I cant remember ever watching a team, where you could honestly say......"I have no idea as to which direction this team is headed". This team is such. We could win the next 4 in a row and start the push towards a possible playoff spot....or lose the next 4 and be looking at a new coach on the sideline. If you take a look at the players we have on our team, you see a team kind of stuck trying to find an identity. We thought we had a top ten defense going into the season. We know at this point we have the 31st ranked defense. Are we a running team? Are we a passing team? Do we have an owner who actually has a plan other then hiring retread celebs to be partial owners. I thought Bill Parcels would have pointed this team into the right direction, but then you have an ownership change mid stream, which I think really chaffed Parcells. Huizenga was an owner Parcell's could work with, because Wayne left everything football related to Bill. Ross can say he left everything football related to Bill, but everything Ross did seemed to have a different flavor then what Parcells would have liked to have seen. From attending the owners meetings with Carl Peterson, to the red carpet.....it was just a clash of identities. I can only imagine what was going through Parcell's head the first time he heard..."Fin the the left...Fins to the right"..... Ross stumbled through the off season......openly flirting with other coaches, while leaving Sparano hanging. Everyone who wasn't wearing rose tinted glasses ( I was....but Im usually guilty of such)...saw the coming season the way Sebo see's a Hurricane brewing in the Caribbean. Looking back in hindsight...I can see how bad that soap opera was for this team, as it left the players knowing Sparano was really hanging by a thread. It would appear as though he has lost the locker room, and its more to do with how bad Ross mangled this offseason then anything. I don't see a team willing to run through a wall to save his job. I see a team that seems to have already assumed he's gone at some point. But for all the mistakes Ross made, damned didnt it appear as though Ireland turned around and did the EXACT same thing to Chad Henne. Christ....he might as well have jumped on a plane and flew to Denver to talk with Orton, only to have that crumble at the end. Only after did Ireland say, Henne really was our guy all along....(Didn't Ross say something eerily like that about Sparano?).... I think it has just finally sunk in to me....that logically speaking, we have hit the point where we can go no further with this regime, and unfortunately Chad Henne. Henne in my mind is a victim in all this....he was horribly coached by Henning and Sparano....neutered by Ireland so everyone in the NFL says, we wanted you replaced.....and done in by his own inconsistency. But...if you look at someone I think mirrors Henne in alot of ways...Eli Manning....you see an inconsistent QB who has won a Super Bowl. Even Tony Romo had and has had the inconsistency problem. Mark Sanchez.....yech. But all of those teams, had coaches and GM's that left no doubt each of those QB's were their guys. The one thing they didnt do....was wishy washy. They picked a QB...made a decision and stuck with it. For better or for worse. Hell, what we did was worse then making the wrong decision, we went fickle. Which leaves nobody confident in who is steering the ship. Most importantly the players. And it continues....sign Larry Johnson, waive Larry Johnson, sign Larry Johnson, dont play Larry Johnson when you have the ball 4th and 1 in a game you can win against the Super Bowl favorites....then waive Larry Johnson. Keep Marc Colombo at right tackle, and hope he single handily resolves the Chad Henne question by getting Henne killed. There are to many stress cracks in our foundation. You cant build on it. I look back and wish Nick Saban had been more resolved to be an NFL coach. I actually think he could have turned this franchise into something mirroring the Pats franchise. So....Im resolved now to a team that will once again...be in rebuilding mode. I do not think we can win given everything that has been done...we may win 8 games.....but thats the max. Could we win more....sure. But it will be because of the players not because of Sparano, Ireland, or anyone else. Thats kind of what I get from hearing JT speak out this past week. Kind of like saying.....its not Sparano thats gonna get us to be better....his goose is cooked. But we as players can take it upon ourselves and make it better. Im certainly not hanging any hope on that belief though. Instead, Im turning my focus now on to the college players in the upcoming draft, and which players on the Phins I think can be part of the next foundation. Looking at Stephen Ross....I can imagine him wanting to make a glitzy hire with Cowher or Gruden. In listening to Gruden on MNF, and him clearly saying..."I want to bring back the glory to Miami." He knows Sparano is gone....and that my friends was as much a "Hey ...I want this job" statement as I have ever heard." I think this is the most likely direction Ross will go, given Gruden's allowance of a GM like Peterson. Cowher would want personnel control. Heres a list of other possible choices as compiled by Pete Prisco: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/1...