http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jason-la-canfora/24888702/nfl-week-15-observations-dolphins-one-step-closer-to-needed-overhaul
Stephen Ross knows this feeling all too well. His perpetually middling Miami Dolphins are once again tumbling to the outskirts of the AFC playoff picture as the new year approaches, leaving him yet again to grapple with awkward questions about the future of his organization. Many of which are his own making.
The Dolphins, stumbling to 7-7, aren't going to the playoffs, and even a cosmetic win or two down the stretch -- they host the Vikings and Jets in what will undoubtedly be a vacant stadium, again -- won't change the larger reality that this is essentially the same team it always is.
Not horrible -- though capable of playing rather horribly for stretches, like the one they are mired in now -- but certainly not overly promising either; never quite turning the corner and generally not plummeting deep into the NFL abyss, either. No, they are right there in that complicated terrain that Ross has spent much of his ownership regime mired in, with his failure to build a strong organization from the front office on down a primary reason why.
I don't believe either the fiscal realities or the football ones of his franchise will leave him with much of a choice. I anticipate he will do what he has so often done -- reach for a big-name coach. And, if history is any guide, he will swing and miss, again, as he did for Jim Harbaugh and as he did with Jeff Fisher. But, please, spare me the rhetoric that his long-held mancrush on Harbaugh would only benefit the University of Michigan job -- their shared alma mater. He's desperate for a leader and rock star coach who could be the face of his franchise, help him compete in a crowded South Florida entertainment market and help him get a new stadium or stadium upgrades and the ability to host Super Bowls again.
Ryan Tannehill was sacked four times vs. the Patriots on Sunday. (Getty Images)I can't imagine he keeps Joe Philbin for another season of what has been pedestrian football, ever teasing but never fulfilling. Not after the embarrassment of Incognito-gate last season, not after creating what read to the rest of the league like a band-aid operation for 2014, pairing a potential lame-duck coach with a barely empowered, rookie general manager in Dennis Hickey -- one who everyone knew was just basically holding an interim title after so many candidates bailed on the job until Ross evaluated the whole mess again after the season. So he has that back on his hands, with most of the recent free-agent signings providing little pop, young quarterback Ryan Tannehill still something of an unknown quantity and the Dolphins flirting with .500 again.
At Thanksgiving this looked like a team that could control its own playoff fate, and, with losses in four of their past six games, they have done just that. A year ago it was consecutive defeats to end the season that derailed their playoff hopes. In 2012, they limped down the stretch at 3-5. Same ol' story.
Tannehill is efficient enough in a truncated dink-and-dunk offense that keeps his completion percentage high but the scoring low. He had not thrown for even 240 yards in three games before Sunday, when his 346 yards against New England was obscured by the fact the Patriots blew the Dolphins out in the second half and Miami mustered just 13 points in defeat. He has two touchdowns and three interceptions in the past three games. The offensive line has regressed through the season and Miami still does not have a run game.
And the defense, among the NFL's best at the midpoint of the season, is now in shambles. Miami's season has unraveled since it went ahead 21-10 on the Broncos in Denver late in the first half in Week 12. They ended up losing that game 39-26 and have been outscored 83-44 since then. Denver ran for 201 yards, the Jets ran for 277 yards on them and the Ravens piled up 183 rushing yards (Miami held New England to 108 yards on 29 carries Sunday, with the Patriots finding several other ways to score on offense, defense and special teams).
Ross' bizarre coaching pursuits in the past, including wooing Harbaugh with Tony Sparano still under contract, have already made it hard enough to land a top candidate. Unless he finally purges his toxic organization of holdovers from the Bill Parcells regime and gives total and complete control to a veteran coach, well, he can forget about landing Harbaugh or anyone else. Regardless, status quo isn't going to get it done, with 2015 a critical evaluation year for Tannehill.
If Ross can't land Harbaugh, I would push for Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase (would he be willing to retain some of the coaching staff in a quest to get Tannehill to the next level?), and try to get a young, dynamic offensive-minded head coach paired with an overhauled front office. Clean the building out of its cliques and alliances. Start fresh.
This familiar December dance that has included staccato decisions on a coach and then a general manager, only to be back with everyone's jobs in the balance, has grown tired. It's not going to attract fans to renew their season tickets, it won't grow the fanbase, and it's brutal to watch. Surely, Ross sees it too. I expect him to be all-in on Harbaugh, and he'll need contingencies too.
