Dolphins about to evaluate themselves
LONDON -- Last week I wrote in The Herald a story saying the Dolphins will do a self-evaluation during the bye week and running through the end of the season.
You'll be hearing more about that evaluation in the coming days because Wayne Huizenga today confirmed that process is about to begin when the team returns to South Florida.
Per Huizenga, the length and breadth of this evaluation process will go beyond the typical self-scouting most teams do during the bye week. It will evaluate coaches, pro and college scouts, and personnel decisions as well as players.
The idea is this: The Dolphins believe they are about to enter a pivotal offseason in which they will own more draft picks and higher picks than most teams -- the Dolphins already own three picks in the first two rounds. The team also expects to have a lot of cap room for free agency, between $20-25 million.
So Huizenga doesn't want to squander that on decision-makers he has no confidence in. That is the reason the evaluation is starting now. Simply, Huizenga doesn't want to start figuring out if he needs to whack some people in January because he might either be in hiring mode or getting a jump on free agency and the draft mode at that point.
At the end of a gathering with reporters in which he announced this evaluation, Huizenga asked reporters if they had any suggestions. I stayed quiet because I wouldn't want to share my ideas with the other writers.
But this blog is an open forum, so by all means, tell me how you would evaluate the Dolphins problems. Where do you think they need change? Where do they need to stay the course? And what mistakes have you seen THIS YEAR that you believe need addressing so they won't be repeated next year.
Let's see how many of you are insightful and how many are, shall we say, obtuse.
You'll be hearing more about that evaluation in the coming days because Wayne Huizenga today confirmed that process is about to begin when the team returns to South Florida.
Per Huizenga, the length and breadth of this evaluation process will go beyond the typical self-scouting most teams do during the bye week. It will evaluate coaches, pro and college scouts, and personnel decisions as well as players.
The idea is this: The Dolphins believe they are about to enter a pivotal offseason in which they will own more draft picks and higher picks than most teams -- the Dolphins already own three picks in the first two rounds. The team also expects to have a lot of cap room for free agency, between $20-25 million.
So Huizenga doesn't want to squander that on decision-makers he has no confidence in. That is the reason the evaluation is starting now. Simply, Huizenga doesn't want to start figuring out if he needs to whack some people in January because he might either be in hiring mode or getting a jump on free agency and the draft mode at that point.
At the end of a gathering with reporters in which he announced this evaluation, Huizenga asked reporters if they had any suggestions. I stayed quiet because I wouldn't want to share my ideas with the other writers.
But this blog is an open forum, so by all means, tell me how you would evaluate the Dolphins problems. Where do you think they need change? Where do they need to stay the course? And what mistakes have you seen THIS YEAR that you believe need addressing so they won't be repeated next year.
Let's see how many of you are insightful and how many are, shall we say, obtuse.
posted by Armando Salguero at 8:26 AM
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83 Comments:
They need to do a better job in free agency. They need to know the weakest part of our team and work from there. The mismanagement of free agent money last year was a poor job by The Dolphins front office. They MUST do a better job this year.
Although we have been through too many people at the top making the final decisions on personnel, have the ones "on the street" changed? Is the guy that told Sabin to take Culpepper instead of Brees still getting a Phins check? How about the guys who recommended Jason Allen, John Avery or anyone from all those drafts that are not in a Phins uniform anymore. Those are the guys who have to go. Bring Bates back to be the Def. Coordinator.
It starts with the people making the personnel decisions. Personally I am not ready to give up on Mueller yet. I think his choices last year were pretty solid and will pan out. I do question the decisions of the recent past in letting some verterans go that would have contributed (Madison, Surtain, CArter, Welker, Morris). We need cornerbacks, so that should be a priority, in Free Agency. We need to draft for Thomas's and TAylor's replacements (for Thomas take a look at Ben Moffitt of South Florida. If he is not a Thomas clone then I am blind). Scouting needs to be addressed, and I would maybe look at some outsoide copnsulting help from guy that KNOW football (Marino, Jimmy Johnson, Shula), maybe build a draft/scouting consulting group.
Scouts must be looked at as a number one priority. Randy Muller needs to evaluate all the scouts in his system and replace them ASAP.
I heard a fact a while ago that just amazed me. From 1999 to 2003 or 2004 (can't remember which). The Dolphins had drafted around 50 players. How many of those guys are left. NONE. That is the Dolphins problem. They draft absolutely horrible. They need to draft better. Free Agency is nice, but you NEED to draft players that will matter on your team.
Armando,
From where I sit, the first thing to **NOT** do is fire either Randy Mueller, Cam Cameron, or Dom Capers.
My "fan" evaluation consists of this:
Randy Mueller: First, it is well documented that this team still has ZERO draft picks on this team from the last JJ years thru the Wannstedt era, as well as a few whiffs from Saban. This is Mueller's first full year. Nine of his ten picks made the team. That's unprecedented in team history. His only questionable decision has been the JPorter signing. But is that a talent problem, or a D-coordinator problem? Plus, Randy has a proven track record at Seattle and New Orleans, and is highly regarded in league circles. That being said, his track record, his reputation, and his recent draft success (and Feely acquisition) far outweigh the J Porter move, which might not be his problem anyway.
Cam Cameron: Has done absolute wonders with the offense and offensive line. Yes, there's still the silly penalties and clock management stuff, but he is learning too. The bottom line of the team strategy as I see it was to bring Cam in and leave the Defense to Dom Capers. Cam has lived up to his side of the bargain. Has it been perfect? No. But it is definitely improved significantly on the O-side of the ball. Based on this, and the team's plan going into the season, Cam has upheld his side of the bargain. Plus, what do you have to gain by replacing him? You would get a) Another unknown, or b) Bill Cowher, who lost as much as he won and still has the lack of talent issue on the team, c) Another offensive scheme (4th in 4 years), d) Another defensive scheme, e) Another coach bringing in "his" guys, and in general yet another year of instability. The firing of Cam Cameron creates more problems than it solves.
Dom Capers- Perhaps Dom is the most questionable coach to keep. He is the easy sacrificial lamb, afterall, how does a defense go from #4 ranked to invisible in a year? Well, first off, he lost half his rotation on the team strategy to build offense and revamp the kicking game. That obviously didn't pan out well for the Defense. And as a coach, I can tell you that if you DON'T HAVE THE PEOPLE, the greatest scheming in the world won't make you successful. It is my opinion that Dom Capers is still an excellent coach who is suffering from a lack of quality bodies on his side of the ball. He didn't let the Defense get old, he didn't cause injuries to Holliday and the four safeties, or to Goodman, and he sure as hell didn't draft Jason Allen. You don't go from one of the most respected Defense coordinators in the league to inept overnight. And after following Dom in Carolina & Texas, I can tell you he is far too classy a person to throw anyone under the bus and he will accept the full blame, whether it is his or not to bear. Yes, how he utilizes Porter is questionable for how we thought he would be used. But what does Dom know that we don't? In a game, do I put my money on Capers, or hystrionic bloggers? Or reporters for that matter? What about the poor tackling, etc you ask? Well, that's what position coaches do, not D-coordinators. That's not directly Dom Capers responsibility. You should ask that of Mel Phillips, etc.
So are all the coaches safe? No, not by a long shot. I think Keith Armstrong should probably be let go immediately. This position has suffered ever since Wannstedt brought him in to replace Westhoff when Westhoff called him an idiot. TWO kickoff returns for touchdowns this year? Ginn's early east-west running? All the STUPID penalties? Go look at Westoff's years vs. Armstrong's. No contest.
However, this is my bottom line regarding the coaches and front office. A plan is in place, as are good men and good coaches. Now it is time to stock the roster.
I don't know enough about upcoming free agents or the college draft candidates to intelligently comment about specific people. Obviously, we need help along the defensive line and a complete secondary.
But the bottom line is that the Dolphins have a plan, with the critical people in place (less Armstrong) to make it work. In my eyes, the front office has been fixed, and now it is time for the roster. And I trust Randy, Cam, and even Dom to make the right choices.
