marino2duper73
Active Roster
I have sat back and said very little regarding the Dolphins' moves at the end of the 2018 season. While I will readily admit that Adam Gase's departure was expected, I did not prepare myself for an ACTUAL rebuild of this team from the ground up.
In 1983, when I was a shade under 10 years old, the Miami Dolphins selected Dan Marino from Pittsburgh. When you're a kid, and you've just watched the Redskins beat Miami in the Super Bowl, you only worry about facing your classmates that you bragged of a Miami victory on the Friday before. Then this new quarterback is drafted, and you wonder if he will be as good as WoodStrock. You wonder if he will be just another name in the paper throwing 1 TD and 4 INTs every other week.
As a kid, though, you don't really think about offensive lines, coaching chemistry, and front office competence, let alone an owner's influence on the on-the-field product for the fans. You just want to be able to go to school on Monday (or Tuesday), and brag about how your team kicked ass and that shiny Starter jacket your wearing makes you a winner because your team won that week.
In 1983, a rebuild started with Marino. Then, shortly to follow, Richmond Webb, Keith Simms, Dwight Stephenson, Mark Duper, Mark Clayton, and a few others, became the future of winning in Miami. Even after the loss to SF in 1984's Super Bowl, every FinFan KNEW that we would be in multiple Super Bowl games to follow, without hesitation of the thought. How football has its way with fans, whew.
As that team matured, and as the expected positional door opened and closed on several players throughout the years of Marino, there was always a sense that the team was only a free-agent signing away from getting over that AFC Championship game issue vs Buffalo. Again and again, year after year, the final score sent the Bills, Pats, Steelers, Broncos, Raiders, and others to the Super Bowl, and the Phins were left, once again, to figure out what went wrong. Even with arguably the best pure passer to ever play the game, Shula, Johnson, Wannstadt, and a host of others, could never find the right formula to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to South Beach.
So fast forward to the Tannehill era. Same results every year. Same revolving door of coaches. Same lack of development of players. It always appeared that no matter what, the new constant of Miami's team on the field was that going 8-8 was a milestone. Making the playoffs was the threshold. I know many of you don't remember what it was like to see Marino and the Dolphins destroy a 3-win team in Week 13 to CLINCH the AFC East. Now we find ourselves losing to a 3-win team to clinch elimination in week 16 or 17, or never showing up prepared to play a win-and-in game. The Wild Card game in Pittsburgh 2 years ago spoke volumes to this teams disarray. How could a team with so much momentum get absolutely crushed by a Steelers team that was not firing on all cylinders for weeks? How could you have Suh, Wake, Jones, Alonso, and get zero pressure on a very pocket-only QB? How could your backup in Matt Moore have so much success against tougher defenses for 8 weeks, only to self-destruct against a idle-of-the-pack defense?
I have the answer. Foundation. This team, for going on two decades, has been chasing its tail to replace Dan Marino, believing that the success of the team is dictated by the QB position alone. Ironically, Marino's success was entirely supported by the fact that he HAD to throw the ball. Name a running back in Miami besides Tony Nathan (Keith Byars was a fullback, people) that Marino had for a sliver of time that produced a multi-dimensional threat on offense. The comparison is that for years, John Elway had the same syndrome that Marino had. Throw Throw Throw. No running backs to support the passing game. Then, enter Terrell Davis. Elway wins two Super Bowls.
If this team is to get back to glory, the foundation of the team must be built first. Would you build a house by starting with the roof? As Dolphins fans, we have endured 20+ years of roof before foundation. I believe that to build a champion, it starts with coaching. Period. A well-coached team doesn't have to sign billion-dollar free agents to win. A well-coached team signs the best-fit players that have a billion-dollar attitude for half the price. As much as it pains me to say this, as I despise the Patriots wholeheartedly, Bill Belichik is the greatest coach in the modern era of the NFL. He has done more with less since taking over New England, and it isn't a coincidence that EVERY team is trying to emulate his methods for success.
In closing, I believe that Brian Flores is a good fit for a total rebuild. In most examples of success in business, when the company is built from the ground up, its founders play a role in the company's continued success (Jobs, Gates, Musk, Bezos). Shula was that for Miami for years, then he left. If Flores is given the time that has been promised, then it is possible that success can be rekindled in Miami. The Draft will tell us a lot about how serious this new coach and GM are about "doing it right".
A rebuild is only as successful as the strength of its tools. You could have the smartest people on the planet, but if your tools break down often, you'll just have the smartest people on the planet without tools.
