Two words: Jim Harbaugh

41-14-1. Team in worse condition than ours with a subpar QB.

Whatever it takes to get it done.

 

YES Please!!!

 

We need a better talent acquisition. We'll see what Hickey can do over the next couple of years. We need better players in spots, and we need more beasts. Overall it looks promising as far as improvement, but in 1 year here he acquired no beasts yet.
We need more consistency in the system that was recently established. For that, we need better playcalling on gamedays.

 

The only way to do that was to bring in a coach who is a proven winner. I am not talking about someone the likes of Lovie Smith or Jeff Fisher. We had that coach in Saban who bolted for who knows why? That's the type of coach we have to have. We most likely will continue to do what we do - take shots in the dark and hope something sticks. It's sad really where this franchise has got to.

 

This whole Harbaugh deal feels like JJ/Saban all over again to me. I guess as a Dolfan its hard to get overly excited and think its going to work out after all we've been through since Shula was forced to retire.

 

I'd take the second round of the playoffs with a JJ like run all day long. After a decade and a half of pure suckage, who the hell here wouldn't?

If Harbaugh comes in and gets us to the playoffs consistently by building a culture and player mindset of winning, the key will be that the next hire we bring in fits the same mold and is committed to Miami.

 

I agree.

I don't think most fans realize how important this is and how terrible we've been at it. Why is it that almost 7 years of selecting a LT #1 over a good QB that we are still looking for a decent OL. Keep in mind that we have since drafted 2 more 1st round OL and multiple OL in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

 

Miami is a pretty sexy location too.

 

You got me there. Lol

 

Thats not where the franchise is, at all.

Jimmy, Saban, Parcells, all proven winners who didn't succeed in Miami so it's obviously not as simple as finding the right coach/GM who will swoop in and save the day.

For the first time in a generation we have a QB we can build around but he's still developing, as is the team around him. Tannehill is on pace to peak in the next 2-3 years, just as Brady, Manning, exit the stage. Ross is upgrading the stadium to improve the fan experience and maybe give us a decent home field advantage. There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic if you're looking ahead instead of focusing on what happened umpteen years ago.

 

If winning was easy everyone would do it.

 

I have no passion at all when it comes to crying over spilled milk. What happened 10 years ago has absolutely nothing to do with the players and coaches we have today. What can we do to change the culture? Stop living in the past.

 

First the players have to be confident that their own team talent can win games, and that starts with having some unit on the field that's dominant, preferably the passing offense.

 

Don't agree.

I don't really care what we did under different coaches, players or owners. Its irrelevant to the here and now and in no way impacts our current season. If I wanted to live in the past I'd live in 1972.

Is it an ideal situation? No. Does it make me warm and fuzzy inside? Of course not. Do I realize only what we do now and in the future matters? Yes.

These things only matter if you give them the power to. Focus on the future and what can be done. Not what can't be changed.

 

Amen, brother.

 

FYI, The 49ers, Texans, & Cardinals were on that list just a few years ago.


Cardinals
Between 1998 & 2007, the Cardinals were among the worst teams in the league. Then they went to the Super Bowl in 2008, then been spotty ever since. This year, Looks like Arians is doing a heck of a job, but that team has had the talent to win for a long time, mainly been struggling finding a QB that will stick around.


49ers
Between 2003 & 2011 (9 seasons) the 49ers failed to make the play offs. Mooch left in 2002, Erickson 2003-2005, Nolan 2005-2008, Singletary 2008-2010, Harbaugh 2011... it looks like there was a culture change in 2011, where they've been to the play-offs ever since, getting to the NFC Championship game every season & making it to one Super Bowl. But the truth is that success started in 2005 with the drafting of Alex Smith & Frank Gore. Every year since 2005, they added players to that team that were big parts of what happened in 2011, 2012, & 2013.

