- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 30,987
- Reaction score
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Positives
Negatives
Overall Assessment
Hue Jackson: Enjoyed the work he has put in with the Bengals. He has helped Andy Dalton reach new levels. He showed the ability to get an inexperienced backup ready to play vs. the best defense in the NFL. His play calling is creative and utilizes his best players routinely. His 8-8 record with the Raiders is completely impressive considering the mess Oakland was in. People rip him for the Carson Palmer trade, but how many teams would now give up high picks based on how Palmer is playing? Maybe that trade was not bad afterall. Take a peek at his resume in coaching. Look at his many stops and all the different parts of the game he has coached up. I love that he has moved around and learned from other coaches and systems. He will come in with a clear message and the players will follow. Finally, he is so connected that he will have his choice of assistants.
Tom Coughlin: Tom Coughlin might exactly be what Miami is looking for. First, let’s examine the obvious. Coughlin is 69 years old, he will be 70 to start the season next fall. However, I do not judge a man by his age. That is just a number. Coughlin looks in good shape. He is as sharp as ever and seems to be as competitive as anyone in the league. The age does not matter. The Coughlin hire would do many things. First of all, it would show the organization and the fan base, they are trying to win now...that this is not a rebuild process. Secondly, Coughlin would bring instant credibility to the franchise when so many are questioning things abroad. Hearing how much his Giants players cared for him...Eli Manning was misty eyed talking about Coughlin...shows he can still identify with young people. When you heard analysts this past weekend talk of Coughlin, they were adamant that Coughlin still has his “fastball”. Coughlin will be able to hire an all-world staff that would teach and develop. The Fins would turn into a fundamentally sound team. The sky would be the limit of who Coughlin could find to fill out a staff. Here are two other issues to think of...Tom Coughlin has had great success against two coaches in the AFC East. He has gone face to face with Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl twice and won each time in clutch fashion. Coughlin has always played the Pats tough in the regular season while with the Giants. He has owned Rex Ryan. Plus, what would make me think his team would be humming while heading back to MetLife Stadium when going to play the Jets? Finally, we have the Parcells Tree. There are degrees of separation between Tannenbaum and Chris Grier to make football connections to Coughlin. This would give Ross a face of the franchise.
Doug Marrone: Marrone is a completely underrated coach. Comparing his work in Buffalo to what Rex Ryan has done...perhaps with more talent...shows that Marrone did a heck of a job. Marrone won 9 games with E.J. Manual, Thad Lewis and a once retired Kyle Orton. A complaint I have of the Dolphins is they do not play physical enough. Marrone would change that. He would put the QB in a position to succeed by first protecting him. People call Marrone a conservative coach because of what he did in Buffalo, but I see that as great coaching because of what he had under center. Could Marrone get a Jim Schwartz or Mike Pettine as a DC if neither is a head coach next year? As for the narrative that people “do not like Marrone”, I could care less as long as the players respect him. Marrone would totally keep players accountable for their play. As head coach of the Bills, he whipped the Jets and usually the Fins. His teams played the Patriots tough.
Mike Shanahan: This is a very interesting name without question. He clearly meets the criterion on my end. Shanahan would be able to put Tannehill in an offense to bring the best out him. His teams always were able to run the ball and did so out of a zone blocking scheme. Considering Miami has been using a ZBS, there would not be a major sea change to the way the line has been taught. Shanahan would be able to attract a terrific staff. Finally, Shanahan should be considered a “big name” and could create a nice buzz in South Florida. His age does not both me. He is 63 years old, but great coaches like Nick Saban and Bill Belichick are in their 60’s. Dick Vermeil came back at a late age and won a Super Bowl.
Todd Haley: Haley deserves another shot. A mark of a great coach is how successful you can be without your best. Haley has had to coach around brutal injuries in Pittsburgh this year yet his offense has continued to hum. Haley has been creative and like Jackson finds ways of getting the ball to his playmakers despite opponents efforts to take them away. Things spun out of control for him in Kansas City. However, he did win a division there and won 11 games with Matt Cassell as QB.. Haley has an edge and is very intelligent.
