Tannehill throughout his career up until last season. Certain things like pocket presence, third-down passing and performance in the fourth quarter and red zone were areas I didn’t see enough improvement until last season. It’s no coincidence Miami’s win total improved when those areas improved. If Tannehill plays like last season for 16 games, that’s good enough. This much we know: Tannehill is smart, a hard worker and one of the toughest players I’ve ever covered in my 13 seasons. Those are things you can work with. But he’s not a quarterback who will single-handedly carry a team to the Super Bowl.

Injuries are a part of the NFL landscape and the Dolphins have several players coming back from big injuries including Mike Pouncey, Tannehill, and Reshad Jones. Is there concerns over any players recovery that you know of? What have you heard about Pouncey and Koa Misi’s prognosis?

I personally have concerns for Tannehill, but the Dolphins have been adamant that he is fine. The concern I have is whether Tannehill will be protective of his left knee and will this alter his playing style, because the Dolphins cannot afford for him to take any steps backwards. But that would have been in question with or without surgery. Until we see Pouncey back on the field that has to be a concern. He’s had two major hip injuries now and a third could be career ending. The Dol- phins are going to be very careful with him. I don’t expect to see him much in training camp. Things are unclear with Misi. I think it’s time for Miami to move on with their other linebackers.

Some in the Dolphins media tend to approach their coverage with the intent to “change opinions” or slant their coverage to their opinion. You tend to take a more balanced approach in your coverage. How do you maintain fair objectivity in your coverage of the team?

Thanks for the kind words, but I think South Florida has a really deep and talented media group covering the team. Dolphins fans are really fortunate to get so many varying takes on one team and in one market. The main thing I focus on is developing my own analysis and opinions. I pay attention closely in training camp and practice. I study film of games two or three times over some weeks and this helps me develop my own opinions, good or bad. Reporters also should be open minded when talking to players and coaches to get their takes. They will always know more from the inside but obviously their views are understandably biased. It’s a delicate balance.

Historically mainstream media has been the “breaking news” source for what happens on the field and even off of it, now social me- dia allows amateurs and even fans the ability to break news. How has your approach to your job changed over the years as “instant news” has taken over?

This is a deep topic with probably not enough space to fully discuss in this form. For sure things are faster and everyone must adjust. Faster is both good and bad. It allows the consumer to get news quicker, which is great. But it also has resulted in a lot more reporting mistakes in our industry. The job of breaking news has definitely become more difficult. A good personal example was the Branden Albert-Julius Thomas story in March, which was reported in real time. Initially, my sources told me they were working on a trade involving the two players, which was the case at that time. I reported it. But within hours things changed and both trades were done for draft picks. Reporting it minute-by-minute, thanks to the speed of social media, may not be the best in that scenario. It’s never good to get things wrong, even if it’s just details within a story.

I have spoken with every coach since Cam Cameron at least once and there has always been both positive and negatives. I have not spoken with Adam Gase. What would you say are his positives and negatives compared to the other coaches the Dolphins have had since you began covering the team? In other words, what makes him different?

Gase’s people skills are amazing. He has a natural ability to relate to many different people in various ways, and I’m not sure you can teach that. That is very underrated in coaching and Gase already has it down. There are a lot of coaches
that know football. But it’s the ability to relate to today’s modern athlete that often makes a difference.

Last question James, what are your predictions for the season?

For now I’m sticking with nine wins. The schedule concerns me. The Dolphins play nine road games if you include London, and there are not a lot of cupcakes on the schedule. I like the roster and where the team is headed, but it may not result in 10-plus wins for a second year in a row.