This is a must win game for Sparano and Nolan...

We have no control of outcome. Never understand compromising. Who wants a losing mentality.

 

Fair???????? The NFL is a business and Sparano was paid to win and fill the seats. He didn't so he's out, its really that simple. As for dumping these last 4 games, for whatever reason, to me thats a no no and anyone that quits needs to join Tony in the "out the back door shuffle!"

 

You can make a valid argument that if we go 4-0 that Ross should consider keeping Sparano. But I firmly believe that Sparano's coaching style change was only made possible because our season was already over at 0-7. My biggest concern is that if he stays on, he reverts back to his nature which is coaching not to lose. I am tired of seeing it. I want a coach with an aggressive philosophy, not one that is aggressive only when his career is in the balanc

 

DJ, I admire your anologies...

But the decision to keep Tony was made this past January and eventually verified itself after its dreadful 0-7 start...

Yes Tony had no control over the this Off-season, and injuries, but what about the last 2 seasons... and the biggest anchor Tony placed on himself was after the 3rd or 4th loss this year, when he stated, that he did not know how to fix the sinking ship...

Tony is DEAD HC walking, and no matter what positive things he brings before he is out the door, no return. Ross is worried that he will lose the fan base if he is kepted and will lose stadium revenues which is more important...

Those players that are winning for him now are the ones that cost him his job and the lack of talent and decision making in his loses have exemplified his career here...

If Harbaugh would have taken the job this January we would not be having this discussion...

 

Then its fair to say that if Tony stays, next years stadium will be 50% of capacity and mostly the opponents fans...

Then its fair to say that we will start 0-3 or 0-5 or 0-7 if Tony stays...

Then its fair to say that if Tony stays, we will have another sub .500 Season...

Then its fair to say that if Tony stays, we will see many more "fist pumps", after more FG's...

The its fair to say that if Tony stays, we will see more close games being lost because of failure to keep the Offense on the field, and or the Defense giving up that last drive to the opponents for a score...

Then its fair to say that if Tony stays, that Pats and Jets will still be leading the Division for the next few years...

Then its fair to say that if Tony stays, by the middle of the next season and through the end we will be having this conversation about Tony agains....

 

In the end the team would still end up 8-8 though. It is not as amazing as losing the first 7 games and especially when you see the way they're playing now. Very bad decisions led to this as much as a few players coming in out of shape. As much as learning a new system on offense. Back to the example of Rashad Jones. He sucked so bad it was crazy to play him week in and week out.


The fans will surely be happier if they win out but its not enough to SELL tickets.

The fans have nothing to do with damaging thier respective teams. You're trying to say that all fans should be exactly like the Skins fans, Packer fans, and Bronco fans, who for the most part, support their teams thru thick and thin, as far as attending games. I wish it could be but reality shows us that the majority of NFL fans are bandwagoneers. You win they flock to the stadiums, wear the gear and act like they've been there all their lives. You lose and the jerseys go deep into the closets and they do not buy season tickets for the following year......unless changes are made with HOPE behind them.


Going 11-5, 7-9, 7-9 and then 8-8 is the big picture here. Not winning 8 out of the last 9 games.

 

Don't ever remember seeing that in print or sound byte...ever. Ask the KC or the Raiders if they think this team is mediocre ??

Really, normally I'd agree with you given the 4 yr period they've been here, but because this team has shown the resiliency they have this last half a season, given that Ross would find it difficult to distinguish between what Quitcells did versus what Ireland and Sparano did the previous 3 yrs and the lack of an offseason this past year....I can see a case for giving them another year. Moore may not be the next P. Manning, but he's proven to be serviceable and Ireland found him. Sparano was for all intents and purposes fired last January, by his boss d, dragged thru an embarrassing situation by Ross and he still can come back and coach this team up like he has? For all the grief that Sparano took during the first 7 games and rightfully so, to keep that team progressing was a pretty amazing job of coaching, heck even if we don't win out, as long as we play as well as we've been playing.

