What is Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross doing?
The situation is a mess. I suspect that Ross realizes that changes need to be made, but he either doesn’t have the power to make the changes he wants OR he feels compelled to keep someone because of an assurance he gave earlier this season. If the status quo is accepted and both Ireland and Philbin return, what improvement can we expect? If history tells us anything, not much. For all of his prowess in Green Bay, Philbin’s offenses have finished 27th in the NFL each of his first 2 seasons in Miami. His in game decisions are also questionable at best, as we’ve discussed.
Ireland? He’s been running the show, post-Parcells for 4 seasons now. How is that working out? How much of an upgrade did his new linebacking corps bring? How much did he get out of his 2013 draft picks? Did you know that the Dolphins rookie class played less snaps than any other draft class in the NFL? Was it because the players in front of them were performing so well that they couldn’t get on the field? Consider this. The Dolphins drafted Jamar Taylor and Will Davis in the 2nd and 3rd rounds respectively. Yes, even in week 15 against the Patriots, it was Michael Thomas, who was signed just 5 days before, who got more playing time. How about Dallas Thomas? Who? The guy the Dolphins used a 3rd round pick on and couldn’t sniff the field despite the Dolphins offensive line giving up a franchise record number of sacks AND missing 2 starters for most of the year. It’s so sad.
Stephen Ross has decisions to make and we can only hope that he’s using his alone time to vet possible replacements. I hope that he’s using back channel communications to reach out to potential head coaches to gauge their interest. One name that I like a lot is Gus Malzahn, the coach of Auburn. He’s the guy coaching in the National title game tonight. He is an innovative offensive mind and with a system that creates mismatches for the defense. His no huddle offense dictates what’s going to happen, not the other way around. If this guy was the next Dolphins coach, I would personally drive to Davie and give Mr. Ross my money for season tickets. Our buddy JP suggested last night on Twitter that perhaps Ross is waiting to speak with Malzahn after the National Championship game. We can only hope. Seriously, if the Dolphins brought in Gus Malzahn as their head coach, I would buy my season tickets before the end of his press conference.
Another name that I’d be interested in is Ken Whisenhunt. I know he was fired from his job in Arizona last year. But consider that he took the Cardinals to the Super Bowl (and has a 4-2 postseason record). I like the idea of getting a head coach that has experience as a head coach (not just as a coordinator). I also like that Whisenhunt took the Chargers offense from 31st in the league last year to 5th this year. He’s also helped Phillip Rivers turn in one of his best seasons as a pro. Whisenhunt has been a head coach and has learned from his mistakes. He’s a name I’d consider.
All of this new coach talk is premature because we don’t know what Stephen Ross is going to do about the Dolphins current head coach. We hope he’s doing some secret searching, but who knows. He might think that Ireland and Philbin both deserve one last year with a playoffs or bust ultimatum. I don’t agree, in fact I think that should’ve been the ultimatum this year….but we’ll see soon enough. If it turns out that the Dolphins were taking their time and being deliberate so they could check with potential coaching/GM candidates, I’m okay with that. If the delay is based on indecision and wavering…I’ll continue to be mad with the team….which is getting old!