Stephen Ross is the new Al Davis

[jtex316]

From the Sun-Sentinel:

"We have one great advantage in South Florida as the Dolphins that other teams don't have, and that's the weather in August, September and October," Ross said. "Our players train in that weather. Let's take advantage of it. Let's go with a hurry-up offense. Let's wear them down. We've never done that.

"This isn't the North, where you want to just take it four yards and a cloud of dust, you know?" Ross said. "I think [I'm looking] for a different brand. The Dolphins how fans want to see it, how we win and we're going downfield [like] the days of Dan Marino, the days we all want to go back to."

Link: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-dolphins-offensive-coordinator-01120110110,0,2929254.story

Can someone explain the difference between this and Al Davis, who always wants a "wide-open offense" with a "big armed QB" while wanting to "go back to the good old days"?

When your team's owner is dictating the offensive strategy, you're screwed.

[Pappy13]

^^ So when all the talking heads in the media say it, it's fine but when the owner says it, you're screwed?

[Dolphin-UK]

Nah...

This is Public Relations 101, say something the fans want to hear. He knows the fans want a less conservative offense, and the fans love Marino, mention both in the same sentence and a large number will go "hey, maybe he does have a clue".

Until he starts strats dictating who to draft, putting the headset on or trying to sign JaMarcus Russell he can say what he likes.

[Brian Fein]

This guy is an idiot.  It would be an improvement if they got 4 yards on every play.  Instead they run Wildcat for 1 yard, then throw incomplete pass, then on 3rd and 9 they throw a check down for 3 yards and get tackled.

At this point, "4 yards and a a cloud of dust" would be an improvement...

[Doc-phin]

The difference is that Ross doesn't and will never pick the players. 

Al Davis also has a tendency to render his coaches powerless by overturning their decisions.  This is not the case with Ross.

Ross is simply saying that he doesn't believe a conservative approach is the way to win anymore and wants his coaches to share that vision.  If you look at the best teams in the NFL over the last 5-10 years, he is right.

I like it!  I am tired conservative approach!  We have been in that mode for a long time now and it hasn't worked.  Hopefully we will see results in this direction over the course of next season.

[Dave Gray]

I hate Al Davis and I hate ownership involvement in football decisions, in general.  That said, I like and agree with Ross' statements.

[jtex316]

I don't like the fact that the owner is voicing his opinion on what type of offense he'd like to see from his team. What if Tony Sparano wants to run a run-first, conservative, close to the vest style offense? He should be free to do so without worrying about what the owner wants to see on the field.

Like him or not, Tony Sparano is the Dolphins' football head coach, and he should not be influenced by his owner on what strategy to employ or how "sexy" the team needs to look on Sundays. There's no evidence to suggest that a "wide-open, gun-slinging" offense will equate to Miami victories next season, nor do we know if Miami has the personnel for such an offense. Perhaps Tony Sparano is only working with the tools that he had been provided, hence the "4 yards and a cloud of dust" offense that we've seen the last few seasons?

Stephen Ross continues to confirm that he doesn't understand football, players, personnel, coaching, or much less the business of football. Regurgitating what the stupid fan base wants does nothing but rile up the local media and further undermine whatever influence Sparano had left on his team.

Influencing Sparano's strategy is going to drastically backfire on the team, as it always, always does.

[Brian Fein]

^^ This makes him Jerry Jones, not Al Davis.

[CF DolFan]

Maybe he is not Al Davis but he is treading the same water. Up to this point I think Ross has acted like a fan with money.  If we are to succeed he will need to be much more stable than that.

In the words of the Rock ... "Know your role Jabroni!" I don't think Ross has as of yet. He hasn't been able to separate the fan aspect out of it.

[Pappy13]

I don't like the fact that the owner is voicing his opinion on what type of offense he'd like to see from his team.

It's not just the owner, for the most part he's speaking for the fans as well.  The fans want to see a more exciting offense.  We have for years.  Pretty much ever since Dan Marino retired.

What if Tony Sparano wants to run a run-first, conservative, close to the vest style offense? He should be free to do so without worrying about what the owner wants to see on the field. Like him or not, Tony Sparano is the Dolphins' football head coach, and he should not be influenced by his owner on what strategy to employ or how "sexy" the team needs to look on Sundays.

