Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Clark Slam the Miami Dolphins on First Take

The Miami Dolphins are under attack from just about every media outlet that covers sports in the entire United States. 25 years without a playoff win, an inability to stay out of the news for the wrong reasons, and an inexplicit fall-off from their success just two seasons ago will lead to that. And after week one’s blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts the scrutiny has gotten worse.

This morning (9/12/2025) on First Take, Ryan Clark and Stephen A. Smith both took their shot at the Miami Dolphins, Smith went through all the Dolphins issues, other football players calling you soft, the cold weather issues, the distractions of the city and everything in between. Stephen A calls the Dolphins “pathetic” and says that they “suck”, he calls out Tyreek Hill for comparing Tua to Mahomes and talks about all the news off the field vs on the field. “They’re not a team, just guys with talent.”

Stephen A. Smith Bashes the Miami Dolphins

Stephen A. doesn’t say anything wrong here which is unfortunate but once again, what have the Dolphins, especially this current core done to prove anyone wrong. I’ve written about it before but until the Dolphins are perennial contenders, nothing is going to change.

• What Must the Miami Dolphins Do to Shed the Soft Label?

Then comes a “player’s only meeting” in week one. This doesn’t happen, typically a player only meeting signifies things are going down the drain, and the players have a divide in the locker room between themselves or with the coaching staff. Ryan Clark goes into detail about his experiences with these meetings saying “absolutely it’s a bad sign… you have a players only meeting because you don’t believe in a player’s football character, their relationships, their (aspirations) in reaching the same goal… It seems like the Dolphins have been having these players only meetings through the media and now they finally figured out that the sky is falling, and the sun isn’t shining.” Clark captivates the idea of a players only meeting perfectly, especially one that occurs in week one of an NFL season.

Ryan Clark on the Dolphins Week One Players Only Meeting

All this turmoil turns to Sunday and once again makes this week a must win. 0-2 vs two inferior opponents with a road trip to Buffalo next up is the recipe to 0-3 — and the recipe to uncomfortable internal decisions.