*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Dec 01, 1997: -- Phillips to Visit Dolphins --
The Dolphins have announced that troubled running back
Lawrence Phillips will visit with coach Jimmy Johnson this week,
probably tomorrow, to discuss his possible future with the team.
Phillips was cut by the St. Louis Rams 2 weeks ago after a
history of problems with the team. Reports state that Phillips has
been fined as many as 50 times by the Rams for various substance abuse
violations and may have failed a team drug test.
Phillips was a first round draft pick by the Rams in 1996
after being a star at Nebraska and had been productive for the Rams in
the 2 years he was with the team.
JJ has said that Phillips is being invited in only to talk.
If the talks go well, he may be asked to work out or take a physical.
If he is offered a contract, it will most likely be a 2 year deal for
the league minimum salary of $164,000, with a slight possibility of
some incentives.
In other news, safety Bracey Walker broke his leg yesterday on
one of the last plays of the game and will be out indefinitely. While
Walker was only a backup, he was playing well on special teams and
will be missed. If Phillips is offered a contract, Walker may be
placed on Injured Reserve to free up a roster spot.
Also, the NFL.COM website is now broadcasting JJ's Monday
afternoon press conference live on Realaudio every week. It starts at
3:00 PM EST every Monday and can be heard live via Realaudio.
My Comments:
I think that signing Phillips would be a waste of time. This
is not a guy who conforms to discipline or plays by the rules. If the
Dolphins were to sign him, I would be surprised if he lasted past the
end of the season. He may be immensely talented, but he's a bum.
He's not a reclamation project, he's a disaster waiting to happen.
Of course, it's not like it would cost much to bring him on
board for the last 3 weeks of the season, but I think that the team
would not benefit in the least by having him on the roster. Sooner or
later, he's going to screw up and JJ will dump him and that will be
the end of that.
Related Info:
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Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
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