Matt in NC
First of all, I think you need to keep Cam and Randy. Cam has done a great job with the offense and the players he was given. He elevated Ronnie Brown to what would have been a Pro-Bowl season for a player that had yet to break through. Scoring 28 pts against the Patriots was no small accomplishment. You need to give a coach more than one year to evaluate him. I think he will continue to learn and become a very good head coach. This is Randys'first year with the hand-cuffs off. He's done well in the past and I think he will continue to get us great players. Porter was a beast in Pittsburgh, you can't fault Randy for his lack of production. I think our biggest need is to get cover corners. Get a proven veteran cornerback in free agency and draft a playmaker from college. The draft is where we need to build from mostly if we are indeed "rebuilding". Speed kills and I think we need to get a young defense that is fast, as well as another receiver with quickness. Give Dom Capers another year, based on his past performance and see what he can do to fix the problems on defense. Without a doubt though, we should be blitzing more. Our special teams have got to get better and I think that starts with getting a new special teams coach. There are many areas to address and I think we will get there. Next year will be vastly different, as you can only fall so far before you eventually have to bounce back up. It's inevitable that the Dolphins will get better at some point. I think the fans really do have a place in helping the team with as much support as possible at the games. Keep cheering the team, even when they're down because being the 12th man can have a big positive impact. Imagine yourself on the field down there fighting through all the adversity that our players do. Help them pick themselves up by representing Dolphins fans as being the classy, never-say-die kind of fans we've always been.
While i agree that Meuller has a great track record and Cameron has improved the offense this season, there is one thing that bothers me about both of them...that, they didn't see this coming. i honestly can't get past that. if you can't accurately and candidly judge the talent on your own team, then you can't be trusted to fix it. candor is what you look for in managers of a business and it is the same thing for sports. i would have been fine (and honestly i think everyone would have too) if at the beginning of the season they said, "fans, this team is not good. we will try our best, but we need to rebuild." that would be a candid and accurate assessment. When JJ came into Dallas he went 1-15. but he said, we are rebuilding and the fans were supportive. instead, they go out throw away a 5th round pick on a player they should have never, ever gotten. and sign a deffense end clearly on the down slope of his career for way too much guaranteed money. those were the two biggest off season moves and they wiffed on both. i am also concerned about ginn. while he is very fast, he clearly doesn't like contact and that is concerning on many levels. finally, i believe that there is a clear disconnect between the scouts and the system. i mean, there has to be since we have changed systems so many times in the past year and so few scouts have changed. that is also a sign of bad management.
in summary, i would first analyze how/why both cam and randy missed assessed this season. if they just missed it or they weren't honest, then they are gone. i need honesty. if there is a reasonable excuse, then i will give them another season. i will also assess any mismatch between scouts and systems and get that fixed asap.
They have done a wonderfull job bringing fresh faces to the offensive side of the ball, do the same to the defense by bring a few quality lineman, a top safety and top corner via free agency. Then draft big OT or DL on first round, a TE and a cover corner on second round, and anything else base on best available player from round 3 until the end.
This year will help the evaluation process by playing Beck now, Booker and every young player you are looking for the future.
Cam is on the right track but he also need to learn how to be a head coach, and not a OC....for sure fire ST coach how has done notting to deserve a paycheque since well NEVER
AndyPerez
I think that unless this defense does a complete 180 and becomes a monster, that Capers is a goner. We should really consider bring Bates back, although I'm sure he's happy in Green Bay. (if he's still there?)
Its a travesty that prior that during those those draft years, we have ZERO of those picks on the current roster. We need MUCH better talent evaluators and scouts.
Free agency signings better be evaluated CAREFULLY. Make sure previous injuries are FULLY healed. We don't need other team's castoffs. We need contributors that are still in their prime.
I'm pleased to see that most of us agree that CAM is not the problem. Firing him would just make the hole the Fins have to climb out of that much deeper. Its nice to see the OL playing so good, opening up holes and providing decent protection. I'm blown away at the low number of sacks given up this year vs last year.
Is there anyway to keep Cameron as the coordinator/assitant HC and bring in a Schottenhiemer. I agree that Cameron has worked wonders with the Offense, but it seems like calling the plays and being the Head Coach is too much for one person. And his value is definitely in play calling. I understand that Hudson Houck's contract is up, is that true? He must stay!
Where to start... Before I would even consider how to draft or what FAs to pick up, it is imperative to understand which players currently on the roster the team should build around and conversely, which players are expendable. It is also paramount to have a philosophy on both offense and defense. This allows the team to know which type of player is needed at certain positions, if say, the defense of choice is a 3-4 then a massive middle guard is needed in this instance.
The NFL is a QB league and any evaluation should start at that position. This means John Beck must be on the field after the bye. We have to know now if he is the man, just adequate, or heaven forbid a bust. With the high pick we will have, we need to look at our QB and those available and make a franchise defining call. Even if John Beck looks promising I would not pass on a great QB if I felt very certain there was one to be had. QB is the key so having 2 good ones would not be a bad thing for a young rebuilding team. Many great teams started by bringing in 2 QBs when they were building, examples, Dallas – Roger Staubach & Craig Morton, Dallas again – Troy Aikman & Steve Walsh, Pittsburgh – Terry Bradshaw & Terry Hanratty, NE – Drew Bledsoe & Tom Brady... I could go on, these are just off the top of my head but each team won multiple SBs. I’d say that is an endorsement for this thought process.
Here’s where it gets tricky... We all know the game is won in the trenches so OL and DL must be priorities but, as Don Shula once said, “you can never have enough good corner backs.” In my opinion, the 2nd hardest position to play in the NFL (QB being 1st) is CB. These guys are very hard to find so if there is one sitting there in the draft you must take him, period. I don’t think a lot of people realize the impact of having great corners. It’s like having 2 defenders because if you can cover the WRs with one guy it frees up the defense to bring the safeties up in run support or blitzes.
3rd priority would then be the OL and DL. The skill positions are the glamour boys but it doesn’t matter how good your skill guys are if you don’t have anyone to block for them. On Defense, if you can’t protect your LBs they can not fly freely to the ball, we are seeing that this year. Linemen can be found later in the draft but it is hit or miss, so you draft a whole slew of them in the later rounds and sort out who to keep.
Now think patience, since you are working toward a long term goal you have to expect to bad while you build what was previously stated. Once those pieces are in place then you go for the skill players at this point you may even be ready to use FAs, like NE did with Moss and Corey Dillion. But you have to be in the position to get FAs by having the other pieces in place. The reason I put these guys last is because it so easy to miss on WRs and RBs early in the draft...
I could go on, but I’m sure you’re all rolling your eyes by now.
"It starts with the people making the personnel decisions. Personally I am not ready to give up on Mueller yet."
That's a bit of a contradiction, considering that Mueller US a person that makes personnel decisions.
I don't really think it matters at this point. I don't think they give a damn what we say
The first thing to keep in mind is, a division win must go through New England. You can only hope to slow them down and the way to do this is to neutralize Brady. Two ways to do this, sustain drives and/or pressure Brady.
Given the way the offense has been moving the ball and assuming John Beck is the man, I'd say the fins should be able to sustain drives against the Pats. But, a game-changer on offense should always be taken therefore, a top draft on offense should only be used if the 'Phins can get an Adrian Peterson-type or Braylon Edwards- type playmaker.
My greater desire is to see a return of the 'Phins '06 defense. Therefore, if the offensive playmaker isn't there then, the moose from LSU should be picked
(I believe he's a DT) along with an amazing pass rusher and cover corner.
In summary, I think at least two of the top three pics should be used on defense (DT/DE/DB) and the first pic for offense only if an amazing playmaker is available.
Matt in NC...
...said it all. The big thing I think is needed is time. The past 5 or so yrs mistakes wont be going over night!
The biggest problem with last year was O and was sorted to an extent this year (its not great but its better than before) Next year i'm sure the D will improve with Muller's new more prominent role.
Maybe change a few position caoches.. maybe a few scouts. But keep the same guys in for a while else this problem wont get any better soon as anyone new comming in will need to sort out what was left before them.