Teryl Austin: Austin does not have head coaching experience, but he is worth an interview and a very, very long look. His coaching history is tremendous. He has connections to Suh and Jim Washburn. Hiring Jim Washburn as a D-line coach must be a top goal this offseason. I love the fact that Austin kept his defense competitive despite major personnel losses this season. Austin would bring fresh energy and way to do business to Miami. Notice he is the only candidate I have that does not have prior head coaching experience. I respect and have a gut feeling that Austin is going to be a successful head coach. I ended up putting him in front of Schwartz and Mora because in the end if I am making a defensive guy my coach, I am going to roll the dice with someone like Austin because of his upside. He is a guy that some of us talked about last year when it looked like Philbin might get the ax. While I do think that the next HC should have prior head coaching experience, I would make an exception with Austin. He should be considered a real candidate for this job and might turn into an incredible hire. Austin will make for an outstanding head coach one day.
Jim Schwartz: Schwartz is similar in my mind as Haley. He deserves another shot as a head coach. Schwartz was hired by a team that previous lost all 16 games and had to start from scratch in many ways. He ended up making the Lions a legit operation before getting the axe. What stands out to me is how awesome the Bills defense was under his watch compared to Rex Ryan running it. The Bills very much miss Schwartz. From there, like it or not, getting the most out of Suh has to be a consideration. Schwartz and Suh have a prior relationship and there is a chance that Schwartz could land highly coveted Washburn. Schwartz would bring an attacking, physical defense. Without question, the Dolphins would play with an edge.
Jim Mora Jr.: He is experienced. Mora has the swagger and borderline arrogance that the downtrodden Dolphins needs. Mora has brought a bottom-feeding UCLA program to new heights. His NFL career is mixed, but to call him a failure is completely unfair. Mora does have a trip to a NFC Championship game under his belt. His Seattle roster he inherited was awful and was not given additional seasons to fix the mess. Mora would quickly put his stamp on this team and have great professional football culture.
Dirk Koetter: He will be a sleeper for a head coaching job. However, he should be considered. Under full disclosure, Tannenbaum was Koetter’s agent before Tannenbaum came to Miami (as he was to Jackson). So there is that connection. However, Koetter is deserving of a look. Koetter has had a ton of success coaching QB’s and conducting offenses. His work with Matt Ryan and Jameis Winston is off the charts. He was the OC for Doug Martin’s incredible season this year. When you dig into Koetter’s interaction with the media he appears to be a leader and with high football intellect. Koetter has head coaching experience at Boise State and Arizona State. He is an interesting candidate.
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w0_oMYX_s0[/URL]
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYFY3CAd8TY[/URL]
However, Miami has to be cold in these talks. There are going to be many productive RB’s in the free agency and watching the market that DeMarco Murray had last year along with the fact that RB’s are coming out of nowhere to productive, this is position that Miami can fill for relatively cheap dollars and if Miller walks, so be it. I love the guy. He is one of my favorite Dolphins players, but this is a buyer’s market.
- 4.3 yards per carry for Miami’s offense.
- Jarvis Landry finished with 1,157 yards on a franchise record 110 receptions. He had 4 TD’s. He was also effective on punt returns with the biggest return perhaps coming in Week 1 against Washington. Landry scored the deciding points by bringing a punt for a TD.
- Lamar Miller was simply productive this year. He had 872 yards on 194 carries for 4.5 per rush. He had 8 rushing TD’s. Miller improved in getting yards after contact. What is more, Miller was productive as a receiver. He had 397 yards on 47 catches and 2 TD’s. Miller was effective in pass protection too. Great year for the RB.
- Rishard Matthews was playing very well before getting smacked in the Jets game and breaking ribs. Before the injury Matthews had 662 yards on 43 receptions for a 15.4 per catch. He had 4 TD’s.
- DeVante Parker came on strong at the end of the year. His numbers are especially impressive considering he did not fact in at the start of the year. He came on to have 494 yards on 26 receptions. He averaged 19 yards per catch. Parker had 3 TD’s. Parker showed the ability to make explosive plays. A strong end to the season for Parker.
- Ryan Tannehill’s toughness and class. Statistically, Tannehill was not where he was last year. However, nobody should question how tough he is. He was beaten like pinata all year behind a suspect line. Yet, Tannehill kept getting up. He has made 64 straight starts in his 4 year career. Some elements of his game need improvement, but toughness and being available to his team. Tannehill also showed true professionalism between the coaching changes and the Miko Grimes fiasco. Some wanted him to be more angry, but in the end it would not have accomplished much. While yards can be a hollow stat, Tannehill has two consecutive years of throwing for more than 4,000 yards.