It's just a different animal that Ross has to make a decision based on this time around. Heck, last year was much more clear a reason to dump Sparano and he did....well, he forgot to tell Tony to clear his desk out. Ross might just be lucky that he had Sparano this season. That's not a job too many other coaches have ever been asked to do, and so far, Tony's come out smelling like a rose....

I don't think Tony's fate is as cut and dried as you seem to think it is..

 

The moaning? Hmmmm!! Once again showing that it's not about YOU killer!! I guess its about you pointing out everyone else because you moan more than anyone here.

 

Dummy thinking? Why because you dont make a dime of it? Ross is not in this to LOSE money every season, and who is talking about firing him just because of attendance?

11-5, 7-9, 7-9, and 13 weeks into this season 4 wins.

Id hate to see the man leave the organization but dont want to see him as HC any longer. Thats about all I can say...

 

I agree about Tony. There are very, very few outcomes in which I could see Tony being retained. For me, finishing 8-1, with an average point differential of +17 is one of those.

Here is how I feel about Miami and the fans. It's a fickle fan base already. When Miami was 7-6 the past two years, the stadium was still half empty. In the scenario, Tony Sparano wins out and is retained, ownership can still win back fans. With a strong offseason that includes the drafting if a QB high, the additions of a name or two, they can win back fans with hope.

It wasn't a fan favored choice for Texans management to bring back Kubiak, but they did and look at the results. The fans are much more loyal there, and they had empty seats early on. Not now.

We are speaking in hypotheticals here, and as of now Tony Sparano is gone, but if, if they continue to win and win I dominating fashion, I don't see how you break it up.

Tony didn't have the right answer, in reference to his admission of to not having answer, but in reality he found it. It was 7 games too late, but he found it.

I don't believe we start out 0-7 with Jim Harbaugh as our HC, but I also don't feel we are talking playoffs either. I don't see him turning around Henne the way he did with Smith. We didn't have the running game and defense to cling on early in the year. It was two different scenarios, but then again, the offseason additions/changes would have been also.

In the end, would I have rather had Harbaugh? No question, yes.

 

All very fair. Only thing I would add is Tony would never get to 0-7 in that scenario next season. With the fear of an 2011 miracle, Ross would fire him much earlier.

Again, I think you can increase fans' enthusiasm with a drafted QB high, a few excitable additions via trade/FA, while retaining Sparano in the scenario of an 8-8 season. Unless Miami hires Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden, there is no other name that will make Miami crave season tickets more than the names of big players or prospects.

For me, it's the trade off of what's best for the team or what's best for sales. It's always tough. If the team finishes 8-8, it would be hard to sell me on the fact bringing in a new coaching staff is best for the team. And if it a flashy name, it'll be hard to sell me on it being the best for the team.

Either way, they've got me. It's my favorite team and I'll continue to support and be excited about the upcoming seasons.

 

I agree with almost everything you stated rd...

Just drafting a QB in the first... Luck, RGBIII, or any of the TOP 5 will no doubt draft some of the fan base back to the stadium... but mostly those will be redeeming their season tickets...

Any new additions to the stadium seating will be very minimal if this current staff is secured and with a new rookie QB at the helm to start the Season... yes... there is a very strong probability that they could start 0-3 or 0-7...

Remember the OL will still be an issue, and with Tony, would will most assurely see a return of Colombo as their starting RT...

Can I get a "Yeah" for fist pumps...

Then we go through this again for the second season in a row...

For the record, I am a Season ticket holder and plan on being one as long as I live in Miami, I root for the team no matter what the predicament is...

But we have to analyze this teams potential with this current staff next year, by the way it has handled the previous 2...

and as an owner/business man, he would have to analyze with his pocket book and not with his emotions...

Then I could be wrong about Ross, but my guess and seeing what he did in January, he will make the move as a business man...

 

When things are actually on the line we have seen what happens with Tony Sparano. He retreats back to his ultra conservative shell.

