Granted, he's the owner of the team and can damn well do what he pleases. But check out this from Jeff Darlington... http://twitter.com/Jeff_Darlington The third tweet really sums it up quite nicely. Coaches are creatures of habit. They hate playing on Thursday night. They hate playing on Monday night. Stephen Ross decides on his own that the team needs to go see a play. So they're going to break routine on JETS WEEK to do it. To me, I'd rather them have one more day at home. One more day with their families. One more day not living in a hotel room. But what's really bothersome is that the head coach was not consulted. This directly affects how they prepare and his opinion on the matter was deemed unnecessary.
Maybe he thinks it will motivate them. Maybe he thinks it's just something nice to do for the team who have been working their butts off since TC. I agree that it should be Sparano's call but I don't see any maliciousness there. They aren't missing any practice time. Maybe they are allowed to bring their familied. Who knows?
I disagree Muck...This team needs to get checked, and obviously they like being away from home playing football. its a win win..Iam sure Ross talked about this with his coach.. Find out who wants to bleed aqua and orange..take em on the road early, put them in the damn hotel room an extra 2 nites, take them away from their families, and see whos gonna have another goddamn flat performance in the biggest game of their season...
I think it's with good intentions, but not good follow through. I'm hoping Sparano had some say in this. If not, it definitely is suggestive that Ross doesn't have much respect for him and he could be in the doghouse.
Maybe this will be good for Sparano. Some change to the routine surely couldn't hurt the team more than their offense already hurts themselves.
I don't have a problem with this at all. Everyone on this team, coaches included, has a boss and it could well be a bonding issue. Pro football players and coaches should not be excluded from certain directives--it's not as if the current game-planning routine is going so well. I imagine some of the players are dreading going to a "play," yet one of the positives of exposure to cultural experiences is finding a common ground in which to appreciate something larger than the individual himself.
They are 6-6, it's not like the routine was working all that well. They're all going together and maybe it will motivate them.
I have little doubt Ross' intentions are well-meaning and benign. But this is highly ill-advised IMO. If he's been planning this for a month....and without consulting the head coach....it comes over very short-sighted IMO. What if the Dolphins had spun off four straight victories? Would they still need to be 'shaken' then? Ross had no way of knowing a month ago. He just decided. My point is this: if it wasn't an issue, it wouldn't have been leaked. It could be a bonding experience, but for me personally it'd simply be something I have to deal with on a business trip.
Hard to read on this one, could be a simple case of going up early to acclimate, and Ross being generous enough to offer to pay for 70 broadway tickets which would be massively expensive, maybe 200k as well as an extra night at a NYC Hotel, this isn't cheap folks.
As fractious as this board has been lately with everyone discussing the best way to move forward in the offseason, the fact is still glaring that we're all talking about the offseason again. They could book a trip to the ISS if they thought it could help them win games and I'd approve, because whatever they're doing now isn't dragging them out of the ditch they're in.
Has Ross been hanging out with Loria or something? JK, I have no problem with this, he wants to do something nice for his team. I wonder if he bought the theater, don't want any pesky Jets fans ruining the show.
Maybe he can take them to see Cats next..... and Stomp would be nice too..... followed by a trip to the zoo....... or Sea World..... and they can all get matching T-Shirts and cotton candy together.
I don't really have a problem with this personally. It's his team. Organized "team" activities outside of work aren't really abnormal either, especially of the owner/boss considers it conducive to team-building. Yea, it's an extra day on their business trip but in the grand scheme of things if they don't miss any film/practice time I find it hard to see an issue personally.
The Lombardi story is inspirational and this team needs a morale boost.I guess we will have to wait for the results of the Jet game to know if the idea worked positively. If it does maybe Sparano saves his job.
Six Flags has a lot of family packages, tbh. They could also catch a matinee of the new Harry Potter flick...could prove vital in building team camaraderie
Don't forget the Giants are allowing the Dolphins to use their practice facility on Friday and Saturday, and don't forget Ross is a big fixture in NYC. I think it's good intentions (for now). If a team you paid a billion dollars for was 1-7 at home in the past year then you'd try anything that could possibly help too. Not good for stadium attendance when the team is not only losing at home, they are boring in doing so.
