Al Groh Says No

UPDATED breaking news: Well, it apparently has gotten worse.  According to the Miami Herald VIA the Pittsburgh Gazette, Keith Butler was offered the DC position but turned the Dolphins down.  If this is true, Butler will have turned down a DC position in the NFL to remain a LB coach.  Either he feels he isn’t ready or believes he is on track to hold that position someday for the Steelers.  The Dolphins will now likely turn to Todd Bowles, their in-house secondary coach for the job as the top DC’s available are gone.  The Dolphins simply waited to long to make their move it appears.

The Miami Dolphins will continue their search for a defensive coordinator after “frontrunner” Al Groh formerly of Virginia, has decided to stay in the college ranks.  Today, Groh told the Dolphins that he would not be taking over the DC job in Miami.

There has been no word on whether or not Groh was actually offered a contract with the Dolphins following his interview earlier in the week.  A long time Bill Parcells friend and assistant coach, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Groh would be named to the vacant spot.  Instead, he will take the same position with Ga. Tech.

On the surface, some fans won’t be too disappointed.  Many wanted to get younger in the coaching ranks instead of the pushing 70 group and the Phins are still interviewing Pittsburgh Steeler LB coach Keith Butler.  Butler is a Tony Sparano friend and the two coached together in Cleveland back in 2000.

Perhaps the disheartening thing about losing Groh however was the comments as to why he inevitably chose the “Yellow Jackets”.  Groh said he had made a list of what he was “looking for” and that GT met all his criteria.  One of which he singled out…the chance to win a Championship.

Did Groh not feel he had that chance in Miami?  Are the Dolphins still too far away from being competitive for a Super Bowl that at 70 Groh realized he simply doesn’t have the time left to wait?  Interesting to say the least.

Focus will now turn to Butler who has been praised for his 7 year work with the Steeler LB’s.  He has two Super Bowls under his belt and has a mix of Bill Cowher in him from his years with the well respected coach.  But the bottom line is, he has never ran a defensive unit from top to bottom and the question will be…is he ready?

That question will be microscopically poured over by fans should Butler decide to leave the “Steel city”.  He has already turned down Cardinal coach Ken Wisenhunt for a staff position in Arizona…twice.

Regardless of what Butler decides to do, the Dolphins were hoping to have an answer to their vacancy by Saturday so they could begin focusing on the rest of their off-season.  Not sure that will happen now.