It Wednesday and the snowstorm in the Northeast has caused me to have the day off from work.  So, I have a lot of time to read about the Dolphins and the state of affairs going on in Miami.  Here’s a look at what I’m checking out this morning:

dailyworldbuzz.com

State of the Miami Dolphins

Armando Salguero’s article talks about the state of the Dolphins and how many ex-players are dissatisfied with the current situation the Dolphins are in.  Fans have clearly expressed their displeasure.  Now ex-players are.  One thing is for sure, Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano have ALOT of work to do to make the Miami Dolphins into contenders in 2011.

NFL Lockout Looming

We all know that the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL Owners and the Players Association is up.  What we don’t know, is when it will get resolved.  We also don’t know what the new CBA will look like after it is agreed upon.  One BIG sticking point with the players is the proposed change from a 16 game to an 18 game schedule.  Ratings are higher than ever.  The NFL is making billions of dollars.  I find it hard to believe both sides can’t come to some kind of a compromise that will help keep the NFL’s momentum going.

NY Jets just keep on talking

The New York Jets are following in the footsteps of their loudmouth head coach, Rex Ryan.  This time, it’s Antonio Cromartie stepping up on the soap box.  Cromartie had some choice words to say about Tom Brady, which unfortunately cannot be written on this blog.  As annoying as the Jets trash talking is, and I hope they get beat Sunday, it is refreshing to hear someone calling Tom Brady names!

Henne’s future?

Greg Stoda of the Palm Beach Post takes a look at Chad Henne and compares him to other QBs that entered the league around the same time.  Personally, I think Henne was constrained the last couple of years.  BUT, he also hasn’t proven he can lead the team down the field consistently, when needed.  I mean, the guy has his worst performances in the 4th quarter of games.  That’s certainly not when you want to have to worry about your quarterback making the right decisions.   I expect the Miami Dolphins to look for another QB this offseason to compete with, and potentially unseat Chad Henne.

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Even though it’s the offseason, there is still a lot of buzz surrounding the Miami Dolphins.  As we previewed earlier, the Dolphins are in search of a new offensive coordinator and a QB coach with the departures of Dan Henning and David Lee.  In addition, the Dolphins are also going to be looking to upgrade the QB position, rebuild the interior of the offensive line, and probably sign 2 new running backs.  Here’s a look at what we’re reading this afternoon:

Henning or Henne, who gets the blame?

Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel takes a look at the quarterback/offensive coordinator relationship.  It drove many Dolfans crazy how Chad Henne would use poor play action passing attempts when the Dolphins were in obvious passing situations.  You know what we mean…down by 10 in the 4th quarter, facing a 3rd and 13.  Why not play fake before looking downfield?

Cam Newton or Vince Young?

The Miami Dolphins own the 15th pick in the first round of the upcoming April draft.  Some pundits think that Cam Newton will be available there for the Dolphins to select.  However, Omar Kelly makes a logical argument why the Dolphins should take a hard look at Vince Young before making that pick.  After all, Young will likely be released and won’t cost the Dolphins any picks or players, only money.

In 2011, who stays, who goes?

Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post takes a look at who will likely return to the Dolphins in 2011…and who will be gone.  It’s really early to start looking at this, but he brings up some interesting points.

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Now that the coaching conspiracy is over with, the Miami Dolphins can turn their attention to the offseason. The Owner, General Manager, and coach have all vowed to bring exciting offense to Miami. This includes finding a new offensive coordinator to take the place of Dan Henning, and possibly other offensive assistants. This also means being better at drafting outside of their comfort zone and adding players via free agency that might not fit their typical mold. Here is a look at what we’re reading:

Dolphins Must Draft Better
The Sun Sentinel’s Omar Kelly takes a look at what the Dolphins have done right in the draft, and what they have done wrong. The current regime tends to take two players at a position of need in any given draft. They also tend to like bigger as opposed to faster. Will they leave their comfort zone to identify the players needed to make this team a contender?

