Lets talk coaches

[Doc-phin]

I am bored, lets talk about something we typically just touch on in the mix with other posts...

My biggest question is this...  Is our coaching staff and Head office the kind of group that can get to the Super Bowl in the modern era?

Why the question?  It has been a long time since Parcells even won a playoff game, Sparano is a new comer and Dan Henning essentially came out of retirement (from my understanding) to take this job.

What we hear the coaches preach is they want a big, strong, high character team that runs the ball well, protects the ball and plays physical defense.  We haven't really seen that philosophy equate to winning a Super Bowl in a good while.  Even the Giants win was done with Buress having to light it up.  However, I am encouraged by a few things.  The pickup of Marshal was the one major sign that this regime isn't totally sold on ground and pound as the way to get to the promised land.

Here are my thoughts in a nut shell...  I feel totally comfortable with Nolan, but Henning makes me nervous.  Henning just doesn't seem aggressive enough at times, even when the situation demands that you be aggressive to give you a chance to win.  However, Henning has shown some innovativeness and the ability to create some pretty solid game plans to keep us in the game with teams that are generally more talented than us.  In the end, I think Henning will need to be bailed out heavily by the defense and special teams in order to go deep into the playoffs.

Sparano is a bit of an unknown.  He definitely has the disciplinary style that gets a team winning in the regular season, but I can't say that he trusts his players enough for post season play.  Perhaps this is because our talent level has been lacking, but I am suspicious that he is distrusting by nature.  By distrusting his players, I think he takes away that slight edge you need to beat elite playoff talent.  Ultimately, you have to take some chances in the post season you can't keep your players on a leash and expect to win.

Finally, we look at the top.  Parcells and Ireland, which could probably just be abbreviated to Parcells since you know that Ireland is really just an apprentice anyway (that's the way I see it).  Parcells brought in Sparano and Henning, because they share like minds so I won't repeat my sentiments and just apply them to Parcells.  But there is one thing about Parcells that keeps sticking in my mind.  I keep thinking about the Dolphins-Patriots match up where he went up against Shula and the score went ape-shit.  Parcells wasn't holding back Bledsoe in that game.  Parcells wasn't trying to run the clock out.  He was stepping up and going toe-to-toe with Dan Marino and damn near won.  However, he didn't win and I wonder how much that ate him up.  You have to wonder if a loss like that sticks with a guy and discourages him from going into future shoot outs.

I don't think our talent is the issue anymore.  So now I am turning my attention to the coaches and the big picture.  Don't mistake this for putting down our lead staff, I appreciate greatly what they have done.  But the ultimate goal is and always will be a Super Bowl win and I do have some concerns about that.  What do you think?

[Tepop84]

Henning is an idiot, Sparano doesn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed, and nolan should be good. Henning is an awful game planner.  Henne should never throw more than 50 times in a game where the team isn't down by 2 or 3 scores, yet Henning had him do that. The second half of the saints game where the dolphins were up multiple scores, they only ran a handful of times (not going to look it up, definitely wasn't more than 10 times).  Sparano is the typical dumb lineman.  As long as he is in the NFL, i don't think he will ever have an advantage over another coach.

I counted, it was 8.

[Sunstroke]

I agree with Tepop...everyone sucks, including the Miami players and coaches, and we should all throw ourselves off a ledge before the season starts just to spare ourselves any further pain.

...but on a realistic note, I do have some concerns about Henning trying to fit his play calling to the strengths/weaknesses of our players, but have no concerns whatsoever in Sparano or Nolan or even Parcells at the top of the food chain. Overall, I think we have a solid coaching staff.

[Doc-phin]

Henning is an awful game planner. 

I think your view is valid.  However, what I notice is that his gameplans start out excellent and the second half adjustments are where the problem lies.  Of course there won't be evidence of this in every game, but I do see this happen against most "elite" teams.

[CF DolFan]

In Sparano's defense (not that I'm saying he is not intelligent), he doesn't have to be the most intelligent guy. He just has to surround himsefl with guys who are more intelligent at their jobs. Being a leader doesn't mean you are the most intelligent person in your corporation. It just means it is up to you to listen, decipher, and then ok in which direction you will go. If the organization's leader is closed to other ideas it wil alwys be limited to that person's ability. As we know, it's hard to find geniouses in all aspects of football.

[Doc-phin]

but have no concerns whatsoever in Sparano or Nolan or even Parcells at the top of the food chain. Overall, I think we have a solid coaching staff.

Do you think they have the right mindset to get to and/or win the big one?  Team talent excluded.  If so, why?  Because I am having a difficult time selling myself on it and I am a homer.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

In 2008 I was very impressed with the way the Dolphins approached the game.  2009, not so much.  The 2010 off season even less.

Coaching -- there are two way to play the game.  You can play to win or you can play not to lose.  In 2008 the Dolphins played to win.  Before NE game the Dolphin's didn't know if the wildcat would work or not.  It could have backfired.  The Dolphin's coaching staff took a risk.  Maybe it wouldn't work and the Dolphin's would look like fools with NE beating them down 47-0 and the Monday papers calling the Dolphin's a high school team trying to play in the NFL.  It was a risk.  But the coaching staff took the right approach.  Unlikely we will win if we play a conventional game, so lets try the gimmick.  Worst thing that happens is we lose, which is what will happen if we play NE's game. 

Its not unlike the Saints on-side kick at the start of the 2nd half of the SB.  Or when a team goes for it on 4th down.  Play to win, don't play to look conventional so if you lose nobody can blame your lack of convention on the loss. 

In 2009, it appeared the Dolphin's were playing not to lose.  Not unlike the way the Patriots played the 2007 SB or the Rams the 2001 SB or the Colts last year.  Playing not to lose rarely results in a win. 

Personnel -- The Dolphins seem to have gone sychoprenic.  While Pennington is not a HOF QB, he is one of the smartest players  in the NFL.  Long is a smart football player.  Solid adds.  Incongnito is one of the dumbest players in the NFL.  While I agree the best plan for the Dolphins is a youth movement, the way they got rid of Taylor (not the getting rid of Taylor) was moronic. 

If the coaching staff goes back to the way there were in 2008 they have the right stuff.  What I have seen recently doesn't impress me.   

[Doc-phin]

I always like that way of putting it...  "Play to win, or play not to lose".  I definitely agree that our coaches have been playing not to lose for quite some time now and it hasn't served us well (Going back to Wanny).

The only thing I am not sure of is your statement about the 2009 season and how we played not to lose.  I can't tell if having Henne in there unexpectedly had a lot to do with it.  I would say that Pennington was also playing very conservatively for the few games he played in, but he never crossed me as an attacking style player anyway.

It just seems that once they started to develop trust in Henne and Brown was still healthy, they did play fairly aggressively.  Unfortunately it was short lived as Brown went down and Ricky only flashed there after. 

[Defense54]

2 words. Cam Cameron.  That was the absolute basement of coaching staff. Rich Kotite was an upgrade over Cam.  Sprano might not be the second coming of Don Shula but he is easily heads and shoulders our best coach since J.J retired. Only Time will tell if he is a great coach. I think its entirely possible and I remain optimistic about the Dolphins future.