-of-these-guys Ken Flajole, defensive coordinator, St. Louis Rams: The Rams made huge strides on defense in 2010 under Flajole. They went from being the league's worst defense in 2009 to finishing 19th last season. The big improvement came with the pass rush, which went from 25 sacks in 2009 to 43 last season. Like Rams coach Steve Spagnoulo, Flajole believes in an aggressive approach. The Rams lost offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur after the 2010 season when he became coach of the Browns. The 56-year-old Flajole could be next up. Winston Moss, assistant head coach-inside linebackers coach, Green Bay Packers: He has worked with both 4-3 and 3-4 coaches, which has to help. He is currently working under Dom Capers, one of the best 3-4 coaches in the business. Moss has interviewed, but has never landed a top job. His time may be coming soon. A former NFL linebacker, he seems to have a good rapport with his players. The knock on him is that he hasn't been a coordinator yet. But we've seen guys make the same leap in recent years that Moss would be making. Joe DeCamillis, special teams, Dallas Cowboys: Some might think it's a big jump to go from special teams to head coach. But John Harbaugh has had success making the leap with the Ravens. DeCamilles has a great rapport with his players, which shows. He has a passion for the game that is evident on Sundays. He has been around a lot of systems, which would help. He is regarded as one of the best special-teams coaches in the league. He could also lean on his father-in-law for help -- former NFL coach Dan Reeves. Brian VanGorder, defensive coordinator, Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons made some nice strides on defense last season. They went from 14th in points in 2009 to fifth last season. VanGorder is a big reason why. He makes the defensive calls, even though coach Mike Smith is a defense-oriented head coach. VanGorder brings a high-energy level to his style of coaching. He is loud, passionate and can be heard from across the practice field. If the Falcons can continue to improve on defense, and they make a Super Bowl run, VanGorder will get a look next year. He was a college head coach at Georgia Southern for a year, which will help. Mike Pettine, defensive coordinator, New York Jets: He is one of those coordinators who does not get the due he deserves because the head coach made his bones on his side of the ball. Rex Ryan is a defensive wizard and he makes the calls, but Pettine is the one upstairs relaying the vital information to Ryan to make the calls. He is a former high school coach who has taken the long road to get to where he is today. He has a Ryan-like mentality dealing with players. That will help. But he's good with X's and O's as well. Most will point to offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as a head-coach candidate. But I see Pettine as the better choice. Bill Musgrave, offensive coordinator, Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings made a smart hire in grabbing Musgrave to run their offense. He has the right temperament to be a coordinator. He also played quarterback in the league, so he knows what it takes. Matt Ryan loved him in Atlanta, and Christian Ponder should too. He knows when to push and when to pull back. His first stint as a coordinator in Jacksonville ended with Musgrave being let go, but a big part of that was a conflict with then-quarterback Byron Leftwich, and the coaching staff sided with the quarterback. Pepper Johnson, defensive line coach, New England Patriots: He has worked under Bill Belichick since 2000. He first worked with the linebackers, but moved over to the defensive line in 2005. His players have pushed for him to be coordinator, which tells you they like him. But when Dean Pees left last year, Belichick didn't name a coordinator. That's because he is the de-facto coordinator, which makes sense since he is a defensive wizard. Johnson also played under Belichick, which means he has two decades of his knowledge in his head. That means something. Not being a coordinator also does, however. Mike Zimmer, defensive coordinator, Cincinnati Bengals: At some point, he will get his chance to be a head coach. Zimmer has been close, but never quite got the job. He is one of the better defensive coaches in the league. There was some talk that he was the Cowboys coach in waiting, but that turned out to be Jason Garrett. The Bengals were fourth in total defense in 2009, but slipped to 15th last season in part because of