The Roundtable recap

Armando Salguero recaps the media roundtable where Stephen Ross and Jeff Ireland essentially apologized to Tony Sparano and denied most everything regarding the coaching conspiracy.  Thank God this is over with!

Stephen Ross’ Letter to Dolfans

The Phinsider.com posted the Dolphins’ owner, Stephen Ross’ letter to Dolphins fans.  If one thing is clear, it’s that this owner wants to win in the worst way.  He is willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve the goal of bringing winning football to Miami.    That’s all well and good, but doesn’t Dan Snyder want to win in Washington?  How’s that working out?

The OC

PhinPhanatic.com takes a look at what’s next for the Miami Dolphins…The OC search.  Brian makes a great point in suggesting that whoever the Dolphins select as their offensive coordinator will be scrutinized.  He will not have a lot of time to turn things around, or his head coach, Tony Sparano, might not be around very long.

We are now over 12 hours removed from the news breaking from ESPN that Tony Sparano would remain as the Miami Dolphins head coach.  The Dolphins were turned down by Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden, and apparently didn’t want to wait and continue playing Jim Harbaugh’s reindeer games.  So why hasn’t there been an official announcement?

Well, as crazy as it sounds, it appears that the relationship between Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland might be ‘strained’.  Seriously?  Your GM flies with the owner across the continent to find your replacement, why would there be any hard feelings?  Mike Berardino does a good job of breaking down the Dolphins options for what to do next, if this is a potential problem.  Keep both?  Get rid of one and keep the other?  Get rid of both and flirt with Bill Cowher again?  Check out his story here.

This is quickly become the story that Dolfans want to end.  Last night, we thought the story was over with.  Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is reportedly back in the Miami Area.  If you just went out and tried to cheat on your head coach by hiring someone else, wouldn’t you want to meet with him as quickly as possible and announce that you are retaining him?

I don’t know if we’ll ever find out the whole story behind the 2011 Miami Dolphins coach saga.  I hope we do.  I hope the Owner can give a logical explanation for what has gone on in the last week.  It sure feels like a lot longer than 5 days ago when the Dolphins played their last game, doesn’t it?

This was certainly one of the wildest, craziest weeks that I can remember.  The full story on the Miami Dolphins Head Coaching search has come full circle.  Tony Sparano will lead the Dolphins in 2011.  We could have avoided all of the ulcers and saved a lot of time if Stephen Ross had just announced on Monday that he was retaining Tony Sparano as his Head Coach.  He didn’t. Then the contract offers and rumors began to take control of Dolfans lives.

silive.com

So in the course of a week, the Dolphins owner decided that Tony Sparano was not good enough to remain Head Coach.  Ross reached out to Bill Cowher, offered Jon Gruden a $7mil per year contract, and chased Jim Harbaugh across the continent.  Then, news broke last night that the Dolphins front office had decided that the best coaching option was….drum roll please….Tony Sparano!

Our Apology

We have to apologize before going any further because we posted yesterday that Jim Harbaugh had agreed in principle to become the Dolphins head coach.  This obviously turned out to be incorrect as Tony Sparano will be on the sideline in September.  Big named media people got it wrong.  We got it wrong, and we apologize.  Dan LeBetard was convinced yesterday and quoted sources as saying it was a done deal.  Other sources reported the same thing, which is why we posted the story.  We wonder if there was actually an agreement with Harbaugh, which sources went with, but Harbaugh changed his mind.  Is it so crazy to think that?  No.  Why?  Because he had an agreement with the 49ers on Tuesday/Wednesday!!  This is a unique situation where an indecisive individual may have given sources reasons to run with reports…and then changed his mind.  Looking at the situation as a whole, is that really someone you want making fast acting decisions as a head coach?

So what is next for the Dolphins?

- Step one, make up with Tony Sparano..and quickly.  I’m happy for Tony Sparano the man, because no one should have to endure what he has gone through this week.  He’s a class act and I’m happy he will get one more year to prove he’s a winning coach.

