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Winning with "Plan G"

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by KeyFin, Jun 21, 2022.

  1. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I'm personally a thinker, a strategy guy, and I like to dig down into the details. And part of what's dawned on me these past few weeks is that the core strategy of our organization has literally changed 6 or 7 times since the end of the season four years back. We have to talk though it though for you to understand my logic, because the truth is absolutely stranger than fiction.

    Let's go back to the first time we heard "Perennial Playoff Contender." It was 4 seasons ago in a press conference where Ross said that "Gase opted not to stay with the team." Who does that though? Who quits being an NFL head coach in the city with the best weather? Ross answered that question in saying, "Gase wants to win now." So we knew the team was going into serious rebuild mode to tank for Tua.

    Only, we couldn't find a coach for that, which was why Flores received 5 years guaranteed. I think it's the only possible way they could get anyone to sign up for the guaranteed fail. The plan had always been to fire Flores before he worked that entire contract to bring in a big-named head coach, even though we haven't been able to do that in over a decade.

    Why? I look at Harbaugh trying to interview with Minnesota while secretly talking to Miami, resigning his position and then suddenly taking it back a few days later. I look at Brady retiring and then un-retiring. I look at Sean Peyton retiring as well, only to erase the remaining years on his contract with a buyout. I look at all the Watson stuff we went through, after the Tank for Tua season.

    And as I put all of that together, all the behind the scenes deception and plotting, I realize just how dysfunctional our front office really is. Just in the past 12 months, we've looked at over a dozen head coach/QB combos, tampering every step of the way, and somehow landed on Tua and McDaniel. But what was that- our 5th choice? After being our 5th or 6th choice on Flores? It's absolute insanity.
    • Plan A- Gase/Tank for Tua (Gase opts out)
    • Plan B- Any HC/Fitzpatrick (to lose/tank for Tua)
    • Plan C- Flores/Burrow (failed, Flores didn't tank)
    • Plan D- Flores/Watson (failed, Watson is a perv)
    • Plan E- Harbaugh/QB (failed, Flores lawsuit)
    • Plan F- Payton/Brady (failed, Flores lawsuit)
    • Plan G- McDaniel/Tua
    But just about the time I want to say, "FIRE EVERYONE," I look at the talent we have on defense and the potential on offense. If Tua really clicks this year, we could be poised for a deep playoff run. Do I even care that Flores got played? I don't know...I don't know what to think about it all. But the big question here, the million dollar question that we all have to answer, is if McDaniel/Tua is just another patsy in waiting until the timing works out for Harbaugh, Payton, or another high-caliber name?

    Plan G is what we're stuck with for 2022, but at the same time I have to think that more plans are already being plotted for 2023 and beyond. I mean, why wouldn't they? Grier has been scheming this entire time. And I have no idea if that's a good or a bad thing. Anyway, just some off-season banter to think about and argue over. The craziest part is that I actually think we could win a Super Bowl with plan G, even though nothing has worked out the way Ross/Grier has planned it.
     
    Last edited: Jun 21, 2022
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  2. Galant

    Galant Love - Unity - Sacrifice - Eternity

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    Indeed. The fact that all that conflict with Flores was lying beneath the surface, then drafting Tua yet someone in the organisation wasn't happy with him, then looking at replacing him while he's QB1 and just getting going, and maybe even two QB's....

    It reminds me why I posted the 'Tua is not the problem' thread - the front office/ownership has been, for years. We can only hope they have landed on the right solution - or will do soon. But Miami isn't the best leadership organisation in the NFL.
     
    Last edited: Jun 21, 2022
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  3. Dol-Fan Dupree

    Dol-Fan Dupree Tank? Who is Tank? I am Guy Incognito.

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    Plan F failed because they asked the Saints and they said no.
     
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  4. Fishhead

    Fishhead Well-Known Member

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    And through all of that, there have only been 2 constants in Miami, and nobody on this board or who wears aqua, orange and white needs me to spell them out.

    Here’s to hoping for lightning in a bottle this year.
     
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  5. Sceeto

    Sceeto Well-Known Member

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    It’s totally surreal to know that if it hadn’t been for Flo and his lawsuit, Sean Payton would be our coach this year and Brady would be our QB and minority owner.
     
  6. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    That or Harbaugh, because it sounds like both were in play at the same time. The same goes for Brady/DeShaun while publicly backing Tua. It is absolutely crazy.
     