injuries. Zimmer should get them back on track this season. If he does, he will get in the mix again. Dirk Koetter, offensive coordinator, Jacksonville Jaguars: The offensive numbers the Jaguars have put up under Koetter are impressive considering he has been limited by a lack of big-play receivers and an average quarterback. Koetter didn't have great success as a head coach at Arizona State, but I think he's better suited to be an NFL head coach. In college, there are too many boosters to please and too much recruiting. Koetter is a football guy. In the NFL, he can be more of a coach. He wowed the Broncos brass with his interview this winter, but they opted instead for John Fox, who had more experience and had a defensive background. Koetter's time is coming. Chuck Pagano, defensive coordinator, Baltimore Ravens: He will be in his first season running the defense, taking over for Greg Mattison, who left to go to Michigan. Pagano's name was one I've heard as a rising star for years. He has mostly been a secondary coach. Now he gets his chance to show how good he can be, leading one of the NFL's higher-profile defenses. His only stints as a coordinator came in college at UNLV and North Carolina. If you view the rebuilding process as already being underway......then you take away the disappointment with losing this season. I want to see individual performances, players that seem to be team leaders, not those that just fade away as Ross's creation spits and sputters through an already zaney NFL season. Heck, given the past lockout...and how the off season went, this was probably the right season for this to happen to the team timing wise. If we are as bad as appears....we will be in the running for a legitimate franchise QB in the draft. We do have some great skill players in place, so with the right guys heading the ship, we may not have to wait long for a return to at least being proud of your team. Whats the most logical direction you see our team headed? Ireland I think has to go.....I just kind of want Sparano, Ireland, And Henne gone.....just to remove the taint of everything left behind.
Franchise foundation players: Here are the players I believe we have to build upon next season. Not to say that other players on this team wont be....but these are the players, in my mind, that create a solid foundation. This is just to look at the strength of our foundation.....and to take account of what we really have. Offense: LT - Jake Long C - Mike Pouncey RB - Reggie Bush RB - Daniel Thomas WR - Devone Bess WR - Brandon Marshall WR - Clyde Gates (He hasnt done much. But every game he has gotten behind the opposing defense. He clearly has the skills to be a special receiver in my opinion, and a great compliment to Marshall. But its going to take time to develop.) Defense: CB - Vontae Davis CB - Sean Smith DE - Randy Starks DT - Jared Odrick DT - Paul Soliai (contract issues, not sure where this will go, but if he is here, I think he is a solid part of a foundation) LB - Karlos Dansby LB - Koa Misi LB - Kevin Burnett LB - Cameron Wake And thats about it. That leaves holes at these positions... Critical: QB TE - We may have something in Clay. I kinda think we do...but since he hasnt played yet, I cant put him in the above. OL - The entire right side needs to be rebuilt. FS - In this league of passing offenses, this now is almost as critical as CB, if not more. Important but not critical: DL - This was supposed to be the strength of our team, and instead, we have seen it fold against Ben Tate, unable to generate consistent pressure. If we are going to stay 3/4, resigning Solai has to be of utmost importance, or we need to go back to 4/3, as I do not see a NT out there that we can build around. CB - After Vontae and Sean, the drop off is steep. Again...a very good nickel back is huge. You almost need three shutdown corners in this league.... Other positions can be filled in by players on this team, drafted, or FA/Trade. Im sure I left things out...so...fill in as you see ....
Hope all this venting made you feel better VT... What we begin again is not re-building, but uncertaincy... Keep the candles burning, not for hope, but so we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel...
No doubt Nick Saban has the ability. He just does not have the humility to take the lumps and become a great NFL coach. I think he sincerely believed after the 2005 season that he was going to continue to ascend with no interruption and keep his no losing seasons as a head coach record intact. Some people have to be a big fish in a little pond. That's Nick Saban. In the end he made some mistakes so instead of persevering he ran back to his little pond. We will not require a complete rebuild at all. When we get a better coach and FO in place we should be able to turn things around pretty quickly. This won't be like after the 2007 season, even if it seems like things are just as futile.
