Dolphins Make Best Offseason Moves

[Roman529]

NFL's smoothest movesBy Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports
June 9, 2005

In a few years, Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders will take a back seat, Derrick Mason joining the Baltimore Ravens will be a side note, and the Minnesota Vikings' defensive retooling will be an afterthought. Instead, the lasting impression of this offseason will be the moves in Miami, where total control of the Dolphins was handed over to Nick Saban.

That's hard to believe now, with No. 18 Moss jerseys getting snatched off racks as if they were $100 dollar bills dangling from neighborhood trees. Surely, we'll always remember this as the offseason when Randy went west.

But as intriguing as Moss's relocation is, it doesn't carry nearly the same potential impact as Saban's landing in Miami. Indeed, nobody in the NFL grabbed more power this offseason. And if there is any doubt about that, one only needed to corner Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga a few weeks ago at the owners' meetings in Washington D.C.

Huizenga's popular retort to almost every football-operation question was to defer to his new head coach. Whether it was Ricky Williams, the character issues with some of the team's draft picks or free agents, or the future of the general manager position, Huizenga's party line was singular: "Whatever Nick does is good with me."

The Dolphins owner has done what he vowed never to do again and turned over complete organizational control to one man. The roster? The front office? The janitorial schedule? It's all run through Saban. If only for that, Saban's hire would be the most important move in the NFL this offseason, but there are other factors to consider, too.

Despite having only limited NFL experience – his highest rank was defensive coordinator with the Bill Belichick-coached Cleveland Browns in the 1990s – Saban is already garnering a healthy amount of respect around the league. Several scouts were impressed by Saban's pre-draft work, when he made appearances at seemingly every key workout in the country. And he was crafty in leaving the door open for Williams, a position that was contrary to Huizenga's hard-line approach. Then came his hiring of general manager Randy Mueller this week, a sign Saban isn't afraid to have another strong viewpoint in the front office.

Mueller, who was the NFL's executive of the year in 2000, won't have final decision-making power in the organization. But it's not a stretch to assume he'll help shape the roster in a capacity similar to New England Patriots personnel director Scott Pioli, who influences Belichick's decisions. While nobody is expecting a miracle from Saban next season, it wouldn't be a total shock to see him whip Miami into playoff contention from the outset. He was a top-notch coordinator with the Browns, then flaunted his ability to patiently turn around flagging college programs without resorting to gimmicks. And lest anyone forget, Saban isn't taking over a Dolphins team completely devoid of talent. Miami still has a strong defensive core that's complemented by a very good draft class. If he can get Williams back into the fold, and institute the focus and motivation former coach Dave Wannstedt couldn't, Saban could immediately make his mark as this offseason's best move. The other top offseason maneuvers, in no particular order …

 

[jcblanco22]

Excellent article. I felt that the Dolphins had an offseason right up there with anyone else in the NFL before Mueller's hiring, and that now puts them over the top.

I say this much more in terms of lasting and far-reaching effects on an organization, as opposed to a huge move designed to yield dramatic results immediately. For that kind of splash you look no further than Randy Moss to the Raiders. However, when you want to talk about a thorough impact that will be reflected in both the play on the field as well as the mentality of the team, there is where you point to Saban's hiring.

His arrival also produced a crucial domino effect that will directly impact the on-the-field product, namely the assistant coaches he was smart enough to hire and successful enough to attract.

Hudson Houck in particular comes to mind, although I think Linehan will also yield great benefits. As an individual who holds "dual citizenship" (I am a devoted follower of both the Cowboys and the Dolphins), I can vouch from a fan's point of view the type of impact that Houck can have, even with average talent. He dealt with more injuries, free agent defections, and once great players with eroding skills on the Dallas offensive line than people realize. Then he went to San Diego and made solid producers out of a bunch that had been suspect at best entering the 2002 campaign, his first season there.

Finally, getting back to Saban for a second, I also think he made a couple of shrewd moves that revealed his people skills and a little bit of a knack for psychology. I'm referring to his role in reacquiring two very talented, albeit sometimes troubled players back into the fold, David Boston and Ricky Williams. We all know that particularly in Williams's case there are probably a few other factors pushing his return regardless of who the coach is, but I think that Saban and his staff will utilize these two in a way that will maximize their contributions.