Great post but the season is over for us there is no glimmer. We are 4 1/2 games behind the jest and Pats with 6 games left . Do the math it's over.

 

I'm with yah Merauder... Me and my wife have been ranting on Henning all season! He's vanilla and predictable. I can normally call the play from my couch! That's not good...

Not sure where the 4 1/2 comes from? It would be 3 wouldn't it?

 

Maybe you guys in SoFla should stage some kind of rally, either in Davie or at the stadium.

 

This is it. Hopefully the myth that the team just isn't talented enough will die off. It's the coaching.

 

Great post. IMHO, Dan Henning is doing a much worse job as offensive coordinator than Pasquiloni was doing as defensive coordinator last year. If he's not replaced, I'm not sure how much longer I can watch these performances.

 

I agree Henning is terrible.
But there is no point in calling out fellow board members. It's not like people on the forum are keeping him employed.
Stay classy San Diego.

 

lol, your threatening not to watch...lol....Thats ridiculous no?

 

I'm not threatening anything. I'm stating that Dolphins football is making me absolutely miserable right now and I might have to stop watching for my own mental health and well being. I'm not making a threat to say if Henning isn't fired I won't watch anymore. Just that Henning is the primary reason, IMO, this season has been so terrible and as long as he's calling the plays I expect the misery to continue.

As I've stated elsewhere, I'll be a Dolphins fan till the day I die, but this season is making me mental. Even more so than the 2007 disaster because of the expectations and up and down roller coaster ride this season has been.

 

You're right.

The games aren't even all that much fun to me anymore. I get very little pleasure from wins and the losses don't even matter to me so much. I have no expectations of success and no reason to believe any is forthcoming. It sucks, but it's the way it is with this team.

 

Blitz, thats crazy talk man, you've got to change your perspective some, and embrace the building part..you can do it....no matter how long it takes..just set your mind that its part of the process, and have some fun...

 

We've been building for 25 years.

At some point the building either is opened or you scrap the whole project and spend ten years in litigation. We're headed for litigation territory here

 

I think right now the "building" part of this team is frustrating us all because it's being built by a blind foreman (sparano) and a senile carpenter (henning). Meanwhile, the electrician (nolan) is looking over at them saying "wtf are you guys doing?"

 

Dj,

This team can build all it wants. If the coaching doesn't improve, the mediocrity will continue. Look at the top teams in the league. They all have great coaches. The jury is still out on Sparano, but IMO, Henning has proven his ineptitude. To continue on with him calling plays is absolute madness as far as I'm concerned.

 

and part of your responsibility as a great fan {that you are} is to rationally analyze what we do need, cause if noone talks about matters and concerns, and the process, then change will never happen...the voice is a powerful thing.

I bet that sparano will get rid of Henning, so iam not worried, and Sparano has shown me enough to give him his 4th year..

Its always been 4 years Blitz...come on man, you know that's what's fair before you go all LOCO and sh$#...lol

 

lol. another henning thread. well just too have one voice defend the guy I'll step into the void. The problem with this team is our personnel not our coaching. We dismantled our offensive line and replaced it with a good pass blocking unit that couldn't run block to save its life. That's acceptable except for the fact that we didn't have a QB who could attack cover 2 and unfortunately for us, our first half schedule had us play against cover 2 almost exclusively. When we didn't we scored. When we did, we got shut down and became a field goal offense. So basically we didn't have the personnel to either pass or run but other than that we were fine. Henning got the most out of this below average unit as almost any offensive coordinator could have. Could Cam Cameron or Norv Turner have gotten more? Probably. Could Mike Mularkey or Brian Schottenheimer? Not a chance

The question of the 2010 season is why did we go away from run blocking offensive linemen? This was not on Henning since I doubt he has any input into the personnel. This is a question for Sparano and Ireland. My feeling is we probably saw that we had to improve our defense and offensive line but chose 2010 to be the year we concentrated on defense as evidenced by our offseason focus on that side of the ball. We had probably hoped for more progression from Henne and underestimated how badly our run game would be effected by our new linemen.

I wouldn't panic too much however about the offense in that I fully expect 2011 to be used almost exclusively for offense just as 2010 was for defense. I expect at least one run blocking mauler if not two to be added and probably a speed WR or a speedy TE who can stretch the seam. Also, Henne should improve once again with another year under his belt so the personnel will be more suited to scoring touchdowns, especially in the red zone

Henning may retire. After all, why put up with the crap. He's got two rings and can laugh his *** off at anyone questioning him. Or he may decide to stick around for another go round if Ireland promises him the personnel needed to field an effective offense. The interesting thing to me will be watching Bill Parcells. Supposedly he's looking for a new team to rebuild but at the same its been said that he enjoys his relationship with Ross. If Parcells stays on I expect Henning to stay on. Parcells won't be swayed by the media or the fans. If Parcells bolts I could Henning stepping down to be replaced by David Lee. This to me will be an almost mirror image of what happened in Carolina and Lee will be our version of Jeff Richardson. The fact that year four is probably the do or die year for Sparano and company makes me wonder if they really want to go into it with an unproven coordinator or would they rather load up the draft and free agency with offensive players and give it to an old and proven hand to guide it. After all their jobs will be riding on the results

 

So, we can expect an AFC championship appearance next year dj?

