‘All games.’ How a fine system within the Dolphins DB room yields accountability
Rasul Douglas doesn’t want to talk about the fine.
It’s an internal thing. Like fight club — the cornerback probably shouldn’t have mentioned it — yet it was one of the first words out of his mouth following the 21-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints in which the nine-year veteran failed to return his interception for a touchdown.
“I just got fined!” he said from the depths of Hard Rock Stadium, a fact that his teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick later confirmed.
Born out of an attempt to raise the standard within the defensive back rooms, the players instituted a fine system. The goal is twofold: it allows veterans to hold everyone accountable while also simultaneously providing an outline for expectations.
“To get the group playing in a connected fashion, there are certain things that you have to say,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “‘OK, if we have a reroute responsibility, you’re getting hands on, or it’s that. If you’re not running to the ball, it’s that,’ so that the group can have a play style that is complicit to what they’re trying to get done. I have a saying – ‘unspoken expectation equals premeditated resentment.’ They are proactive in how we go about business and that’s another example.”
More than just accountability, the fine system has injected a level of fun into what could become monotony of the NFL grind. Although these men are heavily compensated for their talents, it doesn’t excuse the fact that they spend hour on end at the Baptist Health Training Facility. At some point, it settles in that this is their job and like most occupations, the day goes by quicker when there’s a little fun in the workplace.
“It’s all games,” Douglas joked. “ We ain’t doing it for nothing else than games.”
Specifically, it was a combination of the veterans – Douglas, Fitzpatrick and even cornerback Jack Jones – who seemingly brought the rule to Miami. Something similar happens in locker rooms across various sports leagues – from high school all the way up to professional – as players seek to implement a code of conduct of sorts.
The irony: Douglas and Fitzpatrick deserve a bit of the blame for the secret coming public, especially after the star safety joked about the former’s fine from the post-game press conference podium.
“Within the DB room, we have a fine system,” Fitzpatrick said. “He’s definitely getting fined for that one.”
The question, however, then becomes what results in a fine. Ask Jones and the answer is rather comical.
“Everything,” Jones quipped, grinning from ear to ear. “Whatever you can think of is a fine.”
Press other players and the answers starts to reveal themselves. A dropped interception? Fine. A slow trot onto the field instead of a jog? Fine. Late to meetings? Fine.
Even something as simple as doing the wrong stretch at the beginning of practice can be considered worthy of a fine. That much happened Thursday afternoon when cornerback Isaiah Johnson had a misstep which resulted in a very audible “That’s a fine!” courtesy of Douglas.
“What are you doing?” Douglas later said of the situation. “And then he ran! I’m like ‘Oh we ain’t even on that stretch yet.’”
These infractions, “play around fines” as Douglas called them, pale in comparison to the severity of as serious as the ones that happen in-game.
“It’s not like we’re fining people $2,000 like what the NFL does,” Jones said. “The fine be like $15, $20, maybe $50. It can get up to the $200 depending on what you do.”
Players even have a few opportunities throughout the week to earn back their fine through a Jeopardy-esque trivia system. Get the question right and the fine can be wiped away or risk the violation double in price. At the end of the year, the pot could go to any number of areas – charity, position dinner, etc. – yet one underlining motivation remains: a desire to win.
“We know what it takes to win,” Douglas said, citing the importance of camaraderie. “It makes the game still fun.”
