Mike Wallace was not thrilled with his debut with the Miami Dolphins. The wide receiver signed one of the bigger free agent contracts in the offseason and was expecting to be quarterback Ryan Tannehill's top target. However, things did not go as planned and Wallace was only targeted five times. After showing resentment after the win, Wallace is back tracking on his comments.
After putting up just one catch for 15 yards, Wallace acted very upset with the game plan and the lack of balls being thrown his way. In the end, Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson combined for 16 catches and 221 yards, overshadowing the big wide receiver. Wallace told reporters if they want to know what happened then they should ask head coach Joe Philbin. Now, the wide receiver is clarifying his statements.
"I'm mad at myself just because I didn't have a good game," Wallace said, via the Miami Herald. "That's all. I was upset with myself. It wasn't really anything else to do with anything. I would've told you the same thing regardless. If you ask me about the plays, I don't really have the answer. That's all I meant by that."
Wallace and Philbin had a discussion after the game about the situation and the current game plan. Both have stressed it is a non-issue. Philbin told reporters that the game plan is to get all players to make an impact on the field. He stressed that Wallace will be a big part of the team's overall game. He understands why Wallace would be upset, but he believes the season will only get better for the wide receiver. Offensive coordinator Mike Sherman echoed those statements.
"Mike's a competitor. He wants to feel a part of the game, as I hope that he would. He came here to be a factor in our season and our success. The fact that he's disappointed he only caught one ball, that's expected. I have no problem with that," Sherman said.
Wallace was constantly faced with double-teams from the Cleveland offense. That is to be expected considering most teams understand he was brought in to be the leading wide receiver of the team. This allowed others to produce more. Wallace insists that he is thrilled for his teammates and happy to get a win to start the year.
"I'm always happy to win. That's what we play for, to win," Wallace said. "I expect to win. So I don't get overly excited when we win, because every time we step on the field, that's what I'm there for. If you see us win or you see us lose, I'm not going to be jumping around either way."