Cam and Mueller have to stay. We can not continue to go through coaches and offensive systems they way we have. Let the players learn a playbook and master it instead of cramming for it like a last minute test, only to turn around and learn another one in record time. Mueller has a good track record when he is allowed to make decisions, and this year's draft looks like it will be a good one. Besides, Saban said if he stuck around he was going to fire Mueller. You want to use advice from him?
I would like to see Cam hire an O-coordinator. Cam's playbook, Cam's philosophy, but let someone else focus on each play during the game. I'm sure it's hard enough to learn to be an NFL coach for the first time without taking on the added responsibility of play calling as well. Maybe he would see more of the problems on defense? I can see a possible scenario from early this season actually being true: Cam knowing the defense was ranked 4th last year, Capers is still here, so there was not much need to look at the defense. Lose a couple backups and sign a free agent, and all should be fine.
Special teams is an absolute disaster. Armstrong has to go. Period.
Talent scouts should be ran through with a fine-toothed comb. A lot of the problem was previous coaches having too much authority when it came to personnel decisions and drafting.
We need guys who know football. Wayne always says he doesn't know anything about football, that's why he hires people to take care of that. But if he doesn't know anything about football, how does he know that the people he hires know football? Talent scouts with reputation are a must.
But let's not go overboard with free agency. Let's not forget the most important thing to remember about free agents - they are FREE. As in, they are free to sign who whoever THEY choose. It's not like the draft where we pick them and they either play for us or don't get paid. We lost out on at least one FA this year (Donte Stallworth, I believe) simply because he would rather play for a team with a chance at a ring instead of one on the decline. This happens all the time. We had the same problem a few years ago trying to get Olin Kreutz and John Tait, to name a couple. They wanted to play for a winner, and you can't blame them. The only way to get a FA to come to a crappy team is to throw more money at them than they can get anywhere else (Joey Porter, anyone?). We'd be better off, saving some of that cap space for some high picks, get the team better, and then FA's will want to come here, saving us cap space in the long run.
I made the following comment at another site about two days before the "Wayne is doing an analysis" story came out:
If I owned the team, I would demand to see the scouting reports and draft board for the last ten years, and see which scouts, personal men, GMs, and coaches had each bust rated highly.
Then I would pick out some guys we passed on and whom were successful, and demand to see the same for them.
I would know pretty damn soon who has been screwing up in player evaluations.
Lloyd Heilbrunn
The Fins had a good draft last year which may turn out to be great if Beck and Ginn blossom. The past draft failures cannot be blamed on the current GM and scout staff, so you have to give them another shot with the 08 draft. However, it does appear that the GM made a mistake letting 3 good D lineman go. And Porter? I can't say. Is he underperforming or being used improperly, or just not able to make plays cause the D-line is always breaking down. I hear alot of complaining about Porter, but not much about Taylor. Porter's problems may be the same as Taylor's this year, no D-line. Bottomline - if they hit on a bunch of good players in the 08 draft, if Ginn evolves and if Beck emerges as the man at QB the Fins will be on their way. But it will likley take another strong draft in 09, and a year under his belt for Beck, for the Fins to be a playoff contender in 09. Bringing Ricky back in this year would also seem prudent, to see what he can do and if he can stay clean. That's no-brainer and a no lose situation, especially given the current state of affairs this season. I hope Meuller has an open mind on Ricky, cause we all know he is sick and tired of the guy.
Forgive me, Armando, for not answering your other questions.
My previous post answers where I think the most change should come from. As for where the 'phins need to stay the course, i'd say keep the offensive line coach and Cam Cameron and his offensive boldness and creativity. The 'phins are more fun to watch on offense this year than in recent past.
As for what mistakes have they made and need to avoid repeating? The answer has to be lack of attention for the defense. How do you decimate a top 5 defense in one offseason? It is shameful and both Cameron and Capers should be embarassed. I know they've suffered injuries but they struggled when everyone was healthy. What's more frustrating is that, to my knowledge, the talent we lost on defense in the offseason wasn't even in exchange for better offensive players. The offense is essentially the same as last year. What has happened to our defense is baffling. Let's not make that mistake again!
Give Cam and Randy a break. With only one off-season to with here’s what they have accomplished of the offensive side of the ball. So, I say give the another year and let’s see what they can do on the defensive side of the ball. IMO, in year 3 we should see a playoff caliber team, and one that should be in contention.
In 2006 according to NFL.com Miami’s (as a team) offense finished off the year with the following stats:
28th in the league in rushing (only 7 TD’s)
11th in rushing avg. (4.2 yards per carry)
29th in Pts/G (16.2 yards)
29th in total points (260 yards)
20th total offense (310 yards)
13th passing offense (205 yards)
Prior to Ronnie going out NFL.com has him ranked 13th overall
Att 241
Att/G 18.5
Yds 1,008
Avg. 4.2
Yds/G 77.5
TD’s 5
In 2007 according to NFL.com Miami’s (as a team) offense has made great strides towards improving upon last years team averages:
2nd in the league in rushing (9 TD’s)
2nd in rushing avg. (5.0 yards per carry)
12th in Pts/G (22.3 yards)
9th in total points (156 yards)
20th total offense (331 yards)
15th passing offense (218 yards)
Prior to Ronnie going out NFL.com has him ranked 4th overall
Att 119
Att/G 17.0
Yds 602
Avg. 5.1
Yds/G 86.0
TD’s 5
This off season the team needs to focus mainly on BIG defensive line and at least one shutdown corner. Hopefully, both will be drafted. Free agency should be used to fill in maybe one young key player (Line Backer or Safety) and special teams players.
Mueller and Cameron are paying for the past sins of the organization; they should get a chance to show what they can do. And I don't think any of us are familiar enough with the various other folks in the administration, particularly the scouting department, to say who should stay and who should go.
I can, however, offer a very simple point to build a strategy around -- look for a stretch of years as the peak point -- the time you are ready to go for it all. I'd look at a window three to six years from now.
That means draft OL and DL now cause they have longer careers. Then Linebackers. DBs and WRs you hit later.
Use as much of the cap as we can now on signing the younger players who should be around during that period to front-loaded contracts(think Crowder, Carey, Bell, etc.) And trade or cut expensive veterans (Booker, Shelton and -- I'm sorry to write -- Zach & Jason).
That will leave a chunk of cap room for big and expensive free agents when we look competitive and are ready to surge. Waiting until then to get the free agents will also let us fill in for the busts we have in the draft (every team has them).
This ain't rocket science. It's just how smart teams rebuild in the salary cap era. I should also add it is exactly what we haven't been doing for almost a decade.
1. Examine day by day what Dom Cpaers and Keith Armstrong are doing because there units are terrible. Are they trying hard enough to put guys in the best positions to make plays and make stops and in the return game make blocks, because Ginn is running into a brick wall at this point
2. Evaluate scouts, but the 2007 draft is going to prove to be a great draft and I think they need to evaluate whether or not Beck is ready to play now
3. This team needs to be more decisive in free agency and take guys that plug up the holes they have not sign the big name to sell more tickets i.e. Joey Porter
4. Be patient, the entire world knows what I'm going to call the Peter King stat. 0 for 59 in the drafts from 1998-2003, that is going to set you back a while and this team needs time and patience to build.
5. Let Cameron keep working with the offense, but hire an offensive coordinator either by moving Shea the QB coach to OC, or let Trent Green, yes Trent Green be the OC. Both of those guys know the offense and let them oversee the everyday function so Cameron isn't spread so thin so he can at least work with the Defensive coordinator.
Other than that the team has been set back by the draft and all we can do is hope the team gets better.
MATT IN NC, I think you hit the nail on the head. To me the biggest mistake we made this year was letting go of the hogs that helped us break the teams sack record for two straight years. You just don't lose a Kevin Carter, Wilkerson, Evans, Bowens Zgonina, and think you can replace them with guys that should be driving a cab. So fart he offense is right where cam said it needed to be in order for us to be competitive, he just didn't know how bad the Defense was going to be.
I think Randy gave us the best draft we've seen in last 20 years. With one more off season, I think he can right the ship.
