If you were watching the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, you might have noticed that wide receiver Mike Wallace wasn't on the field during the second half. After the game, head coach Joe Philbin told members of the media that it was a "coach's decision" to keep the Wallace on the sidelines. However, reports to the contrary are suggesting that Wallace's second-half benching was entirely his own doing.
"Wallace wasn't 'benched,' according to several sources. It wasn't initially 'coach's decision.' Wallace told Philbin he didn't want to play," Jeff Darlington of NFL.com tweeted.
"After Clay scored with 2:49 left in the first half, Mike Wallace came off the field and told Joe Philbin he no longer wanted to play in the game.
"Many Dolphins teammates were very displeased with Wallace's actions today. Several tell me they felt like he abandoned them when needed."
This isn't the first time Wallace has had a behavioral issue. The Pittsburgh Steelers happily let Wallace walk in free agency in 2013 due to concerns over his maturity. Now, it seems the Dolphins are coming to that realization as well and it could mean the end of Wallace's time in Miami.
"The situation in Miami provides an opportunity to pass along something an opposing assistant coach told me when I asked him about the Dolphins a couple weeks ago," ESPN's Mike Sando wrote. "This coach questioned Wallace's toughness and said Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill isn't instinctive enough to maximize Wallace the way Ben Roethlisberger did when Wallace was with Pittsburgh. 'Tannehill cannot throw with anticipation and trust,' this coach said. 'He has to throw it right to a spot. Wallace does not play tough, and then I have not heard one peep out of the other guy they paid [Brian Hartline]...They have to swap out Wallace. He is not a great route runner, just a fast guy. Tannehill is not a Roethlisberger, run-around-and-find-you guy. He does not have that feel for the game. They also do not have No. 84 [Antonio Brown] on the other side who is the best receiver in pro football.' Wallace's contract is scheduled to count $12.1 million against the salary cap in 2015. The team could save as much as $6.9 million under the salary cap by unloading him. Wallace finished this season with 67 receptions for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns with three drops on 111 targets. Tannehill threw only one interception while targeting him, compared to five touchdowns with five picks while targeting Jarvis Landry."
