Several Dolphins players following the team's 59-10 loss to the Ravens yesterday "got their agents on the phone ... and said, 'Get us out of here,'" according to NBC's Mike Florio. The perception outside the organization is that the Dolphins are "tanking, and now it's starting to trickle into the organization." People inside the Dolphins indicated that they "haven't heard from any agents or players or any received requests" ("FNIA," NBC, 9/8). In Miami, Greg Cote notes the Dolphins' 49-point loss at Hard Rock Stadium was the "single worst, most inept home performance in franchise history." Cote: "Welcome to the weirdest season ever." This is the team some fans were "hoping for" with Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa expected to enter the Draft after this season. Cote: "Be careful what you wish for" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/9). In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde writes the Dolphins "insist they aren't tanking, that they really plan to try this year." Hyde: "If Sunday's 59-10 loss to Baltimore wasn't further evidence of a tank job, they really are in trouble moving ahead" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 9/9).
By the end of the Dolphins' 59-10 loss to the Ravens, Hard Rock Stadium was a virtual ghost townGETTY IMAGES
MAKING A QUICK EXIT: In West Palm Beach, Hal Habib writes Hard Rock Stadium was a "virtual ghost town, except for a few pockets of purple-and-black-clad Ravens fans," by the time yesterday's game ended. That was after Hard Rock was notably not full during the game (PALM BEACH POST, 9/9). Also in West Palm Beach, Joe Schad writes, "There is a chance there will be few Dolphins fans who actually attend games at Hard Rock Stadium after a few more weeks of this" (PALM BEACH POST, 9/9). USA TODAY's Mike Jones notes it may take some time for first-year coach Brian Flores and his staff to "hit their stride," and it is possible players on the team will "gradually improve along the way." Jones: "But they'd better do so in a hurry, because an already sparse crowd will grow even thinner." It is "going to be hard to make the argument why any fans should invest in watching efforts like this" (USA TODAY, 9/9).
