Does Philbin know what he's doing?

[Pappy13]

Saw this article in the sun sentinal and it got me to thinking. Just to be clear, I'm not against trading Vontae, however I would have rather it would have been done in the off-season like the Marshall trade was done so that we could get something this year for him rather then next year. With that being said, I'll give Philbin some credit for doing something few head coaches have the guts to do and that's impart his will on a team. I've seen this happen before.

I lived in Dallas in '89 when the Dallas Cowboys were sold to Jerry Jones and their longtime head coach Tom Landry was dismissed and in came cocky head coach Jimmy Johnson from the University of Miami. Jerry and Jimmy didn't make any friends that first year, let me tell you. There were tons of people upset the way that Tom Landry was handled, just dismissed without so much as a thank you. Jimmy started jettisoning anyone that even looked crossed ways at him, it was his way or the highway, no excuses no matter who you were. The most talented player on the roster Herschel Walker was traded for 6 draft picks. That first year Jimmy and Jerry went 1-15. People were screaming for their heads!

But Jimmy drafted Troy Aikman that first year and Emmitt Smith the next and slowly they all turned the franchise around. Everyone got on-board the JJ train because if you didn't you were dropped off at the next stop. In a couple years they had built the Cowboys into a juggernaut winning back to back superbowls in '92 and '93.

Now, I'm not suggesting that Philbin is Jimmy Johnson or that Steven Ross is Jerry Jones. What I am suggesting is that we give them a little time to see how it turns out before we dismiss them. It can be done this way although it's not easy and it does require a little bit of luck along the way. For the most part I have liked what I have seen from Philbin. This move was tough to swallow at first because it won't help us for at least a year and I think Philbin is setting this team up for a long hard ride this year, but I'm okay with that as long as they are honest and upfront with us. Drop the "We are NOT rebuilding" BS. It's BS. Everyone knows it's BS. No, I don't expect you to come out and say that the Dolphins are going to suck this year or that we are giving up because I don't believe that's what we are doing, but I do expect you to say that you are building with an eye towards the future. Go with a youth movement. Bring in as many YOUNG guys as you want and give them a chance, just no more Chad Johnson's please. Cut David Garrard because he doesn't have much time left and keep Moore who's a nice backup and if he's okay with that role has a few years left in the tank and keep Devlin because he's shown progress and is young. Keep the rookie WR's and get rid of Naanee, Pruitt, Moore and Wallace who have shown nothing more than average ability in 3 plus years in the league.

And lets all start praying that some of these young guys start developing because while I'm okay with watching a team rebuild for a year, I don't want it to stretch for 3 or 4 years and I'm not willing to see it stagnate either. Every year the total number of wins should go up. Even 1 year that it doesn't and Philbin should be gone. The biggest problem I had with Sparano/Parcells is that we allowed them to hang around much too long. The first indication that things weren't headed in the right direction was the 7-9 season after the 11-5 campaign. I cut them a little slack that year because I thought the 11-5 season was a little lucky, but then the second 7-9 season and I knew that Sparano was not the answer and he should have been let go then.

So I'll give you a chance Philbin and I recognize it could be ugly this year, but by year 2 I expect to see results and every year after that as well. The first year we don't improve, you're out.

[hordman]

Nice write-up.  I like your points.   I like the idea of going with the youth movement.  There will definitely be some lumps taken early on, but we should see steady improvement in the following years like you said.  I wish we had another solid WR to go with Bess and help Tannehill out.  Someone from that WR corps needs to step up now.

[MikeO]

Saw this article in the sun sentinal and it got me to thinking. Just to be clear, I'm not against trading Vontae, however I would have rather it would have been done in the off-season like the Marshall trade was done so that we could get something this year for him rather then next year. With that being said, I'll give Philbin some credit for doing something few head coaches have the guts to do and that's impart his will on a team. I've seen this happen before.

Philbin isn't dumb. This is probably his one and only shot at being a head coach and he is gonna do it HIS WAY! If he goes down it will be HIS WAY so there are no regrets. Maybe his way works, maybe it doesn't but it is gonna be done his way! And considering the place he came from and where he has been it's a safe bet to say HIS WAY has a track record of success. He just now has to execute the plan.

Next offseason Miami will have roughly $45 mill in cap money to spend ( I have seen $50 mill and I have seen $40 mill as the number depending on the source) with really only Jake Long to re-sign now. They will probably have 3 of the first 50 draft picks and 5 of the Top 80 (unless Indy and Chicago have a SuperBowl rematch).

This was a good football trade any way you slice it. Whether Miami was a super bowl contender or rebuilding like they are, this is a good trade!

[Spider-Dan]

I'm glad that this will bring the Ireland situation to a head, one way or the other.

Ireland and Philbin have basically put it on a billboard: if we are not in the 2013 playoffs, we should both be fired.  So far, they have chosen to get rid of the 2011 team's best WR, best CB, and best safety (and all of them were SIGNIFICANTLY better than the next best Dolphin at that position).  When you gut a team like that, you open yourself up to increased scrutiny; you'd better be able to handle the pressure.

[badger6]

I'm glad that this will bring the Ireland situation to a head, one way or the other.

Ireland and Philbin have basically put it on a billboard: if we are not in the 2013 playoffs, we should both be fired.  So far, they have chosen to get rid of the 2011 team's best WR, best CB, and best safety (and all of them were SIGNIFICANTLY better than the next best Dolphin at that position).  When you gut a team like that, you open yourself up to increased scrutiny; you'd better be able to handle the pressure.

