I think he would have to be released before the end of the season in order to get a head start on the coaching search now that jax has started. I'd have to figure if we lose this week it's a good time to let him go and maybe give Bowles a try.
It was obvious that Del Rio had lost not only the locker room, but his staff as well... The only thing that is surprising to me is that he lasted this long, given his propensity to throw other staff members under the bus, the obvious loss of the players respect...they had everything going for them this year....the Dolts lose Manning and play like we all thought they'd be without Manning, the Texans were doing well but now have lost both their starting and backup QBs and look to be in trouble. The Titans are still caught between the previous regime (Fisher) and the new one and Chris Johnson, their one stud guy has turned into their one Dud guy... With all the other antics going on around their division, you'd think they'd all be fired up...but that has not been the case at all... So, yeah despite what many fans think, Tony still has the locker room and these guys are playing to win. Some of the young talent is playing up to where we thought they might. Most importantly, he hasn't done anything, at least publicly, to lose his staff or the ownership. There was a time when I thought it was simply a matter of time that he lost the locker room, but that has not happened and I can't see it happening anyways. I still believe it's all elementary though. Ross decided to fire Sparano back in January, but got caught up in the labor issues and decided to stand pat. It'll likely happen this January. But not until then, imho....
I actually think that after us finally losing one again, the wheels may fall off again. I think Tony will last the season though. We only have 5 weeks left.
I think he makes it the rest of the season just to show other potential coaches that Ross will give them time. Otherwise it makes no sense to give him an extension one year and fire him the next.
Only reaching the playoffs could have possibly saved him his job.He is a dead man walking . Having said that he will continue to do the best job he can with his limited abilities the rest of this season.He has to build up his resume for his next job. IMO He is not geing fired before the end of the season.His team has not quit on him like the team that quit on Cam Cameron.
I could see Ross getting antsy and pulling the trigger after a loss to the raiders or Eagles at home, clinching a third straight losing season
I think that if we lose to the Raiders this week then Tony will be fired. A two game losing streak after the three game winning streak would give Steve Ross the opportunity to say that he DID give Tony Sparano the time to try and get this thing turned around. He stuck with Tony through 7 losses and that is honestly commendable because I know many people don't think he should have done that. Depending on how you look at things, the reward came as the Dolphins won 3 games in a row and competed well for a 4th and look like they've got things turned around. However a second straight loss to the Raiders will show that the success was temporary and fleeting, and it's time for us to just move on. The Dolphins need to be early birds if they want to get the worm. Jeff Fisher is an obvious candidate to take over in Indianapolis if/when Jim Caldwell gets canned. If the Dolphins wait until then, they could be out of it for him. And meanwhile they need to start putting out strong efforts to get Jon Gruden and/or Bill Cowher if that's what they want to do. They can't be obvious about it, because Gruden is still on the MNF team and needs teams to give him access so that he can do a good job that way. But if the Dolphins blink, then Steve Ross' desire to get a proven Head Coach could go out the window. And they can't afford to make these overtures until Tony is fired. They can't afford another Jim Harbaugh disaster where they start wooing a guy while Tony Sparano is under contract. I imagine they've already put out indirect, informal overtures to certain guys...but that's risky. If it got outed, then you've got the Harbaugh disaster all over again.
I don't see a need to get antsy. The Jacksonville job is not an attractive job. They are no threat to get Cowher or Gruden, IMO, though I really do not want Cowher. There will probably be 10 or so openings this offseason: Jacksonville, Miami, Indianapolis, St. Louis, San Diego, Philadelphia, possibly New York Giants, possibly Kansas City, possibly Minnesota, and possibly Arizona. Of those, the marquee jobs are Miami, Philadelphia, and New York. Really, the only coach I'm concerned about Jacksvonille pursuing that I want in Miami is Jay Gruden.
