DAVIE – Something, someone needs to explain this mess the
Miami Dolphins have become.
Bill Parcells is no longer around. He's too busy doing commentary on
ESPN, so it's impossible to point the fingers of blame at the team's former czar, the man anointed to rebuild this once-proud franchise.
Too bad Parcells used an outdated blueprint to construct a faulty structure before cashing out, wiping his hands and walking away from his Davie office like he was a dealer at the Hard Rock.
Parcells is lucky we'll soon get to the point where it's more important to figure out who cleans it up when the pieces come crumbling down. We're not there yet, but the structure's clearly damaged and weak. The Dolphins' offense has holes in it, especially on the offensive line.
Chad Henne hasn't shown the killer instinct that makes quarterbacks elite, and until Parcells' hand-picked quarterback does, this team's headed nowhere.
But what's most troubling is the fact the defense, which was supposed to be the 2011 team's backbone, hasn't shown a spine.
"I would have punched you in the face," was
Cameron Wake's response when asked what he would have said if told the Dolphins would have the worst defense in the
NFL.
Well, that's exactly where the 2011 Dolphins are heading into Sunday's game against the
Browns, a trip to Cleveland the entire team's looking forward to.
Since when did Cleveland become a hotspot for travel, you ask? Well, since most in South Florida are giving their once-beloved Dolphins the stink face.
Who should be held accountable for this mess?
Is it General Manager
Jeff Ireland, who leads a front office that generally overpays free agents, wastes draft picks and spends every Tuesday plugging holes on a leaky roster he created?
Is it the coaching staff, which allowed New England to expose every one of the team's weaknesses in the season opener, and put cornerback
Nolan Carroll, a second-year backup, in position to get abused by Houston's
Andre Johnson, the NFL's best receiver?
"[I'm] not blaming our performance on anything else besides us not making plays on the field,"
Jason Taylor said. "Coach [
Tony] Sparano is not going to miss a tackle."
That's the linebackers and defensive linemen, who have missed plenty, and that includes Taylor.
"[Defensive coordinator] Mike Nolan is not going to blow a coverage," Taylor continued.
That's the members of the Dolphins' secondary, especially free safety
Reshad Jones, who has played like the second coming of
Gibril Wilson in his two starts.
"[Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll] is not going to throw an interception or do anything wrong on offense," Taylor said referring to Henne, his protectors and weapons, which begin their third season of having an
allergic reaction to the end zone, forcing the team to lean on field goals for points.
"Those guys aren't on the field. [Team owner] Stephen Ross is not on the field. [The media] are not on the field," Taylor said Thursday. "It's all us. It's as simple as that."
Taylor's right. It's easy to identify the problem: It's everyone's lack of accountability.
Problem is the real problem started at the very top, left work early and apparently forgot to clean up.
Despite the 1-1 record, Cleveland isn't a very good team. The second-year quarterback,
Colt McCoy, is talented but green. The Browns are a one-horse offense (
Peyton Hillis, who is averaging 3.4 yards per carry), and feature a young, pedestrian defense.
But there's no telling what's going to happen Sunday because of how fragile this team, this franchise has become in what appears to be the closing act of the Parcells era.
The only thing that is clear is the fact another loss makes the Dolphins an official contender in the "Suck for
Andrew Luck" campaign.
