I am a long-time Shula fan and supporter, but during his last couple of years he really took a beating from fans and the media. During the Jimmy Johnson years he sort of became a forgotten man, and a renewed appreciation for him emerged during Wannstedt.
With much more hindsight, and the difficult times we have gone through lately (really since 2001, our last playoff appearance) does anybody look back at the Shula years, despite his being unable to get us back to the big game in the 90's, and really appreciate the consistency with which he was able to win? 2 losing seasons in Miami('76, '88) and 16 years in the playoffs out of 26, and many of those years we missed we were still in the hunt until the last week of the season. There never seemed to be a full-on rebuilding process where the team was torn apart and we never felt as though we couldn't complete. I know these themes have been discussed here before, but with the way this season has started out, and with the frustration that some are feeling, I just began thinking about the way it seemed that Shula was always able to field a competetive team for two and a half decades. Just imagine if he had drafted better from '86 to '95. What could have been.
With much more hindsight, and the difficult times we have gone through lately (really since 2001, our last playoff appearance) does anybody look back at the Shula years, despite his being unable to get us back to the big game in the 90's, and really appreciate the consistency with which he was able to win? 2 losing seasons in Miami('76, '88) and 16 years in the playoffs out of 26, and many of those years we missed we were still in the hunt until the last week of the season. There never seemed to be a full-on rebuilding process where the team was torn apart and we never felt as though we couldn't complete. I know these themes have been discussed here before, but with the way this season has started out, and with the frustration that some are feeling, I just began thinking about the way it seemed that Shula was always able to field a competetive team for two and a half decades. Just imagine if he had drafted better from '86 to '95. What could have been.