Phin Phanatic
FanSided

Why Survivor on CBS made me think of Chris Grier and Christian Wilkins

By Brian Miller

“We Can Do Hard Things” – Eighteen new castaways are abandoned in the islands of Fiji where they must learn to adapt, or they will be voted out. Tribes must be the first to finish the first challenge of the season to secure crucial camp supplies. The other two tribes must be savvy and get sweaty in hopes of earning their camp essentials. Then, tribes will climb their way to victory earning immunity, while the last tribe to finish will head to tribal council where they must send someone home, on
“We Can Do Hard Things” – Eighteen new castaways are abandoned in the islands of Fiji where they must learn to adapt, or they will be voted out. Tribes must be the first to finish the first challenge of the season to secure crucial camp supplies. The other two tribes must be savvy and get sweaty in hopes of earning their camp essentials. Then, tribes will climb their way to victory earning immunity, while the last tribe to finish will head to tribal council where they must send someone home, on /
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"Survivor" has remained one of the most popular reality television shows on any network but the premier episode of Survivor 46 brought Miami Dolphins vibes.

The latest season of the hit series "Survivor" premiered in late February and I finally got around to watching it. An escape from the Miami Dolphins news, speculation, and the NFL Draft. Unfortunately, I couldn't help see a parallel between the show and the Miami Dolphins' own Chris Grier and Christian Wilkins.

The setup that immediately brought the two to the forefront of my mind should have been a simple one. One contestant had to convince another that they held a certain card and had to lie about it to convince her. He failed miserably in doing so but it was later in the show that the connection hit.

During "Tribal Council" where someone is voted off the contestant who refused to lie about his "card" was confronted by the other team members. He opined that his decision was based on the fact that it would put all of them in the good graces of the other two tribes by giving each of them an advantage despite the fact it took away any advantage he and his tribe would have.

So back to the Miami Dolphins angle. Chris Grier told the media that Christian Wilkins earned his right to hit free agency and by the look of it, he will do just that in a weeks time. My question is why didn't Grier apply the Franchise Tag to Wilkins and try and trade him?

As I watched the drama unfold on television I couldn't help but see a similar situation with Miami. The tribe members criticized him for giving an advantage to other teams instead of their own. In Miami, Grier is giving Wilkins an advantage instead of thinking about his own team.

By tagging Wilkins, Miami controls the compensation. At the absolute best, Miami could receive a compensation pick in the 3rd round. Given the number of free agents Miami may need to sign, that will likely not happen. In fact, the Dolphins may get nothing at all.

So why not try and milk something out of another team and do your own team a favor in the process? I love Wilkins. In fact, he is my favorite player on the team but if this a business from both sides, shouldn't Miami be conducting themselves in the same way?

As one contestant said when the guy told them the reason he gave up the advantage, "Who cares what helps the other teams, it doesn't help us!" or something to that effect. In Miami, Grier isn't doing his team any favors by letting Wilkins walk out the door for nothing.

In the end, the Dolphins rented a great but not elite DT for five years and will move on with little or no compensation. As for the guy that gave up the advantage? Yeah, he got voted out.

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