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NFL.com breaks down the Dolphins power structure

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Daytona Fin

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Interesting article by Breer breaking down the Dolphins front office.

The coach-driven models varied from place to place. So did the GM-as-king situations.

Since then, eight franchises have gone through significant turnover in major shot-caller positions: The Texans, Lions, Redskins, Vikings and Titans hired new coaches; the Dolphins brought in a new general manager; the Buccaneers and Browns underwent total overhauls.

And this time we're seeing something else: a real trend emerging.

In 2013, there were only a handful of teams (Patriots, Eagles, Seahawks, Rams, Redskins) where the coach had final-say power over the 53-man roster. It appeared, too, that the coach-as-dictator model was slowly disappearing, with Andy Reid departing Philly and ceding control to John Dorsey in Kansas City, and only Bill Belichick and Mike Shanahan left as do-everything sideline bosses.

That's changed this year, with a twist. No, clubs aren't reaching for the Belichick/Shanahan blueprint. What they're seeking to copy, instead, is pretty predictable: the business plan of the champions.
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Miami Dolphins

Owner: Stephen Ross, 6th year
General Manager: Dennis Hickey, 1st year
Head Coach: Joe Philbin, 3rd year
Other front-office notables: Tom Garfinkel, President/CEO; Dawn Aponte, Executive Vice President of Football Administration; Chris Grier, Director of College Scouting.

Who's really in charge? One thing is abundantly clear: Philbin has more influence now than he did in his first two years, and that means his staff has increased say, as well. Meanwhile, coming in as a first-year GM, Hickey has looked to build a facsimile of the Rich McKay/Tony Dungy setup he saw in his formative years in Tampa Bay.

Hickey spent significant time right after he got the job meeting with Philbin to learn his system, and had assistant coaches make presentations to the scouts in February on what traits they wanted in players. Hickey also increased the amount of prospects each position coach is tasked with studying in advance of the draft. Grier, who has been with the franchise since 2000, has been a valuable resource for Hickey.

As for the reporting structure, both Hickey and Philbin report directly to Ross, as does Garfinkel, who runs the business side. Aponte is a skilled cap manager, and while she reports to Ross on paper, it's become very clear of late that her voice counts for more in the organization. More staff changes can be expected after the draft, with contracts expiring for some personnel folks in Hickey's current organization and his former one.

An outside perspective from an AFC personnel executive: "The GM has the power on paper, but the head coach and staff have a lot more influence over player additions and subtractions. I think it's certainly collaborative, and the GM has the authority with player personnel. But the head coach, since the change was made, has been able to assert himself in the process and gained some authority. ... It's becoming a coaching-driven organization. Coaches have more say in the final calls. It's not that they didn't have that before, but those were (Jeff Ireland's) decisions before. The head coach has more say now, and naturally, his staff does, too."
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http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...ns-among-five-teams-with-new-power-structures
 
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That's the type of structure we should have had with Ireland.
The GM shouldn't be forcing players on a coach. It has to be a collaborative effort. They have to share a similar vision for the roster.
 
what do you guys think Philbin has done to earn such power? I know you guys hated Ireland and anything is better than him to you guys at the moment but I am not sure you should take comfort in an organization where Philbin has all that power.
 
It's not about earning power, it's about what it should have been like. I love this :-

Hickey spent significant time right after he got the job meeting with Philbin to learn his system, and had assistant coaches make presentations to the scouts in February on what traits they wanted in players.

I can't see any luxury picks on 3-4 OLB's
 
nyjunc said:
what do you guys think Philbin has done to earn such power? I know you guys hated Ireland and anything is better than him to you guys at the moment but I am not sure you should take comfort in an organization where Philbin has all that power.
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Unlike our actual GM he was smart enough to realize we needed to upgrade the LT position. But to your point what had any of the candidates done to deserve the power? All proven good GM candidates were happily employed, our options were between proven failed GMs or unproven guys, so why not Philbin over some other unknown?
 
nyjunc said:
what do you guys think Philbin has done to earn such power? I know you guys hated Ireland and anything is better than him to you guys at the moment but I am not sure you should take comfort in an organization where Philbin has all that power.
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It's not about earning power, it's about collaborating with your GM to find the best players suited to what you want to do. I'd rather have two guys working together to accomplish a goal than trying to fit round pegs into square holes. With them working together, if it fails, it can be flushed away with one push of the button. Having your two main guys in power not being on the same page is a massive detriment to any organization football or otherwise.
 
mnphinfan said:
This is pretty close to what I wrote about and predicted in this thread.

http://www.finheaven.com/showthread.php?351466-Joe-Philbin-s-Power-Play&highlight=

Kind of fun now to look back at those who told me I was talking out of my ass.
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You did not have "The Missing Link." One can post his opinion, and get ripped by many here but, have someone else say the same things days later, with a link, and it is entirely different. It is funny, as I sincerely believe that some, with a link, are taking ideas from those without. lol
 
roy_miami said:
Unlike our actual GM he was smart enough to realize we needed to upgrade the LT position. But to your point what had any of the candidates done to deserve the power? All proven good GM candidates were happily employed, our options were between proven failed GMs or unproven guys, so why not Philbin over some other unknown?
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as far as HCs who earned that power they usually have had success as HCs in previous stops.

I am not debating Ireland, I understand his mistakes but I question why give Philbin this power. What has he done to earn it? maybe he turns out to be brilliant at it, we'll see.
 
Dawn, her demonstrated ability to eviscerate Ireland and her influence with Ross is the wild card in this collaborative paradigm, IMO.
 
It was very interesting in one of the other threads that the quote form an agent was that Philbin was running things now. I really like this structure, Hickey is in business talk treating Philbin and his staff like a customer and trying to supply what they need. Hickey's ability isn't established yet but his approach to the position is fantastic, putting the team above any ego trips.
It is so great that the position coaches are getting input into the type of players they want, and indeed evaluating the prospects, it is really getting everyone in the organisation pulling in the same way.
 
I really don't care HOW the power is divided....I just want them to be on the same page!!!!!
Not,one reading the table of contents and the others reading the index!!!
 
nyjunc said:
as far as HCs who earned that power they usually have had success as HCs in previous stops.

I am not debating Ireland, I understand his mistakes but I question why give Philbin this power. What has he done to earn it? maybe he turns out to be brilliant at it, we'll see.
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I think if you deny Philbin any say to the personnel management, then you're back at square 1 with not knowing how to determine Philbin's value to the team. Ross wants Philbin to have a say because Ireland, having denied him that collaboration, hurt the team's chances of winning. Miami's trying to move away from that separation of interests -- who the coaches wanted on the field, and who they got; it never added up, and results showed.
 
It makes no sense to me why a GM would force a player on a coach. The coach has to COACH the player and use them to win games. Logically the coach should be the one choosing which player fits his staff and style the most, not the man sitting in a press box eating a Filet Mignon during game days.
 
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