MIAMI GARDENS — It seems the way of the Baltimore Ravens with their locker room games ultimately won over with the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins (2-7), which have had a Pop-A-Shot mini basketball hoop in the team’s locker room at the practice facility all season, had the arcade-style game missing Thursday.
Earlier this season, the Ravens removed a Ping-Pong table and other games from their locker room at 1-5 and have since won their last two, including winning in Miami last week. The Dolphins, though, previously maintained that the Pop-A-Shot was not a distraction.
With last week’s 28-6 Thursday night loss to the Ravens still Miami’s most recent result, a week later, the team pivoted from that stance. The Pop-A-Shot was gone, along with another small basketball rim and a roundtable primarily used for playing cards. All had still been seen in the locker room as recently as Wednesday.
Most players were mum after Thursday’s practice when pressed on the reason for the removal.
Linebacker Jordyn Brooks declined comment.
Left tackle Patrick Paul deflected the topic with humor, saying he broke the Pop-A-Shot in an act of rage after a teammate beat him in a game.
“I don’t know. Wanted to redecorate, I guess,” he then offered.
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle also downplayed the exclusion of locker room games.
But nose tackle Benito Jones may have offered some true insight.
Related Articles
Dolphins’ secondary faces questions as Rasul Douglas could miss Bills game
Mike Bianchi: Is Lane Kiffin about to spark a $150 million Gators-Dolphins bidding war?
Who has the edge? Dolphins vs. Bills, two AFC East foes going in different directions
Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa pushes back on notion he’s playing to keep his job
Things to watch for: Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills on Sunday
“We want to focus on the little things right now,” he said, adding it was a player decision. “It ain’t a distraction. We just want to focus on the little things right now, not more in the locker room, but in the meeting room.”
Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas, an active Pop-A-Shot participant, was not available for comment because he didn’t practice Thursday due to injury.
The Dolphins’ 2022 team had a saga over a Ping-Pong table twice removed from the locker room during that season, with inconsistent messaging on that development between coach Mike McDaniel and wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
McDaniel did not address the media Thursday but is scheduled to do so Friday.
