Joe Philbin had to take a stand.
Either he was going to stand up for his player or he was going to show he was a zero tolerance coach. He chose the latter and because of that he is on extremely thin ice with his team.
Carlos Dansby has already spoke out against him and sources tell me other Dolphins players are not pleased about how quickly Chad Johnson was dumped without being given an opportunity to tell his side of the story. Furthermore they believed that Chad could help them win games, so they are understandably upset.
Joe Philbin has made it clear he is the boss, but he also let slip something that may cost him in the long run.
“It was more a body of evidence from June 11th forward,” said Philbin, citing the date Miami signed Johnson following his release from the New England Patriots.
“When he came in on June 11th, we sat down, and we talked, and I was very clear as to the expectations of the program. It just didn’t work out.
“It’s more about the fit; in my gut I didn’t think the fit was going to be beneficial to either party moving forward, whether in the short term or the long term. That’s really what it was all about. It wasn’t about one specific thing; it just wasn’t going to work.”
As for Dolphins LB Karlos Dansby, who said during a radio interview Monday that the locker room was disappointed that the team didn’t give Johnson more support, Philbin countered: “I believe this — let’s be honest, you have a boss, I have a boss. I don’t always agree with what the boss says every time. I’m of the opinion that you should keep things in house in that regard.”
What Philbin did is kick a man while he is down.
He also contradicted himself by saying the players should keep things in-house, while throwing Chad Johnson under the bus publicly. What exactly did Chad do that didn’t fit? Was it because he cursed? Because I know a lot of players who cursed. Is it because he brought a lot of attention to the team? That is what the Dolphins wanted, so that isn’t his fault. I know for a fact they told Johnson to be himself, but now they are holding that against him. Sounds like hypocrisy to me.
I understand why the Dolphins released Johnson, but players are very perceptive and the way they released him could have done better.
They should have brought him, talked to him and let him walk out of the complex on his own accord. Having scouts pack up his locker and barring him from the facility is bush league.
Philbin is a rookie head coach and is on shaky ground with his players already. Pays the cost to be the boss and if the loses start piling up don’t be surprised if Philbin is unemployed just like Chad.