First True Rebuild Of Dolphins Team Since 1983 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

First True Rebuild Of Dolphins Team Since 1983

How many years before Coach Flores gets Miami to the post-season?

  • 2019

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • 2 years

    Votes: 25 36.8%
  • 3 years

    Votes: 32 47.1%
  • 4 Years

    Votes: 6 8.8%
  • 5 years

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • He won't

    Votes: 4 5.9%

  • Total voters
    68

marino2duper73

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I have sat back and said very little regarding the Dolphins' moves at the end of the 2018 season. While I will readily admit that Adam Gase's departure was expected, I did not prepare myself for an ACTUAL rebuild of this team from the ground up.

In 1983, when I was a shade under 10 years old, the Miami Dolphins selected Dan Marino from Pittsburgh. When you're a kid, and you've just watched the Redskins beat Miami in the Super Bowl, you only worry about facing your classmates that you bragged of a Miami victory on the Friday before. Then this new quarterback is drafted, and you wonder if he will be as good as WoodStrock. You wonder if he will be just another name in the paper throwing 1 TD and 4 INTs every other week.

As a kid, though, you don't really think about offensive lines, coaching chemistry, and front office competence, let alone an owner's influence on the on-the-field product for the fans. You just want to be able to go to school on Monday (or Tuesday), and brag about how your team kicked ass and that shiny Starter jacket your wearing makes you a winner because your team won that week.

In 1983, a rebuild started with Marino. Then, shortly to follow, Richmond Webb, Keith Simms, Dwight Stephenson, Mark Duper, Mark Clayton, and a few others, became the future of winning in Miami. Even after the loss to SF in 1984's Super Bowl, every FinFan KNEW that we would be in multiple Super Bowl games to follow, without hesitation of the thought. How football has its way with fans, whew.

As that team matured, and as the expected positional door opened and closed on several players throughout the years of Marino, there was always a sense that the team was only a free-agent signing away from getting over that AFC Championship game issue vs Buffalo. Again and again, year after year, the final score sent the Bills, Pats, Steelers, Broncos, Raiders, and others to the Super Bowl, and the Phins were left, once again, to figure out what went wrong. Even with arguably the best pure passer to ever play the game, Shula, Johnson, Wannstadt, and a host of others, could never find the right formula to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to South Beach.

So fast forward to the Tannehill era. Same results every year. Same revolving door of coaches. Same lack of development of players. It always appeared that no matter what, the new constant of Miami's team on the field was that going 8-8 was a milestone. Making the playoffs was the threshold. I know many of you don't remember what it was like to see Marino and the Dolphins destroy a 3-win team in Week 13 to CLINCH the AFC East. Now we find ourselves losing to a 3-win team to clinch elimination in week 16 or 17, or never showing up prepared to play a win-and-in game. The Wild Card game in Pittsburgh 2 years ago spoke volumes to this teams disarray. How could a team with so much momentum get absolutely crushed by a Steelers team that was not firing on all cylinders for weeks? How could you have Suh, Wake, Jones, Alonso, and get zero pressure on a very pocket-only QB? How could your backup in Matt Moore have so much success against tougher defenses for 8 weeks, only to self-destruct against a idle-of-the-pack defense?

I have the answer. Foundation. This team, for going on two decades, has been chasing its tail to replace Dan Marino, believing that the success of the team is dictated by the QB position alone. Ironically, Marino's success was entirely supported by the fact that he HAD to throw the ball. Name a running back in Miami besides Tony Nathan (Keith Byars was a fullback, people) that Marino had for a sliver of time that produced a multi-dimensional threat on offense. The comparison is that for years, John Elway had the same syndrome that Marino had. Throw Throw Throw. No running backs to support the passing game. Then, enter Terrell Davis. Elway wins two Super Bowls.

If this team is to get back to glory, the foundation of the team must be built first. Would you build a house by starting with the roof? As Dolphins fans, we have endured 20+ years of roof before foundation. I believe that to build a champion, it starts with coaching. Period. A well-coached team doesn't have to sign billion-dollar free agents to win. A well-coached team signs the best-fit players that have a billion-dollar attitude for half the price. As much as it pains me to say this, as I despise the Patriots wholeheartedly, Bill Belichik is the greatest coach in the modern era of the NFL. He has done more with less since taking over New England, and it isn't a coincidence that EVERY team is trying to emulate his methods for success.

In closing, I believe that Brian Flores is a good fit for a total rebuild. In most examples of success in business, when the company is built from the ground up, its founders play a role in the company's continued success (Jobs, Gates, Musk, Bezos). Shula was that for Miami for years, then he left. If Flores is given the time that has been promised, then it is possible that success can be rekindled in Miami. The Draft will tell us a lot about how serious this new coach and GM are about "doing it right".

A rebuild is only as successful as the strength of its tools. You could have the smartest people on the planet, but if your tools break down often, you'll just have the smartest people on the planet without tools.

Sorry for the long post, but it has been brewing, and it was time to serve it with tequila and pickle juice.