---------- Post added at 05:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:08 PM ----------
mods please change CBD to CBS
Stephen Ross knows this feeling all too well. His perpetually middling Miami Dolphins are once again tumbling to the outskirts of the AFC playoff picture as the new year approaches, leaving him yet again to grapple with awkward questions about the future of his organization. Many of which are his own making.
The Dolphins, stumbling to 7-7, aren't going to the playoffs, and even a cosmetic win or two down the stretch -- they host the Vikings and Jets in what will undoubtedly be a vacant stadium, again -- won't change the larger reality that this is essentially the same team it always is.
Not horrible -- though capable of playing rather horribly for stretches, like the one they are mired in now -- but certainly not overly promising either; never quite turning the corner and generally not plummeting deep into the NFL abyss, either. No, they are right there in that complicated terrain that Ross has spent much of his ownership regime mired in, with his failure to build a strong organization from the front office on down a primary reason why.
I don't believe either the fiscal realities or the football ones of his franchise will leave him with much of a choice. I anticipate he will do what he has so often done -- reach for a big-name coach. And, if history is any guide, he will swing and miss, again, as he did for Jim Harbaugh and as he did with Jeff Fisher. But, please, spare me the rhetoric that his long-held mancrush on Harbaugh would only benefit the University of Michigan job -- their shared alma mater. He's desperate for a leader and rock star coach who could be the face of his franchise, help him compete in a crowded South Florida entertainment market and help him get a new stadium or stadium upgrades and the ability to host Super Bowls again.
Ryan Tannehill was sacked four times vs. the Patriots on Sunday. (Getty Images)I can't imagine he keeps Joe Philbin for another season of what has been pedestrian football, ever teasing but never fulfilling. Not after the embarrassment of Incognito-gate last season, not after creating what read to the rest of the league like a band-aid operation for 2014, pairing a potential lame-duck coach with a barely empowered, rookie general manager in Dennis Hickey -- one who everyone knew was just basically holding an interim title after so many candidates bailed on the job until Ross evaluated the whole mess again after the season. So he has that back on his hands, with most of the recent free-agent signings providing little pop, young quarterback Ryan Tannehill still something of an unknown quantity and the Dolphins flirting with .500 again.
At Thanksgiving this looked like a team that could control its own playoff fate, and, with losses in four of their past six games, they have done just that. A year ago it was consecutive defeats to end the season that derailed their playoff hopes. In 2012, they limped down the stretch at 3-5. Same ol' story.
Tannehill is efficient enough in a truncated dink-and-dunk offense that keeps his completion percentage high but the scoring low. He had not thrown for even 240 yards in three games before Sunday, when his 346 yards against New England was obscured by the fact the Patriots blew the Dolphins out in the second half and Miami mustered just 13 points in defeat. He has two touchdowns and three interceptions in the past three games. The offensive line has regressed through the season and Miami still does not have a run game.
And the defense, among the NFL's best at the midpoint of the season, is now in shambles. Miami's season has unraveled since it went ahead 21-10 on the Broncos in Denver late in the first half in Week 12. They ended up losing that game 39-26 and have been outscored 83-44 since then. Denver ran for 201 yards, the Jets ran for 277 yards on them and the Ravens piled up 183 rushing yards (Miami held New England to 108 yards on 29 carries Sunday, with the Patriots finding several other ways to score on offense, defense and special teams).
Ross' bizarre coaching pursuits in the past, including wooing Harbaugh with Tony Sparano still under contract, have already made it hard enough to land a top candidate. Unless he finally purges his toxic organization of holdovers from the Bill Parcells regime and gives total and complete control to a veteran coach, well, he can forget about landing Harbaugh or anyone else. Regardless, status quo isn't going to get it done, with 2015 a critical evaluation year for Tannehill.
If Ross can't land Harbaugh, I would push for Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase (would he be willing to retain some of the coaching staff in a quest to get Tannehill to the next level?), and try to get a young, dynamic offensive-minded head coach paired with an overhauled front office. Clean the building out of its cliques and alliances. Start fresh.
This familiar December dance that has included staccato decisions on a coach and then a general manager, only to be back with everyone's jobs in the balance, has grown tired. It's not going to attract fans to renew their season tickets, it won't grow the fanbase, and it's brutal to watch. Surely, Ross sees it too. I expect him to be all-in on Harbaugh, and he'll need contingencies too.
---------- Post added at 05:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:08 PM ----------
mods please change CBD to CBS