- One area of improvement for Tannehill was his deep ball. He was on target much more than at any other time of his career.
- Tons of credit to Branden Albert. Coming back from a brutal injury, Albert, post bye, was excellent. He battled his tail off all year. He should have been sat down through the bye to begin with, but sacrificing for the team, he made it out there for Week 1. True he pulled a hamstring, but after the bye was very good this year. He did not finish the San Diego game, but true to form, he suited up for the next game.
- Mike Pouncey has a terrific year in the pivot. He earned another Pro Bowl. He is the glue that keeps the line together.
- Reshad Jones: Lead team in tackles with 135 TOT, 2 sacks, 10 PBU, 5 interceptions, 2 TD’s and a fumble recovery. Jones was the most dominating player on defense for the Dolphins.
- Olivier Vernon: Led the team 7.5 sacks and was consistent in providing pressure on the QB. Once healthy, he stepped up in the absence of Cameron Wake.
- Ndamukong Suh...the narrative will be all year that he was a bust and did not help the defense. Nothing could be further from the truth. Suh was completely a force against the run and disruptive vs. the pass. The cameras were always there ready to see Suh pull up on a play. However, they fail to mention that he plays more snaps than DT’s would ever think of playing. He was a tremendous signing and a pillar that the team can build around. Suh had 61 TOT, was among the league leaders in TFL’s and finished with 6 sacks.
- Cam Wake. It was a shame he had his season cut short. He is a warrior and a champion. He is simply a pleasure to watch. Still had 7 sacks despite missing half the year.
- The rookie specialists had nice years. Matt Darr punted very well and seems like a keeper. Darr had 92 punts for a 47.6 average...only 10 touchbacks and landed 30 punts inside the 20. Andrew Franks was not tested much all year which is crazy to think about. However, he seemed to have a strong leg on kickoffs.
- The Houston Texans game.
- Firing Joe Philbin. Make no mistake about it, Philbin should have been fired at the end of the ‘13 or ‘14 season...take your pick. However, I give Steve Ross credit for seeing that his team had major issues and a change was needed.
- Dan Campbell is a good man. He showed over the year that he is not ready to be a head coach yet. In the end, he had coordinators that were completely over their heads. However, Campbell did have the ability to identify the team’s issues and I appreciated his honesty when talking publically. It was refreshing coming from Philbin.
- Credit to the front office that they gave Dan Campbell a real chance to coach for the job. We did not hear leaks of names each week. Either the FO kept the names in house or they truly gave Campbell a chance. Whatever the real reason for it, there were no distractions coming from Davie in terms of coaching rumors.
- Throwback uniforms. Stated years ago when there were rumors of a uniform change that they should have gone to the 1972 look.
- Could not ask for better weather this year. The elements played little into determining how the team played.
- I had the privilege of being at the Texans game in person. My wife and I had an absolute blast. The game was amazing in that every play seemed to go for touchdowns. Again, I want to thank again Albert Romano, Wildbill, Henrick and the other Finheaveners for being so welcoming to us. I wish (for a lot of reasons) that I lived down there and if I did I would be at Sun Life every home game.
Negatives
- Retaining Joe Philbin
- Turnover Differential was - 3.
- Too many penalties.
- Habitual slow starts.
- 1-5 in the AFC East.
- The team did not take advantage of a weak schedule. Yes, there were many games on the road (and out of the country) early on. However, Miami had the terrible AFC South and NFC East on the schedule and did nothing with it (played .500 against them). Plus, they had a slew of home games to finish the year...and again, did not nothing with it.
- #27 in points scored with 19.4 average.
- 3rd down offense: 30.7% which ranked #30 in the NFL.
- 45 sacks given up.
- The butchering of assembling the offensive line. Knowing that Albert was coming back from a brutal injury, a better option at LT was needed. Jason Fox is not a fit for either OT spot, but especially LT. The guard position was left in an awful condition. Dallas Thomas is not an NFL starter...yet the team banked on him. Billy Turner worked all offseason as the starter yet in the brilliance of Philbin’s coaching staff, Turner was yanked for rookie Jamil Douglas on the eve of the season. Douglas was overwhelmed and Turner was put back in. Turner had mixed results at best. Finally, not having a true backup center was costly when Pouncey went down. Between Douglas skidding snaps back to Tannehill in the Jets game or him not knowing the snap count on the 4th down play vs. the Colts, the lack of a qualified center on the roster hurt this team.
