The Monday Mommy: What has happened to Pro Football in Florida?
“With such a rich history of winning and producing quality football players, where has it all gone wrong recently? Is there something in the water or the Everglades that is causing such chaos for these three franchises? “
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The Sunshine State has always been considered one of the strongest producers of football players on every level. The Pop Warner program is solid, the high school level is widely recognized and aided by various boosters and donors, and University of Miami, Florida and Florida State have all had their moments of glory in NCAA history.
The NFL itself has had its share of athletes excel in the league who have been a product of Florida football. Guys like Isaac Bruce, Frank Gore, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Chad Johnson and Edgerrin James have all made their way into professional football by way of the state of Florida. Other than California, the sunshine state has the greatest amount of NFL teams that call it home with three. The Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars have all experienced success on some level in the NFL. Both Miami and Tampa Bay have won the big game and Jacksonville and made the AFC Championship game twice with no Super Bowl appearances.
With such a rich history of winning and producing quality football players, where has it all gone wrong recently? Is there something in the water or the Everglades that is causing such chaos for these three franchises?
Let’s start with the Bucs. Sure, they currently hold the record for most consecutive franchise losses with 26 during the 1976-1977 seasons. However, since then things have improved, they even won a Super Bowl in 2002 and until this season, appeared to be heading in a positive direction with young quarterback Josh Freeman and free agent wideout Vincent Jackson. A little over halfway through the 2013 season, the Bucs are winless at 0-8 and are dealing with a nasty strain of MRSA in their locker room.
Head Coach Greg Schiano somehow still has a job, for now, and it isn’t looking pretty for Tampa Bay’s near future. They released Josh Freeman on October third and replaced him with rookie signal caller Mike Glennon who has accumulated 1165 passing yards with eight touchdowns and three picks through five games played. Doug Martin, the team’s future in the backfield is out with a shoulder injury and rookie Mike James actually had a decent game against Seattle on Sunday.
It is unclear what is to come of this floundering north Florida franchise in the coming seasons. I’m thinking they need to romance their former coach Jon Gruden into returning to the ball club, after all, the Bucs haven’t really been competitive since he walked out the door.
Further to the south, the Dolphins are a whole different type of hot mess. They started out the season 3-0 then subsequently lost three straight until squeaking out a win on a walk-off safety against the Bengals last Thursday night. Record aside, the locker room and front office is currently in shambles on the heels of the Jonathan Martin vs. Richie Incognito scandal. I grew up in Miami, was a big Dolphin fan and can’t possibly imagine what Don Shula and Joe Robbie (RIP) would have to say about what has happened to the franchise.
If you haven’t heard or read the latest news on the Miami team, veteran guard Richie Incognito has been suspended by the Dolphins for conduct detrimental to the team. He is being accused of harassment by teammate Jonathan Franklin who left the team after a lunchroom incident last week. There have been reports of Martin being forced to foot a trip to Las Vegas for $15,000 that he was not even a part of, along with other instances where he and other rookies are bullied into paying for veterans’ meals and travel expenses. A racially charged voicemail has made its way around various media outlets that was left for Martin by Incognito, part of the final straw on his suspension.
The fact that the veterans have had the type of power over the locker room for as long as they have is mind-blowing. The lack of respect and human decency that Dolphin rookies have dealt with without anyone stepping up and putting a stop to it is actually quite baffling. While we all know it is prevalent in many other locker rooms, as has been discussed by former NFL players via twitter and on television, the degree and amount of money involved makes this so much worse.
I can’t imagine a quick bounce back from this public relations nightmare for the Dolphins. I suspect more names will surface in this scandal and I do not think this franchise will recover enough to recoup their season. Even though Miami does play in the AFC East, which is somewhat of a circus itself this season.
The Jaguars are faced with a whole different set of problems: talent, or lack thereof.
Jacksonville just plain blows and there is really no way to sugar coat the situation. Their one bright shining star, receiver Justin Blackmon was just suspended from the league indefinitely for substance abuse, following another failed drug test and will be entering rehab. The team is 0-8 on the year and does not look like they are going to start winning games anytime soon.
As a state, Florida has a combined record of 4-20 on the season.
Let that sink in for a second. Out of the three teams that call the sunshine state home, only one has managed to win so far in 2013 through nine weeks. We may never know what is going on down there and why such a rapid decline has taken place.
For now, I blame Tebow.