Steve Ross gave Tony Sparano time. But when it's obvious, it's obvious. There's no use putting it off. Everything hinges on what the Dolphins do this week and possibly the week after. Ross can conceivably stick with Sparano at 3-9, but it would be idiotic to stick with him even at 3-10. Everyone knows Steve Ross gave Tony an extension only to prevent him looking like a lame duck. And by sticking with Tony through a SEVEN GAME LOSING STREAK to start the year, Ross showed that Tony was not a lame duck. He had a valid chance to get this team turned around and live through every single day of his contract extension. Everything depended purely on how this team performed. The team didn't perform and that's why Tony is in this situation. I agree that Steve Ross needed to show potential suitors that he's a man of his word and he will give his coach plenty of chances. He gave Tony an extension and that's why it would have been unwise if he would have fired Tony after Week 3 or Week 4 as many people called for, or even after Week 6 which was Simon's prediction. However, at this point, let's say the Dolphins lose to the Raiders this week. Steve Ross will have absolutely given Tony Sparano his chance to turn this thing around, he will have given Tony his chance to have that three game win streak, but with a two game losing streak following that three game win streak...I'm sorry but that shows that the success was just temporary and fleeting, and the Dolphins are still the Dolphins. If Steve Ross is smart, he'll fire Sparano after an Oakland loss.
I don't see him being fired before the end of the season , I also see no valid point and see some valid reasons to complete the season. Coaching candidates will obviously recall last years Harbaugh episode , terminating Tony would just add to that imo . The team has played hard and haven't mailed it in and there is no reason to think a coaching change would be a positive at this stage of the year . Potential candidates would see this as patience , an owner not over reacting and doing things "properly". Right now , no change is the best course of action as I see it .
Letting a coach "coach out the string" at 3-9 isn't showing patience. It won;t have any adverse affect IMO.
You see 10 potential job openings and you don't see the need to act with urgency? Really? I see this all the time, why do people just automatically assume that Miami is this great, attractive place to coach relative to all these other cities? It's just bias. Miami has a transitive population, Florida's economy was hit worse by the Great Recession than all but maybe one or two other states, they don't sell out games easily, they don't have a significant home field advantage from crowd noise and there's always empty seats in the stands. They used to have a great September home advantage due to heat but that has been wiped away by OWNER directive, it was not a Tony Sparano decision, and I wouldn't be surprised, given deaths that have occurred in the NFL due to overheating and putting players at risk that way, if the NFL has sort of pushed Steve Ross in that direction. I know that even before Ross started asking them to make our September and October home games 4pm games, it seemed like the NFL was reducing the number of 1pm September and October home games. This storied franchise hasn't won a damn thing in 30 years. And you know what? I don't care. I'm not going to use any of that as an excuse to stop being a fan or stop going to games or stop caring. But what I'm damn well not going to do is overestimate our team's attractiveness and use it as an excuse to act fat and lazy while more industrious teams get better coaches and then we're left at the end of the day holding our hands up in the air asking how we just ended up with another Cam Cameron. Steve Ross was smart to stick by Tony Sparano during the seven game losing streak, allowing the team to go through the three game win streak. But if they drop a second game in a row then Ross needs to cut him loose and begin working hard on getting the best front office and coaching staff possible, rather than being caught flat footed and overconfident based on some self-inflated notion about how great of a football town Miami is.
When I asked this question before the season started you stated that you would like to see Sparano get an entire season no matter what. I'm not trying to call you out on that, just wondering what changed your mind from now till then. For me personally, I think if Sparano could win out these next 5 games, he would deserve to keep his job. Odds of that happening, slim to none. As soon as we hit 7-9 as being best possible record, off with his head, IMHO.
Firing him when there is a zero chance to add any value to your season if you do that , to me , doesn't make sense as long as the team works and plays hard . I think it would indicate the propensity to make moves at times when there would be no real reason to do so , at that time. If he was going to be fired it should have been done when there was a chance to impact the season positively . Whether I think he shouldn't fired , or you do in the next week or two is a moot point I believe , as I highly doubt any change happens until the end of this dismal season. I also feel it should be a complete change , meaning Ireland being fired , so I don't see making a partial change before the end of the season. Just my opinion though.
Unfortunately we are a ONCE storied franchise , the luster has faded except for Miami fans , there is no semblance of that among general NFL fans .
