Former Dolphins Coach Discusses How He Would Handle Tyreek Situation

Jimmy Johnson shared a story during a radio interview about a talented player he cut from being detrimental to the team

Miami Dolphins head coach Jimmy Johnson on the sideline against the New York Jets at Dolphin Stadium in 1997. / RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Long before he was an analyst for FOX's NFL studio show, Jimmy Johnson was head coach of the Miami Dolphins for four seasons.

While it was a different era, players are players, so he had to deal with his share of off-the-field issues from time to time, both during his time with the Dolphins or earlier with the Dallas Cowboys.

So in that context Johnson was asked during a radio interview on The Joe Rose Show on Wednesday how he would deal with the current situation involving Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill in the aftermath of his quitting in the season finale, the postgame rant where he basically said he was "out," followed by his Twitch comments saying the team needed to bring some "dogs" to help him.

"First of all, I'd have a sit-down one-on-one, and I'm sure they've had plenty of those, to try to bring in the dissident player that's causing problems, to try to bring him back in the fold," Johnson said. "And you work with him, and you work with him, but it comes a point you say, 'Hey, he is absolutely not going to do it, I'm beating my head up against the wall, so I've got to move on. And sometimes moving on costs you in the short term as far as maybe you don't get the compensation that you want, or maybe you just have to cut a player that's potentially a real good football player or good athlete whatever sport you're in. But he's taking away from the rest of the players, and he's taking away from your success."

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JOHNSON CUT A DOLPHINS PLAYER FOR POOR ATTITUDE

Johnson was head coach of the Dolphins from 1996-99 and is a longtime resident of the Florida Keys.

He produced three playoff appearances in his four seasons with Miami after finishing with an 8-8 record in his first year.

Johnson told Rose he once cut a Dolphins player because the trouble began to outweigh the talent.

"We had a player that I didn't think was a team player, and we released him," Johnson said. "He went somewhere else, and it was a tight end we had, it was a talented player. It wasn't because he didn't have talent, but he took away from the team, building in the team atmosphere. And I think you've got to do that. And like I said, sometimes you don't get the compensation that you want, but you've got to move on. You try and do everything you can to bring him back in the fold, but if it doesn't work, move on and say, the heck with it."

While Johnson didn't name names, the Dolphins did release tight end Eric Green in July 1996 after he had arrived as a free agent the previous offseason as a two-time Pro Bowl selection.

Regardless of exactly who it was, the question now is whether the Dolphins would entertain the idea of doing the same thing with Hill.