Karlos Dansby, Reggie Bush talk Vontae Davis trade

If that were true we wouldn't hear statements like this:

That's quite a statement from a player who showed up last year out of shape and cost his team games.
A statement like that makes it seem as though he's buying in to coach Philbin. I say that b/c the most important aspect of buying in is having trust & faith in the coach even though the player will likely not understand every move that's made, nor seen the finished product yet.


Players might not understand the trade b/c of the emotions involved with losing a teammate, but that doesn't mean they forgot Vontae irresponsibly showed up drunk last year, unprofessionally showed up to camp out of shape this year, immaturely started a skirmish with Steve Smith b/c he couldn't control his actions yet again, etc. Vontae is a good kid and a good player on the field, but it's not like he was the poster child for Philbin's philosophy and we traded him anyways, prompting the delivery of a mixed bag of signals to the players. So there should be no trust lost b/c Philbin is staying consistent with his philosophy, and consistency is what counts.

Players can still trust that if they don't shape up they'll be cut, traded, or demoted.... and they can likely trust the opposite, that if they do shape up and carry themselves professionally, they'll earn coach's acceptance rather than it simply being handed to them just b/c they can play the game w/o committing themselves 100% to the team, each other, the coaches, the cause, and their own self. In the end, despite not understanding the trade, they probably will understand and even appreciate that Philbin won't play favorites or give free passes no matter how talented you are, which sends the message that the talent you have better be maximized and that you better care more about this team than yourself.

I'd rather cut or trade a few non-committers and watch the rest of the team raise its commitment level b/c they believe in Philbin & want to gain his acceptance than witness the following scenario of: not cutting or trading anyone and not having proper direction or established culture & goals, then watch a talented but unprofessional team show up out of shape & unprepared and lose the first 7 games b/c of it. There's talent on this team that needed to be woken up..... and stay woken up. If you have to sacrifice a few guys to raise the bar for everyone else, so be it, b/c the old way under Sparano wasn't working.

 

How about a young WR to pair with your young QB? Half-***.

 

Pay Brandon Fields 17M a year then......

 

I'm a tyrant!

 

But perhaps that gets these players back to the very bedrock of professional play: focusing on the quality of your own play and your own career.

Like Dansby said, it's not his place to focus on the direction of the team. He's going to focus on being a leader of men. What a comment that's being totally neglected here!

Like Bill Belichick says: "Do your job." Perhaps that'll be the starting point for the Joe Philbin Miami Dolphins, and then it can build from there.

 

That's because they have faith in the dude. With Bill you did your job you were going to win. Philbin hasn't proven anything to deserve that kind of blind faith.

 

And when they do their job and see a 0-6 start, you think they will continue to be the poster boys of what Philbin expects from players? For all the criticism Sparano took, the players fought for him. I just don't see the same happening for Philbin.

 

When what happens?

 

Dissension. Players being told by PR guys they aren't allowed to talk about trades.

 

no 95% of the fan base is over emotional

 

And when's that day gonna come?

 

Wait a minute: after Stephen Ross publicly castrated Tony Sparano in the offseason, how many games did the team lose in a row to start the season?

That was fighting for him?

 

You're kidding yourself. He's been told to shut up and is half-heartedly mentioning a company line.

 

Nah, that'd be stupid. I mean it didn't help Andy Dalton last year did it? Oh wait...

 

Well he gets at least a year to do that. At the end of the year you may see something different.

 

That's a really good point..

One thing I do respect, is the willingness to move players that do not take their craft seriously, or who act like their self entitled.

I've got to accept that as much as I wanted Vontaes ceiling on this team, he was a spoiled millionaire football player who obviously didn't take his craft serious..I like that he is aware of the importance of commitment as a player, and how that simple trait can help an athletes body perform at higher levels..

I'm gonna make the commitment to Philbin on the grounds that I respect the reasons why he got rid of the players he did and if I'm honest I can't defend those players actions and work ethic.

Brandon Marshall..calling out and humiliating teammates publicly, and acting like your above the team.

Johnson..making a conscious decision to go from humble, to clown, because of the uniform your wearing, and humiliating your franchise.

VD..for being a lazy payer with great talent, who fell short on his end taking his talent for granted.

We can't keep being mediocre, we can't keep allowing flat performances with no emotion continue to be consistent in our seasons..

We do need the right players setting examples for others..

