When the list of OC candidates hit the internet a few days ago, a lot of Dolphin fans were underwhelmed by the names they were seeing. That surprised me as I’m actually pretty excited for a couple of the names on the list.
That, coupled with the news that Bills OC Brian Dabboll is poised to become the new Charger HC has me strolling down memory lane in regards to OC’s who have flamed out in Miami only to go on and have success elsewhere.
Dabboll was Dolphin’s OC for 1 season back in 2011 and the results were pretty awful. In fact, I’ve always felt like he was one of the worst OC’s to ever come through Miami. We were a 6-10 football team that managed to score 30 points or more in 4 of our games while the team failed to score at least 20 points in 9 games that season. Now to be fair, that was 9 years ago and Dabboll has obviously grown as a coach while studying under some pretty brilliant football minds- Nick Saban just to name 1, since departing Miami. That being said. I think Dabboll serves as a good example as to why Miami has struggled to put together above average Offenses on a consistent basis for a very long time.
When looking back at our OC’s in the post Shula era, Miami has struggled to have any sort of continuity at OC & QB, and so far into Brian Flores’ tenure, it seems to be the one thing Flores hasn’t been able to figure out yet. Now, for the first time in a very long time, Miami invested a Top 5 draft pick in a player who is supposed to be our franchise QB of the future and that makes this next OC hire HUGE if Miami hopes to buck the trend that has plagued this franchise for over two decades.
Without knowing what went on behind the scenes in Flores’ first year with O’Shae at OC, it’s hard to know why he was 1-and-done. Miami was starting to see better Offensive output as the season wore on with a roster that lacked any semblance of a talent on Offense. Chan Gailey was chosen as his replacement and the results were easily predicted: Another year of underwhelming production and Miami sitting in an all too familiar situation in which year 3 of the Brian Flores era will yield a 3rd OC.
Flores absolutely has to get this hire right. The development of our potential franchise QB hangs in the balance. Another 1-and-done OC will lead to Tua’s 3rd OC in his first 3 years and will almost assuredly mean that more seeds of doubt will be planted as to Tua not being the guy and the cycle that has grown extremely tiresome for Dolphin fans will yet again reset itself.
Now, if and when Flores hires the right guy, Dolphin fans (and coach Flores) need to show some patience. If the draft and FA go the way most of us think it will, Miami will have improved the skill positions, as well as having a 2nd year QB playing behind a young offensive line that has 3 promising players also entering their 2nd year. At that point, the most important thing Flores can give his offensive players and staff is CONTINUITY. Miami has finally put themselves in a position in which a talented core of youngsters can grow in an offensive system that isn’t changing every year. Anything less than that will lead us right back to where we always seem to be- looking to hit the reset button yet again.
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