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When Danny was headed toward the twilight of his career, the Dolphin franchise was faced with going for broke and trying to get a title before he retired. The 1995 team, for example, had 17 former first round picks, many of whom brought baggage, drug problems, and/or bad chemistry (think Eric Green and Steve Emtman inter alia).
That approach did not work, and led to the one glimmer of hope this franchise has had in the last dozen years, i.e., the early years of Jimmy Johnson. Jimmy did a great job building the defense with stellar picks like Surtain, Madison, Thomas, and Taylor, who have something like 20 pro bowls between them. Jimmy was less successful on offense with ignominous picks like Larry Shannon, John Avery, JJ Johnson, Rob Konrad, and Yatil Green. He also traded out of a spot where he could have gotten Randy Moss. But Jimmy at least tried to build a program.
We need to return to the "building a program" mentality. The quick fix approach that Wannstedt and Saban have employed have been utterly disastrous. This is how you blow entire drafts like 2003 and 2006 (with the exceptions of Bell and possibly Frederic Evans and Rod Wright). Derek Hagan cannot play. Sources within the organization have told Joe Rose that Jason Allen does not have the "necessities" to play safety and probably doesn't have the hips to play corner which would be his only chance.
When the coach calls the shots on personnel, you have a conflict of interest. He is worried about the here and now and not building a program. When the coach lacks intellectual horsepower, then you end up with Jamar Fletcher over Drew Brees when you desperately need a young qb. This is not Monday Morning quarterbacking. Many of us with half a brain understood that Brees was an obvious pick for us, and then to take a corner when you have Surtain and Madison already defies imagination at a shocking level.
Bottom line: I am less concerned with the coach. We need a GM who is savvy and recognizes talent. Someone who will make the right picks for the organization overall not someone trying to achieve immediate gratification. The Colts, Ravens, Pats and other front line organizations have such a structure. They have drafted well and are big winners. In the 1970's Miami had such people like George Young and Bobby Beathard. We need to get to that.
So, let's hope Randy Mueller understands this and can build a "program."
As for a Coach, the x's and o's fall heavily on a coordinator. We need a leader who can inspire and who has an overriding big picture approach and intelligence. For all the dorky armchair quarterbacks here, we are not involved in the interviews. No one here really can understand these issues without participating in the interviews. Personally I am not really impressed with the pool of candidates, but right now acquiring personnel is far more important. But that said, it is utterly absurd when dorks on here mock Cam Cameron's record at Indiana. Indiana is an impossible situation to win in. I am not sure he is the right guy, but then again, Gailey and Michael Shula are not exactly inspiring either. Mora is fiery but doesn't seem very smart. So, they all have concerns. Let's hope the interview process leads to the right guy and none of us are involved in that process so we simply do not know enough to make the judgment.
History will bear out whether it ends up correct, not what some dorks on here say.
That approach did not work, and led to the one glimmer of hope this franchise has had in the last dozen years, i.e., the early years of Jimmy Johnson. Jimmy did a great job building the defense with stellar picks like Surtain, Madison, Thomas, and Taylor, who have something like 20 pro bowls between them. Jimmy was less successful on offense with ignominous picks like Larry Shannon, John Avery, JJ Johnson, Rob Konrad, and Yatil Green. He also traded out of a spot where he could have gotten Randy Moss. But Jimmy at least tried to build a program.
We need to return to the "building a program" mentality. The quick fix approach that Wannstedt and Saban have employed have been utterly disastrous. This is how you blow entire drafts like 2003 and 2006 (with the exceptions of Bell and possibly Frederic Evans and Rod Wright). Derek Hagan cannot play. Sources within the organization have told Joe Rose that Jason Allen does not have the "necessities" to play safety and probably doesn't have the hips to play corner which would be his only chance.
When the coach calls the shots on personnel, you have a conflict of interest. He is worried about the here and now and not building a program. When the coach lacks intellectual horsepower, then you end up with Jamar Fletcher over Drew Brees when you desperately need a young qb. This is not Monday Morning quarterbacking. Many of us with half a brain understood that Brees was an obvious pick for us, and then to take a corner when you have Surtain and Madison already defies imagination at a shocking level.
Bottom line: I am less concerned with the coach. We need a GM who is savvy and recognizes talent. Someone who will make the right picks for the organization overall not someone trying to achieve immediate gratification. The Colts, Ravens, Pats and other front line organizations have such a structure. They have drafted well and are big winners. In the 1970's Miami had such people like George Young and Bobby Beathard. We need to get to that.
So, let's hope Randy Mueller understands this and can build a "program."
As for a Coach, the x's and o's fall heavily on a coordinator. We need a leader who can inspire and who has an overriding big picture approach and intelligence. For all the dorky armchair quarterbacks here, we are not involved in the interviews. No one here really can understand these issues without participating in the interviews. Personally I am not really impressed with the pool of candidates, but right now acquiring personnel is far more important. But that said, it is utterly absurd when dorks on here mock Cam Cameron's record at Indiana. Indiana is an impossible situation to win in. I am not sure he is the right guy, but then again, Gailey and Michael Shula are not exactly inspiring either. Mora is fiery but doesn't seem very smart. So, they all have concerns. Let's hope the interview process leads to the right guy and none of us are involved in that process so we simply do not know enough to make the judgment.
History will bear out whether it ends up correct, not what some dorks on here say.
