Ex-Miami lineman Jon Feliciano feels disrespected by Al Golden
Al Golden disrespected his former players last week when he said his time in Coral Gables left him "burned out."
In an appearance on the "Big O Show" on WQAM on Thursday, former Miami offensive lineman Jon Feliciano - now a member of the Oakland Raiders - said Golden has only himself to blame for the Hurricanes' inability to take advantage of talent.
"My redshirt junior year, which was 3 years ago, our offensive line - we had Ereck Flowers, who was a first-round draft pick at left tackle ... then we had me at left guard, we had Shane McDermott who's playing for the (New York) Giants, we had Brandon Linder who was a third-round pick, and we had Seantrel (Henderson), who we knew should've been a first-round pick but he had some off the field issues that hampered him. We had a first-round receiver in Phillip Dorsett, Allen Hurns - four years, $40 million just a few weeks ago."
Ruining ppls lives but you felt burnt out 🤔
— Jonathan Feliciano (@MongoFeliciano) June 16, 2016
The Hurricanes went 9-4 in 2013, but lost four of their final six games to close out the season after a promising 7-0 start. They spent most of the season ranked in the AP Top 25, but were an afterthought by the time it ended.
Feliciano, who added that he was speaking on behalf of many ex-teammates, also accused Golden of ruining their quarterback's career.
"We had Stephen Morris playing on one Achilles the whole season that they didn't want to get an MRI until after the season because we really needed Stephen at that point," he said.
I did it for my old teammates that don't have a voice and asked me to do it.
— Jonathan Feliciano (@MongoFeliciano) June 23, 2016
Morris started the 2013 season as a pro prospect, but injury concerns caused teams to pass on him in the 2014 NFL Draft. He's been bouncing from one NFL roster to the next ever since, with his career seemingly hanging by a thread.
@MongoFeliciano that's why everybody loved you bro , always standing up for the little people.... ✊🏾✊🏾
— DJ (8 Ball) (@DukeJohnson_8) June 23, 2016
Feliciano suggested he played for a manipulative coach in Golden, evidenced by the way his former boss forced Anthony Chickillo to gain 60 pounds so he could turn him from an outside linebacker into a defensive end.
"Coach Golden has a degree in psychology and he definitely used that," Feliciano told the station.
The issues didn't end there. Feliciano said he and other players frequently tried to talk to Golden about schematic adjustments, but the coach refused to listen.
"Good luck with that," he said of getting Golden to change his mind.
And ...
"That's not even the worst stuff that was happening down there."
Golden posted a 32-25 record with the Hurricanes before being fired partway through the 2015 campaign. He's now working as the tight ends coach for the Detroit Lions.