See you all on here on draft night.
 
Track record says no for Pats assistant coaches doing well in the NFL. I say no for Flores being successful in the NFL based on history. Hope I am wrong of course.
 
Very nice post bro. I totally agree with most of what you posted. Long time suffering fan, Dolfan since 1971. I sure hope we rebuild the right way this time.
 
Not sure you can consider 1983 a rebuild, it was more of a transformation. We went to Super Bowl in 1982 and Marino fell in our lap in the 83 draft. Marino replaced Woodley and the rest is history. Didn't necessarily rebuild a Super Bowl team just added parts......although they were huge.
 
I'd say 2007 was a "rebuild" but it was very apparent the people running it were not going to do it right.

Jason Taylor said once he still doesn't know how Cam Cameron got the job.
 
I’ve posted before that QB, while a vital position, is not a cure all.

Of course it was interpreted that I said it isn’t an important position, on and on...

You are spot on. Selling the farm to buy a QB right now would be insanity. Even if the guy had the goods he would be destroyed behind this line.

Even Marino would be worthless if he had no time to throw. Kinda makes a difference.

Fix the lines, both of them.

I do say we should take a QB this draft. But Good Lord, don’t give up the precious few picks we have (and need) to grab one in the first.
 
I'd say 2007 was a "rebuild" but it was very apparent the people running it were not going to do it right.

Jason Taylor said once he still doesn't know how Cam Cameron got the job.

Might be the same article you're referring to, but apparently Miami was deciding between an "impressive" Mike Tomlin and Cam Cameron. And they chose Cameron.

Though truth be told, I'm not sure that Tomlin would have had success here with the people running the team
 
I’ve posted before that QB, while a vital position, is not a cure all.

Of course it was interpreted that I said it isn’t an important position, on and on...

You are spot on. Selling the farm to buy a QB right now would be insanity. Even if the guy had the goods he would be destroyed behind this line.

Even Marino would be worthless if he had no time to throw. Kinda makes a difference.

Fix the lines, both of them.

I do say we should take a QB this draft. But Good Lord, don’t give up the precious few picks we have (and need) to grab one in the first.

Of course it's not a cure all, but take Russell Wilson off the Seahawks, take Roethlisberger off the Steelers, take Brady off the Patriots, and those teams become forgettable.
 
Track record says no for Pats assistant coaches doing well in the NFL. I say no for Flores being successful in the NFL based on history. Hope I am wrong of course.
I hate this argument because it really doesn't make sense. Every person is different every situation is different what has happened in the past with other Pat's coaches means absolutely nothing when it comes to Flores.
 
Definitely thought Miami would win multiple super bowls with Dan Marino. Unfortunately, that defense went downhill in a hurry and the NFC clearly had the top teams. I read somewhere that SF had a payroll three times higher than the next team. I haven't been able to verify that, but Miami was notoriously cheap. Wonder how Marino would have fared in the salary cap era?

As to 2018, there is no question the team needs to build the foundation and establish an identity. The team also has to find a quarterback of the future.
 
Drafted Stephenson three years before Marino, so you couldn't include him in a complete rebuild of 1983. Usually when you say rebuild you tear down everything and start over from scratch. The defense was already intact and wasn't going anywhere. I would say it was more of tweaking a few positions on the offense after Marino was drafted.
 
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1983 was NOT a rebuild. Why would you rebuild a super bowl team the following year? We drafted Marino and Clayton that year but Duper came the year before and Stephenson played in the super bowl in 82. The same defense we had in 82 we had in 83. The O-line was the same. Both RB's were the same. The only thing that changed was our QB and one WR.

As far as when we'll make the playoffs? 2020 at the earliest if we have a good draft this year plus a great draft in 2020 plus add some very good free agents.
 
I hate this argument because it really doesn't make sense. Every person is different every situation is different what has happened in the past with other Pat's coaches means absolutely nothing when it comes to Flores.
You are absolutely correct. Still it's all about odds and yes history. Odds are that it is more probable that Flores is not going to work out. If most of Billicheats assistants had worked out then the odds would be in our favor. At this point it's like the lottery you play the game long enough and you win. Hopefully the phins win with Flores. To ignore the odds though is living like a ostrich.
 
1983 was NOT a rebuild. Why would you rebuild a super bowl team the following year? We drafted Marino and Clayton that year but Duper came the year before and Stephenson played in the super bowl in 82. The same defense we had in 82 we had in 83. The O-line was the same. Both RB's were the same. The only thing that changed was our QB and one WR.

As far as when we'll make the playoffs? 2020 at the earliest if we have a good draft this year plus a great draft in 2020 plus add some very good free agents.

You are absolutely correct. The last time the phins were rebuilding were when we were a new franchise team. Trying to put some sort of logic on a complete rebuild as some sort of success formula is ludercris. Hopefully this gamble that going all in to loose this year will be followed up with a perinal playoff caliber team will work out but it can just as likely backfire and be a disaster.
 
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