Sorry for the long post, but it has been brewing, and it was time to serve it with tequila and pickle juice.
See you all on here on draft night.
In 1983, when I was a shade under 10 years old, the Miami Dolphins selected Dan Marino from Pittsburgh. When you're a kid, and you've just watched the Redskins beat Miami in the Super Bowl, you only worry about facing your classmates that you bragged of a Miami victory on the Friday before. Then this new quarterback is drafted, and you wonder if he will be as good as WoodStrock. You wonder if he will be just another name in the paper throwing 1 TD and 4 INTs every other week.
As a kid, though, you don't really think about offensive lines, coaching chemistry, and front office competence, let alone an owner's influence on the on-the-field product for the fans. You just want to be able to go to school on Monday (or Tuesday), and brag about how your team kicked ass and that shiny Starter jacket your wearing makes you a winner because your team won that week.
In 1983, a rebuild started with Marino. Then, shortly to follow, Richmond Webb, Keith Simms, Dwight Stephenson, Mark Duper, Mark Clayton, and a few others, became the future of winning in Miami. Even after the loss to SF in 1984's Super Bowl, every FinFan KNEW that we would be in multiple Super Bowl games to follow, without hesitation of the thought. How football has its way with fans, whew.
As that team matured, and as the expected positional door opened and closed on several players throughout the years of Marino, there was always a sense that the team was only a free-agent signing away from getting over that AFC Championship game issue vs Buffalo. Again and again, year after year, the final score sent the Bills, Pats, Steelers, Broncos, Raiders, and others to the Super Bowl, and the Phins were left, once again, to figure out what went wrong. Even with arguably the best pure passer to ever play the game, Shula, Johnson, Wannstadt, and a host of others, could never find the right formula to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to South Beach.
So fast forward to the Tannehill era. Same results every year. Same revolving door of coaches. Same lack of development of players. It always appeared that no matter what, the new constant of Miami's team on the field was that going 8-8 was a milestone. Making the playoffs was the threshold. I know many of you don't remember what it was like to see Marino and the Dolphins destroy a 3-win team in Week 13 to CLINCH the AFC East. Now we find ourselves losing to a 3-win team to clinch elimination in week 16 or 17, or never showing up prepared to play a win-and-in game. The Wild Card game in Pittsburgh 2 years ago spoke volumes to this teams disarray. How could a team with so much momentum get absolutely crushed by a Steelers team that was not firing on all cylinders for weeks? How could you have Suh, Wake, Jones, Alonso, and get zero pressure on a very pocket-only QB? How could your backup in Matt Moore have so much success against tougher defenses for 8 weeks, only to self-destruct against a idle-of-the-pack defense?
I have the answer. Foundation. This team, for going on two decades, has been chasing its tail to replace Dan Marino, believing that the success of the team is dictated by the QB position alone. Ironically, Marino's success was entirely supported by the fact that he HAD to throw the ball. Name a running back in Miami besides Tony Nathan (Keith Byars was a fullback, people) that Marino had for a sliver of time that produced a multi-dimensional threat on offense. The comparison is that for years, John Elway had the same syndrome that Marino had. Throw Throw Throw. No running backs to support the passing game. Then, enter Terrell Davis. Elway wins two Super Bowls.
If this team is to get back to glory, the foundation of the team must be built first. Would you build a house by starting with the roof? As Dolphins fans, we have endured 20+ years of roof before foundation. I believe that to build a champion, it starts with coaching. Period. A well-coached team doesn't have to sign billion-dollar free agents to win. A well-coached team signs the best-fit players that have a billion-dollar attitude for half the price. As much as it pains me to say this, as I despise the Patriots wholeheartedly, Bill Belichik is the greatest coach in the modern era of the NFL. He has done more with less since taking over New England, and it isn't a coincidence that EVERY team is trying to emulate his methods for success.
In closing, I believe that Brian Flores is a good fit for a total rebuild. In most examples of success in business, when the company is built from the ground up, its founders play a role in the company's continued success (Jobs, Gates, Musk, Bezos). Shula was that for Miami for years, then he left. If Flores is given the time that has been promised, then it is possible that success can be rekindled in Miami. The Draft will tell us a lot about how serious this new coach and GM are about "doing it right".
A rebuild is only as successful as the strength of its tools. You could have the smartest people on the planet, but if your tools break down often, you'll just have the smartest people on the planet without tools.
Sorry for the long post, but it has been brewing, and it was time to serve it with tequila and pickle juice.
See you all on here on draft night.
