While I appreciate the fact that Ross wants to open up the offense. The fact is that they Dolphins do not have the players on offense to play a wide open offense. They lack speed at the wide receiver position and right now they have no speed coming out of the backfield. The offensive line is one of the worst units in the entire league and Henne will prove once and for all this coming season that he is NOT the long term solution at QB. So Ross, by stating that he wants to see a Marino type offense merely shows that his lack of knowledge of the players now on the roster, is as bad as his decision to keep Sparano and Ireland around for another year. Until Ross decides to spend the money to hire a top tier GM. The Dolphins will continue to be seen as a laughing stock of the NFL, along with the Bengals, Panthers, Lions, and Bills. Sparano obviously has no respect for the owner since he was quite vocal about running an offense next year which is in direction opposition of what the owner has stated he wants to see the team run. Sparano already sees the handwriting on the wall, so he really has nothing to lose by coming and and talking about wanting the Dolphins to be a running team next year. Sparano must know that the Dolphins are several years away from being a quality football team and he will not be here after next season. So perhaps his slap in the face to Ross is merely his way of getting back at Ross for how he feels he was treated after last season. If Ross really was concerned about the fans and developing a winning team in Miami. He would fire Sparano right now. The offensive coaching staff Sparano has hired for next season is probably the worst offensive coaching staff in the entire NFL. In fact it is worst than many top tier college programs.
Yes, but instead of having an actual coherent discussion on it, you want your emotions treated as valid as someone who has like information or ideas or concepts backed up by facts. This whole thread belongs in the Rants forum. Your field of expertise clearly isn't football.
You do understand those Marino offensive years weren't always necessarily winning years. Quite often we would get into high scoring shootouts because we couldn't stop anyone. It puts your defense back on the field for a longer time and more often. We also struggled for years at running the football and it got us nowhere.
DolfanJake alternate account found. The idea that the Dolphins offensive line is one of the worst units in the NFL is fantasy, and it's not something you can come remotely close to justifying with anything measurable. Likewise, I don't think you've got a particularly good understanding of the reality of drafting if you think that Ireland hasn't done a good job with it. Also, you should probably look around at other coaching staffs.
And running the ball doesn't always mean "3 yards and a cloud of dust either". In fact, the Patriots, a dink and dunk offense, was the highest scoring offense last year. They also ran the ball well and more than the Dolphins! OH NOES! The dysfunction of the Pats must be horrible! They want to be a high scoring team, but they dink and dunk and run the ball more than the Dolphins!! lol
Seems like you and I are the only ones that can tap into reality in this thread. I agree with 100% of what you say. The 1st thing I thought of when I heard the Sparano interview from yesterday was that Sparano is saying "**** you Ross, cause I don't care because I know I am out of here next year anyways".
Kind of strange that you're making a big deal out of this as well. I'd personally like to see them run better and more often and I dang sure don't have my head in the sand. I could care less what the owner would like to see. Tell me somethings wrong when he stops signing some checks......
But the stands were always full and fans went home sad but got their money's worth. With this putrid crap we saw last year, it was boring, bad, awful and scored about 1 TD per game. I'll take losing shootouts to losing the way we did to Buffalo, Detroit and Cleveland last year, any day. Ross knows this too, and the season ticket renewals are showing that too from the reports we have heard (unsubstantiated I know) from radio shows that season ticket renewals are down about 25% and total season ticket sales could be as low as below 40,000 for the 1st time in more than 30 years. Sparano's brand of football is a very, very tough sell and Ross I think is finding out that he would have retained quite a few more of those season tickets had he made that regime change that he was "exploring" when he went to visit Harbaugh.
Prove it. The Admins can show proof we are not the same person, LOL, nice try though I never said one word about our OLine, so where that came from I don't know. Trying to deflect ? And about Ireland, if you think his drafts have been above average I think you are mistaken. Have they been bad, no, but have they been what we have needed to get this team back to playoff & championship form ? NO they haven't. I am no expert draftnik, but I do know this much. Last year we took Odrick with the 1st pick, when we had no extreme pressing need at DL. And if Ireland is so smart he should have already known that THIS YEAR 2011, was loaded with good DL prospects in the 1st round. The smart thing last year would have been to take an offensive player of need, and then let this year play out to get one of those stud DL guys. Now this year, it looks like we have to pass on this plethora of DL players to take an offensive player, in a weak offensive draft. Dude I am no expert but this is just not smart drafting or planning. And yes that is all on Ireland's plate.
We could have had Matt Ryan.....but instead we have Jake Long, who people come out in droves to see stand up DL's on every play. I mean don't you hear people all over the stadium saying that can't wait to see Long's blocking ?
Although a disappointing season does have bearing on "our" ticket sales, they are down throughout the NFL. Fans not sure that there will be a season to buy tickets for may have something to do with it. Just a thought.