Why not?  I'm sure that Ross told Tony what he was looking for when he extended his contract.  Don't you think that part of the decision to keep Tony on board for the next 3 years was that he would try to jazz up the offense?  If Tony didn't want to do that, than he should have told him sorry but I'm not going to do that.  I think the best way to win is to keep the offense the way it is.  Then it would have been up to Ross to decide if he still wants Sparano to be the coach.  I'm pretty sure that both men have already discussed this behind closed doors, Ross is just telling the fans now what he's already discussed with Tony.

There's no evidence to suggest that a "wide-open, gun-slinging" offense will equate to Miami victories next season...

Well maybe not that it will equate to Miami victories, but most "experts" are in agreement that these days to be sucessful in the NFL you have to have a dynamic offense.  Look at the best teams in the NFL and they have aggressive offenses for the most part.  The Jets are the only team really bucking that trend and they have a more aggressive offense than Miami.

...nor do we know if Miami has the personnel for such an offense. Perhaps Tony Sparano is only working with the tools that he had been provided, hence the "4 yards and a cloud of dust" offense that we've seen the last few seasons?

Sparano and Ireland have been the ones providing the tools for 3 years now.  If he's not getting the tools to work with, it's his own damn fault.  Maybe it's time for Tony to brighten his horizon's and consider that he may need more explosive offensive players.  He has the power to bring them in.  Start doing it.

Stephen Ross continues to confirm that he doesn't understand football, players, personnel, coaching, or much less the business of football. Regurgitating what the stupid fan base wants does nothing but rile up the local media and further undermine whatever influence Sparano had left on his team. Influencing Sparano's strategy is going to drastically backfire on the team, as it always, always does.

So why then did Stephen Ross buy the team?  You think he spent a billion dollars to just leave all the decisions of running it up to Tony Sparano?  I don't think so.  He's giving Tony 3 more years to put together a successful product on the field.  Ross at least has the right to give Sparano his input on what he would like to see.  The owner has every right to find the GM and head coach that will put a winner on the field and if Ross thinks the secret to doing that is an attacking offense, he has every right to try to find a GM and head coach that are going to do that.  If Tony doesn't want to do it, then quit.  It's just like any other job, if you take the salary then you also take on the responsibility of doing what your boss wants you to do.  If you don't want to do that, then don't sign the contract.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Maybe he is not Al Davis but he is treading the same water. Up to this point I think Ross has acted like a fan with money.  If we are to succeed he will need to be much more stable than that.

In the words of the Rock ... "Know your role Jabroni!" I don't think Ross has as of yet. He hasn't been able to separate the fan aspect out of it.

Took Bob Kraft a few years to go from being a "fan with money" to a very good owner who understood his role.  Not sure how long or if at all for Rooney or Mora. 

[Dave Gray]

I think there's a fine line that Ross hasn't yet crossed.  I don't want him making personnel decisions on the field, making draft picks, but I do think that the general vision of the organization can come from the top.  The things that Ross has said are indicative of many people and are generalizations, anyway.

[Pappy13]

I think there's a fine line that Ross hasn't yet crossed.  I don't want him making personnel decisions on the field, making draft picks, but I do think that the general vision of the organization can come from the top.  The things that Ross has said are indicative of many people and are generalizations, anyway.

/agreed.

I don't want him in the draft room, but I don't mind him telling the head coach he'd like to see him jazz up the offense.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

/agreed.

I don't want him in the draft room, but I don't mind him telling the head coach he'd like to see him jazz up the offense.

Actually I think you need the owner in the draft room. 

The most important role an owner can play is preventing a desperate coach/GM from mortgaging the future.  By this I mean trading way 2012 draft picks to beef up the 2011 team or signing aging expensive FA that will hurt the future cap.  Its one thing to have a coach give you a bad season.  But you don't want to have to fire a coach and have the next coach start off without a 1st or 2nd round pick. 

[Pappy13]

Actually I think you need the owner in the draft room. 

The most important role an owner can play is preventing a desperate coach/GM from mortgaging the future.  By this I mean trading way 2012 draft picks to beef up the 2011 team or signing aging expensive FA that will hurt the future cap.  Its one thing to have a coach give you a bad season.  But you don't want to have to fire a coach and have the next coach start off without a 1st or 2nd round pick. 

Ok, fine.  Rule #1 can be that your GM/Coach can't trade away future draft picks without the consent of the owner, but other than that he should stay out of the draft room.  I don't want his input on who to draft at #15.  You hired a coach/GM for that.  Let them do their job.  This is where Jerry Jones oversteps his bounds in my opinion.