The Dolphins made some big strides last season, now they made some big additions to the coaching staff and personnel. Head coach Nick Saban talks about what those changes mean for the 2006 season.
- On what Mike Mularkey is going to do with the offense ""This offense we have is really the Miami Dolphins offense, and I don't think anybody should lose sight of that. I think that everybody that sits in the room on our staff has made a contribution to building that offense. Every offensive coach I've ever hired, I've always let them use their terminology, and every defensive coach I've hired, I've adjusted to what they do. So, if we're not smart enough as coaches to learn the terminology we need to let the players have success, which is the key to the drill, then we're not the kind of teachers we need to be in terms of what we have to do. I'm totally comfortable with and confident that we will be able to do that. We have a lot of continuity on our staff, we're going to have a lot of continuity with our players and Mike is very capable."
- On the role of Dom Capers "He's just a good coach and he's going to help develop and implement what we do. He has a 3-4 background as a defensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, running the same system that the Steelers run now on defense. They have kept that intact for years and I think that will complement what we have in already from last year and we'll use his knowledge and experience to systematically evaluate what we're doing, but he's a coach on the staff and however he fits in and how we make a good team. That's how he'll be used."
- On if Capers will take over the defensive play-calling "We're not changing the system we have. He's going to implement and teach the things that we do and we're going to add to it so that we can improve and that's our focus. Whatever way he can contribute to that best, when we put the team together, that will be his role."
- On if the goal this offseason was to become predominantly a 3-4 team "No, we're not changing our defensive scheme. We were a 3-4 team last year and showed some 4-3 alignments to highlight the personnel we had, and I don't see that changing significantly. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of new ideas that will complement that and help us improve in a lot of areas that we have identified that we need to improve in. During the offseason, that's what quality control is all about."
- On if the focus is narrower this year in terms of the draft "I don't think the focus is narrower, in terms of what we're looking at. We're going to evaluate all the players and I think it's most important to put all the players in the right place relative to our draft board so we can make good decisions when the draft comes. I think you have to be ready to identify who the best players are and what your needs are in terms of who you pick because those people can impact the organization for a long, long time and you need to pick the players who are going to contribute to your team in a positive way. I think if you pick for need and that player is not necessarily there, you can end up reaching and that may not be the most beneficial thing long term."
