My observations on the post Shula regimes.
JJ wasn't bad. He drafted the core of a hell of a defense with JT, Zach, Madison and Surtain. He tried so hard to recreate the power running/play action Dallas team that he ended up wiffing huge on his offensive draft picks. As a result, he could never reconcile with Marino. Eventually his heart wasn't it in and he quit. Its' too bad that Marino was ahead of his time b/c with the rules we have today oh boy.
Of course what JJ did next ruined Miami for decades.
Wannstadt/Spielman- I don't think you can ever summarize enough the degree that these two men ruined the Dolphins. Miami wasted the great D that was built by JJ. The team got worse every year.
Look at the Drafts. It is COMICAL! Pathetic.
In five years the only guy they drafted that had any impact in the NFL was Chris Chambers.
They wasted most of the picks they did have on idiotic trades.
I am glad that Ricky Williams flamed out because Miami bottomed out faster givings these to idiots the boot. Otherwise they may have stayed on longer.
Saban- Say what you will about Saban he is a hell of a coach. What he did to Miami was inexcusable, but I think if he would have stuck with Miami he would have eventually built a solid team. Then again he was surprisingly bad at drafting considering how familiar he was with the college landscape.
Cameron- This was clearly a mistake. This was also a wasted year compounded by the fact that Cam's Philosophy was completely different from the regimes that proceeded and followed him.
Parcells Era- At least Huizenga went after a guy who had a plan. I always appreciated that about the trifecta. The Parcells way. Build from the trenches. Unfortunately the NFL is a ever changing thing and the Parcells way simply doesnt work as well anymore.
The inability to get the o-line right despite an inordinate amount of resources is what ultimately doomed this regime.
So What Next.
I think the Dolphins need to focus on getting a top notch executive. Not necessarily an old guy like a Parcells type but someone understands the changing nature of the game.
What makes Belichick so good is he is always evolving.
Whomever takes over we need to give them time.
That is the one constant over all successful regimes in the NFL.
