Perhaps the 2015 Miami Dolphins are best explained by Sun
Tzu:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not
fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy,
for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the
enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
Viewing the Miami Dolphins in the context of this famous
quote leads to some interesting conclusions. I would venture to guess Joe
Philbin was unaware of the dissent worming through a locker room he declared, “Ready
to compete for championships.”
Sorry Joe, that locker room was as divisive as you
secretly pushing to draft Derek Carr, only you didn’t know it. The mannerisms
of a coach secretly uncomfortable with his starting quarterback radiate loudly
in the testosterone fueled confines of an NFL locker room. Bill Lazor didn’t come to the conclusion Ryan
Tannehill shouldn’t run audibles on his own, Joe had a say. Joe was a control
freak, some call it “attention to detail,” but for Joe, it was closer to OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder).
When Philbin was still with the team last season, he
obviously didn’t know his enemy or his own team as the results revealed. Dan Campbell
knew his team, and by having half the formula, he was capable of winning half his
games. Ultimately, Campbell was overmatched when it came to knowing his enemy
and Miami suffered defeat because of it.
Perhaps Sun Tzu gets too much credit for stating the
obvious and issues run far deeper inside Dolphin Land. If the answer is this
easy, the future may not be as bleak as the pundits would have it. 4-12, is
the latest retreat from the last season’s playoff predictions and probably just
as off-base.
The reasoning is simple, it’s not about talent…
It has never been about talent. The Miami Dolphins have
as much talent as any team in the NFL. The issue has been leading that talent.
Joe Philbin didn’t do the one thing he was brought in to accomplish, develop
players. He was supposed to be a teacher, but he turned out to be an obsessive minutia
manager. His locker room presence was scolding twenty something hormone raging young men for leaving Gator Gum wrappers on the floor.
He drafted a “cerebral” offensive tackle in the second
round because the player fit his perception of proper behavior in the NFL. I
guess Joe figured mild mannered Jonathan Martin would mend the ways of Richie
Incognito and change the nature of a Center who huddled next to Aaron Hernandez
in college.
Know thyself… It seems obvious, Joe didn’t know squat. He
turned his back on reality and hoped things would somehow work out, he never
fixed them. Philbin hired Jim Turner as OL coach and was unaware of the running
'joke' that Jonathan Martin was gay, and on at least one occasion, coach Turner
participated in taunting Martin.
"Around Christmas 2012, Coach Turner gave the
offensive linemen gift bags that included a variety of stocking stuffers. The
gifts included inflatable female dolls for all of the offensive linemen except Martin,
who received a male 'blow-up' doll," the Wells report said.
The key phrase here is, “Turner gave all of the offensive
linemen except Martin.” In the
locker room, all the players were on one side of the fence and one player was
on the opposite. Joe allowed the discord to fester and then punished the
majority, including throwing his own coach under the proverbial bus. Philbin should
have traded or cut Martin immediately. This is what a leader would have done
and this is when Philbin lost the Miami Dolphins.
From that point Joe’s clock was simply ticking to its
inevitable end.
Phinbin turned this once proud franchise into a national
media punchline, but those “news creators” just looked to pile-on an easy
headline. True Miami followers know, there is an abundance of talent on this
football team. The lack of national respect could have the 'Dan Campbell' effect,
and bring out the best in Miami's talent but it will not be enough.
On the podium stands Adam Gase, a young up-and-comer with
what many claim “an exceptional” mind. He’s young enough to perhaps have the “know
thyself” arena covered, but suppose Gase is smart enough to have the “know thy
enemy” covered as well? Suppose Gase can stare down Belichick and not blink?
Tony Sparano used the wildcat to one-up Belichick. The season
may have been without Brady, but the formation did indeed fool Genius Bill for
a fleeting moment.
It points back to our friend Sun Tzu, not in the sense
that Sparano knew his enemy, but because the formation attacked his enemy’s
weaknesses. Sparano didn’t really understand why the wildcat worked, if he did,
he would still be a NFL head coach. This is the message for Adam Gase, your
enemies all have weaknesses.
To exploit those weaknesses, you must understand them.
Know thy enemy and know thyself and you need not fear the
result of a hundred battles…
