How bad was Jimmy Johnson?

Jimmy Johnson came to Miami with Super Bowl rings and an attitude to go with it.  He traded away draft picks trying to find the next Hershel Walker that could be traded again.  Aside from Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas, he failed, and 3 years later he was resigning as a failure.  Nick Saban catches a lot of crap from Dolphins fans for the way he ran out of town, Jimmy did too, his was only a little more pleasant.

Have you ever wondered just how bad Jimmy Johnson was?  Ever wonder about the changes that were made to the organization.  Recently I had an opportunity to speak with a member of the Miami Dolphins organization, and out of respect for that person I will not mention his name.  Our conversation was a long lasting one, and although it was never said that the conversation was on or off the record, it would be a horrible mistake for me to repeat anything he said under the assumption that it was all “ON” the record.

Jimmy Johnson came to Miami under a lot of fanfare, but his arrival also followed a very questionable resignation by Don Shula.  Jimmy Johnson wanted nothing to do with the former…at all.

When Jimmy Johnson came to Miami as the Dolphins head coach, he wanted nothing of the Miami traditions, the Miami history, or for that matter coach Shula.  In fact, the two of them would not be scheduled at the same events.  Jimmy Johnson did not want Shula around the training facility and he did not want mention of any of the Dolphins historical successes.  Such as the 1972 undefeated season.

In fact, JJ wanted no mention of that season at all, and only when members of the media brought it up to him in press conferences did he respond to it, or for that matter recognize it.

If the Dolphins were holding public appearances or team sanctioned events, you would not find Shula and Johnson attending at the same time.  JJ did not want Shula at the events he was at, and in turn, Shula wanted nothing to do with JJ.

I asked if it was this reason that the Dolphins logo changed after so many years.  I was told that actually, JJ had nothing to do with it, that the logo change was something that had been planned under Shula, a marketing ploy to bring the Dolphins a more modern look.  For years, I have blamed Jimmy Johnson for that change…if I actually liked JJ, I might apologize for my mistake, but I don’t so I won’t.

More about the Dolphins from the same conversation.

Dan Marino had his own poker game on flights home from away games.  His was a high-dollar table.  There was always an abundance of poker games on the plane trips home.  The planes used to be active with chatter and it seemed genuine that the players took the time to get to know each other where as nowadays, players stay pretty much to themselves watching portable DVD movies with earphones.

The Dolphins used to serve alcohol on the planes, the Dolphins and other teams were warned by the NFL that any player involved in an accident on the way home after arrival could put that team in a position of responsibility.  The Dolphins immediately stopped serving alcohol on flights.  The NFL would later ban alcohol on all team flights.

You did not approach Nick Saban, you did not say “Hi” to Nick Saban in a corridor.  When Saban came to Miami he requested that he be left alone to do his job, that even when he was in the halls, he was formulating things in his head and wanted to be left alone.  He would speak only to those he had to, or coaches and players, you spoke to him only when you had to or when spoken to first.  Yet for all of that, Saban would not ride in first class on the team flights.  The starting offense and the offensive coaches would get first class one way, the defense and their coaches the other.  Nick Saban rode in coach.  The first two seats on the right side, where he and his wife would sit every flight.

Don Shula was the most feared coach the Dolphins ever had, yet the most respected.  Players were afraid of him, intimidated by him, but loved him.  Don Shula would rip a person apart verbally for whatever reason, then it was over with.  Period!  After Don Shula left the Dolphins, everything changed within the offices, the way things were done, the attitudes, it felt empty and more like a business.  Shula did the same things routine wise every day he was in Miami.  From practice schedules, to team meetings, to arrivals at the team plane for away games.  Nothing remained after he left.

Those are a few items from a conversation with a member of the Dolphins organization.  In the near future, Phinphanatic will have some exclusive interviews with Miami Dolphins writer Andy Kent and official team photographer Dave Cross.  Stay tuned.