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  7. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    The act of putting Tua in as a rookie with all that we knew about him, the team, Fitzpatrick, gailey shows how either incompetent or malicious someone was
     
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  8. Bumrush

    Bumrush Stable Genius Club Member

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    This rush to bring in Watson/ Brady + Payton / (possibly Harbaugh) really has me in limbo this year, especially as it relates to Tua.

    This team has the talent to make a run but if Tua flops and McDaniel isn't ready to be an NFL head coach this could turn in to a Cam Cameron type of debacle. I don't think it will happen to that extent given how McDaniel has built his staff but the lack of confidence in Tua across multiple layers of the organization frightens me. McDaniel may be a hell of a coach but he's not a magician.

    This year is 100 percent about Tua taking it to the next level. If he doesn't and McDaniel shows competence we may have Brady behind center next year with two draft picks to use to either trade up or use one of for a QB. Or we clean house and package Brady and Payton.. I'm 50/50 on that outcome. I strongly felt Flores saved his *** with the winning streak and that we'd never see Tua again in a Dolphin uniform as Flores won the power struggle but it became clear the moment he was fired that there was a lot more to the story with Flores than just Tua.

    There is a strong possibility that Flores and TUA were problematic. Just because Miami chose Tua for a year over Flores doesn't mean Tua was better or that Flores was the only problem in Tua's development. He may not have the skillset mentally or physically to be a good QB.
     
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  9. dolphin25

    dolphin25 Well-Known Member

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    I think McDaniel is a magician. He knows how to design plays to get players open. Tue is accurate enough to make the completion.
     
  10. Bumrush

    Bumrush Stable Genius Club Member

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    From your keyboard to gods reading list..
     
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  11. dolphin25

    dolphin25 Well-Known Member

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    I do pray a lot :)
     
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  12. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    The thing is, we know about Brady and DeShaun. How many QB's don't we know about? Were we going after Rodgers, Wilson, or Matt Ryan? Why did we go after any QB's at all if we have faith in Tua? It's bewildering to think about.
     
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  13. Sceeto

    Sceeto Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, the confidence in Tua from the team has not been good.
    If Tua doesn’t work out, it will be the most damning move for Grier and will be his demise. I have said many a time, that a mistake like that, at the most important position in maybe all of sports, is a death blow. Unless you get really lucky along the way soon, that move can set a franchise back for a very very long and we phin fans should know that about as good as anyone. Yeah, he made a couple of good picks here and there, but missing on that one is fatal from a GM standpoint.
    I am hoping he didn’t. I truly hope Tua works out. This has been just too long .
    Now, McDaniels appears to have a ton of confidence in Tua, so as we all know and have said, this coming season is the make or break year for Tua. We’ll just have to wait and see.
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2022
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  14. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    Looking back, I see three things from that season:

    1) Fitzpatrick wasn't supposed to be winning in year one- he was there simply to keep team morale from crashing. By year 2, he was already seen as a liability. We benched him after two strong showings early on because the front office was already worried about Tua's progress and wanted an in-game evaluation.

    2) We now know Tua was not ready physically or mentally. His hip wasn't 100% there yet, his throwing motion was awkward because of the adjusted stance, and he couldn't get NFL-level zip behind his passes. On top of that, he wasn't running a "dumbed down" version of the offense and was expected to make serious NFL throws without training camp or any real reps that year. Tua was all but guaranteed to fail.

    3) I believe at this point and time, the front office was already looking beyond Fitzpatrick, Flores and even Tua. We were the favorites to land DeShaun because of Flores, and even though the front office wanted him gone, he was the carrot on the stick after they couldn't draft Burrow. The same goes for the head coaching- they couldn't get an ideal candidate in year two. So they kept Flores to pursue DeShaun while also looking at other coaches for year 3.

    Once DeShaun dried up, I think the focus shifted to Brady and the names he could pull if he was involved with the organization. That gave the green light to get rid of Flores...the coach who simply wouldn't get in line with the front office. That is a legit reason to fire someone since the synergy just wasn't there. But they never counted on him waiving his right to the final two years pay to bring the lawsuit.

    As I said, I don't know if these developments are good or bad. Brady/Payton would have been exciting with this defense, and we probably would have won a ring this season. And maybe the plan was to bench Tua for a couple of seasons to make him Brady's successor- that sort of fits everyone's best interests. We just managed to burn bridges with everyone involved along the way though- I doubt Harbaugh or Payton would make a 2nd effort to join the Dolphins. Who knows with Brady- he'd have a lot to gain still.