- Ryan Tannehill did not take a step forward. However, I give him a grade of incomplete. Between the O-line and coaching changes, things were hard on Tannehill. However, his performance on 3rd down and in the 4th quarter, were poor.
- Dallas Thomas. Terrible idea of making him a the starter from day one. He needed to be replaced during the offseason and that did not happen. I was even shocked he barely had any competition. Most disappointing to me is he never seemed to improve.
- DeVante Parker injury that stunted his development.
- Shocked how ineffective Jordan Cameron was the entire season. It never clicked for Cameron and Tannenhill.
- It was a lost season for Ja’wuan James with the toe injury.
- Gave up 24.3 points per game.
- 3rd down defense: 42.9%.
- Run Defense: 126.2 yards per game and teams averaged 4 yards per rush.
- Gave up 31 TD passes.
- QB’s had a 97.2 QB Rating vs. Miami.
- QB’s threw for 7.8 yards per attempt against the defense.
- Brent Grimes. First of all, his play has taken a downward turn. I do think that the coaching staff put him in tough situations where he needed help. However, he still is not the same player he was a few years ago. However, that is not the biggest issue. The big issue is his wife going nuclear via social media. There is the fresh controversy of attacking Tannehill and the local beat writers. However, people forget her criticism of the signing of Suh, other rips on Tannehill and bizarre political takes. Here is what is so sad to me. The Miami Dolphins organization has been so good to the Grimes’. The Grimes family is taken care of for generations because of the opportunity the Fins gave Brent. They have shown him nothing, but respect. The Dolphins even named him a top 50 player in franchise history. Regardless of the QB play, media attention or defensive calls, where is your respect toward the organization that took a chance on you and doubled down by signing you long term.
- Cam Wake injury.
- Louis Delmas injury. Quietly, he was a vital part to being the glue of this defense.
- Kelvin Sheppard. He hoarded tackles, but never made a game changing play during the entire season. That is fairly remarkable to think about considering the number of snaps he played. Sheppard was a disaster in coverage.
- Jamar Taylor. Complete bust. Terrible CB. Passes always completed against him.
- Neophyte coordinators. First of all, while Dan Campbell brought new energy to a flat team, Campbell was completely over his head managing a game as a head coach. Between terrible clock management decisions, odd game plans and making claims that issues were “fixed” from the previous games...but never improved, Campbell simply did not offer enough as a head coach. From there, it was a big mistake for Philbin to have retained Kevin Coyle. Coyle had no answers at the end of last season and lost the confidence of his players. Philbin would have earned respect from the locker room by bringing a new face with fresh ideas. Be that as it may, Coyle was a disaster. He was rightly shown the door, but there was nobody on staff with the intellect and experience to run a defense. Lou Anarumo was completely over his head. As for the firing of Bill Lazor, I disagree with the decision. I understand Lazor was not running the ball and was unpopular. The fact of the matter is the team scored more points Lazor. Zach Taylor had no business conducting an offense.
Overall Assessment
- Once and for all, the hiring of Joe Philbin in 2012 was a mistake. Keeping after either the 2013 or ‘14 season was a mistake. There has been a ton of blame going around to why this season failed. Make no mistake about it...the failure this season is not on Tannenbaum, Tannehill, Campbell, Suh, Anarumo, Lazor of whoever...it is squarely on Joe Philbin. Joe Philbin was never a leader of men. Philbin never had to make a decision in the heat of battle in Green Bay. He created a coaching staff based on nepotism and not merit. He and his staff did not develop players. Rarely did the team get better as the year went on. His teams started slow and could not finish games...or seasons. He was simply a terrible hire.
- I cannot believe that the last seven years of my Miami Dolphins fandom has been built on Chad Henne and Joe Philbin. Let that marinate.
- What would you have bet if someone came up to you before the season and said, “I will bet you that Dan Campbell will be the head coach, Zac Taylor will be the OC and Lou Anarumo the DC before the season is out?” What a strange season.