You have to take what these reports state in their tweets with a grain of salt. For all we know it was Spranano's idea to go up to NY early to acclimate, Ross helped out by negotiating with the Giants to use their practice facility and then went a step further and got the team tickets to the play. This could be Much Ado About Nothing - hey maybe someone could write a play about that.
He's the owner. He can do what he pleases. He signs the checks. He's not demanding they trade for or draft a certain player. Give him a break, the Dolphins did this exact same routine (sans play) for Oakland and that was our finest game of the damn year. I think it's fine.
I honestly paid little attention to it. But I'm assuming he didn't really want to talk about it. Oakland was Sparano's idea. Supposedly this is all Ross, no Sparano. That's what I'd have a problem with.
They are not staying at a hotel in NYC. As far as people complaining about this, WTF, its like they play the game instead of the actual people that really do. Great idea for the team. I like Ross.
Muck, to the first line I would ask "What do you think camp is all about?" This team really never leaves South Florida. To the rest of the situation, my commentary would be to imagine that you were that billionaire. Imagine that YOU own the team. When you do see YOUR team you see a bunch of guys from all of the country with a wide array of backgrounds. A common thing among them to YOU would be a poverty stricken background. At the most, you see a bunch of working class stiffs. We don't have a bunch of 28-35 year old veterans on this team. We don't really have many second contract players on the team. Remember that you own the team. What is your involvement considering that these guys on the staff don't even want to see your face? If all that YOU will intercede in a season of guys that YOU pay is to take them to an inspirational play on Broadway in New York City, I don't think I can find much wrong with it. Afterall, you footed the bill for the extra night at the hotel. You paid for the event. You paid the Giants for use of the practice facility. You did all of it. Why? Because you wanted to do something for the guys that work for you. Considering that all that they have provided for him is a 1-5 record AT HOME EVENTS, I think the staff could indulge him in that one luxury. That is Stephen Ross in that box. He's standing up there rubbing shoulders with the stars. He wants something that he can be proud of. They have given him 1 win. Overstepping his bounds? I don't think so. I think he's showing an unusual amount of support for a disappointing group of kids on HIS football team.
It has been brewing since early November though, which makes it a different thing from just springing it on the team Tuesday or something close to Game Day such as that, not sure If I would make this move but Ross is a quirky and wealthy NY guy. To me, if the players gripe about anything it will be what the 300k could have been used better on to directly help the team. Hmm, maybe they paid for this with the money they saved when Pennington went down?
I see your point Muck, but I also don't have a problem with it. As has been mentioned, maybe it will help motivate and inspire these guys. Certainly a bonding and cultural experience if nothing else.
Yep,I'm pissed but screw it! I have no say.... He is the owner whether we like it or not.he also knows the NYC area and wants to calm the team down and show them the Arts.There's nothing wrong with that. A play might me a good thing to build some morale,so whatever works. It's a change of pace and not the same jets team or home for that matter. Let it be........(my reference to John Lennon) it's a non-issue.
That's actually a hilarious thought...... with Soliai next to him holding one of those giant, flat, round, multi-colored lollipops.
At this point does it matter? This team needs to break some routine and try anything to get them up and going. But really...this team is going nowhere other than ruining draft position if they keep winning. The top 4 QB's could be gone in the top 15. Right now we are slated to pick somewhere between 17-22. Which means we go RB first (maybe Ingram), still have no QB, and we take our chances on maybe Ponder or Stanzi in the 3rd round.
Oversteps his bounds? Hell, this team needs a break in routine. Routine has resulted in 6-6. Screw that. In all honesty, Ross has been very restrained in his stewardship of the team. In a dream world, most of the players—and about 3/4ths of the coaches—would be publicly accused of lacking the correct genitalia for their gender.
This. If Sparano is resisting it, then he is in the wrong. Gives fresh credence to the malaprop, "You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her think."
No need to get personal dude. And yes if this was done as the OP stated, and Sparano was circumvented it very well could mean he is half way out the door. You just don't do something like this without consulting the coach. This doesn't sound like a Sparaho inspired team activity. Just not his style.
15-20 is a perfect 1st round draft pick. It's right in between overpayment for talent and 2nd round talent dropoff.