CrazyDolfan305
Keep Mueller and Cameron. They weren't here between 1999 and 2003 when the Flippers were drafting 46 players and trading for 10 others none of which were on the active roster this past Sunday. (Yeremiah Bell is the lone remaining player from those drafts). Finish building what they started on offense. Draft Jake Long, insert him at left tackle, move Vernon Carey to right tackle and insert LJ Shelton at guard. Liewinski becomes the main backup at either guard position. Draft defensive tackle with both 2nd round picks. Draft a middle linebacker with the 3rd round pick as Zach will retire after this year. Trade Taylor and hopefully they can pick up another first round pick. Sign Asante Samuel as a free agent and try to trade for a disgruntled DeAngelo Hall. With Sameul and Hall they would have the best pair of corners in the division if not the conference. Offense keeps improving and defense would be improved too.
this is simple, 1st pick in 08 draft cornerback, 2nd middle line backer, 2nd pick we get from san diego tight end who can get open 3rd wide reciever and or o line men. i dont know where everyone is getting we have 20 to 25 mill cap space, if you get rid of trent green,david martin,marty booker,jason allen, and zach retires we should have about 40 million. keep all our coaches. keep jason taylor and ricky williams and go after diangelo hall.
There is no way to evaluate coaching on this team. There is one gaping hole and it is behind the defensive line. You can rush 4 only. If you blitz, it is an opposition td. You can only leave 2 in the middle. The other 5 guys can't stop 3 receivers. The line starts to drop back because rushing the passer is out of the question. They run the ball. 15 yard gallops or 20 yard passing plays. Take your pick because it is like 11 offensive players against 6 defensive players. Fill any holes after the draft with free agents and current players.
Tell me how to evaluate that with everyone running around on defense trying to cover someone elses position. This is totally Sabans fault.
You can't expect free agents "players" to want to come to Miami like they want to go to New England. The attraction to the Patriots is simple: They're SB winners with a proven system. You can't say that about Miami. In fact, you can't expect players to come to south Florida without first seeing positive results--like making the playoffs for starters. Until the Fins make real progress and show that they're capable of winning consistently, they aren't going to get the prime-time players. They'll keep attracting the cast-offs and NFL dregs like Joey Porter.
I think if I was the owner of this team, I do myself a big favor and treat my current cast of coaches and players like a Wal-Mart gold fish--flush it down the toilet and start completely over.
I've got news for all you Camco and Mueller supporters, these guys aren't the saviors you've got them pegged to be. They are mediocre. Do you honestly think if they were all that, that their former employers would let them go? Come on! No one was barring the door on either one of these guys. If you want the best, you have to go where the best live and cut off a branch from their tree. Like finding someone in the Polian or Pioli school and making them your talent evaluators.
As I commented on Mr. Cote’s blog, the first thing Wayne Huizenga needs to do is look in the mirror and realize that part of the blame for this mess starts with him. He has been the guy who has focused on instant gratification (i.e., winning now) instead of building a franchise capable of sustainable success (e.g., New England). Wannstedt continuously borrowed from tomorrow to bankroll today. You just cannot keep doing that.
Another reason Wayne finds himself in the mess he’s in is because he doesn’t seem to understand enough about the nitty-gritty of football operations. I hate to keep coming back to the Patriots, but Bob Kraft was fan long before he bought the team. What this has done is help him better understand the product he’s selling. When Kraft asks Belichick or Pioli about the guys they’re looking at drafting in the first round and asks “why not guy X?”, he understands what they mean when they say “well, he’s a one-gap DT and we play a two-gap defense”. Does Wayne?
That said, here’s my take on the solution. For starters, firing either Cameron or Mueller would be remarkably stupid.
Let's start with Cameron. He's installed an offensive foundation that works, what it really needs is talent, more talent and, sadly, health. But more than that, he's also trying to change the culture around the team facilities. Since the start of the 1996 season, the Dolphins have been coached by a group of guys with some dysfunctional personalities. Aside from having an ego larger than the Everglades, Johnson was an emotional roller coaster for the last couple of years of his tenure. Wannstedt was clearly overmatched from the opening kickoff against Oakland in the 2000 playoffs forward, and spent 3½ years wondering if his shadow was laughing at him too. And as the stories about Nick Saban’s tenure make their way out, it’s easy to see that he combined Johnson’s wildly volatile personality with Wannstedt’s gross ineptitude.
That brings us to Mueller. Simply put, Randy Mueller is Miami’s first personnel guy with a demonstrated record of success since Bobby Beathard. Given his successful track record rebuilding both the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints, Mueller deserves a chance to rebuild this team according to the plan that he and Cameron have developed.
Armondo,
Whether your readers are "obtuse" or not, THEY are what are paying YOUR light bills. Personally, I think I'd give your readers a little more credit. If I may be so dull, how about a story on position coaches and if they're feet are being held to the fire? Keith Armstrong? Mel Phillips?
I think Matt in NC has made some great comments in this blog - very insightful. I think that the Mueller/Cameron/Houck combo could generate a very good offense, particularly if Beck can pick up the faster paced NFL game. The offense on this team has played markedly better than it has in years. While I'm still undecided on Matt Roth, it seems like most of the other draft picks are carrying their weight in a rookie season. I think with another good draft we'll see some definite momentum.
When Jimmy Johnson blew up the team and rebuilt we had the youngest team in the league and still went 8-8, mostly cause of Dan Marino since you can only be so bad with Marino as your QB. I am a firm believer that it starts with your front office and scouting department, then the coaching staff, then the players. We do have to evaluate who is responsible for scouting reports for draft picks the last 10 years.
The coaching staff, can we please get to a point where we may begin hiring from within. Can we begin to develope our own coaches. Can Cam hire someone to replace him if/when he resigns or gets the boot. Can we get coordinators tutor those already on the staff to take over their duties if such a case happens? and so on and so on.
You build through the draft. You pick up young developing hungary players and you put them through a really tough camp (ala Jimmy Johnson, and Don Shula). It starts in the trenches. The O-line and D-line.
I am a firm believer that if you can run the ball you can control the clock, and if you can defend the pass you stop the quick strike. So I would focus on O-lineman, pass rushing D-lineman, and Defensive backs.
Who is doing the evaluation ? How can you have people evaluate themselves ? I think this is part of the problem, Huizenga has allowed people to tell him how they're doing. Who's going to admit they stink ? Anyway, I'd evaluate every scout, pro, college ect. the team has. Go back the last 8 years and do some quality control checking. How'd they do in hindsight ? How close were their reports ect. How does Miami do self scouting ? Is the process flawed as they thought the "D" would be top 5 again ? What is their free agent thinking. Do they believe it's best used when you're close or do they think you should spend big money even though you're far away from the playoffs. Get a formula and stick with it.
Evaluate the schemes used on offense and defense, are they schemes that are built with todays game in mind, i.e. players coming and going every year, free agency ect. In other words, are the schemes easy to learn ?
Matt in NC really hit the nail on the head. At the end of the day, the only person Wayne Huizenga needs to place blame upon is.... Wayne Huizenga. He foolishly let Jimmy Johnson convince him to hire the "poison" that has slowly killed the Miami Dolphins. That "poison" being none other than Dave Wannstedt. Because Wannstedt gave away draft picks, like candy at Halloween. It's easy too see why the team is in the situation it's in. This team has ZERO depth.
You've got to stay the course and allow Coach Cameron and Randy Mueller to do what they were hired to do. They were hired to fix the Miami Dolphins and make them winners once more. Let's allow these two men the opportunity to do just that. Anybody else who feels otherwise, is an idiot.
heres a suggestion wayne draft a goddamn QB with the first pick and play his ass
I was there today (26/10/07) in London to see my beloved Dolphins practice. I've been a mad Miami fan since the very first day the NFL was showcased to the UK. I loved Dan Marino and the team was great then, except it did not win a Superbowl although Marino deserved to have a ring more than anyone in the game who has not one a Superbowl. However, i feel sorry for the current Dolphin players because of the mis-management of certain players and bad choices. Execution at the top level is not there and you need to be ruthless. It made my day and year to meet some of the Dolphin players right here in London where i live. I met Jason Taylor, one of my favourites, Jay Feely, Derek Hagan, Jason Allen, Travis Daniels, Keith Traylor, Ted Gin Jnr and the Coach Cam Cameron who was very appreciative. I just want the Miami Dolphins to win badly on Sunday vs. the Giants. I'm sure this team will turn it around. Also bad luck has fallen on the team with recent injuries to Ronnie Brown, Renaldo Hill, Zach Thomas, Trent Green and others.