Harbaugh was without a doubt a big part of that, he was absolutely the right guy at the right time, but had he gone to SF in 2008, & Singletary took over in 2011 Singletary would look like coach of the year & Harbaugh would look like a hot head.

Texans
Came into the league in 2002. Didn't have a winning season until 2009. Prior to 2009, the Texans went 6-10 in 2006, 8-8 in 2007, & 8-8 in 2008. They didn't make the play offs in 2009 due to the Jets winning the tie breaker. The Texans went 6-10 again in 2010, then 10-6 in 2011, making the play offs for the first time ever. 12-4 in 2012 for their second trip, then 2-14 in 2013. The team that won in 2010 & 2011 is the same team that had been building since 2006. It was also the same team that went 2-14 in 2011. The window was very small & it closed quick.

To me, the Dolphins look like a team that's ready to "explode" like those three. I think the Dolphins were right there, at the same spot back in 2008 when you won the division, but things went south & you took a detour. Pennington got hurt, Ronnie Brown got hurt, Sparano started making some goofy decisions, you trade two 2nds for Brandon Marshall, you let Welker go... Parcells starts washing his hands...

But you've got talent. & you're "winning" with Philben. You're ready to take the next step.

 

Hire the right people up top and stick with them.

 

It's called fan...without the fair weather distinction.

 

He called me a fair weather fan too. I call him a LOSER in life...

 

Lol...fair enough...considering the source.

 

Fire the coach who is a big pu$$y

 

It's not about caring if they win or lose...EVERY fan gets disappointed when they lose...you mistake people caring or not caring by the amount of 2 year old ranting they do.

 

Adding to that, consistently scoring more points than the other team.

 

how can we change the culture.

OB2..and because thats not going to happen, better hope part of the 400 mill ross is spending is going into moving concrete closer to the field..

Find the right coach..The right Gm.

its as simple as that.

 

I'm not sure Philbin is the right coach for us.

But I do know that I don't want my coach "feeling queasy" about making aggressive decision. I don't want my coach giving the other team the advantage in the fourth quarter with untimely called timeouts. I don't want my coach being so stubborn that he jettison's veterans who were productive while here because they're outspoken. I don't want a coach who fields a team of average "yes" men. I don't want a coach that's all finesse but doesn't preach toughness. I don't want my teams coming out flat and only playing one half of football. I don't want a coach who doesn't appear to be a leader of men and lets problems fester like how they did last year.

 

I don't think it's a losing culture at all. People don't realize how hard it is to win in the NFL and they get this "all or nothing" mentality that completely defies logic.

Well guess what? Thirty-two teams play each season and thirty-one of them don't win the Super Bowl. In fact, many here would say that the Patriots have had the most dominant organization out of anybody in the past decade, yet how many rings do they have to show for it? Zero. Nada. Nothing. So they're the best in the business....but they have a losing culture too by the definition that's being used here. And it's not just them....let's go through the roster of recent Super Bowl winners. Besides the Pats 3 Super Bowl wins in 01-04, name another team that has dominated for any decent stretch in recent decades. You have to go back pretty darn far to find one.

Of course, Marino never won a ring so even with all of his years of dominance...that was a losing culture too.

So before this conversation can continue, we need an actual definition of what a winning culture is. Personally, I would say a team that goes at least 3+ years with an above .500 record, makes the playoffs in each of those seasons and beats several top 10 teams along the way. Or, I'd even accept a team with an average record that knocks off a number one seed in the playoffs during their 3+ year span...that works too. And guess what? Out of the 32 teams we have in the NFL, only 6 of them meet that very simple, very basic criteria.

And if we look at 2014, this could certainly be year one of Miami's winning culture. We are currently above .500, still technically in the playoff race and we've already taken down New England and San Diego in impressive fashion. So before we call this franchise a failure, let the season play itself out and see where we're left standing when the dust settles. Because while it sucks that we crashed and burned in the biggest must-win game of the year last week, anything can happen in the NFL.