Passions cooled, we take a last look at Dolphins’ controversial interference call
Brian Flores evidently said all he had to say about Sunday’s pass interference call.
Because the Dolphins coach told reporters Wednesday that he’s had no follow-up with the league since his heated exchange with the officials in the moments immediately following Miami’s loss to the Jets.
Why that’s important: Teams that truly believe the officials got it wrong often complain to the league, or at least ask for a clarification.
Flores said Wednesday he did neither, before trying to shift the focus to Sunday’s game against the Giants.
So we’re left to speculate what exactly Flores said — with more than a couple four-letter words — to the officials after they essentially decided the outcome of Sunday’s game. Had the NFL office not buzzed in to stop play after Nik Needham broke up Sam Darnold’s pass to Vyncint Smith, the Jets would have faced fourth-and-18 and almost certainly lost.
Instead, Al Riveron reviewed the play and determined Needham did indeed interfere with Smith, and awarded the Jets a first down. That allowed the Jets to set up (and kick) a game winning field goal.
The Dolphins’ beef with the decision, we hear, was twofold:
There were more egregious plays that went uncalled earlier in the game.
And Needham, while he did make contact with Smith’s shoulder, was making a play on the ball.
While Flores had little to say on the matter Wednesday, Pat Shurmur, the coach of the Dolphins’ Week 15 opponent, weighed in on the rule change that has been the subject of great scrutiny this season.
“As I’ve gone through the season, and I challenged a couple earlier in the year, they really do have to be egregious,” Shurmur said. “There has to be a real obvious reason to change the call one way or the other. ... We all have to still use our judgment. I think because there’s many parties involved, sometimes what we all consider to be clear and obvious may be a little different and that’s where the uncertainty is sometimes.”
▪ Is there a place for Aqib Talib on the Dolphins’ roster in 2020? He technically has been part of the Dolphins organization since the Rams traded him here two months ago, but he’s on season-ending injured reserve and his contract is up after this year.
Flores has had “some conversations” with the soon-to-be 34-year-old Talib about his future, but out of respect for the player, did not share the content of those conversations publicly.
“Aqib’s been a great player in this league for a long time,” Flores said. “He’s played a lot of good football. He’s definitely a guy who would be in the conversation. But again, those are between myself, Brandon [Shore], Chris [Grier], our coaching staff.”
▪ If the Dolphins’ schedule seems particularly weak, you’re not imagining things. Per Elias Sports, the Dolphins are the first team to face opponents with two or fewer wins in back-to-back games entering Week 15 or later since the 2014 Titans.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 3:05 PM.
