By ALEX MARVEZ
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Covering the Miami Dolphins has become more difficult for South Florida media.

Under orders from first-year head coach Nick Saban, the Dolphins have shifted from having one of the NFL's most open access policies to arguably its most restrictive. Among the changes instituted by the Dolphins:

• Assistant coaches are off-limits for interviews except three times a year.

• In-season surgeries will no longer be announced.

• No parts of in-season practices can be viewed. The Dolphins also closed access to all but six minicamp practices after previously providing access to every session.

• One day of locker room access (Fridays) was eliminated. The Dolphins also have barred locker room access during minicamps and training camp, forcing reporters to conduct interviews outside near the practice field in what are predominantly group settings.

• News conferences are no longer held for free-agent signings. Players cannot be interviewed except on designated media availability days and were told not to speak with reporters outside team headquarters.

• The media room is now closed on days without a team function after media members broke Dolphins rules in January by trying to interview assistant coaches in front of team headquarters.

"Our coaching staff has a responsibility to the Dolphin organization and the team's fans to develop a structure that gives us the best chance to win games," said Harvey Greene, the Dolphins' senior vice president of media relations. "We value our fans' support and our priority is to implement an overall program that will give them the best team we possibly can field. That is the guiding principle in everything we do, including the formation of our current media policy.

"Every aspect of the policy was developed based on its affect on competitive balance and its influence on team chemistry, both critical elements of team success. As Coach Saban said recently, 'Dolphin fans know we don't want to put ourselves in any type of disadvantage in terms of information that we may give out.' "

But there is a belief by South Florida media members and the Pro Football Writers of America that Saban's rules are too restrictive.

"I have discussed this issue with coach Nick Saban and other Dolphins personnel and made little headway," PFWA president David Elfin said.

Yesikka Vivancos / Associated Press Nick Saban gestures as he officially announces on Jan. 4 that he has signed on as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

"Saban's most worrisome idea is the preconceived lack of trust. He deemed Miami media members guilty before he ever dealt with them."

According to a recent survey of its members and NFL media relations departments conducted by the PFWA, the Dolphins are one of just three franchises that prohibits  Friday access to players.

Twenty-four of the NFL's 32 teams allow regular in-season access to assistant coaches.

Said Palm Beach Post sports editor Nick Moschella, whose newspaper is one of three in South Florida that covers the Dolphins on a daily basis: "The Dolphins have taken steps to have their franchise bounce back by making a huge hire in Saban, but I don't think shutting out the media should be part of the rebuilding process. They have new coaches and players that fans want to get to know and we can't even talk to them. I'm not sure where limiting access translates to success regardless of what has gone on in New England."

The Patriots installed a policy under coach Bill Belichick that makes assistant coaches off limits and severely restricts the amount of medical information released by the team. Elfin said New England's victories in three of the past four Super Bowls have resulted in other teams following suit and limiting access.

"The PFWA is very concerned that Miami and Cleveland have clamped down hard on access," Elfin said. "Browns coach Romeo Crennel, a disciple of the Bill Belichick school of limited access, is making his coordinators available on a quarterly basis. That's not every quarter of a game. That's once every three months!

"The restrictive teams and the NFL itself need to remember that increased coverage helps publicize their business. Newspapers and their writers remain the best conduit for publicizing NFL teams to their customers."

Greg Aiello, NFL vice president of public relations, said Miami's changes fall within the league's mandatory media guidelines. Aiello said the NFL reviews its guidelines each year to insure the media is being given enough access.

"Overall, media access to NFL teams has expanded," Aiello said. "Players, coaches, practices, all are available to the media as part of longstanding NFL practice and the extent of the coverage reflects it. There are more media organizations across an expanding array of platforms delivering more information to NFL fans today than at any point in history. Our players and coaches are highly visible and often quoted.

"We are confident that Dolphins fans will continue to have access to all the information on the team that they desire."

Because of the competitive nature of South Florida newspapers, Moschella said the Post doesn't plan to reduce its Dolphins coverage even with the dramatic reduction in access. Moschella, though, said there is a feeling of "helplessness" about the situation.

Said Sun-Sentinel deputy sports editor Brian White: "Writers' relationships with players and coaches will suffer, but I think that's what the Dolphins want. By controlling interviews and access, the team takes a step toward controlling what is written. But our readers look to us for insight and so-called expertise, so our writers are going to have to work harder to supply that. We'll continue to do our best to paint the correct picture of what is going on with the team.

"From a newspaper personnel standpoint, it's going to become a difficult beat and one that writers don't enjoy as much as they might have before."

Alex Marvez covers the Miami Dolphins for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and is first vice president of the Pro Football Writers of America.

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