I think a lot of people should be making a big deal out of this, because its central to the way the organization looks and is percieved. If you want your stadium full and rooting hard for the Dolphins next year it is a big deal. All the extra noise we can get in that stadium is helpful. Ross is the owner and if he perceives that his directives are not being followed he can and should make a change. However he is now in a pickle because he can't do that. Sparano knows this, and can sort of talk with impunity. But Sparano better win, and win big or Ross I am sure will not forget Sparano's words from yesterday, and will use it to get rid of Sparano the 1st chance he gets.
No, its about Ross saying two months ago he expects us to have an exciting and wide open offense like we had in the Marino days, and yesterday Sparano saying (paraphrased) "I know its not popular [I guess his shot at Ross] but I like to run the ball and that's what we will run under my coaching". This shows a disconnect between the owner & the HC. Either Sparano is dumb or he knows he has Ross by the balls and is getting back at him for the disrespect he showed during the Harbaugh debacle. I happen to think Sparano is smart enough and fiesty enough to do that, because he already thinks he is a goner after this season anyways. Its pure speculation on my part, but their is definately something there between the owner & HC. As they say where there is smoke, there is usually fire too.
I don't really see any disconnect there nor do I see an issue with what Sparano said. He says they are running the ball and they should be. Why would he go away from what he knows and does best? If you wanted a guy who likes to sling the ball all over the place, then they should have hired Chris Palmer. Ross seems to be fine with Sparano's plans; they discussed it prior to Sparano getting an extension afterall.
They were way down BEFORE the NFL labor problems were the central issue. I have read more than a couple of people on this board, and heard callers on radio call in shows, express the same sentiments over and over the last 2 months. The team has won 5 games at home out of the last 17 (I am including the playoff game), is boring, is uninspired, and doesn't play to win, but not to lose, and they STILL LOSE ! You are just being obstinate and an "agent provocateur".
It was a joke. Did you see who I quoted? Please, by all means try to justify it. Outside of a handful of drafts(Most notably Ravens with Ray Rice and Flacco, or Patriots this season), even the perceived "elite" teams do not perform better than the Dolphins have over the same time period. Please, by all means, name a team and we'll go over it. There's need, and then there's best player available. You cannot look at the history of the draft and believe that you can go into one and find any given position, or any given need. If Jared Odrick turns out to be the BPA at the time, or even reasonably close, it's pretty well justified. As it stands, none of the offensive players between Odrick and Misi in the draft would have been worth #28, much less at "need" positions.
Then explain Ross' comment from a couple months ago please. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ss-wants-the-dolphins-to-open-up-the-offense/ And explain to me how that is in line with Sparano's comments from yesterday. I await your answer.
I think you are reading too much into it. He says he wants to open up the offense and be unpredictable. Running the ball does not mean you are not going to open up the offense.
You don't get it, man. What Sparano should have said is this: "Run the football? Get out of here! We're going to cut the remaining running backs, that's what we're going to do. Me and Brian, we're going to come up with a whole new approach to the game, swing passes to the left tackle, the center going down the seam, oh, and we'll have two quarterbacks in every play, so that we can throw twice as good! Run the football ... the lunacy!"
Again, you're reading too much into it. Just because he says we need to open the offense up does not mean we are going to throw non stop.
Who am I to dispute more than a couple posters, and radio call in callers? That is quite good to back up your point. Yes, I am being somewhat sarcastic.
It's not. When it comes to football Ross is an idiot, and knows less than you do. Name me an owner who could coach?
And when Galileo said the world was round and that the Earth went around the sun, he was called into the Inquistion by the almighty Catholic Church, forced to recant and lived the rest of his life under house arrest.
Stephen Ross said: The earth is round. Tony Sparano said: The earth is big. DolfanJake says: They're not on the same page!!!
What would Matt Ryan have done to make this team better? Let's see.. Ryan has started in 46 NFL games Henne- 27 Ryan plays for the Flacons. Have you looked at their roster? Have you compared that roster to the Dolphins?
I had absolutely no idea you aspired to such greatness with a very mediocre thread, and much less to back it up. Guess what? AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!! The "house arrest" part is up to the Mods. LOL, and then some.
C'mon man, Galileo was scripting plays for our O waaaay back when. We just did not know about it. Now, we are "enlightened." I REALLY HATE to pick on a fellow poster but DAMN, he makes it so easy.
Yes, but he was also an expert in his field, and known to be such. Galileo doesn't serve as good as good an example as the guy screaming at the moon writhing in own excrement down the street. Also, no interest in actually defending any of your statements?
In these very serious and boring times for all Dolphans, a bit of comic relief is appreciated, even though that was not the intent.
To be fair, he's been pretty stellar on defense (including finding defensive gems outside of the draft).............. on offense however------ not so stellar. Mediocre at best, and that might be giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Matt Ryan might be in a grave right now if he played behind the line we had. We had a chance to pick up an elite LT so that we COULD target a QB and protect him. If you think that's a mistake, then maybe you should send some emails out to Stafford, Carson Palmer, and the NUMEROUS 1st round QBs of the past who busted b/c they spent more time running for their lives than they did going through progressions. See what those guys say. lol.