- This next coaching search is not going to be as ugly as the GM search from two years ago. The reason the GM search was a disaster was because Steve Ross was going to force the GM candidates to keep Joe Philbin and not have a say in who the coach was going to be. The Dolphins HC job is an attractive job. There is talent on the team. There is an owner that spends money and provides resources. Most of all, there will be low expectations. Go over .500 or better yet make the playoffs and you will be celebrated throughout South Florida.
- The next head coach is simply an earth moving decision for the Miami Dolphins. The ramifications of the selection will be felt for years to come. Plus, this franchise has to back and double down on this man to see if it works. The team has picked the wrong guy too many times and while it might have been appropriate to jettison the coach, the Dolphins have had way too much turnover with their head coaches. The pick has to check many boxes for it to work based on the Dolphins current situation. My general criterion I am looking for is the following:
- Leadership: This next hire has to be a leader of a franchise. Who is willing to be the bold face of the franchise? Who is willing to lead and pull up a team that has been wounded by not meeting expectations? Who is the man that is going to have a vision that his players will enthusiastically follow? The Miami Dolphins need a leader of men.
- Experienced: The next coach has to have prior head coaching experience. Whether that is in the NFL or at a major college, Miami cannot afford a first-timer. Some first-time candidates will be hired and do tremendous, but Miami needs an experienced coach at this point.
- Accountability: He needs to be respected, but does not have to be liked. I want to see a coach with an edge. I want to see a man that is willing to challenge his best players like he would his worst. The franchise needs to empower the next coach so the players know it is possible that the coach could dump them if they are not performing of the field. This current roster has had coaches that the players supposedly “liked” because they were player coaches. Now, it is time to have a guy that keeps the players accountable for their play.
- Intellectual: The next coach has to be able to give the team an advantage with X’s and O’s. Maybe it is one side of the ball, maybe it is a position group or maybe it is calling a game. Whatever it is, Miami needs someone that can out-strategize an opponent. The Dolphins have had little to no superior intellectual ability for years on their coaching staff. That script has to be flipped with this next hire.
- “Say Yes”: The Dolphins have been scorned when shopping for head coaches and GM’s in prior searches. The Fins cannot be turned down by multiple candidates in trying to fill this job this time around. The optics would be terrible for the organization. Target a list of coaches that are likely to want the job and interview them. From there, offer the job to the best candidate. Miami cannot be left at the altar this time around. As Miami charts a new future, Steve Ross and Mike Tannenbaum must show they are in command of the situation by not being led along and turned down by candidates.
- Here is my official shortlist of coaches I would attempt to interview. They are in the order of who I favor most:
Hue Jackson: Enjoyed the work he has put in with the Bengals. He has helped Andy Dalton reach new levels. He showed the ability to get an inexperienced backup ready to play vs. the best defense in the NFL. His play calling is creative and utilizes his best players routinely. His 8-8 record with the Raiders is completely impressive considering the mess Oakland was in. People rip him for the Carson Palmer trade, but how many teams would now give up high picks based on how Palmer is playing? Maybe that trade was not bad afterall. Take a peek at his resume in coaching. Look at his many stops and all the different parts of the game he has coached up. I love that he has moved around and learned from other coaches and systems. He will come in with a clear message and the players will follow. Finally, he is so connected that he will have his choice of assistants.
Tom Coughlin: Tom Coughlin might exactly be what Miami is looking for. First, let’s examine the obvious. Coughlin is 69 years old, he will be 70 to start the season next fall. However, I do not judge a man by his age. That is just a number. Coughlin looks in good shape. He is as sharp as ever and seems to be as competitive as anyone in the league. The age does not matter. The Coughlin hire would do many things. First of all, it would show the organization and the fan base, they are trying to win now...that this is not a rebuild process. Secondly, Coughlin would bring instant credibility to the franchise when so many are questioning things abroad. Hearing how much his Giants players cared for him...Eli Manning was misty eyed talking about Coughlin...shows he can still identify with young people. When you heard analysts this past weekend talk of Coughlin, they were adamant that Coughlin still has his “fastball”. Coughlin will be able to hire an all-world staff that would teach and develop. The Fins would turn into a fundamentally sound team. The sky would be the limit of who Coughlin could find to fill out a staff. Here are two other issues to think of...Tom Coughlin has had great success against two coaches in the AFC East. He has gone face to face with Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl twice and won each time in clutch fashion. Coughlin has always played the Pats tough in the regular season while with the Giants. He has owned Rex Ryan. Plus, what would make me think his team would be humming while heading back to MetLife Stadium when going to play the Jets? Finally, we have the Parcells Tree. There are degrees of separation between Tannenbaum and Chris Grier to make football connections to Coughlin. This would give Ross a face of the franchise.