But this team has got to have a attitude and no quit mentality.
We will get this turned around.
Go Dolphins
Jaymesh Patel from Willesden Green, London, UK.
I shall be at Wembley on Sunday 28th October to witness history in the making in the NFL.
all this praise of the offense is ridiculous. we are dead last in the AFC in takeaway/giveaway 7-14 -7
our QB rating of 70.1 is 28th in the league. 7tds 11 ints.
the majority of our points and yards were during garbage time, when other teams were ahead and comfortable with there lead.
oh and by the way our best offense player was drafted by nick saban go figure.
and now ronnie is injured and who knows how he comes back, might not be the same guy. he had durability question coming out of college and had yet to carry the ball 30 times this season before he went down .
DeAngelo Hall, 23 years old. That would give us AT LEAST 7 years to build a secondary around him. The team was DOOMED the moment Madison/Surtain/Knight were cut. As I said before, it's amazing it took other team's this long to figure that out! DeAngelo Hall, I'LL SUCK YOUR DICK! While we're at it, if there was a way to get Sean Taylor GO FOR IT!
I think its no coincidence that the defense was vastly improved last year with the insertion of Yeremiah Bell at Safety. Its also no coincidence that the defense has all but collapsed without him in there now. While that speaks to how good he is, it also speaks to the lack of depth at Safety, made even worse with the rash of injuries at the position.
Another place where the lack of talented depth shows up is on Special Teams. If your Special Teams are bad there is a pretty good chance you have bad back-ups at a lot of positions. Losing players such as David Bowens, Sammy Morris, and Wes Welker has hurt the Special Teams badly. This we all know.
I am VERY confident in Randy Mueller's ability to get this team new talent, but the cupboard is so bare right now it will take 2-3 years to stock back up.
Cam Cameron seems like a very bright individual, so I have no doubt that he will grow into a very good NFL Head Coach. Do, I know for sure this will happen? No. However, I think the biggest difference between a successful Head Coach and one who is not is not knowledge, but talent on the roster.
Dom Capers is a well-regarded Defensive Coordinator who didn't get dumb overnight. Give him some better DB's and another couple of DL's and I'm sure he'll be "smart" again.
John Beck NEEDS to play the second half of the season so that we know what we got. Hopefully, Cameron/Mueller's faith in him is not misplaced so that our QB position is covered for the future. If not, this franchise is in trouble. Ginn will be very good, if not great once he learns the league.
The main person to blame for where the team is right now is Mr. Huizenga. You don't become a successfull businessman by continually making bad hires in critical positions in your company, but that is exactly what he has done ever since he forced Don Shula into retirement. Wannstedt destroyed this team during his tenure, along with Jimmy Johnson previous to him.
We need to be patient with the current regime for another year, at least. I think they're on the right path.
Here are my thoughts:
1) Defense. Get younger, more talented players at the corner and safety position (early draft), and upgrade a couple guys (maybe via free agency or late draft) on the line. Linebackers, I think, are not great but not the biggest concern, either.
2) Offense. I think the RB position is okay, assuming Brown is back next year at full strength. A better possession receiver (or slot) would be nice to complement Ginn and Hagan spreading the field (mid draft). OL is looking pretty good, actually, and should continue to improve.
3) Special teams. Upgrade at coach.
Marc, DeAngleo Hall would not be a good fit for the Dolphins. The comments he is making in Atlanta would be even worse on this 0-7 team. I'm not saying the guy does not have talent, but his mouth gets in the way of anything he does on the field. Everyone knows the loss of Michael Vick is the reason for the Atlanta downfall and for Hall to put it on Petrino is just plain stupid.
He's upset because they cut Grady Jackson, well tough shit. Shut your mouth and play football. I personally would not like to see this malcontent in a Dolphin uniform. Petrino knows this season is done and he's trying to position himself to grab Brian Brohm in the draft.
This comment has been removed by the author.
You can't fire the owner, dingdongs!
You don't fire CaMueller either. The draft was solid to good, and the only big-time question was the hiring of Joey Porter.
You consider firing Armstrong and the entire defensive staff, if you believe they are the problem. I happen to think the problem is the personnel, lack of depth and aging of the D.
Draft defensive linemen! Draft a killer safety! Draft a corner. Built depth on defense.
The offense needs some help, too, but it's not as urgent as the D.
Ken in San Diego
Patrick, I don't give a damn WHAT he's saying, or who he's talking about. I'd take him, Chad Johnson, T.O., Bryan Cox, Tank Johson, ALL OF THEM! Half these people or MORE want Ricky back. I think he's done more to damage this team then ANYONE! I can deal with a shitty attitude if he can PRODUCE.
Maybe we should fly to the east and find about 8 450lb Sumo wrestlers! They're HUGE and quick. Their whole job is to shove people around!
I realize this disaster is not entirely Cam or Mueller's fault, but let's be honest, if either of these 2 guys were fired tomorrow, would they get another job at their current position?
Take a blank check and give it to Bill Parcells to be GM. Let's consider next year a "Do Over" and have Parcells rebuild this team from scratch. They will be GUARANTEED to be in the playoffs within 2 years if Parcells sticks around or not. Look at all of the other franchises he's left in recent years. They're much better than they were when he got there. No offense CAM, but I don't have time to wait and see if you can rebuild this mess. There are too many draft picks and too much cap room at stake to give Cam & Randy "a shot"
With this being a their biggest off season in many years as far as # of draft picks and free agency it is the utmost importance that they get this right. First off now that the O-Line is coming together the biggest abyss on this team is the secondary. They need to draft a #1 corner and stud safety. They will also need a legitimate #1 WR who can catch 80 balls a year. Picking up another solid O-linemen couldn't hurt along with another LB. Not sure if all of this can be done in just one off season but I would say that most of it is possibly considering the # of picks and cap space and providing that JT and Zach are still around which if they are not could add to the list of things required by the Fins to get better.
I too think we should go after D Hall. Even though his attitude has been really bad lately , I'd still go after him, it would make one less person we would need to draft!!! He is clearly unhappy and it will be interesting to see how the offseason plays out with that.
As far as Wayne and what to do, he needs to be more hands on with the team and stop taking everyone else's word for it!!!
AND could everyone PLEASE stop saying that Randy's 07 draft selections where solid ,we really don't know that yet!!! Of course they were all signed, that was to get you to think they're solid but over half of them have yet to take the field, how solid is that????
I don't understand, WHAT OWNER ASKS THE MEDIA FOR SUGGESTIONS TO WHAT THEY SHOULD DO. Wouldn't here Jerry Jones or Bob Craft asking its media what it should do when they are/were having issues. MAYBE YOU GUYS SHOULD TELL HIM TO SELL THE TEAM. OR CHANGE THE STADIUM NAME BACK TO JOE ROBBIE.
Jdizzle,
Methinks the draft was indeed solid. You got a starting center, a super-blocking fullback, a fast receiver, and a punter that are all contributing and getting better every week. Those guys alone make it solid.
Throw in the fact that you have a QB-in-groom mode, a LB-in-groom-mode, and a defensive lineman being groomed, I think that is more than solid, and in fact, is pretty damn good. When was the last draft on this team that gave us that kind of return?