 

Any guess as to how we would have started with Harbaugh is just that....a guess. That's a pretty poor comparison since it has no basis in reality. However, the general basis for retaining TS would be an accumulation of his time here, but that is not the case with this organization right now. Ross will have to look at this season in a vacuum. That said, the rebound, assuming we finish as strongly as we're playing right now, (whether or not that is an 8-1 finish), is enough to keep him in Davie... IF Ross were to do this, he'd have to go all out to put more talent on this team, FA, draft, trade, trade up during the draft, whatever it takes to shore up a few spots we have. There is a bit of luxury this offseason (again assuming MMoore finishes the season as strongly as he's playing now), that we'd not be FORCED to trade up or make a blockbuster trade attempt or blockbuster FA attempt to be relatively successful next season. There are a lot of pieces in place on this roster. Not all, but a lot. I think most of us can say that a complete blow up of the team is not needed at this point.

 

The rest of the games are ALL must win games for Sparano and Nolan. As far as Sparano is concerned, I only see one scenario which might cause Ross to keep him and that is if the Dolphins convincingly win their remaining games. I don't see this happening, so I think Sparano has a less then 5% chance of being the head coach of the Dolphins next year.

As far as Nolan goes, he has a one year contract just like all the other assistant coaches. He has proven over the years that he is an excellent defensive coordinator and he will have no problem getting a job as a defensive coordinator in the NFL next season. He only came to Miami because of his past relationship with Parcells and Sparano. If Sparano is fired and since Parcells is no longer with the organization, there is no reason to think that Nolan would want to stay in Miami and work for a new head coach. I also don't see Ross forcing a new head coach to accept Nolan as the defensive coordinator if the new HC wants to hire his own staff.

 

So much for that thought. What an embarrassment of. Game

 

Yep, a "must win" and his olne sounded the fail horn.

Been nice knowing ya Tony.

 

I certainly hope this will be the last thread which discusses the possibility of Sparano remaining as the HC of the Dolphins beyond this season. Today clearly showed that the Dolphins remain a mediocre team that has not improved any over the last three seasons. The defense played decent today, but the offense played terrible against an Eagles defense which has been awful for most of the season. The lack of quality depth on the offensive line is a major concern and this is the fault of Ireland, who is responsible for selecting the players on the Dolphins roster.

The debate over the future of Sparano and Ireland should now be over and hopefully we can all look forward to a brighter Dolphin future under a new HC and GM.

 

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I appreciate the debate and if the Dolphins had somehow won their last four games, I am sure there would have been pressure on Ross to keep Sparano. Since I wanted to get rid of Sparano after last season, I have to admit, while I rooted for the Dolphins today against the Eagles. The bright side of the loss was that now Ross can get on to doing what I felt he should have done at the end of last season. Like many on here, I think Sparano is basically a good guy. I Just don't think he is a good NFL head coach.

Ross now will have an easy decision to make and he should start immediately checking into possible HC candidates who might be interested in coming to Miami. Hopefully he is looking at player personnel candidates who can come in and replace Ireland, since he needs to be replaced also.

 

Yes if we would have finished 8-8 it would have been a reasonable debate. Unfortunately we are getting what most expected.

 

Am I the only one seeing the failed 55 yd field goal attempt as the decision that lost the game? We were DOMINATING until then. They had been backed up inside their 20 for most of the game until then. I said it before the kick, I dont care if he makes it or not, that is the wrong call. You HAVE to punt here. That one thing swung the momentum and gave them good field position and a chance to use their whole playbook, which they did and that was it......game over.

I normally dont second guess play calls and strategy, but this one was OBVIOUS.

 

Thank God a voice of reasoning...

Most Fans act on emotion and most of them don't seem to analyze the issues...

No pads I really mean it... it sound like when other memebers voice their opinions... its just moot...

 

I was at the game again...

Phily are a paper talented team... and they came today to proof they are the dream team... just a little to late for them....

but it came in the right time for this franchise and brought our fan base back down to earth... you hear that Rosss....

 

In the grand scheme of things I don't think it mattered.
Even if we won today and ran the table to go 8-8, I still think Sparano and most likely Ireland were gone anyway.
Nothing short of a playoff appearance would've saved this regime.