    I don't think this was incompetence though; it was pivoting from one goal to another in order to meet the objective of a championship team. In some ways it's even admirable how hard Grier has worked for the team, but at the same time I'm left really scratching my head over firing Flores and alienating Tua. Despite all the narratives, we still won 8 of our last 9 games and looked like a quality team. I can understand Tua being on the chopping block this season but at the same time, I would hope the same would be true for Grier.

    And let's not forget, the league is still investigating Ross and the Flores accusations. That case has only grown stronger and other owners may decide that enough is enough. Beal is in line for succession and he's the one with close ties to Brady, so I don't think an unfavorable judgement against Ross hurts us. But here's the kicker to this whole thing- what if it was Beal pulling the strings all along and we've incorrectly blamed Grier? Maybe we should be rooting for Ross after all, I have no idea.
     
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  15. Pauly

    Pauly Season Ticket Holder

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    I’m not sure if all the plans A to F were serious plans, or whether they were kicking the tires.

    For me the Brian Flores lawsuit is proof the team was right to be rid of him. I think he’s a very good to great defensive coach, but the ego and hubris demonstrated in his suit show why his offenses were poor to bad. Add in inflexibility and lack of self reflection and it becomes clear why the front office was unable to get along with him.

    The alienation of Tua reminds me a lot of the way the team handled Tannehill. Essentially picking the wrong coaches, picking the wrong supporting cast and trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole. Now this off season the team seems to have gone all in on trying to get the right coaches, right support and modifying the offense to the strengths and weaknesses of the QB.
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2022
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  16. dolphin25

    dolphin25 Well-Known Member

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    This team under a different head coach seems more united. More excite, more positive.
     
  17. Sceeto

    Sceeto Well-Known Member

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    The Brady/Payton thing was very serious. They had a deal in place. It was going to happen. Crazy.
     
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  18. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Why do you think we failed getting Payton and Brady?
     
  19. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I don't think we failed with either of them; it sounds like they backed out with the Flores allegations since it would prove tampering.
     
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  20. Sceeto

    Sceeto Well-Known Member

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    Yep. Of course it was because of the Flores thing. It also wouldn't have looked great had they hired two white guys to lead and partially own the organization at that time.
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2022
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  21. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    You think they backed out because if the Flores allegations? Like they were gonna come and then said no not with that guy saying that?
     
  22. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    It's leaked out that Payton had already agreed to a 5 year/$100M contract with Miami. Brady was going to come in as a minority owner holding a front office position, then they'd ask Tampa to release him since it's a conflict of interest. So they had the entire thing in motion and it was enough for Brady to retire. The day after the Flores filed the lawsuit, Brady un-retired and went back to Tampa.

    I think it was like Sceeto said- you can't have a black HC complaining of discrimination and then hire Brady/Payton. In the report, Flores described the secret meeting with Brady and Ross on a yacht, and Flores said he left immediately since it was clear league violations. So I don't think there's any way Ross could have brought Brady in at that point- that level of tampering is a clear no-no between owners and it would have had serious pushback from the league.

    Honestly, they could still come after Ross for it...and I think that's why we traded all our early picks for Tyreek Hill. There were rumors circling that we were going to have a 1st rounder stripped and a few days later, we give up a haul of picks for Hill. That may have delayed a ruling in the Flores stuff because we currently have nothing to take.
     
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  23. EastcoastEZ

    EastcoastEZ Member

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    Had a conversation a couple weeks ago with some friends about what should the the plan short to mid term. Lets take out the obvious way to win, having an All-pro, HOF caliber QB. What else can be done?
    I think it is all about mismatches. You want to beat a top team? You want to beat the Bills? Packers? Chiefs? Have someone on your team that other teams simply can't account for. Hill does that.
    It doesn't just have to be superstars like Hill though. As the league goes to more nickel as standard D and more smaller but mobile LBs, what if you develop a power running game? Like an ELITE power running game? Who will be equipped to stop that? How about a passing offense out of a 2 RB set, but you have 2 elite route Running backs, guys that LB's simply can't cover?
    I don't know what is possible with the Dolphins, but my goal would be not to just to put the best overall team together, but to just create as many mismatches as possible. Hill is a good step in that direction.
     
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