Doug Marrone: Marrone is a completely underrated coach. Comparing his work in Buffalo to what Rex Ryan has done...perhaps with more talent...shows that Marrone did a heck of a job. Marrone won 9 games with E.J. Manual, Thad Lewis and a once retired Kyle Orton. A complaint I have of the Dolphins is they do not play physical enough. Marrone would change that. He would put the QB in a position to succeed by first protecting him. People call Marrone a conservative coach because of what he did in Buffalo, but I see that as great coaching because of what he had under center. Could Marrone get a Jim Schwartz or Mike Pettine as a DC if neither is a head coach next year? As for the narrative that people “do not like Marrone”, I could care less as long as the players respect him. Marrone would totally keep players accountable for their play. As head coach of the Bills, he whipped the Jets and usually the Fins. His teams played the Patriots tough.
Mike Shanahan: This is a very interesting name without question. He clearly meets the criterion on my end. Shanahan would be able to put Tannehill in an offense to bring the best out him. His teams always were able to run the ball and did so out of a zone blocking scheme. Considering Miami has been using a ZBS, there would not be a major sea change to the way the line has been taught. Shanahan would be able to attract a terrific staff. Finally, Shanahan should be considered a “big name” and could create a nice buzz in South Florida. His age does not both me. He is 63 years old, but great coaches like Nick Saban and Bill Belichick are in their 60’s. Dick Vermeil came back at a late age and won a Super Bowl.
Todd Haley: Haley deserves another shot. A mark of a great coach is how successful you can be without your best. Haley has had to coach around brutal injuries in Pittsburgh this year yet his offense has continued to hum. Haley has been creative and like Jackson finds ways of getting the ball to his playmakers despite opponents efforts to take them away. Things spun out of control for him in Kansas City. However, he did win a division there and won 11 games with Matt Cassell as QB.. Haley has an edge and is very intelligent.
Teryl Austin: Austin does not have head coaching experience, but he is worth an interview and a very, very long look. His coaching history is tremendous. He has connections to Suh and Jim Washburn. Hiring Jim Washburn as a D-line coach must be a top goal this offseason. I love the fact that Austin kept his defense competitive despite major personnel losses this season. Austin would bring fresh energy and way to do business to Miami. Notice he is the only candidate I have that does not have prior head coaching experience. I respect and have a gut feeling that Austin is going to be a successful head coach. I ended up putting him in front of Schwartz and Mora because in the end if I am making a defensive guy my coach, I am going to roll the dice with someone like Austin because of his upside. He is a guy that some of us talked about last year when it looked like Philbin might get the ax. While I do think that the next HC should have prior head coaching experience, I would make an exception with Austin. He should be considered a real candidate for this job and might turn into an incredible hire. Austin will make for an outstanding head coach one day.
Jim Schwartz: Schwartz is similar in my mind as Haley. He deserves another shot as a head coach. Schwartz was hired by a team that previous lost all 16 games and had to start from scratch in many ways. He ended up making the Lions a legit operation before getting the axe. What stands out to me is how awesome the Bills defense was under his watch compared to Rex Ryan running it. The Bills very much miss Schwartz. From there, like it or not, getting the most out of Suh has to be a consideration. Schwartz and Suh have a prior relationship and there is a chance that Schwartz could land highly coveted Washburn. Schwartz would bring an attacking, physical defense. Without question, the Dolphins would play with an edge.
Jim Mora Jr.: He is experienced. Mora has the swagger and borderline arrogance that the downtrodden Dolphins needs. Mora has brought a bottom-feeding UCLA program to new heights. His NFL career is mixed, but to call him a failure is completely unfair. Mora does have a trip to a NFC Championship game under his belt. His Seattle roster he inherited was awful and was not given additional seasons to fix the mess. Mora would quickly put his stamp on this team and have great professional football culture.
