Miami Announcement Makes It Official
By Brian Miller
No more rumors from this reporter, that reporter, or some source, today, the Miami Dolphins announcement makes it official, Bill Parcells is a Miami Dolphin.
For the 2nd consecutive year and the 3rd out of 4 off-seasons, the Dolphins will enter the off-season with a change. Whether that change also includes a head coach and a general manager is still unknown. A change in philosophy is guaranteed. Wayne Huizenga for all his heart and effort, may finally have gotten it right.
Bill Parcells is not a finesse guy, he is results guy. He will not tolerate losing any more than he will tolerate winning badly. Parcells will accept excuses for why a team didn’t win, but then will not hesitate to get rid of those who refused to get better. He will not lie, he will not play on words, he will tell you to your face that you suck. He will tell you to your face that you are done.
In Miami, as Executive VP of Football Operations, Bill Parcells will be the football guy that answers only to Wayne Huizenga. Everyone else in the football biz answers to him. He will be responsible for firing and hiring the coaches and the GM. If they fail, it will be his responsibility alone.
Parcells will try to do something that Jimmy Johnson tried in vane to destroy…restore the name…Miami Dolphins. When JJ took over the team, he made it very clear to those in the organization that no mention of the team prior to his arrival was allowed. It has lasted almost 12 years. A football franchise that was enriched with historical relevance was brought to it’s knees. A slow painful death of the team, it’s fans, and the aura that surrounded the once proud franchise. That dereliction of historical honor ended today with a very simple statement from Bill Parcells.
"“I respect what the Dolphins name means – the legacy of the Perfect Season, and people like Coach Shula, Dan Marino and so many others who have made the team one of the most successful franchises in the NFL. I’m looking forward to helping restore that winning tradition.”"
Winning tradition? What the Dolphins name means? Perhaps a new chapter will be written. Perhaps the dark ages of the Miami Dolphins has finally come to an end and a light finally shines in the distance and unlike his recent predecessors, it appears that once again the Miami Dolphins can embrace their past and create an extension to that history rather than try and avoid and create its own.
Bill Parcells will not be the coach, nor will he be the GM. This ship may not be turned around in time and maybe in 2 or 3 years Bill Parcells grows tired and leaves the Dolphins like he did so many times with other teams. Yet maybe, just maybe, he will leave enough of an imprint on this franchise that when he is gone, the Miami legacy will continue once again. Maybe the Phoenix will rise from the ashes and the faith and hopes of a franchise and its fans, can be reborn.