- Step two, find a new offensive coordinator.  With Dan Henning stepping down, the Dolphins need to identify their next offensive coordinator.  We’re working on who the candidates might be and will keep you updated on the search (Hopefully this one isn’t as embarrassing to the organization!).

- Step three, identify who your quarterbacks are going to be in 2011.  Tyler Thigpen and Chad Pennington are both free agents.  Yes, that means Chad Henne is the only QB likely to be on the roster.  The Dolphins must identify other QBs that could become available (perhaps Vince Young, Donovan McNabb, Kyle Orton?).

It’s been a crazy week, which had an anticlimactic ending. But even though the Head Coach remains the same, the Dolphins still have many changes to make before the 2011 season kicks off.

The last 36 hours have been pretty interesting for fans of the Miami Dolphins.  As a blogger, it’s exciting to read as much as possible and break down the news for PhinNation.com as quickly as it becomes available.  We try to post news from reliable sources.  However, with Jim Harbaugh, even some of the most reliable sources don’t know what he’s going to do.  In the last 24 hours Harbaugh has reportedly agreed ‘in principle’ to coach the San Francisco 49ers (Wednesday) and the Miami Dolphins (today).  Things appear to continue to be in flux.  Here’s some of the latest news regarding the Dolphins:

Harbaugh to Miami? San Francisco?  Stanford?

Does Jim Harbaugh even know what he’s going to do?  It’s been reported that he’s going to San Francisco.  It’s been reported that he’s coming to Miami.  Jason LaCanfora’s latest update says there is a good chance he stays in the Bay area (49ers or Stanford).  Beat reporters are tracking Stephen Ross’s plane.  Bloggers don’t know what to believe.  Sources don’t know what he’s thinking.  I’ve never really seen anything like it.  It makes it challenging and exciting to report on it though!

Is Harbaugh worth the fuss?

Pete Prisco, a known Dolphins hater, questions why there is such a fuss being made about Jim Harbaugh.  As much as I hate to say it, I kind of agree with him to a degree.  Yes, he has done a great job at Stanford.  But how much of that success is tied directly to Andrew Luck?  Or, how much of Luck’s success is attributed to Harbaugh’s coaching?

Dan Henning leaving Dolphins

In the midst of all of the the craziness today, Dan Henning has reportedly informed the Dolphins that he will not be returning to coach the Offense in 2011.  This is hardly a surprise, but worth mentioning.  I kind of view Henning’s ‘announcement’ as the 1st Mate of the Titanic telling the Captain that this would be his last voyage….while the boat is sinking!

Broncos joining the party?

It appears that San Francisco, Miami, and Stanford might have some additional competition for Jim Harbaugh.  It appears that the Denver Broncos would like to schedule a meeting with him next.  Seriously, how many teams want in on this guy?

My US$0.02

We’ll keep you posted as soon as credible news comes though.  It is tough to sift through all of the rumors, but Harbaugh’s indecision isn’t helping matters.  Personally, I think one of two things is REALLY happening:

#1 Harbaugh is having a hard time convincing himself that the money from Miami is worth it.  LaCanfora reported yesterday that Harbaugh was unimpressed by the Dolphins initial pitch.  Maybe the second pitch was just as unimpressive, but the exorbitant amount of money being thrown at him, has him torn.

OR

#2 Harbaugh is going to be the next coach of the Miami Dolphins by the weekend or early next week at the latest and all of this is a bit of a rouse.  Maybe, just maybe the Dolphins are trying to buy time and have asked Harbaugh to say he’s still undecided on his future.  Remember, the Dolphins need time to fire Tony Sparano and conduct an interview with a minority candidate to comply with the Rooney Rule.  Having people jumping from one story to the next will allow the Dolphins time to do both.

If the Dolphins miss out on Harbaugh, it’s likely the could turn their attention back to Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden.  This would mean firing Ireland to land Cowher OR increasing the HC’s salary to get Gruden.  Ross may be come off crazy in all of this, but he is doing what he thinks is best for the Miami Dolphins.

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