It will be interesting to see what happens in Philly. If Reid gets the axe you know he would be high on many many lists. Personally I am not a huge fan, but he does have a good resume.
i agree. i dont think the destination itself is that great. the biggest selling point will the roster, hopefully. we have gone through our fair share of coaches. the situation is really anything but stable
please, I don't want anymore losers. The games don't sell out because the product that has been put on the field is horrible and for no other reason. If Tony comes back I'm not spending money on them. That's how the owner should look at this descision. It's a bussiness and you make money by winning. The more you win the more peopel fill the stands, the more they buy jerseys and other ****. Hell, draft or bring in some big names that will help you win and maybe the dough will roll in. I agree with the pick put how many people will go out and spend 100 bucks on a jake long jersey? We need a legit 3-4 defensive end. maybe odrick but he's still basically a rookie. we need a LG, RT and a RG if carey is gonna continue being a lazy fat ****. We need some kind of saftey help and maybe an upgrade at SS too because bell is horrible in pass coverage. We need our young secondary to come along. I'd like to see a speed WR replace a bess or hartline to go along with marshell. A legit starting RB, not a gimmick like bush who still isn't being used properly. Maybe thomas is the guy but they don't play him so who knows. we need a new qb. moore is not the answer and henne keeps getting a bad shake with the coaching, injuries, play selection and talent around him. Trouble in the redzone? yeah we can't run it in so we call 4th and goal fades to hartline. qb is prob the biggest issue among the fan base. im sure most of you came up watching marino like I did and we got spoiled. a new coach should get a new quarterback, keep henne and moore and let them all compete in the preseason. Cut either moore or henne, I'd prob cut moore unless henne has a huge contract in comparison. To go along with the new quarterback draft or sign a big, athletic TE. Move reggie bush to your number 3 wr and upgrade your number 2 if possible. of our bad linemen columbo is the worst. he's slow, old and horrible. Fill that spot first, then carey then incockneato. See what we have in daniel thomas by making him the starter and try to work gates, our only other speedy offensive player other than bush, into the offense. The guy can do everything ginn did so why not let him. hell they should be doing that now since the season is over. get these guys some game time. There's no reason to have bush be your starter, you already know what he brings to the table.
I don't see Tony getting fired before the end of the season if the team continues to play well. You usually don't see coaches hired during the season, and I'm not sure any candidate will jump the gun before he knows what options are out there. If Miami does indeed have an interest in someone like Fisher, they can at least send an intermediary to gauge the interest, as was rumored with Cowher. Doesn't have to be anything more than alerting the candidate that we may have an interest in him, and doesn't need to be anything on the level of what happened with Harbaugh. In fact, I'd wager that kind of clandestine thing probably goes on in the NFL quite often.
I have no doubt that Ross has already had contact with the coaches he might be interested in hiring after this season. If he didn't fire Sparano after the Dolphins started the season 0-7, I don't see him firing him during the last five weeks of the season. I think Ross will wait until the Dolphins have finished the season and he will fire both Sparano, and Ireland, as soon as the season is over for the Dolphins.
IMO there is no point in firing Tony during the season. Its fairly obvious that he won't be back next season and while the Crowher's of the world claim that they will not talk to teams with a coach in place, you can't tell me that their agents aren't having those conversations. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Ross already has a deal in place with Gruden and that the ESPN deal was nothing more than a cover so that Gruden could complete the season as their analyst.
Those things are true and do make me think twice, but don't you think some damage control of our reputation is in order?, Sparano has respect around the league as a coach, I can see if the team wasn't competing, but it looks like they are, and if you fire him, I'am not sure about the message it sends to the coaches your trying to lure.
I totally agree and would like to add......and NFL PLAYERS. As experienced by the attempted recruiting of the safety that signed with Tenn. a couple of years back......show me the money. I Think his name was ...Hope? We have not been relevant in so long the guys playing ball NOW probably dont even know we USED to be and man does THAT stink.
I'm willing to pretty much guarantee you that the only job Jon Gruden will likely leave his current job for is the Miami Dolphins job. I don't see him going to Philadelphia. I don't see him going to San Diego. If the Miami opportunity doesn't pan out, I see him staying in the booth. This is still an attractive job because this is still the Miami Dolphins, just like the SF 49ers was the attractive job for Jim Harbaugh last year. I have no way to prove it, but I feel like this Dolphins job is the one that Jon Gruden wants, and it will be interesting to see if the interest is reciprocated.
