Miami Dolphins Jerome Baker has something to say fans and tanking

Miami Dolphins young linebacker doesn’t want to hear about tanking and says you’re not a real fan if you are cheering for that kind of thing.

Jerome Baker spoke with members of the media this week and the Miami Dolphins starting linebacker doesn’t believe you are real fan if you are rooting for them to lose. Is he right?

Baker said, “If you are not a real fan if you are rooting for us to lose”. He said that the team is trying to win and if they are not then it is “not because of the future”. Anyone who thinks that the players are trying to deliberately lose, or for that matter the coaches, should probably have their heads examined. The problem for the Dolphins is they have been set up with a lot less talent but the Dolphins are accepting a poor season in an effort to buck the trend of being average.

Dolphins players, coaches, and even some in the Dolphins offices are not on board with this idea of “tanking” in order to add a top quarterback in 2020’s NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the campaign to “tank for Tua” is a media-driven concept that actually was started in part by Armando Salguero who started an early drive for it.

Calling out fans, however, is something that most fans don’t want to hear. Several fans, including Josh Houltz who writes for another website and does a podcast on the team, brings up the points that most Dolphins fans have been alive a lot longer than Baker and have the right to feel this way.

He is right. Fans who have bled their passion for this team should root however they want regardless of the angle they are taking and not all fans are actively rooting for the team to lose.  The common threat between fans who are rooting for a number one pick and those rooting for wins is simply the fact that fans are tired of the average finish to each season where there is no challenge for the post-season and what little there may be ends a couple weeks before the season officially ends.

Fans are tired of losing, they are tired of the post-season being unattainable and they are tired with the team doing the same things over and over with the same mediocre results. Fans want real change and blowing up the roster, fixing the salary cap provides hope that this will turn around.

At games on Sunday, fans are not booing the team for scoring points, they are booing the team for not scoring points. The water cooler talk the next day may be about accomplishing the “tank” but in reality, we all want to win. Even those hoping that losing this year will bring on success in the future.

As for Baker and certainly others on the team, “tanking” or losing on purpose is not something they will ever do. Nor should they.