-by Dave Gray

THE DOLPHINS ARE TERRIBLE! CUT ALL THE PLAYERS! FIRE ALL THE COACHES! BURN DOWN THE STADIUM!!!

Alright all you Chicken Littles out there, calm down. Yes, this team is bad. And yes, the future looks bleak. But somewhere out there are real solutions to our problems, and we have to look past this mob mentality to try and find it. We need to put a realistic plan into place to attempt to get on the right track. And here’s mine:

1) This is our coach.

More than anything right now, this franchise needs stability. We’ve had QBs and coaches wearing out the turnstiles for years. Yet, people are already calling for Cam Cameron’s head. We need to just get comfortable with the fact that Cam will be our head coach moving forward for several years. Our best chance at success is to let him see his plan to completion before pulling the plug on him.

2) Keep your veterans, when possible.

I understand the urge to get rid of our aging superstars. Even I wrote an article last year about how trying to move Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas was an option we should consider. But that ship has sailed. We didn’t make the move when we had a chance to sell high, and both players seem to be struggling in comparison to their previous years. However, they can help this team moving forward. They can help stabilize young talent coming in, they can help us win games now, and they can cement their legacy by retiring as Miami Dolphins. This all leads into my next point.

3) Create a culture of winning.

There is a saying that “good teams find a way to win and bad teams find a way to lose.” Well, clichés are clichés for a reason. It seems that we just can’t get a break and are losing games where we outplay our opponents. Think of how many games this year alone where we could have won, had one or two plays gone our way. Instilling confidence in your team and in your fans can help change this. We have a rich history in Miami and there is a lot to be proud of. Believing in your team, your fans, your city and your history has won games for this franchise before…and can do it again. Finding a way to claw out a win here and there can really start the ball rolling. And every win, no matter how bad this team is, is one step closer to bringing us back.

4) Play to win.

Cam Cameron has made some gutsy calls, and it’s definitely a start. We need to go for it on fourth and goal. We need to go for jugular, when the situation arises. We have nothing to lose, and we need to test ourselves to prove that we can do it, and to provide excitement and a buzz around our team.

5) Revive Dolphins Stadium.

We need to bring excitement back into our house. We need to un-do some unpopular decisions regarding tickets to get fans back in the seats, and we need to make it hard to teams to come beat us at home. Put butts in the seats, even if it means donating to the tickets to schools at the last minute. Get the crowd on your side, and they can help you.

5) Draft for broken units; use Free Agency to fill gaps.

Lets focus on the team units. While less sexy, they are the building blocks of good teams, more so than fantasy football superstars. We need to spend our drafts focusing on those units that are non-functional, and use free agency to plug holes in those that are working for us.

The offensive line, wide receivers, and backfield have been improved this year, and all three feature young players that are getting better. While an unpopular choice, Ted Ginn Jr. is now a member of this team, so we may as well work with what we have. Samson Satele looks great so far at center, and we’ve even seen some good things from Reagan Mauia, who’s thrown some nice blocks for Ronnie Brown. Let’s use our free agent money to bring in players that will fit in well with these already successful units.

On the other hand, the secondary and defensive lines are not in good shape. The secondary lacks the talent, and the defensive line is aging, without the young guys on the roster to step up when the time comes. We’ve got a few bright spots here and there, but we need to spend our draft picks to seriously rebuild these units, rather than try to patch them.

As for our field general, we have to have faith that John Beck will eventually be able to step in and play. We can keep the ball in the hands of our veterans for the time being, and slowly bring Beck up to speed. There is no rush.

At the end of the day, we’re going to be bad for a few years. We have to realize this and stop with the knee-jerk reactions each week. And in that time, there’s no point in overanalyzing what we could’ve done and who we could’ve drafted. We can only move forward, and we're going to have to find a way to do it from right where we are.

 

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