Actually...I feel good about it. Ive just resigned myself to taking a different approach to this season. I havent given up hope something happens now. Heck Im rooting for it. I just dont see it happening. So...given the most realistic thing is a regime change....Im gonna take a look at our team as we make a change in that direction.....what do we have.? Given the players we do have...and the talented players we do have....does the preclude certain coaches from coming here because we are suited to run a certain way? Im excited to see Daboll and this offense grow. While I dont see Henne as the future...(right now)...what kind of QB can we aquire that can fit in an offense like Dabolls. Will hiring Gruden mean Daboll is gone, because Gruden likes the West Coast?
Yeh, I think we all just cant wait till we return to a team that is considered one of the leagues best. We had that with Shula...and got spoiled with making the playoffs all the time with nothing to show for it. Im looking forward to the time when NFL analysts break down the seasons schedule, and say Miami's games are big games for any team facing them.
Can I get the thread title changed to this: "Restoring the pride and tradition to the Miami Dolphins.....the process begins"
I think Henne can be the future. I don't believe in Cowher or Gruden, but Ross may want a "name". We do have a lot of talent on this team, but for whatever reason, it's not showing up. The only bright spots, IMO, have been the play of Henne and Marshall.
My only issue with Henne....and its not really an issue with Henne himself....but....will this team really ever truly believe in him as their starting QB? I guess only he can do something about that....but...I think he will always be tied to Ireland and Sparano. He shows alot of fire though...and maybe he can win the team over despite those two.
Let's not forget that this offense is only 6 weeks old or so. I think Daboll has done a great job so far. Some people on here look at his QPR and judge him by that, when in reality, it's not correct on how he plays. I would love for Henne to get a new contract, but I think Ross might step in and put a hold on everything until the season is over. Just in case he wants to change staffs.
I think alot of it depends on the next few weeks.....if they lose to Cleveland, its gonna be really hard to travel west coast and beat San Diego. I can see Ross trying to do something...anything to put butts in the seats this season....and I think firing Sparano will do that. Its not an easy situation though....because who do you replace him with? The consensus seems to be Mike Nolan....but , and maybe others can answer this, with Gruden and Cowher not coaching, can he hire one of them, and just make an interim coach?
Screw Parcells...I don't blame the owner change for him leaving and not finding a franchise QB or solid O-Line and so forth. Ross was willing to spend whatever was needed on players. He bolted last season so he could dodge criticism. It seems nobody in the national media says, "Hmm, why did Parcells leave? Maybe because he failed to finish the job." He gets a pass pretty much. This team doesn't need a total rebuild. They were able to win 7 games with one of the worst passing games in the NFL last season and before. If they had a franchise QB they could be a playoff/super bowl contender, because they have enough talent around. They just don't have enough talent to make up for it, like the Jets have been able to do for instance. Sanchez has had some good stretches, but he's also had some bad stretches where the rest of the team could pick up the slack. We don't obviously. Or look at the Colts without Manning. One player makes a huge difference. Imagine if Manning was on the Dolphins? That one player would catapult the team. Obviously it's easier said than done to find a Franchise QB...but if they did, then the talent is there for a top team.
Yeah, but it's the halfway point of the season, with no wins, not to early to start thinking about a new coach. Wait, what?
OK I see what you did there.....lol. This is different though Padre. We know Sparano is hanging by a thread. And, remember, this isnt a fire Sparano thread, its a "Sparano is going to be fired and Ireland will be gone" thread.....talking about the inevitable. The team quit on Sparano at the end of last season. That last game....they clearly CLEARLY quit. This season....we are seeing some troubling signs IMO. So...its not a wahhhh fire the bastard thread. Its an , "OK..this is what we have....look at it for what it is.....and discuss the direction we go in now". There are clearly some things to be optimistic about though...Im not losing sight of that!!!
