Yes, Sure Another JT Thread… well I can’t practice my acting but I can sure practice my writing skills… mind you is long winded, but it was fun for me... There are a few who already took a crack at the JT/Dolphins situation, I will take a stab at it, and mind you some of this material is not fabricated/made-up. We do have facts that make up most of the story, with some imposing opinions, that tend to read between the lines… Some of the facts that we know: • JT has dedicated his 11 years career to the Dolphins, has given it all on the field, to this team and its fans during that time. • JT since the end of the 2004 season, is tired of loosing, and has mentioned this discontent. • JT since the end of the 2004 season has shown and privately stated that he does not want to be part of a “Re-building Team,” and has mentioned this discontent. • In Saban’s 1st Off-season, JT showed his discontent to his coaching’s plan for using him as a LB. • In Saban’s 1st Season as HC, JT had a spectacular year and made DPOY. • In Saban’s 2nd Off-season, JT showed his discontent to his coaching’s plan by supporting Daunte after Saban benched him. • After Saban left in December 2006, JT called him a quitter, again showing his discontent for the coach’s actions. • In Cam’s 1st Off-season, JT again stated his discontent in private that he did not want to be part of a “Re-building Team.” • In Cam’s 1st Off-season, JT again stated his discontent in public, calling the HC out in stating that he acquired a QB with scrambled brains (T. Green). • In Cam’s 1st Off-season, JT again stated his discontent in private after being snub as the team’s leader by Cam. This started a locker room power struggle, which speculated the rift in the team’s locker room. • By the end of December JT had made some announcements about this Off-season, which included the DWTS stint and also his return to Dolphin’s camp after that. • Within the last month, we have learned that JT had a private meeting with the FO early in the Off-season. In this meeting JT had told them what his plans were. I speculate this is where his demands were given to the team. • A few weeks ago, coach Sporano, finally gave out some of the information that was talked about in the private meeting that they had with JT early on. I speculate that JT told them that we would not be attending any Off-season team activities unless his demands were met. These demands have not been released to us or the media. • JT has not made it perfectly clear what his intentions about being “a Dolphin in July” means, if he is not traded. Fact is he can retire a Dolphin without playing a down this year. • Fact is JT’s team mates are as much lost as to what he is going to do as some of us, even after all that JT has stated in the past week or so. • Fact is that JT in “No Term” will say anything that will harm him in the poll of public opinion. He will not come out and say what he told the FO in that early private meeting. That is that he has demanded a trade, be a holdout till this trade is made, state that he will not play for this team if it’s not a contender, nor that he would retire if a trade cannot be consummated. • Fact is JT would like to play one more year, his words, "I told the Dolphins from day one about my intentions. My intentions are to play one more year.” This does not mean he is willing to play for the Fins. • The fact is that even though JT stated his intentions about playing one more year, he is “non committal” about his future with the team. • Fact is that JT does not need the 7-8 million from the Fins or any other club this year. Seems he has made numerous contacts in Hollywood to secure his life after football. Based on the information stated above I see the JT/Dolphins Saga as such… JT made his retirement plans at the end of last year. He already knew that the Dolphins had a new FO director (BP) and so he knew he did not want to be part of another re-structuring program, after being part of one over the last 3 years. He could not take the taste of losing out of his taste buds, winning 29% of the games over that span. I believe JT saw very little to warm himself to coming back to football again, especially to our team. This matter probably hunted him more after coming to the realization that Zack would probably be released from this team in the near future. I am sure that he and Zack talked about this endlessly and since Zack had no control over his future, with the Dolphins, JT decide to take control of his. He after all had taken to acting over the last few years, this we have learned from JT over the past few months. He had his first private meeting with the new Dolphin’s FO, in which he stated, to keep it behind closed doors until he came to the team with more information. I believe he came and told the team at point blank, “My intentions are to look forward to my future, and I don’t want to be looked as a loser, I would like to request a trade. If the team can get the correct compensation for me, to a contender, I would more than happy to oblige. I plan to play 1-2 years more, than I plan to retire from football altogether. If a trade could not be made, I would be happy to return and play with the Dolphins after my stint with DWTS. This is how I feel JT went about, based on the information that we have seen over the last month. JT the action hero, must have sound and still sound sweet to him, so when the DWTS stint came in he took the ball (no pun intended) and ran with it. Wow, it was a surprised to him, what a “splash” this Dolphin was with the LA crowd as well as the national audience. His notoriety, not just in the football world but now, to some of the famous movie stars that shine in the Hollywood nights washed away the taste of being classified as a “loser” for so many years. He had to find away of bottling that feeling, once he founded again, and fine tuned and alter the plan he already had put in place early in the year. JT must have thought long and hard about his next step, at least till the lists of probabilities were discussed with him by those in Hollywood. He was of course with the “in crowd” now, was that not what he wanted for what seemed so long ago? Those long days of baking, sweating and beating his body against others in the long hot sun, and for what, money, notoriety, winning? It seemed cleared now, his twinkle-toes have garnered new shoes and he was more than willing to change his cleats for them. Just one problem, how does he keep the Miami and nationwide fan base from turning on him when he tells them that he is retiring from something that they have love watching do for so many years. Knowing that he will be drilled and asked close ended questions he had to prepare himself for it, now is a good time to try to use those acting classes that he has been taking. Will they work? If he gets a split on public consensus, he would be content with it. He will answer those questions that could be damaging to his character with an ambiguous statement; after all he does not want to let the cat out of the bag before it needs to get out. He needs to try and ensure that he is not the one that fingers are pointed to. Now after his end with the DWTS stint, he needed to contact the Dolphins staff and let them know that there was a change in his plans, that being he did not want to return to attend any of the team’s Off-season activities, until a trade was made. JT would not admit to them that he was willing to retire from football this year. Probably a day or two after was when Tony had his news conference during the team’s OTA, and stated that he information to which JT would not be attending the OTA’s, mini camps, and TC. JT has acknowledged this as “Tony being premature in his statement.” That left JT trying to do some PR and improve his public image, which he knew would be possible, calling for a PC before his Charity Golf Tournament in Davie. He played his act for the media and his fans to see, no ill will; I agreed to a trade, not requested one; I love Miami; if I am not traded I will be a Dolphin; football starts in July; and this last one, “ I will play for one more year!” The last one really kills the Dolphins from finding a suitable trade partner for JT, and JT knows that, and he is counting on that. He wants to retire, but does not want to be the bad guy and making the statement out right. In the end, at or around the beginning of the 2008 NFL season, JT will announce his retirement, given the facts that he and the team have not been successful at a suitable trade partner. After all, even as he loves Miami, the stars shine brighter in Hollywood… PS-Thanks Simon for allowing my imagination to flourish...
Good post. No cut downs on JT or any one. I want to believe JT, Sparano & even bp. JT is a high caliber man and player imo. Thanks this was a good read and you even admitted it was your opinions and speculation, un like the press etc.
