The trouble at the Miami Dolphins has certainly garnered a lot of national attention. However, the main reason behind the troubles in Miami- and the Montana connection- has likely not been heard by many people.
Here’s a must read story by The Wall Street Journal: How the Miami Dolphins Fell Apart (h/t Chuck Johnson)
Here’s an excerpt:
In April, in the fifth round of the NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins selected Caleb Sturgis, a kicker from Florida. He signed with the team for an annual salary of $406,000.
To the larger world, this was a routine and uneventful transaction. But in interviews with current and former NFL players, player agents and team executives familiar with the inner workings of the Dolphins, the news hit team members like a bomb.
The Dolphins already had a kicker, a five-year starter named Dan Carpenter who was well-liked by everyone and good at his job. To NFL insiders, the subtext was clear: Carpenter’s $2.7 million salary was getting expensive for a kicker, and NFL teams don’t take kickers in the draft unless they plan to use them.
Seven months later, the Dolphins are a shambles.
You really do have to read the entire story. It covers the likeability of Carpenter, and how the subsuquent absence of real leaders in Miami led to many of the problems now facing the team.
By the way, Carpenter is now with the Buffalo Bills. Earlier this year he made a kick with 33 seconds left in the game….and they beat the Dolphins.