Well, don't misunderstand me VT, I realize if the low level of play continues Sparano is in serious trouble, my complaint is it is to early to construct the gallows just yet. I feel there is a wealth of talent on this team, the fact they are under performing reflects poorly on Coach Sparano, however 2 games in? There is a wealth of time (sort of, this is a Right Now League) and to me, give him 8 games, then see where we are at otherwise it will be 14 more games of the same thing week after week "Sparano sucks, fire him" week after week, thread after thread.
Great first post! As far as the rebuild goes, it's not a roster rebuild we need it's an FO rebuild. From ownership right down to the Head Coach. Unfortunately, you can't fire an owner. And I fear until our ***-clown owner sells the team we're screwed.
Out of context M979, read the whole thing, it is very much the same stuff about "JT *****es about teammates in the media" fallacy. In fact, JT said "it is not the Owner, it is not the Coaches, it is us, we are on the field" There is truth in that, much truth.
This team looks to me to be in a situation similar to the Jets with Mangini. A lot of solid talent on the team but for some reason it is just not getting put together correctly. I'd give Sparano the rest of the year and if the team isn't in playoff contention at the end of the year give him the axe.
Which is fair, if we have a stinker season, it will not be due to a lack of talent, there is plenty of that on the roster, however if that talent does not perform, it falls on the Staff, as much as I like Sparano and Co, that is the reality of the situation.
i think a potential coach would be very excited about this team. most of the problems are fixable as sparano says, just not by him. the team is young has talent and legit weapons. it also has talent that are mainstays...guys like long, BM.
The thing is, any new regime will 'retool', if that's a better word for it, to suit their own nuances of the type of players they prefer. So if you play the semantics game, you can call it retool, rebuild or build a new foundation, whatever it means the same thing. I do agree tho that whoever is next in line for us, will be much better off talent-wise than Cam-Cam, Saban or Sparano. The one thing that the triumvirate did do was pretty much erase the Wanny years draft blunders. That's not to say that we are ready to play the SB with this group yet, but the new regime will be light years ahead of where these other guys were when they started. The NFL is a win now league. We've seen upstarts and perennial losers become contenders virtually overnight at times so now every franchise has to do it or the owner moves on. I'm a bit old fashioned in that respect where I'd like to see a regime given every opportunity to fail before moving on from them, but obviously Ross is not of that ilk. He's already moved on and if I were a betting man, I'd say he's already had preliminaries with guys like Gruden, Cowher and Fisher as we speak now. He desperately wants a brand name coach in here, even if that means getting rid of Ireland as well as Sparano. I almost hate to say this, but since this group arrived here, I've suspected that this is exactly the way it would turn out for us. Knowing that Parcells has NEVER lived up to a contract as an assistant or HC, it was inevitable that he'd move on, leaving a mess in his wake. Well, we're mired in Parcells-mess right now... There's more talent and that's all that can be said, at this point, for the Parcells led regime. So, even tho I'm not convinced that we should move on, it's inevitable at this point...we can fill in the names later, but it'll happen...
I think Jon Gruden with a real good defensive coach brought in could be something to look at. I think there's a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. We're in a much better spot than a few years ago. I'd really like to see a coach like Zimmer bring in an aggressive 4-3 and become a ball-hawking defense while the team continues to progress on offense (mostly through better line play).
Ehh I could see a rebuild honestly. Guys I can see going: Henne Fasano Misi (either gone or he'll be full time back up) Carey Bell Wallace JT Possibly Bush MAYBE Hartline, I like him but a new coach might like someone who doesn't fall all over themselves ^ I'm not necessarily saying all these guys suck or anything, but that most of them are here because of the system/mentality we have here, whatever that is And then there's the obvious cuts like Colombo, Jerry, Carroll, Culver So at that point we're looking at a #1 QB to head the team, a clear cut #2 receiver unless Gates develops quickly, probably another running back, a couple TE's, new RG and RT, capable guys to compete at FS and SS, a bunch of new corners, a bunch of pass rushers.. we've got a lot to fill.