Matt in NC
It all starts with the draft, most people say you can't draft out of need, but this team needs to! Start with the d-line, take Dorsey without a second thought...second round, first pick, MLB/DE, second pick second round - Safety. Free agency - SHUT DOWN CORNER / O-line..we need to do a better job figuring out which guys fit into our schemes...they do not have to be huge name guys, more so guys that fit, Joey Porter obviously does not fit....I might also suggest a TE that Beck and rely on, that is big for a young QB
I'm with jdizzle here. We haven't seen half of them, and the half we have seen aren't "extraordinary". I've seen Mauiu miss as many blocks as he's made. I've seen Satele shoved around. I DO think Beck and Ginn will be good, but Beck needs to get out there, like last week! It's WAAAY too early to tell whether or not it was a solid draft!
Boy, Nick Satan was worse than anyone knew or could have guessed. We knew about Spielman and Wannstedt. No wonder the Dolphins are at the bottom. It is just plain pathetic what the Dolphins have become. I say keep Mueller and Cameron and hope for the best. If they are fired and we start all over again, I am thru with the Dolphins. We have changed coaches and GMs more than any team, and what has it gotten us? Cellar dwellers, that's what. Now Jason Cole has started a rumor that we will hire Bill Parcels as GM. What a joke. He is so untrustworthy, he'll make Satan look devoted. Just count the teams he has left in mid-stream. If we change coaches and Gm after this year, than you can bet the Dolphins will forever be at the bottom rung because it would mean Huizenga will never learn. He may as well hire his son to run the team.
j dizzle said... I too think we should go after Deangelo Hall....what are you smoking? could you imagine him on this team, he would be tearing the locker room to shreds...he is nothing but a big mouth over rated corner, this his s@it does not stink and yet week in and week out he gets toasted...forget him, I would not take that loser on my team if he were given to us for free! He is acting like that in Atlanta, they have 1 more win than us, just imagine that loser in Miami...no thanks, no matter what has happened this year, no one has acted like a moron.
Anonymous
Just becuase you have players in "Groom Mode" doesn't make them solid!!!! What was considered as our best pick in L. Booker has yet to take the field along with the rest of Randy's so called solid selections!!! A solid selection to me is a guy like D.Bowe of KC. This guy has out played Ted Ginn Ten times over, and really on the same field with Calvin Johnson!!!! Or a guy like Amobi Okoye is a player I would consider as a solid selection!! But the players selected by Randy have yet to prove their worth!!! Don't get me wrong Ginn is improving every game and so is the big center, but we haven't seen enough of these guys to say they are SOLID!!!
First, I feel the coaching staff should be left alone. The offence has surely improved. I do question several front office moves, That would include Mueller. We let Wes Welker go and got nothing, I had to shake my head on this one. Ginn has not shown even a glimpse of promise. for me whoever had the final say on these decisions needs replacing. We need to look at Beck NOW!! we need to know before the draft if we need a QB. If Beck is the answer we need to look at the defence, Leave Taylor and Thomas in place, and work on the d-line we dismantled in the off season. We need a strong presence at safety. Look in free agency for a WR, and another back up for Brown, If we dont keep Ricky. Well this is a start, by NO means a complete answer.
Giusippe, I assure you no reader on here is paying my light bills. I make that check out every month and no one on here has offered to step in for me at any time.
Also, last I looked there is no admission charge to come on this blog. It's all free, and I readily admit, sometimes you get what you pay for.
Mandy, I'll pay your light bill for the year if you convince DeAngelo Hall and Sean Taylor to sign ;)
Charles, the Welker move has been beaten to death. It was the ONLY move
and if Ginn's shown you NOTHING, I'd get your eyes checked. Maybe you blinked when he returned that kickoff for a TD. (Even if it was negated)
Anonymous
I'm not smoking right now when I get off me and Ricky are gonna go and burn one.....Oh wait he is trying to get reinstated so he'll just be catching second hand smoke!!! But as for your comment just because a player verbally expresses his displeasure with losing doesn't make him a bad person, or player!! In fact most of the disgruntle players are the most passionate about the game. From your statment, I take it you would've passed on T.O. if he were available which would be a mistake , even though he has a BIG mouth his game speaks for itself. As for D.Hall getting toasted every game I'm not sure what games your watching!!!! The guy is upset because he feels the play calling is ridiculous .....and to be honest it is, in their case anyway!!! A guy like D.Hall is a guy that can play man to man,they have been putting him in a bunch of zone coverages which is one of the reasons he's upset!!! Its like if you worked in I.T., but your boss uses you to load trucks, you'd be pissed too because you can't utilize your natural talent!!!
Greeat to read MH column without a lot of name calling and with many intellegent suggestions. I agree with most so will not repeat. In evaluations take into consideration actions taken that 6 former Dolpins Now playing for SB bound Pats. What went wrong there? Who was responsible for changing defense this year from lasts years 4th best? 66 fan,,
Armandito thats easy all Wayne has to do is hire the TUNA as the president and keep Cam and Mueller because they are in the right track. He need to work with Mueller in drafting and FA signings and presure Cam to win games any way posible. I beleive the only pressure to win they have today is from themsefs and that not enoph.
Go after Grady Jackson now and Samuels in free agancy....then draft: 1st OL, 2nd SS or TE, other 2nd SS or TE and 3rd CB
AndyPerez
Fire Cam, he is a good offensive coordinator but a bad head coach. The Dolphins need good leadership at the top, Cam is not up to that.
Mueller is a good talent evaluator, but he needs a head coach to keep him from stirring up the roster too much. If he can be balanced by a strong head coach, I think you keep Mueller.
Capers, from the team's performance this year, you'd have to seriously move to let him go. Let the new head coach choose his staff.
Personnel decisions: draft another quarterback, don't place all bets on Beck. Beck might turn out to be the one, but lets give him some competition. Does not hurt to have two up and coming QBS.
Other than drafting another QB, and perhaps a TE if a good one is around, I would make defense the main priority on draft day. The secondary is of course the most pressing need, but Dolphins also need to plan for life after Zach and JT. That said, also sign a good pass rushing defensive end like Kevin Carter and David Bowen did for us in the day. Also, Traylor is headed for retirement..
Jimmy Johnson said it best, Dolphins need two shut down cover corners. Those guys are the hardest to come by. We won when he had Surtain/Madison, and even Vincent. Now we have Jason Allen. Dolphins should draft the DT out of LSU and then 3 cover corners. Screw offense, offense sells tickets and defense wins games.
To follow up on my last comment. The only guy worth keeping on the Dolphins staff is Capers. Capers has the talent of a high school team on defense.
It's not his fault if every team is cutting our team like butter. How do you win if someone could pass on you at will? Cornerbacks are horrible and safeties are worse.
Armando, why would you not want to share your ideas with other reporters? Lol.. are you scared they are going to steal your ideas and write them as their own?
Lure Scott Paoli. Give him the football team and fire Wayen.
The Dolphins should look to the draft first then to free agency to solve their problems. The use of free agency should only take place when a team is close to going over the top. With that said, I would hope that the evaluation would began with the question, "how did this once proud team with only 2 losing seasons from 1970-1999 come to the state it finds itself in as of October 2007." As far as players, the Fins should consider trading out of the #1 position in the draft for another team's #1 pick and extra picks later in the draft. Rarely does the #1 overall pick move a team from last to first or second in the NFL. DBs should receive the highest priority. A cover corner is a must if the Dolphins are to compete with the Colts and Patriots of the world. D-lineman are next in line followed by O-linemen and then LBs. The team must determine whether Beck is the QB of the future. He does not have to be Bob Grease or Dan Marino to be successful but he must be able to move the team, control the game and threaten teams deep. Ginn, Hagan and the other receivers must show that they are more than people in Dolphin's uniforms. They must produce. Finally, if the Fins should, by some blessing from above, improve next year to respectable or dare I say competitive, this organization cannot fall to the temptation of going after a high priced free agent to get them to the playoffs. Only if they are in a position to make a real run at the Superbowl should this team go heavily into the area of free agency.
Paul
It is too early in the Cameron/Mueller era to fire either of them. I would not fire Capers either b/c he is a proven defensive coordinator. I cant speak for the scouts because we do not really know who is making the decisions. Clearly someone messed up the Jason Allen thing but that could have been 100% Saben. So no drastic moves yet. Stability is key in the NFL and firing someone would just cause more problems.
