Worst Dolphins Head Coach in Team History?

[dolfan13]

wanny was terrible on the personnel side of things. he actually won a good amount as a head coach...

[Jim Gray]

wanny was terrible on the personnel side of things. he actually won a good amount as a head coach...

I feel he won with talent he inherited.  He lost games when Miami was the better team.   I found him frustrating to watch.  The game plans were so simple, that other teams were laughing about it after the games, saying they knew just what we were going to do.  He never made adjustments at half time.  I think it was against the Jets where Miami was soundly beaten in the first game, only to execute the same game plan when they met again.  The opposing team was in disbelief and openly mocked Dave.  IMHO, Dave was a joke as a head coach.......a very, very bad joke.

[jtex316]

I'm glad that no-one has voted for Jimmy Johnson yet.

Talk about a coach who gets more shit than he deserves, JJ rebuilt the Dolphins after they started to fade following the 1993 AFC title game. JJ drafted excellently (Thomas, Taylor, Madison, Surtain) and got Trace Armstrong and Brock Marion on the roster. That defense was really phenomenal and Super Bowl caliber during the late 90's.

I really think that, if Dan Marino was a younger Dan Marino (early - mid 80's Marino) and not "established" (yet a superstar), that JJ would have been able do more with the offense and take the Dolphins further and deeper into the post-season than he did. Dan Marino - for better or for worse - held JJ back. We should have seen the Dolphins square off against the Broncos for the AFC title 3 years in a row, but we didn't.

JJ re-built the Dolphins into a serious contender - yet he is very much hated in this area. Wanny is the guy you should hate for ruining everything.

[CF DolFan]

I voted for Wanny for the reasons already listed. I also think that anyone who would have coached the year that Cameron did would have failed. Do I think he made some bad descisions in Ginn and so on? Absolutely but Ginn did more for us than numerous 1st round picks of the last 15 years.  I also don't think Beck was given a fair shot and thus, may be scarred for life!!

When all was said and done we were a play or two from winning many games which is also one of the reasons for the quick turnaround. I think we were right in getting rid of Cameron but in the overall terms of this franchise he certainly wasn't the worst thing for us.

[tepop84]

wannstedt took a 9 win team that lost a quarterback and won 11 games the next two seasons.  he ruined chicago? Give me a break. I guess belichik ruined cleveland too

[dolphins4life]

wanny was terrible on the personnel side of things. he actually won a good amount as a head coach...

With the talent we had.... We should have been SB contenders in both 2002, 2003.  His drafting and coaching held them back.       

[Phishfan]

He lost games when Miami was the better team.   I found him frustrating to watch.  The game plans were so simple, that other teams were laughing about it after the games, saying they knew just what we were going to do.  He never made adjustments at half time. 

That sounds strangely familiar for some reason and the guy I'm referring to doesn't have any votes.

[CF DolFan]

That sounds strangely familiar for some reason and the guy I'm referring to doesn't have any votes.

I think the verdict is out on Sparano. He still has time to rebound so you can't really evaluate his total gift to the franchise.

[dolfan13]

I feel he won with talent he inherited.  He lost games when Miami was the better team.   I found him frustrating to watch.  The game plans were so simple, that other teams were laughing about it after the games, saying they knew just what we were going to do.  He never made adjustments at half time.  I think it was against the Jets where Miami was soundly beaten in the first game, only to execute the same game plan when they met again.  The opposing team was in disbelief and openly mocked Dave.  IMHO, Dave was a joke as a head coach.......a very, very bad joke.

i just don't see how you win 11 games, 11 games, 10 games, etc... in the nfl on just talent alone. just ask wade phillips on that one. especially with a mediocre qb at best.

from a pure coaching perspective, his teams were the definition of vanilla, but they won games. now on the personnel side of things, he literally ran the team into the ground.

wanny's downfall was eddie moore, jamar fletcher, not needing hasselbeck because he had fiedler, nightmare personnel decision after nightmare personnel decision.

he gets a bad rep as a coach because it was the first regime post-marino. obviously the offense was not going to be anywhere near as good, and the fans just weren't used to it.

as a coach he wasn't as bad as rich kottite, or marty mornhinweg, or cam cameron...