 

Players have to feel like it's their team. They don't win championships for their coaching staff.

 

lol.

Yeah, sure. Every team LOVES it when players critique the staff in the papers. That's so rare a team stops players from doing it.

The biggest mistake made so far is going on Hardknocks, because our fans simply cannot handle it.

 

I think you may be right about this. Going back to the previous John Wooden reference, he had a human touch with his players, as well as a track record of extraordinary success, that gave him the credibility to harp on untied shoelaces, facial hair, etc. in a way that sent the message that there needed to be attention to detail and that the HC's opinion was the only one that mattered. Despite his age and whiteness, the players seemingly uniformly revered him. I went to grad school at UCLA and have read and seen a lot about the Wooden years and have never heard anyone utter a negative word about him. Philbin, however, doesn't seem to have that same human touch and doesn't have the track record to do the same things that Wooden did. The fact that he's dealing with pros and not college players is probably another factor that works against him.

I think the human touch has to come from the head coach, or at least the coordinators. I don't think it matters with the GM -- the GM-player relationship isn't one that makes the GM's personality all that relevant during the season IMO.

 

The comments he made the first time around were out of line and misplaced, so being told to shut up is appropriate IMO.

As for "half-heartedly," I don't think any of us knows where his heart is.

 

Good point. I think too many people are assuming that Philbin made the decision or was the catalyst for it. Ireland is the GM and according to people with actual sources the catalyst was another team ringing Ireland's phone off the hook about making a trade. You need a friggin spaceship to bridge a gap in logic like that.

 

You can infer simple things like that. Just listen to how and what he says.

 

I'm seeing a human touch from him, but I doubt I'd be able to convince anyone of that who isn't seeing it.

 

Be nice to see a team in need of a LB overpay for Dansby and we get a 3rd.

 

It sure as hell was fighting for him. Lets see how the players respond to Philbin era going 0-6 - by all thats good I hope it is the other way around though!

 

And I think that will happen when Joe Philbin has a group of like-minded professionals on his roster who know that he will maintain the kind of culture they prefer, one in which they're surrounded by players like them and there is little tolerance for unprofessionalism.

That's when you feel like it's your team.

 

I don't see why the players would be that upset about Davis being traded. Brandon Marshall condemned Davis' work habits last year. I don't think this is a guy who commanded a lot of respect from his teammates.

 

But why are the players critiquing the staff? That's the issue.

 

We have to look at these types of moves (Vontae, Marshall, Johnson) from a FA perspective b/c coach Philbin is sending the message that we're about professionalism and dedication, that everyone is accountable, and that he doesn't give free passes or make exceptions to his philosophy just b/c you have talent.


Basically, coach Philbin is creating an atmosphere that is inviting to Free Agents who are professional, responsible, hard working, team-orriented, and want to win, which is exactly what we want. Meanwhile it'll act to deter those looking for a paycheck and a place to get by w/o giving 100%.

 

Dansby was the only one.

 

This is the point where I get a bit confused as to what type of protocol is necessary for a new coach to establish his vision..

I would argue CK that Jim Harbaugh walked in and had that team galvanized because of his demeanor, personality and how he motivates men.

 

It's really only Dansby at this point.

 

The professional athlete will play anywhere that he can win. Bush is a professional in every sense of the word but there's no question he wants to win. He knows he very likely won't get a contract from the Dolphins next year. You don't think there's a thought of hey I want to win and I came here because I thought that would be a part of the equation?

 

Because their friends aren't being treated the way they want them treated.

 

I would argue that the team already had a good number of leaders (primarily Willis, Gore, Davis, and Smith) who knew Harbaugh, being the most sought-after coach in the business, would get a good long leash to prove himself, and they were therefore forced to get on board or waste their careers fighting a losing battle against him.

Those leaders then set the example of getting on board for their teammates, and the whole team was on board and heading the same direction. In essence they had a "culture" from the outset. They didn't have to develop one like Philbin is doing here.

 

Keep in mind, Harbaugh also walked into an absolutely loaded 49ers team in terms of talent.

How many Top 10 picks were on that roster?

Now look at our roster, this was a 6-10 team that lost our best Cb and Wr, what can Philbin possibly say to change that reality?

Nothing at all, and the Vets know it, they've known this since Johnson was waived.

 

How is Philbin supposed to earn this "blind faith" everyone seems to think he losing?

 

Reggie Bush was told in the lockerroom not to talk about it.