It's way too early, to pull the plug on Coach Cameron and Randy Mueller. These two men deserve the same chance, that Wayne gave his first three hires. If not more, because of the mess the last three regimes have left behind. Especially Wannstedt. I certainly can't complain abut this 2007 Draft class. 9/10 draft picks make the team, one winds up on the practice squad. 2007 was the best draft the Dolphins have had since, God knows how long. Guys, things may look bleak now.
However, fear not. Coach Cameron and Randy Mueller are here to save the Miami Dolphins! Just keep the faith.
http://www.dailymotion.com/tag/wwe/video/x380vq_saveus229_sport
mueller is getting off easy.thats why he was about to get fired by sabin. start over hire parcells to be gm and hire his own coach.2 to 3 years from now it will be our time
BLUE SYKE YOU ARE SPOT ON IT WILL BE BLUE SKIES WITH THE TUNA IN CHARGE BUYING THE GROCIES IN 2008 AS THE GM HE LOVES TO SHOP AND MIAMI NEEDS A FEW CARTS FULL OF TALENT COME ON TUNA LEAD THE FISH!PARCELLS IS A ANGEL HE BUILDS TEAMS UP LIKE NO OTHER!HE IS A WINNER EVERYWHERE HE HAS BEEN.BRYAN IN OHIO
It's time to finally close the chapter known as the JJ/Wannstedt Era by trading and/or cutting JT & ZT. In fact, Carey, Bell and Hadnot ought to be the only pre-Saban players who survive the upcoming purge. It is absolutely essential that we cut ties with the two remaining leaders who have failed to lead us to victory for over half of a decade now.
It's time for Cam and Randy to explain why they stated back in August that they thought we were going to be contenders this season. Wayne must make it clear that significant progress must be made over the next two seasons, or they are gone.
It's time to fire Armstrong and send a clear message to all of the assistant coaches.
It's time to reevaluate our draft evaluators and make the appropriate changes.
It's time to restock the team with youth. That means draft, draft, draft. It's the only way we can dig ourselves out of this hole. The only FAs we ought to spend any money on are ones willing to play for close to the veteran minimum, or ones who are under 25. We will not be contenders for the Super Bowl anytime soon unless we string together four or five positive drafts over the next half decade.
Last but not least, It's time to field a franchise QB again. This franchise has not been the same since we lost our last franchise QB to retirement. No position is more important than QB. After Sunday, it's time to make Beck the starter to see what he has. If he doesn't shine and clearly show he has the right stuff, we absolutely must spend next year's top pick on Brian Brohm, Matt Ryan or Colt Brennan. Having one of these guys AND Beck , as opposed to JUST Beck, will greatly increase our odds of fielding a true franchise QB in the near-future. We are not likely to become contenders again until we fill the hole at QB.
I'm done rambling...
Bill Parcells sucks. Coach Cameron and Randy Mueller have the ability to get the job done. You can bank on that. These guys just need some time, that's all. Parcells is overrated. Did I mention, he sucks?
Dolphins need to get behind Ricky Williams, and trade Ronnie Brown at the end of the season for a 1st and 2ed round pick.
Sounds crazy, but is it really?
Ronnie Brown has a super high market value right now, everyone in the league thinks he's great, so it shouldn't be hard to get a great deal for him.
The reason you trade him is he's accident prone, and will most likely be missing a step when he comes back from knee surgury. Remember how Daunte lost a step?
Now, Ricky Williams is rested, injury free, and built like a tank, not a glass tiger like Ronnie Brown.
Also, look at the stats,
Since March 8th 2002, Dolphins are;
26-18 with Ricky.
12-31 without Ricky.
Ricky needs to play, he needs the money, he owes the Dolphins millions. He won't quit again or mess up a drug test. He can't, he knows this is his last chance.
Ricky Williams is a gift, and the Dolphins get him for free.
Even the media loves him, remember he won the "Good Guy Award" from the press at the end of the 2005 season.
Trading Ronnie would also free up more salary cap.
I don't think anyone else has thought this one up. Think about it Wayne and Cam.
I think there are two things one Matt in NC got it right and two people have to be a little patient lets face it this team is bad and was void of real talent with Cam and Randy took over. You can not seriously expect them to right the ship with one off season. And any one that thinks that way is a idiot. Lets look at it.
1999 no pick in R1
2000 no pick in R1
2001 Flecher in Rd1
2002 No #1 for RW (Not on tem) and #2 sent to Phily for QB??
2003 again no #1 for RW (Not on team
2004 1b is Carey and 1B traded away and no 2 and or 3
2005 1 was for RB already we got it right but we was picking #2 that pretty much tells you we were a bad team. And no #2 traded that to Phily again for a QB (Not on team)
2006 Our #1 was JA who is starting his very first game this sunday. And I might add a #1 pick who could not crack the starting line up untill now that plays a position that lets be honest they signed 6 free agents this year to start ahead of JA enough said there and our #2 went to Min for Cpep (Not on Team
There ya go so for the last ten years so far in Rds #1 and #2 and #3 the rounds that should produce your playmakers we have one RB and one OL and a Safety that is suspect at best. But let’s give it to him that he is a starter. Nevertheless that means we should have at the very least 24 starters and we have 3 to show for it. There is our problem right there and the new Cam/Randy regime produced 9 players from this draft with 3 undrafted rookies. So while their record is suspect at best I say the new regime is doing a remarkable job correcting the sins of their predecessors and infusing this team with talent.
In addition I really like the plan so far. They are putting together a team so that when they imput Beck they are properly trained and ready to go. I see a plan coming together. It takes a little time and patience but I see their plan.
Thanks Alan
Armando ... not sure if you'll get to this comment given the long scroll before this ... but, for what it's worth, here goes (BTW, I'd be curious to know if WH ever reads these blogs ... do you kmow??).
I'm from London and am heading to see the game tomorrow. Though I'm happy to see the 'fins play live, I've got to admit that I was much more excited when I first bought my txts a couple of months ago than I am now. I'm pretty disappointed in the quality of the team (and have been for a while), so your recent topics of conversation are a). quite timely and b). a nice way to get the 'fins frustrated fans viewpoints out 'there'.
Here are my thoughts (in order of priority):
1). WH is spot on to call for a review. IMO, the fins need to develop a 'benchmark' of excellence for their organization, (based upon a philosophy of how to achieve success on the field) and then put in processes/decision making capabilities that allow the 'fins to approach that benchmark (while also understandig what resources (scouts, etc.) they need to achieve the goal). That's what this review should be about. This should be done with the assistance of outside experts (Ron Wolfe). As others have pointed out, without the outside review, the assessment will be a waste of time, more CYA than anything.
2). Once the benchmark has been established, the 'fins need to go back and review the a). the entire organization, b). the decision making process and c). key decison makers over the past 8+ years and compare vs. the benchmark to see where they've failed and why (businesses undertake this process all the time). No one should be given a free pass as others ('give Mueller time') have suggested.
3). The 'fins especially need to focus on a). the organizational philosophy of what it takes to win in the NFL, and b). the decision-makers. I agree that continuety in an organization is of paramount importance, but if you've got the wrong philosophy or the wrong decision makers, then you're not going to get where you need to go. On the flip side, if you'v got the correct philosophy and grow from within, you can withstand deflections from the organization (see the Patriots). While also looking inward, the 'fins should also have an up to date file of who the best coaching/personnel talent is in the NFL.
4). One of the things that I've been most troubled about this past year (and someone mentioned this above) is the fact that Mueller/Cammeron thought this was a playoff-caliber team and told WH as much. If they did infact make that statement,that's a HUGE red flag (and the Porter signing was another one). The 'fins have to realize that there is a clear disconnect between the ability of their top talent evaluators to evaluate the level of the 'fins talent relative to that of NFL playoff caliber teams. This needs to be addressed, or the team will continue to flounder (personally, I am unimpressed with Mueller and his draft; I mean, so what if 9 of 10 draft picks made your team ... a). this team is HORRIBLE and b). Mueller/Cammeron decide who 'makes' the team.)
