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The Miami Dolphins worst football Coach Hall of Fame

The Miami Dolphins worst football Coach Hall of Fame. Select your winner!

  • Dave Wannstedt

  • Nick Saban

  • Cam Cameron

  • Tony Sparano

  • Joe Philbin

  • Adam Gase


Results are only viewable after voting.
He shouldn't be on the list. It always amuses me when Dave Wannstedt is assigned such remarkable power he was responsible for 10-20 years to follow. Ten is standard but I knew I'd see 20 in this thread. Sure enough.

Those were fun teams to watch. Hard trying and overachieving. Excellent point differential and point spread records. Of all the years I was in Las Vegas the Wannstedt years were easily the ones in which I was wagering on the Dolphins more than against them. His teams cooperated when they fit the positive angles.

I'll never understand why there was such lofty expectation of those teams by Dolphin fans. Baffled the heck out of me. I wasn't posting here but I was on some Dolphin site. Google related, I think...alt.sports.football. Apparently I'm still listed there because I receive emails from time to time. The excellent poster Lloyd Heilbrunn was there. He posts here also. There was one guy on that site who kept insisting that the Dolphins were "primed" for a championship yet Wannstedt blew it. I guess that was the consensus here also.

Meanwhile the YPPA Differential was nothing. If I remember correctly it was something like -.1 to +.8 during those seasons 2000 through 2003. That is non competitive. The best teams now are +2.0 range but then it was often closer to +3.0. Miami's pass defense was lousy on the road, which partially accounted for the mediocre defensive YPA. Offensive YPA wasn't special anywhere.

Every reference point indicated the Dolphins were a consistently overachieving team. I was pointing out all of this on that Google site but it was drowned out by that insistence that the Dolphins were "primed."
There's a lot that's promising about our team right now, but the YPPA diff worries me. (Assume this is the same as net yards per play differential as I know it). It's near the bottom of the league, somewhere around -.5-.7!
 
While Cameron should not have ever been a head coach at any level, my vote as the worst head coach is Saban. He lied and never had the heart or desire to make it as an NFL head coach. He took the money and the easy way out and went to Alabama where he could coach in the minor leagues.

He might be a great recruiter and a good minor league head coach but he was below average in the big leagues. He did the right thing for him by going to Alabama because it was only a matter of time before he would have been fired by the Dolphins and the job at Alabama probably would have already been filled by another head coach by the time Saban was eventually fired by the Dolphins.
 
Nah. Point differential was -170. Worst by far; I think Gase's 2017 or 2018 is second worst, but it's not even close.

Like some of the other posters, I can't see how this is even a competition, at least as the OP is worded. Cam was the worst Dolphins head coach. Period. End Thread. By far. If you change it to "most harmful to the franchise" or "most embarrassing" or "Biggest clown", etc., then I can see multiple other choices, sure.
I must’ve been thinking of one of our other amazing coaches. Lol
 
I agree. Cameron may have had that 1-15 record, but as I recall, Miami was somewhat competitive in most of those games. Even with a lack of talent they fought hard, and I think they were only blown out in a few games. In hindsight, there was one positive result of that season; their only win was versus the Ravens, the team that has twice knocked Miami out of the playoffs in the first round! Because of how hard they played, I'd never consider Cameron to be the worst Coach.
Actually Baltimore knocked us out of the 1st round once... In 2008-2009 season. The next time we made it in 2016, Pitt kicked our butts. Baltimore just beats us every damn time we play them except one game we won by a few points somehow. I hate Baltimore.
 
Basically Wannstedt got screwed imo. Building your offense around a great player who retires just before preseason? Fiedlers broken thumb and Ray Lucas being the worst backup in the NFL.
He destroyed this team what are you talking about? Literally gave up away a bunch of draft picks stunning our progress for a decade. He did the same thing with the bears.
 
While Cameron should not have ever been a head coach at any level, my vote as the worst head coach is Saban. He lied and never had the heart or desire to make it as an NFL head coach. He took the money and the easy way out and went to Alabama where he could coach in the minor leagues.

He might be a great recruiter and a good minor league head coach but he was below average in the big leagues. He did the right thing for him by going to Alabama because it was only a matter of time before he would have been fired by the Dolphins and the job at Alabama probably would have already been filled by another head coach by the time Saban was eventually fired by the Dolphins.
Saban just quit that doesnt make him worst coach. I listed him because he happen to coach for us. With the damage wanny did anyone with a brain wouldnt have taken that job.
 
I’m in Chicago and Wannstedt is here a lot. I believe he also spends time in Naples. Quick story.

I was coming back from the gym at my lunch hour during the 2019 season. I was headed up the escalator to the lobby of my high rise office tower and, boom, it was me and Dave. Without any hesitation or nervousness, I started talking to him. He was going up to do a spot at a radio station and I was headed to my office. Initially, he thought I was just a typical guy who recognized him. But I went straight to the first time I heard of him he was an assistant at the U. I said “D line coach, right.” He lit up. The other part I recall was telling him I was a huge Dolphins fan and he grimaced lol. This was when we were 0-4 and had been blown out. I also mentioned the Joe Rose Show and that I listened to his weekly spots and he mentioned that he stopped doing those. Very nice man and he legitimately chatted. If anything, I ended it. I guess I played it too cool.