For me it's not Marshall, Johnson, Vontae or anyone else that has left individually. It's the whole picture. Shit now people are talking about Dansby might be gone. If that's the way they want to do it, fine. But as far as I'm concerned you keep your best players and give yourself the best chance to win NOW, even if you are rebuilding. If we are gonna stockpile draft picks for next year we might as well get rid of all of the good players we have that we can "get something" for, and just totally start over. Hell they might as well trade Bush to Detroit. Maybe Ireland can get a 3rd rounder, an autographed Barry Sanders jersey, and a McNuggets Happy Meal. Ireland should have been walked out before any of those players in my opinion.

[Brian Fein]

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HIRE A NEW HEAD COACH EVERY 3-4 YEARS!

I agree with the original post.  You gotta give this time.  Coaches bring new systems and want players that fit said system.  You bring in a new coach and expect magic to happen - it doesn't work that way.

Philbin needs time, hopefully he and Ireland work well together and form a strong team.  You gotta give him time to build with his guys in his system and it will work out.

[Spider-Dan]

I'm not saying he shouldn't have time.  I give him exactly two years.

[Brian Fein]

right.  Two years is PLENTY of time to turn a crap-fest 6-win team with cap problems into a super bowl contender. 

Sorry, but you need to have more patience - and this is directed towards the entire fan base.  Changing coaches every 3 years just leads to more ineptitude and starting over.  And that's what you're seeing right now.

[Spider-Dan]

How long did it take Sean Payton to turn around the 3-13 Saints?
How long did it take John Harbaugh to turn around the 5-11 Ravens?

You seem to be under the impression that it takes years and years to go from trash to contenders.  There is no such thing as a 4-year-plan.  Changing coaches every three years only leads to more ineptitude and starting over when you hire bad coaches.

Unless maybe you're saying that Miami should have held on to Wanny, Cameron, or Sparano just a little bit longer?

[Brian Fein]

You don't think that Harbaugh and Payton walked in and picked up all the same players and suddenly turned them into contenders.  They had room to bring in players that fit his system, or they already had talent on the team.  Do you think Drew Brees might have had something to do with bringing Payton along?

Sparano came in his first season and took a 1-15 team and won the Division.  Does that mean Sparano was awesome too?

Just don't understand the mentality that you have to win NOW.  The Dolphins are a mess, have been for 8-10 seasons.  No talent, no home-grown players.  The longest-tenured guys on the team have been around since 2007 (Fields and Soliai).  Longest tenure is in thier 5th season on the team?  Don't you see a problem with that?

Player turnover is caused by coaching turnover.  We need to start a tradition of drafting quality guys and keeping them around and allowing churn at the bottom of the roster.  Key puzzle pieces need to be identified.  Hopefully, Tannehill is the first piece.  Beyond that - Bush (last year of contract), Jake Long, maybe Sean Smith?  Who else?

There are a ton of holes to fill and, I'm sorry, outside of your two extreme examples, its not an overnight process.  I want to see year-to-year improvement, and I'm not expecting a Super Bowl in 2012 or 2013.

[Spider-Dan]

To clarify my previous point... the Dolphins are a football team, not a Boy Scout troop.  Conventional wisdom is that when you have a lack of talent, you don't make it your priority to get rid of your most talented players.  So when you defy the conventional wisdom (like Ireland and Philbin have), it means one of two things:

a) you're smarter than everyone else
b) you're dumber than everyone else

Belichick does this kind of stuff all the time; look at the way NE dumps players they don't want to pay, or makes decisions (e.g. 4th down in Indy) that the talking heads scream about.  But that's OK, because he's already proven that he's smarter than everyone else, so his job is not at risk.

Joe Philbin is not Bill Belichick, and if he's going to act like he is, then he's going to be expected to prove it.

[Brian Fein]

Joe Philbin is not Bill Belichick

How do you know this?  They haven't even suited up for a single snap that means anything.

[Phishfan]

How long did it take Sean Payton to turn around the 3-13 Saints?

While I agree with your concept that it does not take as long to turn around teams as some people think, I do not like this example. The Saints were a middle of the pack team dealing prior to their 3-13 year and were dealing with Hurricane Katrina aftermath during it. That team was really not as in as bad a shape as most 3-13 teams would be.

[Spider-Dan]

There are a ton of holes to fill and, I'm sorry, outside of your two extreme examples, its not an overnight process.  I want to see year-to-year improvement, and I'm not expecting a Super Bowl in 2012 or 2013.

Extreme examples?  Which teams have risen to the top by following the plan you laid out?

NYG?  They won their division in Eli's second season, and won the title in his fourth (a year where Coughlin was on the verge of being fired, it bears mentioning).
GB?  They blew everything up in 2008 (finishing 6-10), made the playoffs the next year, and won the title the year after that.
Pre-2011 IND?  They were 13-3 in Peyton's second season.
PIT?  They were 6-10 in '03, drafted Big Ben, and immediately went 15-1 in his first season and won the title in his second.

What team has followed this slow-but-steady plan you mention?  Who is your blueprint?

[Spider-Dan]

How do you know this?  They haven't even suited up for a single snap that means anything.

Bill Belichick has won 3 Super Bowls.  Joe Philbin is not Bill Belichick, for all the same reasons that Ryan Tannehill is not Tom Brady.

Furthermore, even Bill Belichick didn't arrive in NE and immediately start acting like he has a proven track record.