That's what you said is your expectation is. D you see that as realistic? If it's not, why do you need a 4th year?

 

Personally I have seen enough. Just blow up the entire staff and lets play offense for a change. Except for the Cameron year, we're been plagued by conservative offense for 12 years now. I'm just p*ssed that Pioli refused to come to Miami and is now in KC. He will run circles around Ireland over the next couple of years and mark my word, KC will be the next GREAT AFC team.

 

We had probably hoped for more progression from Henne and underestimated how badly our run game would be effected by our new linemen.

i agree with this prez,,, but that is a pretty big mistake to make. then to stop your development of henne and put in pennington is a tough one also. they had to KNOW where henne was and KNOW where he was at and what he could handle and where he would struggle. if you have a plan then you gotta hang with it and take the bad with the good. i don't know,,,, that last game was an absolute debacle on many levels and being a fan its hard to try and analyze when completely pissed off.

 

Well, I don't know about KC as I am not a Cassell fan, but they certainly have built a tough defense rather quickly. And although I don't think Haley is a great coach, I like his agressive style.

I'm not against giving this regime another year, depending on who else is available. I just don't think we're going to see anything all that different, unless our QB play improves dramatically.

I think you might actually see us spend a 1st round pick on a QB if one is available, as that might buy the regime more time and if they don't have any faith in Henne.

 

I would expect playoffs next year not AFC championship, but You know whats crazy?..trying to quantify how important Pennington the QB was in that title year?...absolutely mind boggling. Its about Progression Schmoot, logical progression relative to a starting point..We need to see how Henne respond's to see if were on the right track..

I cannot blame Sparano for Henning and Irelands mistakes... I see us getting more talented, and youthful, but Sparano has had to deal with some poor personnell decisions from his staff, and the previous one. {Jason allen, Ted Ginn, Roinnie Brown, all young very high 1st round picks that were inherited by this staff, that flopped for this staff}. I think giving them their 4th year, is deserved considering all variables..however..

We have major oline and running back issues, I think both units have to be 90% rebuilt...

 

I agree they should get a QB if the quality is good enough, but I don't have faith that these guys will EVER spend a 1st round draft pick on anything other than an O-Lineman or a defensive player. They are just too afraid of offense. They play like they are scared of having any kind of threatening offense.

 

No unit should need to be 90% rebuilt in the fourth year. And especially not two of them. So it takes three years to attempt to rebuild two crucial offensive units and fail miserably? I think Ronnie is good enough to keep around and draft another back or two but I'm sure they'll let him walk and he'll go set the league on fire in New England.

 

agreed. that decision is the difference between the playoffs and sitting at home. they cant afford another mistake like that. i think if you concentrate on offense this offseason we will be back on track and will quickly forget this forgettable year. Might be better to pickup a vet QB in free agency to replace Pennington than draft a rookie just in case Henne doesnt progress. I think he will but it might be smart to cover your bets

 

I find myself agreeing with you a lot Muscle. I don't think you can fairly assess Ronnie based on the terrible O-Line play this year. You can't make yards when the holes don't open for you. And my worst fear is Brown goes to NE or the Jets and then comes back to haunt us for the next 5 years. And if in year 4 you have to rebuild an entire unit, then you have really been a failure, and should you get a 2nd chance ? Sparano and Ireland tried to be too cute, and tinker with the O-Line, thinking they were too smart (especially Sparano) and could just stick anyone in there and their system would make the player, instead of their system adapting to their personnel.

 

heck i'm not defending anyone really. But we BEAT the steelers, and we were a couple plays away from being 6-4 or 7-3 or even better,,,,, if we had of EXECUTED the plays that were called correctly in some of our games.

 

Yeah, I don't know about Henning being the whole problem. Remember when Mike Mularkey was here? Remember how "terrible" he was? Then he went elsewhere, and has been successful. Now we have Henning, and he is "terrible" too. LOL. How does every OC that comes here end up being "terrible?"

Also, I don't think it's fair to say that Ronnie Brown "flopped" here. This year has not been good...but, the run blocking has been terrible. I think we do need to find a speed back, but I also would hate to see Ronnie on the Pats running roughshod over the league...which is exactly what I think will happen if we let him go.

 

To KC's credit, i think a lot of it has to do with their coaching staff. Having Romeo Crennel run your D, and Charlie Weiss running your Offense is not a bad way to rebuild your team.

 

That's true. And they put their guys in the best position to make plays which is really all you can ask for.

KC is an up and coming team, no doubt, but like us they need to figure out if they have the right QB.