I have to say, he was incredibly nice and we chatted a bit. When I got back to my office, I thought of two things. It was surreal to see Wannstedt in my environment. When he was Dolphins coach, I’d swim at lunch, come up and check the Herald and finheaven while I ate. And the second thing is I kicked myself for not bringing up 2002 and that lost opportunity when Fiedler got hurt. I think that team could have done some damage. I’d love to hear what he thinks about that missed opportunity.

I kind of thought I’d see him again but I haven’t. Of course the pandemic sucked a bunch of time so who knows maybe I will see him again.
 
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I vote for philbin

he allowed bully scandal
He allowed players and their wives to cause problems in the locker room. Miki grimes
He wasted tannehiills first 4 years. By the time gase got here there was pressure to replace tannehill
he got tannehill killed. His body broke down under gase

he never made playoffs, he never had above 8 wins. He allowed us to lose final two games to miss playoffs

Philbin made gase seem like a hall of fame coach.
I voted for Philbin as well for these exact reasons. Those 2013 and 2014 teams choked at the end of the year each season. And let's not forget all of the hype we had heading into 2015 only to start 1-3 and finally fire his ass
 
Actually Baltimore knocked us out of the 1st round once... In 2008-2009 season. The next time we made it in 2016, Pitt kicked our butts. Baltimore just beats us every damn time we play them except one game we won by a few points somehow. I hate Baltimore.
2001

I my wife's friends were visiting from Germany. I watched the game from the hotel bar in Anaheim.
 
He destroyed this team what are you talking about? Literally gave up away a bunch of draft picks stunning our progress for a decade. He did the same thing with the bears.
Two first rounders for Ricky Williams. Two second rounders for Ricky Williams.

Made an in-division trade in 2003 or 2004 with the New England Patriots and gave up a future 2nd round pick for a third round pick, who he used to draft yet another offensive lineman.

Had a mediocre offense but refused to draft Drew Brees. In fact, he refused to go after any quarterbacks until 2004...four years after Marino retured.

Had a mediocre offense and had to be dragged kicking and screaming into drafting Chris Chambers. That was his only wide receiver pick in the top rounds in four drafts.

But...the combined Parcells/Saban/Cameron/Wannstedt regime collectively did some real damage when you look at it over a ten year span:

2004-2009 - Quarterback Overdrafting
2004 - 2nd Round Pick traded for Feely
2006 - 2nd Round Pick traded for Culpepper
2007 - 2nd Round selection of Beck
2008 - 2nd Round selection of Henne
2009 - 2nd Round selection of White

That's five second round picks in six drafts on quarterbacks. I can't think of any other team that has ever done this.

2002-2005 - Running Back Overdrafting
2002 - 1st and 2nd Round Picks traded for Ricky Williams
2003 - 1st and 2nd Round Picks traded for Ricky Williams
2005 - 1st Round selection of Ronnie Brown
2005 - 3rd Round Pick traded for Lamar Gordon

So in four years, we used three first round picks, two second round picks, and a third round pick on the running back position. Again, who does this?!
 
I vote Adam Gase because I really think he is a fraud As a head coach, I witnessed it and reported it when I spent one week at training camp in 2018, I was there every morning at 7:45 and didn’t leave until the last player left the field. ive talked about it here so I won’t list but it was indicting obvious stuff, and the fact that another NFL team gave him a head coaching job right after he got fired here tells you how bad and cluless some NFL front offices are.
 
Man I could have said cam or wandsted because of many many reason, but my hatred for gase wouldn't let me!!! Gase is the absolute worst!! Haha
 
I consider Gase a very bad HC, no doubt. But relative to the majority of the board, I'm probably higher on his Dolphin performance than most! I mean, he went almost .500 over 3 years, made the playoffs, with not exactly a talent laden roster (look at the Tannenbaum threads) and Tannehill injured for a decent while. He was 14-5 with Ajayi starting. Had the Phins top 3 each year in big plays of >30 yds.

Don't knock down a straw man - I hate Gase, and he was worse with the Jets. But there have been lots worse HC's.

Um no, Gase was hands down the worst. He had no idea how to be a coach, has no idea how to call any type of offense, and successfully ruined out teams by sending off good players because his bitch ass couldn't handle testosterone. **** him, **** him right in his bitxh ass!! :)
 
I vote Adam Gase because I really think he is a fraud As a head coach, I witnessed it and reported it when I spent one week at training camp in 2018, I was there every morning at 7:45 and didn’t leave until the last player left the field. ive talked about it here so I won’t list but it was indicting obvious stuff, and the fact that another NFL team gave him a head coaching job right after he got fired here tells you how bad and cluless some NFL front offices are.
Philbin was worse dude
 
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