5). The 'fins need accountability on the field. Too often they beat themselves. Good teams do not do this; the 'fins have done this for years. I think this is one of Cammeron's strong suits ... he's trying to instill personal accountability (that's why he released Evans). The philosphy is correct ... but it'll need time to find itself onto the field. (BTW, this is why the Falcons cut their DT, he was freelancing too much and not being accountable for his role. That's why he was cut ... and it was the right thing to do).
6). Although I think Cammeron has strong potential, he needs to focus on the entire team, and not just the offense. Now that he's developed an offensive philosophy for the fins, he needs to grow a coaching staff that can help to carry out that philosophy. So he needs to find an OC who will bust his but to ensure that the philosophy is carried from the chalk board to the field.
7). With regard to how to fix the mess on the field. They need (inorder of prioity): A). to develop a dominant OL that can dictate play and allow the fins to control the clock (think about drafting Long), B). a SMART, workaholic QB with a good arm (Beck has potential), C). fast, quick cover corners (the more the better), c). a SMART middle line-backer (Zach's one of the best ever from that perspective ... he'd make a GREAT GM), d). big, nasty, DTs that can hold the point of attack, e). DEs and f). OLB's that can cover AND rush the passer. Looking at the roster, do the fins have ANY of these type of players??
I think WH HAS to fix this mess this year (and this offseason). He's failed at this twice now (hiring Wanny and Saban), he's got to make it work this time or he has NO credibility. Sorry for the long blog.
We were sitting in the same place in Wanny's last year as coach - in fact we went 1-9 for the first ten games. However, our team was so fragile we collapsed because one player was not on the roster - Ricky Williams.
Guess what? We had Surtain, Madison, Thomas & Taylor, David Bowens, Sammy Knight, and Yeremiah Bell... We had Wes Welker, Chris Chambers, Marty Booker and Sammy Morris... all on that team.
Our team seems much less talented today, doesn't it?
Yet I actually feel like I have more hope... we have a direction with QB... we have back-up RB's... and we have an Offense in place that produced LaDanian Tomlinson's numbers the last four years.
Remember when San Diego was so bad that Archie Manning wouldn't let Eli go there???
We need to not rush judgement, not pull the plug early...
Nick Saban cut good guys on the roster, and brought in HIS guys. However Nick quit before his system could work to fruition, leaving the team incomplete.
Cameron / Mueller did the same thing his year - cutting or trading guys that weren't seen as fitting in their system.
Don't pull the plug yet... we have to have patience and not again turn over a team in shambles.
About coaching... ideally - Marty Schottenheimer would have been a great head coach for the Fins. Don Shula remains great friends with him. He would have ensured toughness and credibility to the team. Unfortunately, San Diego fired him four days after we hired Cameron.
Cameron has brought us an offense this year... and done it with a whole new O Line, no with our back-up QB, back-up RB, and back-up WR.
It's so great not to see Jimmy J / Wanny-ball... a run based offense. There's finally some imagination here.
This season is long over from being salvaged.
What not to do...
Don't sign Bill Cowher.... notice how much better of a team Pittsburgh seems to be without him there? Tomlin is doing a better job. Watch him on CBS - he doesn't add much.
As much as I like him - don't bring in Parcells. He's not a long term answer. We'd be looking for another coach in two to three seasons anyway.
Do the evaluation... steady the ship... agreed - fire the Special Teams coach - he's not done anything since getting here under Wanny.
I LIKE ANONYMOUNS COMMENTS MANAGEMENT IS TO BLAME. THE TEAM DID'NT FAIL MANAGEMENT,(WAYNE REMEMBER THIS) MANAGEMENT FAILED THE TEAM! GUY'S I REMEMBER WHEN MOST DOLFANS ASKED FOR SHULA'S HEAD ON A PLATTEER, FOR WALK AWAY JIMMY. NOW YOU SAY WITH FEELING THAT WE ARE PLAYING MORE OF OUR DRAFTED PLAYERS THAN EVER BEFORE (HELLO). WE'RE 0-7 FOR THE YEAR! IF I PICKED A DRAFT NOTHING PERSONEL, STRICKLY BUSINESS I WOULD MAKE SURE MY DRAFTEE'S PLAYED ALSO. HOWEVER @ 0-7 I WOULD REALIZE (HOPEFULLY BEFORE,)MAKE A CHANGE. WAYNE UNDERSTANDS THIS SO DO I. WE LET OUR D-LINE GO WE LET A GOOD QB COMPETION NOT EVEN HAPPEN (WHY) ALL BECAUSE OF THE GM AND/OR THE HC! MARC GOOD COMMENT TO PATRICK TALK ON THE FEILD OR OFF DOES'NT MAKE YOU PRODUCE OR NOT. SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO TAP-IN-TO WHAT THEY CAN TO BE THE BEST THEY CAN BE (HOWEVER TALK THE TALK, WALK THE WALK)
Is this the first time the Phins have done this kind of evaluation? Wayne talks about running a business, but part of running a business is engaging in these evaluations more often than once in fourteen years. Seriously...they got here because they have not evaluated things enough.
At least Wayne is now acknowledging that a quality team begins with quality scouting and personnel moves. The years of barren drafts are the primary reason for this team's current status. We all know Houck is a great coach. Capers is a good coach. Cam is probably a good offensive coach. The problem is they are coaching a team of practice-squaders. Cam and Mueller should be assessed on how well Beck and Ginn do. If Booker is a bust, that should hurt their cred.
In the end, though, I don't trust Wayne and his inner circle to make the right decisions as most fans knew years ago Wannstedt was the wrong guy. There is no doubt they have the data to make the right decision, but I sense they will interpret that data differently than a Scott Pioli would, and therefore, make more bad decisions.
I can't believe that Capers isn't getting severely critisized for what has happened to this defense in such a short time. This defense fails to take advantage of Porter's skills and I thought we would see some creative schemes moving Jason Taylor, Porter, Roth, Crowder, and Zach. Cam has made improvements with the offense, but our DB's are horrendous.
We need to see Beck play at least 6 games this year so he can be fairly evaluated. We have to know before next years draft if we have the QB in place or not. If not, he has to either be drafted or signed as a free agent.
the best piece of the article (sarcasm) was where you said you kept quiet because you didn't want to share your ideas.....to a billionaire businessman, the only guy who's started 3 fortune 500 companies to help him think of something new....just to not provide a single thing in this column while making it an open forum for others to provide their own ideas so that you could cultivate your "own" ideas off of others. What a slacker.
Why do we even care to say anything. Mr. H has made it abundantly clear that he will not contemplate doing what the fans want. Dumb fans. Just shut the F up and pay those exorbitantly high ticket prices, take out a loan for the jacked-up season tickets and, by the way, shut the F up about losing 1/8th of your home games that you paid that increased price for.
Just shut up and keep paying the man while he doesn't give a damn what you want.
Call in the likes of Booze Allen, Price Waterhouse, McKinsey and Co. Turn them loose on the team so they can make zero-base analyses, set up spread sheets and set up an action plan for others to execute. Go hire a dozen or so MBAs to do that part of the project.
Football is about eating grass once in a while and spitting turf and blood out of your mouth, then kicking the other guys butt so hard he wobbles after he finally gets up.
Football is not about non-football people running things. I once had a basketball coach for a football coach. He had us running basketball court exercises and made decisions based on how people demonstrated basketball skills.
My first coach was from West Virginia. He had his head screwed on right. He knew that basketball was invented to keep football players in shape.
Football, Mr. H, is not a business or a game. It is a passion. If you haven't played it, you can't understand it. I suppose that is why Jerry Jones, while not the most likeable guy in the world, is very successful. He understands football.
Sell the Dolphins to people that understand football, Mr. H. You will do yourself and all of us a favor.
You have directly told the fans that you don't care to entertain what they want. You have alienated us. It is all very clear now.
Einstein
is this gonna be like the movie "Office Space"?
I agree with Armando - Wayne needs to hire someone like Marty Schottenheimer or Don Shula to oversee the entire football organization. This would allow Wayne to get back to running his "real" companies with the piece of mind knowing that a football guy is running his football club.
Video tape the patriots upper level management meetings!
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