Miami Dolphins making all the right moves in inspired offseason
Ryan Tannehill waited in the lobby of a country club near the Miami Dolphins' training facility three months ago, sharply dressed for a business meeting with no clear itinerary. He only knew the big boss, owner Stephen Ross, wanted to meet for lunch.
So Tannehill got there early, typical for him, on a mid-February afternoon when football was no longer in session. When Ross arrived, joined by newly hired vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum, the three headed to a private banquet room.
"We have a plan," Ross told Tannehill, once seated at their table. "We want you to be the face of our franchise. We want you to lead us to a championship."
And this, with no fanfare nor onlookers nor negotiations, would begin the dialogue that resulted in this week's decision to lock up Tannehill in a contract worth $77 million in new money that looks smart for both sides, no matter how you dice it up.
Ross simply wanted Tannehill to hear it from him first, before the real negotiations began, in a setting intimate enough to show it was both personal and professional, thus continuing a string of moves made by Miami's owner that might be signaling a changing tide in his pursuit to bring good vibes back to South Florida's football team.
Yes, after seven long years, it seems Ross might finally be finding his groove. The man is taking, for lack of a better word, ownership of his team -- and it no longer feels nearly as awkward, clumsy or uninformed as it once did. Most importantly, he is injecting himself at appropriate times before delegating authority to the right people.
Quite frankly, in the wake of the Tannehill extension, the Dolphins might be rivaled only by the Jets in terms of the amount of change-for-the-better energy that exists since last season's end -- and Miami did this despite retaining Joe Philbin after a campaign when his departure could have been more justified than Rex Ryan leaving Gang Green.
Think about it: The Dolphins got rid of wide receiver Mike Wallace, who cost (and quit) too much. They landed Ndamukong Suh, arguably the most coveted defensive free agent since Reggie White hit the open market in 1993. They extended Mike Pouncey, one of the best centers in football. They stole wide receiver Kenny Stills and tight end Jordan Cameron. And with their 14th overall pick, they managed to draft DeVante Parker, who could be the best pick -- in terms of value and need -- that Miami has made in decades.
