Kelly: Damaging lies continue to be spread about the these Dolphins

Miami Herald

4 days ago

'A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.'
Mark Twain supposedly said that, but there are some sites, sources, pundits who claim the 'Huckleberry Finn' author actually didn't.
'The truth has no defense against a fool determined to believe a lie.'
Twain supposedly said that too, but then again, there are sites claiming that the legend of American literature didn't say that either.
Who can you believe anymore?
I have been a media member for more than half my life, two plus-decades, and my answer would be: 'be careful with who you trust for information.'
Or better yet, find credible people [sources] you can trust based on their track record. And in this age of information — all it takes is typing something into a search engine, or asking Chat GPT — it shouldn't be that hard.
But it is. And the problem has infiltrated sports as well.
'Someone said that I've slammed Dolphins culture,' offensive lineman Kendall Lamm stated on a rare Instagram post, obviously intended to clear his name from something that began circulating last week.
The lie that was stated, and attributed to an ESPN report — which was never produced — was about Lamm allegedly claiming he understands why the Eagles played in two Super Bowls the past three seasons.
It supposedly praised Eagles players for never being late, not being toxic and spending 15 minutes after every practice sharing personal struggles to stay mentally sharp. Then it claimed those are all things Lamm never experienced with the Dolphins.
'I enjoyed my time in Miami and it will be near and dear to me forever. When it comes to this article that's being sent, or an article that's published, unless I just completely forgot doing this, it had to be misconstrued or taken out of context because I have nothing but the most respect for everyone in Miami, and the people in Miami know that,' said Lamm, who signed with the Eagles this offseason, and is playing for his sixth team in 11 seasons.
'Things like this really don't bother me. Anyone can come to me and ask me the truth and I'll tell you,' Lamm continued. 'When it comes to culture and all that, bro, don't put me in the middle. Don't try to spin things because you guys feel [someway] about Miami. I loved my time in Miami to tell you the truth. Please, I am not the one. I would never even speak about Miami like that. Never! Never!'
Lamm, who started 16 of 33 games he played for Miami as a key reserve on the offensive line the past three seasons, is a straight shooter. I got to know him well the past two seasons, and developed a great deal of admiration for him.
If there was an issue, he would speak on it. The fact he wants to distance himself from those made-up words shouldn't be ignored.
The sports world knows the Dolphins had a tardiness problem last year because the head coach specifically called his players out about it before their exit interviews, minutes before the team spoke to the press, in an effort to inspire change.
The Dolphins, who produced a 8-9 season in a year where quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed six and a half games because of injuries, turned their back on a ton of veterans this offseason, and have put one of the team's best players [cornerback Jalen Ramsey] on the trading block in an effort to facilitate that culture change.
Everyone associated with the team swears they have noticed a change within the locker room. They spoke about it so much, so often this offseason it got annoying.
The problem is, we won't know if this culture change is real until adversity hits, which is generally when we see teams splinter, much like last year's Dolphins seemingly did.
There's no secret everyone on the football side of the organization is on the hot seat, and everyone in Miami Gardens realizes the Dolphins need to produce a winning record for those in power to stay employed.
'Their positive working relationship is an asset to the Dolphins, and I believe in the value of stability,' owner Steve Ross said in a statement announcing general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel were being retained at the end of the 2024 season. 'However, continuity in leadership is not to be confused with an acceptance that status quo is good enough.
And there it is, the 'status quo' won't be good enough.
'We will take a hard look at where we have fallen short and make the necessary changes to deliver our ultimate goal of building and sustaining a winning team that competes for championships,' Ross said.
Subsequently, the Dolphins lowered the team's payroll, reduced the team's spending in the offseason, are discussing trading away two of the team's top players (Ramsey and Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith), and pushed toward a youth movement for the first time in McDaniel's tenure.
We will soon learn if this speeds up the end of this regime, or fixes the Dolphins.
The saddest thing about this South Florida fan base is that many Dolphins fans are pulling for failure in 2025 with the hope that it will lead to a full scale reset, as if that has changed the trajectory of the franchise in the last dozen or so regime and coaching changes since coach Don Shula was pushed out in 1995, and quarterback Dan Marino was forced into retirement in 1999.
Mind you, those were also resets lobbied for by most of the Dolphins fan base.
Football had changed and Shula couldn't adapt. The franchise needed Jimmy Johnson.
Then Marino was past his prime, so it was OK to let Johnson push him into retirement.
Whether that's the truth, or fiction depends on your agenda, and the same can be said about the next statement.
The 2025 Dolphins have talent — not as much as the 2023 team, but enough to produce a winning season — and will succeed or fail based on Tagovailoa and the roster's health, Tyreek Hill's level of productivity, the effectiveness of the rebuilt offensive line and whether defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver can orchestrate the franchise's third straight top-10 defense.
Very little of that has anything to do with the culture of the team, or what a former player says, or doesn't say about the Dolphins organization.