The Dolphins' captains made the decision
The Miami Dolphins apparently have been playing too much ping-pong lately and not focusing on football.
In the midst of a two-game losing streak, the captains of the Dolphins — Tyreek Hill, Terron Armstead, Xavien Howard, Elandon Roberts and Jevon Holland — removed the ping-pong table in the team’s locker room in order to refocus the squad and try to get Miami back on the winning track when they host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The fact a ping-pong table was such a distraction that the Dolphins felt the need to get it out of sight is laughable. It also shows Miami’s immaturity that they probably got too comfortable with their 3-0 start and couldn’t keep their focus on the task at hand.
It’s unknown whether taking the game out of the locker room caused any type of uproar amongst the team’s players, but Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel certainly approved of the move.
“That, to me, is leadership. To me, leadership is acting, not talking,” McDaniel said, per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. “There’s a bunch of different examples from those guys, and that’s why they’re captains and that’s why I rely on them, because it’s about solving problems, not complaining about them. They, collectively, as a group of players, wanted more time investment during the week on their jobs for Sunday. So instead of just saying it, they did something about it.”
As silly as it is, maybe this is what the Dolphins need to start a new winning streak, but it won’t be easy with Miami third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson making his first career start against the Vikings.