Is Jim Harbaugh An Answer For The Miami Dolphins?

The Miami Dolphins are far from finishing the 2014 season but a lot of speculation seems to be filtering out of the San Francisco Bay area this weekend in regards to the future of head coach Jim Harbaugh. Mainstream network media types covering the NFL in depth believe there is no way that Harbaugh can return to the 49’ers with the locker room friction that exists. Friction that exists between Harbaugh and his team and Harbaugh and the front office. Naturally if Harbaugh is the center of rumors leaving the bay area then where he will end up in 2015 is also quite the topic.

A report over the weekend, I should say another report over the weekend, stated that the Cleveland Browns had offered two 3rd round picks for the head coach. This is consistent with rumors that circulated shortly after the Browns fired their former head coach Rob Chudzinski and GM Mike Lombardi. The rumors surfaced again a few days before the team retained Ray Farmer as the in house replacement for Lombardi and then signed a coach no one had seen on the teams radar. The 49’ers of course denied any talks of a head coaching swap.

If there was interest in a trade do you think Stephen Ross would have fired Joe Philbin along with Jeff Ireland and handed the keys to his team to Harbaugh? Absolutely.

Several teams may be in play for Harbaugh at seasons end including the Dolphins. The Raiders are far more local and keep Harbaugh and family on the West coast, something they have said they wanted to do while Michigan is a high profile gig that Harbaugh would love to take on. Money is really a non-issue for Michigan or Miami but it might be for the Raiders…at least to the degree of what Harbaugh would want.

If it’s about money then Stephen Ross won’t get outbid because he really respects and admires Harbaugh and having him in Miami would be the dream come true for Ross. While the question of Harbaugh wanting to come to Miami is one thing, the question of whether or not he should is another.

Harbaugh is a tough coach and the players in San Francisco have reportedly grown tired of his antics and restrictions. Remember the stuff that circulated about Nick Saban? Pretty much the same kind of stuff. No headsets on the planes, not games of cards, and so on. Harbaugh runs a college ship in the locker room and he apparently treats his players like college kids instead of pro’s. He has however gotten results from his antics and in Miami results will fill a stadium a lot more than players being allowed t wear Beats headphones. Ross wants a winner in Miami and Harbaugh represents that in Ross’ eye.

The Dolphins as a team could use some brash swagger on the field. They could use some high energy play calling and a head coach who is loud and boisterous on the sidelines. There is no question who calls the shots in San Francisco and there wouldn’t be in Miami either.

While it’s fun to jump ahead to the land of “What If” there is a current head coach in position for the Dolphins and until he is gone you can bet that Ross won’t so much as utter Harbaugh’s name…well no he probably would…but my point is that Ross has learned his lesson from the Tony Sparano mistake but the love affair is still there for Ross. What will it take for Ross to pull that trigger? A losing season would almost assuredly put Philbin out of a job and Ross’ checkbook in the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Harbaugh. What if the Dolphins made the playoffs?

Would Stephen Ross pass on a chance to land Harbaugh if it meant firing a coach who took the team to the post-season for the first time since 2008? I don’t have an answer for that and I don’t think anyone does. A lot would depend on how they got there, how far they went, how well the team was doing leading up to that point. One thing is for certain, Joe Philbin may say he isn’t looking over his shoulder but he is checking his mirrors because if this team, a team that is talented enough to make the playoffs and win the division, doesn’t, Philbin will be out and Harbaugh will get a marriage proposal.

In a bit of irony however if Harbaugh does indeed end up with the Raiders he would replace interim head coach Tony Sparano who was at the helm in Miami when Ross flew to visit with Harbaugh. Yes, that indeed is ironic…of course it’s Oakland where they opted to start Derek Carr over Matt Schaub when it was Matt Schaub who was brought in to replace Derek’s older brother David. Oakland and their irony.