Rebuilding the Dolphins: Commitment

In this, our 4th installment of a 5 part series in how to “Rebuild the Dolphins” we look at the commitment aspect to do it. It starts first and foremost with the owner and a lot of tough decisions.

Beyond any doubt in the world, the hardest decision this off season will be with his decision at GM, HC, and DC. General Manager Randy Mueller, Head Coach Cam Cameron, and Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers are all on the hot seat and in danger of losing their jobs.

It does not matter if you are on the “fire Cameron” band wagon or the “keep Cameron” wagon, the decision belongs solely to the man who pays their salaries…Wayne Huizenga.

If Wayne is going to make a move then he needs to realize that he has this year and this year alone to get it right. That is where the commitment starts.

Should Wayne retain Cameron is the hottest debate in Dolfanland. Should Wayne make the decision to retain Cameron, then Cameron is on a leash that will only get tighter if things next year do not improve. If Wayne decides to cut Cameron loose, then he must realize that the next head coach must be someone that he himself is committed to, not for 1 year and not for 2 regardless of the record that the Fins post. He has to dedicate his franchise to at least 3 years of that coach or risk losing the opportunity to bring anyone in that will actually make a difference.

The Commitment to Cameron, personal opinion aside, is not about committing to Cameron. It is about committing to a system, a rebuilding process that has already begun. It is about committing to a future, that as uncertain as it is, is still a future of something. A commitment to another coach is not necessarily wrong, opinion aside again, but it needs to be done right after the season ends. That means no “go out and search”. Wayne better have a candidate in mind and be ready to go, because if the big name refuses or falls through, this team will be left with another candidate of former NFL failure or never been an NFL coach type. A hole that we are in now.

The same thing can’t be said about the GM position. The retention of GM Randy Mueller could be more important to the future of the team, or rather the lack of retention in reality, perhaps the best move the Dolphins could make this off season is a commitment to Cameron and a replacement for Mueller.

That is not to say that Randy deserves to be fired, but Muellers absence has not continuity issues with what is on the field. He is replaceable even if unfairly. Someone in the end will have to accept responsibility for the mess on the field, and the internal review will be the only thing that determines who made what choices on what players. If that person is Mueller, then he should be fired and Cameron retained, if it is Cameron, then both may need to go because as GM, Mueller is ultimately responsible.

The defensive coordinator job is another that is widely debated. Did Cameron alter the defensive schemes or did Capers? Did Cameron wait too long to intervene in the defense or did he put too much effort in hanging over Capers shoulders? Either way, the defense has been horrible since the departure of Nick Saban. Capers entered the start of the season with only 1 new veteran starter and that was Matt Roth, he lost Kevin Carter to release.

If the Dolphins decide to part ways with Cameron and Mueller, then it is time to part ways with Capers as well and blow it all up. But again, they must commit to it. The coaching changes are the first step if they are to be done, the GM is the second. I stated above that the best move may be to get rid of Mueller and allow Cameron to stay. Let me explain.

Cameron’s’ retention would go a long way to providing a continued system while at the same time letting the new GM thoroughly evaluate the team and the coach. The GM must have GM responsibilities over everything. If after next season, that new GM does not see in Cameron what he thinks is needed to be successful, then Cameron will not only be gone, but the GM will replace him with his own guy, which would be the logical point in replacing the HC anyways. Waiting through next season to rid the team of both and starting again will achieve nothing. Again, this is a commitment that the team needs to stand by and decide on now.

The players are another problem for this team and after the decisions at the top of the team are ironed out, the evaluation of talent must be made. Locker room distractions must be dealt with either by attrition or again, commitment. Team leaders who no longer lead or veterans who no longer can play but are stand outs in the locker room, they need to be moved out. This team needs positive energy. It needs a winning attitude. That starts with leaders and if the leaders are not those people anymore than move them out. A coach and a GM live and die by their choices in personnel.

In terms of the players, it is very hard to determine who should go and who should stay. At times you wish that the play on the field is the only thing that mattered, but you have to take into consideration the fans, the money, the cap, the availability of a replacement, and so on. It is not simply a matter of cutting ties.

The Dolphins also must commit themselves to making the changes. No longer approach the off season as a one or two player off season, but a top notch lets get this done off season. They will need to make decisions that will not financially cripple the team while blending in new talent with rising talent. It is a trick. The Dolphins fans of today have not had an opportunity in over 5 years to really gauge what free agency provides, mainly due to salary cap issues. Instead as fans, we watch while other teams pull off deals with poison pills or trades to avoid them. We watch while some find gems, and most just overpay.

Commitment will start at the top, and to rebuild the Dolphins it will take exactly that to solve the problems that plague the team. The Dolphins can be fixed, it is only a matter of when. Make the change now and commit to enduring another two years of learning, wait and repeat if it doesn’t fit next year. Either way, it will be a few years down the road and maybe longer if nothing works. Nothing will work though until a decision is made on the top 3 guys running the team.

The final part of this series will be up on Friday or on Monday. Rebuilding the Dolphins – Addition and Subtraction.