Dirk Koetter: He will be a sleeper for a head coaching job. However, he should be considered. Under full disclosure, Tannenbaum was Koetter’s agent before Tannenbaum came to Miami (as he was to Jackson). So there is that connection. However, Koetter is deserving of a look. Koetter has had a ton of success coaching QB’s and conducting offenses. His work with Matt Ryan and Jameis Winston is off the charts. He was the OC for Doug Martin’s incredible season this year. When you dig into Koetter’s interaction with the media he appears to be a leader and with high football intellect. Koetter has head coaching experience at Boise State and Arizona State. He is an interesting candidate.
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w0_oMYX_s0[/URL]
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYFY3CAd8TY[/URL]
- Whomever the next coach is, they have to add Jim Washburn to the coaching staff. Washburn is known as a D-line coach that can get through to Suh. Plus, I think Jordan Phillips could thrive under Washburn. Washburn has coached under Schwartz and Austin.
- Speaking of Phillips, my prediction is Phillips is going to make a jump next year. I thought he flashed some this season. I was surprised to hear Campbell call out the rookie in last week’s presser. That said, DT is a very tough position for a rookie to be productive in and I think Phillips showed some potential. He needs to take the next step this offseason and if he does will make the big jump in 2016.
- The team needs to tag Olivier Vernon if a deal cannot be agreed upon. The franchise cannot let a local guy, that was one of their own picks and is just 25 walk out the door. He was one of the most productive pass rushers in the league. Keep him in house.
- I would like to see Lamar Miller come back to the Fins. I have backed Miller even before he was drafted. I have this “famous” thread to prove it.
However, Miami has to be cold in these talks. There are going to be many productive RB’s in the free agency and watching the market that DeMarco Murray had last year along with the fact that RB’s are coming out of nowhere to productive, this is position that Miami can fill for relatively cheap dollars and if Miller walks, so be it. I love the guy. He is one of my favorite Dolphins players, but this is a buyer’s market.
- Brent Grimes must be traded or released. First of all, he is 33 years old coming off a down year. All things being equal, I might bring him back as such. However, the embarrassment that is his wife and Brent’s weak response thereafter, the team must move on. Find a CB early in the draft. Find one in FA. Perhaps double down on CB’s in the draft. With that said, Brent Grimes needs to be shown the door in some capacity.
- Ryan Tannehill. He did not have a strong year and comes into 2016 with a ton of pressure on him. In fact, there is no one in the organization that has more pressure on them than Tannehill. With that said, it is vital to understand something. Ryan Tannehill has to be supported with a credible running game and a strong defense. Tannehill is not capable at this point in his career to carry the team when another phase of the game is playing lousy. There only a few QB’s in the NFL that can make up for his team not having a running game, lousy pass protection or a defense that gives up points by the boatload. The way the Dolphins played this year, Tannehill was never going to be successful. Tannehill can win and be successful in the NFL. However, the team needs to be constructed in a way that has strong running game and a defense that is in the top third in the league. Perhaps over time, Tannehill can start to carry the team in spots. However, he is not there yet...and that is okay. It is time to build a balanced team.
- In continuation from above, Miami’s game plan under the next regime needs to be “portable”. It needs to be a successful running team that is committed to it. For one, it takes pressure off of the O-line and QB. However, what is more, is it is a game plan that can work when traveling on the road, especially in the winter while in the northeast. It does not matter to me if it is a Power scheme or a ZBS, but Miami has to be a committed, successful running team. Allow the running game to set up play action, bootlegs and for shot plays down the field.
- Goes without saying that if Miami is going to make any moves in the standings they will have to improve versus the AFC East. Going 1-5 in the division is deplorable. For this to happen, the Dolphins must get more physical in the trenches. The offensive line play has to get much better. From there, the front seven of the Fins has to be examined. From scheme to the personnel, Miami has to find a way to stop the run if they are to have any chance against the rest of the AFC East. There are other parts that must get better such as DB play. Of course, Ryan Tannehill has to up his performance against the division. The fact of the matter is Miami must find a formula to compete and defeat divisional opponents.
- Finally, I truly believe the Dolphins are clawing back into being relevant and successful. This team has not had a vision that is shared by all the power brokers since 2008. Led by Mike Tannenbaum, the organization is going to understand the vision and work together for an objective. Gone are the days of forced marriages between a general manager and head coach. Gone are the days of alliances. Like him or not, Tannenbaum is a strong executive. He is consensus maker that is great a building relationships. Steve Ross finally has a man that can run his franchise for him. And now, finally, Tannenbaum is going to be able to select a head coach that will share that vision and be the face of the franchise.
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