[dolphins4life]

^^^^

By having a ton of pro bowlers on defense, by having solid offensive players.

Those teams should have been SB contenders, but his personnel moves and game management cost them.       

[jtex316]

I understand and get that Wanny ruined both the Bears and the Dolphins, I'm definitely a believer of that.

However - It took three good seasons to run these teams into the ground. During the seasons in which he was running the franchises into the ground, he still did manage to win a division title and make the playoffs (and beat the Colts at home in OT - I was at that game). So there was at least some tangible thing that you can take away from that, despite his very poor long-term planning.

Cam Cameron did absolutely nothing. I don't believe that Wanny would have gone 1-15 with the same team that Cam Cameron went 1-15 with.

For all of that, Cam Cameron gets my vote.

[Landshark]

I understand and get that Wanny ruined both the Bears and the Dolphins, I'm definitely a believer of that.

However - It took three good seasons to run these teams into the ground. During the seasons in which he was running the franchises into the ground, he still did manage to win a division title and make the playoffs (and beat the Colts at home in OT - I was at that game). So there was at least some tangible thing that you can take away from that, despite his very poor long-term planning.

Cam Cameron did absolutely nothing. I don't believe that Wanny would have gone 1-15 with the same team that Cam Cameron went 1-15 with.

For all of that, Cam Cameron gets my vote.

Wanny had three good seasons with the Dolphins because of the talent Jimmy Johnson left behind.  Same reason why he had a couple good seasons early on with the Bears because of the talent Mike Ditka left behind.  Wanny would've easily gone 0-16 with the 2007 Dolphins

[tepop84]

Wanny had three good seasons with the Dolphins because of the talent Jimmy Johnson left behind.  Same reason why he had a couple good seasons early on with the Bears because of the talent Mike Ditka left behind.  Wanny would've easily gone 0-16 with the 2007 Dolphins

Yea he left him Lamar smith and no qb.  Jimmy Johnson was 8 games over .500 in 4 seasons with the dolphins, Wannstedt was 18 games over .500 his first 4 seasons.

In Chicago, Mike Ditka was 5-11 his last season.  The next year wannstedt was 7-9, then 9-7 the following season.  He isn't a bad coach.

[Brian Fein]

Cam Cameron gets a pass from me because of the injuries the team suffered during his tenure.  He was putting 2nd and 3rd string talent on the field every Sunday, and still the Dolphins lost 8 games by 3 points or less.

Wannstedt was the worst, IMO, not because he's a shitty coach (note - present tense), but because his drafting and inability to evaluate talent is the reason why we're so shitty to this day.  Eddie Moore, Jamar Fletcher, Wade Smith.  Wow.  What a bunch of years of wasted picks.  Those picks could have been Drew Brees, Anquan Boldin, etc.  Imagine the difference...

[jtex316]

I actually agree with Tepop. Wanny isn't a bad coach. He isn't going to ever be a Tony Dungy or a Bill Belichick or some world-beater, and he's not going to build a dynasty with your franchise, but he (and I put Jim Mora Sr. in this category also) has the ability to coach players up and make them go out there and perform for him to some extent. Cam Cameron failed miserably to do even that - and again, this is going way beyond the 1-15 record that he posted. The players on the 53-man roster simply did not go out there and break their necks for Cameron. Players in large part did do that for Wanny.

So Wanny destroyed your long-term prospects, but did have a few tangible accomplishments during his tenure. Cam Cameron not only destroyed your long-term prospects, he destroyed your short-term prospects as well (And Brian, due to the rash of injuries that occurred that same year, I am not willing to give a pass on Cameron, as I think the personnel and training methods he employed during that season contributed to the team's health demise).

And, don't let the parting shots that players took on Wanny as Wanny was shown the door be the judge of how they felt. Lots of coaches get parting shots on the way out by players.