 

The NFL is a coaches league and our OC is not putting us in the correct situation to be successful. I lost faith in the HC when he sat Henne down and started Pennington. That move right there set this team way back.
The fact that Sparano lets Henning embarrass our offense weekly with his horrible offensive game planning makes me think he has to be held accountable. Henning is a senile old man who needs to go and Sparano is the fool that lets him get away with it.

 

How?

 

Sparano, as his enabler, is as culpable as Henning. When 2 opponents' defenders over 2 consecutive weeks declare they knew what plays were coming 80% of the time, I don't care if it's Tom Brady and Chris Johnson behind center: the failure lies with the fossilized ideas of trying to fit square player pegs into round playcalling holes! It's clueless for Tony to state that the problem is in the execution, not the offensive planning, throwing the players under the bus for failure to succeed with predictable, circa 1990s plays- which may not even be designed to exploit their specific strengths. IMO,

Henning, the dinosaur should be put out to pasture immediately, but Tony should be held equally accountable for turning a blind eye to reality.

 

i think the wish to blame henning is based on the refusal to acknowledge the truth which is our offensive line cant run block and Henne cant beat cover 2 and blanket coverage in the red zone. what play calling allows for success when you are handed that type of team? it's easier to believe its one man, one person that you need to replace rather than to force yourself into the realization that you're going to have to spend your fourth year rebuilding the offensive line all over and that there is a risk that we may still have to find a QB. Its much easier to believe we have our QB and our offensive line is fine if not for poor play calling. I think the answer to what the FO and Sparano think about the play calling will come in the offseason. If Henning stays or if David Lee replaces him the play calling wasnt the problem since the same plays will be called with Lee as they were with Henning. If someone like Kubiak is hired then you will know that the FO agreed that the playcalling was the problem.

Once again the problem I have with the Henning criticism is I have yet to hear what kind of offense suits a QB who cant beat cover 2 (considering thats all we face now thats akin to not being able to pass) and an offense who cant run. Is there a coaching philosophy out there that allows you to move the ball without passing or running? If so thats the coordinator we need

 

Things are getting stale with Dan Henning, predictable, and he's making mistakes in his play calling and now his game plans, under the strain. He's not adapting to the defenses that are adapting to him.

Also, Dan Henning did not want Brandon Marshall. He hates the idea of having a guy that demands that you feed him the ball. He wants a receivers unit full of yeomen with "no b-tches" (his words, not mine). It's not surprising that he buckles a little under the strain of trying to adapt his offense to having the exact kind of player he doesn't want.

When Chad Pennington first got to Miami, and Dan Henning was having one of his press conferences talking about Pennington, he mentioned that one of the reasons he felt Pennington's success suffered in New York is just because "things got stale, which happens."

That's exactly what's happened in Miami with Henning. And it's happened with Henning in most of his stops. He's been with 12 teams in his 31 NFL seasons. That's an average of 2.6 seasons per stint. Fittingly, his tenure in Miami is going to end after 3 seasons...and I'm sure this is complete coincidence, but this week we're starting to get widespread acknowledgement within the media and the team itself (see Herald article) that he's a lame duck, and so you could even say he only made it through his 10th game of his third season, which equates out to about 2.6 seasons.

Over his pro career he's had 2 one-year stays, 4 two-year stays, 4 three-year stays, and 2 four-year stays.

This is really what should have been expected all along. I guess we did expect that 2010 would likely be his last year, but we should have expected that he would likely come under fire even more strongly in that third year.

 

I'm not even going to attempt to get in that battle Adam. Henning is gone into retirement after this year. He will either do it himself or he will be told to leave. Production is the reasoning. None of the verbal banter matters. This unit does not score points. That is ultimately where the offensive coordinator will be held accountable.

 

Let's get some play makers in here.

 

oh i agree. i would say its 100% if not for the fact that Parcells is still lurking in the background and I believe Sparano comes from that same offensive philosophy mold. That and the fact that year four will definitely be the year the Dolphins have to produce or Sparano and Ireland may be jettisoned. Do they want to put their careers in the hands of a new coordinator and risk the team not being able to adapt? Thats why I think if the switch is made it will be David Lee and then this team becomes the Carolina Panthers and Lee becomes Richardson. Nothing really changes but the media and the fans are placated. The fact that Parcells might stick around and thereby might suggest another year of Henning and the fact that year four is crucial to Ireland and Sparano's tenure here make me give the probability at 75% that Henning is gone and 25% that they say screw it, if we're going to go down we're going to do it our way

 

The Nolan hire tells me something different. I think loyalty has it's limits with Sparano and Ireland and I think that's one of the reasons Parcells isn't around anymore. While there are stone throwers out there saying "Parcells quits", I think it's right the opposite. I think he doesn't like to let THEM go (players and coaches) so he chooses to go instead.

 

Same Henning Thread, Different Day.