Mark Walton failure adds to the Miami Dolphins problem with character evaluations | Opinion
Was it worth it? Was the black eye to the organization and the blemish on the brand — one of a growing number in recent years, by the way — worth the gamble the Miami Dolphins took on Mark Walton?
For a short time it seemed like the Dolphins had added a guy who coach Brian Flores was proud of. They invited Walton to a tryout — after he had been arrested three times on weapons, drugs and battery charges — and liked what they saw.
So they ignored the history and signed Walton. And they kept him on the team. Even as Walton made his way through the legal system, the Dolphins lauded him, and actually promoted him to starting running back.
And when he was suspended by the NFL because of those arrests, the Dolphins still loved on Walton.
“...Mark has done everything we have asked of him both on and off the field since signing with the Dolphins,” coach Brian Flores said recently. “We look forward to having him back at the conclusion of his suspension.”
Except Walton was cut Tuesday afternoon because before the sun rose that day, he beat his pregnant girlfriend, according to Davie police. The official report states Walton “punched [the woman] several times in the head and face.”
So the Dolphins divested themselves of the player. They released a three-sentence statement from general manager Chris Grier. And they moved on.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And nothing lost.
They think it’s over.
Except it’s not over. Because while Walton most definitely created a mess, the Dolphins most definitely messed up.
Again.
Walton now grows the list of Dolphins’ character misjudgments that stretches years. The team signed a guy in trouble with the law and Flores, Grier and vice president of football operations Brandon Shore, who Flores includes in all decision-making issues, were satisfied Walton wouldn’t get into more trouble with the law.
Except he did.
They misjudged Walton.
And the team misjudged Robert Nkemdiche. Because he came to the team off waivers with a reputation for being overweight, and not exceedingly excited about football, and not all that motivated to be a great professional. And he was at one point or another all those troubling things with the Dolphins.
And the team traded a second- and fifth-round draft pick for Josh Rosen despite the quarterback’s reputation for not leading. They ignored that reputation but by the preseason Flores was complaining Rosen had bad body language, meaning his disposition was off. And later Flores benched Rosen and promoted Ryan Fitzpatrick, whose leadership the coaching staff loves, and who himself noted that other players play hard for him.
And the Dolphins drafted Minkah Fitzpatrick in the first round last year and raved about his character. But this year they traded Fitzpatrick because part of that character had the player demanding a trade when he didn’t get his way.
And the team talked up Kenny Stills and offered him up as a Man of the Year nominee because of his off-field interests and activities. Flores even told the entire team, “I support Kenny.” But the coach then traded Kenny because that strong belief in him and support for him was rewarded with not as much on-field production as social media drama.
So what are we seeing here?
We’re seeing a pattern of questionable character evaluation. We’re seeing the Dolphins trusting and believing some players are one thing...
...And those guys eventually show character traits that unmask them as something else. And sometimes, the traits they eventually show in Miami have been evident previously.
All this isn’t a new phenomenon. The Dolphins missed big time on the character of Lawrence Timmons, Jay Cutler, Rey Maualuga and Mario Williams. Because one guy went AWOL before a season opener, another seemed disinterested all the time, another was about drinking and partying, and another admittedly didn’t try hard.
And, yes, that was before this head coach arrived. But this general manager was in place for all of them.
So what has the organization from this latest failure?
“I think we as an organization, Chris, Brandon, character is something we spend a lot of time on,” Flores responded. “In this case, it didn’t work out with Mark. But it’s case by case. That’s kind of the thought process for us as a staff and an organization.”
There are exceptions, of course.
Receiver Preston Williams, who came to the Dolphins as an undrafted rookie, had a domestic violence incident in college and, so far, has not had a misstep in Miami. And Taco Charlton came to the Dolphins via waivers as a player Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said lacked motivation and “just wilted” when he didn’t succeed. We have not seen that in the open here, either.
So there has been some success -- so far.
But the other guys mentioned above? Mistakes. The Dolphins believed in their character and got something other than expected.
This matters because assessing character is part of talent evaluation. Poor character assessment is poor talent evaluation.
And I know how the Dolphins are going to view this: They will think the missteps generally haven’t hurt. They will think everyone makes mistakes. They will possibly choose not to even address the latest episode in hopes it’s forgotten.
That’s the way the New England Patriots generally operate. It’s a Bill Belichick strategy.
But this isn’t Foxborough. And the Dolphins haven’t won like the Foxborough team has lately. So in Miami it’s not forgotten, because the failures outnumber the successes.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 12:00 AM.
