The Buffalo Bills suffered yet another heartbreaking playoff loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
You certainly get the feeling that one old Buffalo fan favorite wishes he was still on the team to try and help them get over the KC hump.
Of course, I’m referring to former All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer.
The Bills decided to release Poyer last March after seven seasons in Buffalo. He then went on to sign with the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins.
Unfortunately for Poyer, his first season with Miami was far from ideal.
While the veteran safety appeared in 16 games, the Dolphins missed the playoffs, finishing far behind the division-winning Bills, who secured the AFC’s No. 2 seed.
Now, more details are emerging about the challenges Poyer faced this season in Miami.
While much of the focus regarding the Dolphins’ dysfunction has been centered around troubled star receiver Tyreek Hill, there have been reports of a lack-of-accountability issue that’s been allowed to exist within the organization.
According to reports, several players routinely showed up late to meetings and were fined, but the fines seemingly failed to curb the behavior.
Much criticism rained down on head coach Mike McDaniel who apparently allowed the alarming problem to escalate.
Poyer’s wife, Rachel, weighed in on the issue with a blunt message…
“In order for any organization to succeed you need players to take their jobs seriously. Grown men. Not little boys. If you donāt have that itās like a plague thatās spreads and those who do take their jobs seriously question why they are even there trying when others arenāt,” Rachel posted on X.
Rachel’s criticism reflects the significant impact locker room culture can have on a teamās success.
Her words underscore the frustration of dedicated players – like her husband – who prioritize winning and being the best they can be only to see others fail to match that commitment.
This kind of internal turmoil can quickly derail a teamās progress, as seen with the Dolphins this season.
Of course, Tyreek Hill made the whole situation worse with the way he handled himself both on and off the field during Miami’s season finale against the New York Jets.
After stating he wants out of Miami, Hill attempted to defend his actions and comments by saying that he “deserves” to be frustrated.
Yesterday, ESPNās Shannon Sharpe and Ryan Clark made their feelings on Hill’s controversial stance perfectly clear.
āI donāt want to hear nothing Tyreek Hill got to say,ā Sharpe said on First Take. āTyreek Hill quit on his team in the fourth quarter. I donāt want to hear nothing about frustration. I donāt want to hear nothing about no dogs. Because you werenāt a dog in the fourth quarter. Jaylen Waddle asked you āReek, you done?ā You quit! Was that about your family? Was that about being a dog?
āI donāt want to hear a damn thing Tyreek Hill is saying, because Tyreek Hill quit on his team no different than what [DeāVondre] Campbell did to the San Francisco 49ers. ā¦ Everybody thatās played this game has been frustrated. Tom Brady, the greatest player to play this game, heās been frustrated. But he didnāt quit. You quit! Simple as that. ā¦ It disqualifies everything you said after that.ā
āTyreek Hill is no different than a million other dudes that did exactly what we were blessed to do,ā Clark later added. āThe difference is – when we were 7-8 or when we were 8-8 or we were getting blown out – I said to myself Iām going to dig my heels in, Iām going to run downhill, and Iām going to hit everybody in the facemask until the clock strikes zero, because thatās what I can control.
āWhat Tyreek couldāve controlled, no matter if [Tyler] Huntley was at quarterback or Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, was to run his route as hard as he possibly could, was to block as he possibly could. He canāt do none of that from the sideline.ā
āBro, I donāt want to hear nothing, because you made it about you,ā Sharpe added. āKeep the focus on you. Talk about you not taking your butt back in that game.ā
Clearly, there are deep issues with Hill and the Dolphins.
Do you think Poyer (and his wife) wish they were still back in Buffalo???