I think you're misquoting me. People were talking about firing him within a month of the season's start, or maybe about halfway through the season. I specifically said that Steve Ross should focus on honoring his commitment to Tony Sparano, because people are watching, and that he should focus on sticking with Sparano for this season or perhaps fire him toward the end of the season when the timing is necessary in order for us to get a jump on our next hire. I very specifically stipulated that a firing toward the end of the season with the idea of getting a jump on our next hiring process would be perfectly acceptable.
If this job is looked at as such a poor destination for someone, then why is it rumored that this is one of the three jobs Bill Cowher would be interested in and the one job that Jon Gruden has interest in? Those are your two biggest name coaches available, and both are reportedly interested in the Dolphins job when they aren't interested in many others.
I think Steve Ross has already done a good job of damage control. He stuck with Tony Sparano the whole way through that 7 game losing streak. He celebrated with everyone when the Dolphins won. He put out word to the press that he REALLY DOES hope that Tony turns everything around. I think he was fully on board with the idea that we could keep this turnaround going and win out the season. Keep in mind how many people wanted, expected Sparano to be fired within the first month of the season. We're 0-4 at the bye week, everyone's thinking we'll fire Tony and use the bye to get the new interim guy in control of the team. Didn't do it. We come out of the bye and lose to the Jets. Didn't fire him. We allow that RIDICULOUS come from behind victory to the Broncos. Didn't fire him. We follow up with a loss to the Giants. Didn't fire him. In fact, at that point, Ross sent out language even stronger and stronger saying Tony Sparano is my coach, he's not being fired. Steve Ross did what he needed to do. But if the Dolphins lose to the Raiders this week, especially if the game's not competitive, then I think everyone that's been keeping an eye on Ross to see if he'd sell out Sparano will commend him for sticking with Sparano as long as possible, and acknowledge that Ross needed the early termination in order to secure his next Head Coach. Especially if we lose both the Raiders and Eagles games. At that point, why delay the obvious? You have to do things in their right time. If you deviate you get questioned. If Ross fired Sparano too early, he would've drawn criticism for doing that. Where's your commitment to your coach? However, if Steve Ross waits TOO LATE to fire Sparano, he will also draw criticism for caring so much about his reputation that he's not actually doing what is in the best interests of the team, or really Sparano's best interests since he and everyone KNOWS he's going to get fired and Steve Ross is keeping him dangling on a string for whatever reason. The right time is IMO after a non-competitive loss to the Raiders, or after two straight losses to the Raiders and Eagles no matter how they come.
I suspect what Ross is doing is sitting still on Sparano and Co to rebuild his rep in NFL circles, seems odd that he'd toss out a season just to make backroom types happy, but I also think NFL Inc. looked on in collective horror during Ross's Big Adventure, Ross realizes this and is paying his dues for being a knucklehead during that time period. He opened his checkbook for Bush and Burnett, nixed the Orton deal (not due to money, due to not wanting to lock into Orton) which will go a long way towards not getting laughed at during owners' meetings.
Due respect Ck, but that makes no sense to me, why stick with Sparano during 0-7 only to fire him later on during the season? Ross will ride it out with Sparano, no question about that to me. The flipside to that is also, what if we win out the yr and finish 8-8?
I see where you're coming from but I don't share your opinion on that. I think Jon Gruden would take the Philly job and he could also take the San Diego job. In fact, only a few weeks ago I saw where Rich Gannon said he had sat down with Bruce Allen and Jon Gruden recently (before Al Davis died) to just talk about old times and stuff, and he asked Jon if he would ever coach for the Raiders again. He expected a firm no, but Jon said absolutely he would. He said he loved the west coast, the bay area, had a really good time there and he'd love to come back and coach out there. Gannon stipulated in his quote that he didn't think Jon would coach out there "the way they're currently structured" but again that was when Al Davis was a live and I think he was referring to Al being the de facto head of all football operations, making every personnel decision and even having coaches check their game plans in with him.
1. Miami WAS rumored to be one of the spots Cowher would be interested in. All latest rumors say he's not interested in Miami at all. 2. We have no idea of Jon Gruden is anymore interested in the Dolphins than he was the University of Miami or taking the offensive coordinator job at Oregon. Jon strikes me as a guy that talks a lot about taking this job or this job and just never does it. See my post above about him telling rich Gannon he would absolutely love to coach the Raiders again.
